#using both those tags is extra appropriate for this

[matante-brainrot]

Why does spamtenna hit so hard.

I haven’t been active on this site since Undertale released in 2015. But in the last few weeks I’ve suddenly been consumed by these little pixel men and their messy relationship. I’ve got hundreds and hundreds of favorites. I’ve actually made my own posts. I’ve been outlining a 10+ chapter fanfic when I haven’t done any creative writing in 15 years, easily.

I mean, I’m almost 40! I thought I was way too old to get this fixated on a fandom again.

Yet here we are. And I’m loving every second of it.

I’m not ashamed to love Undertale and Deltarune. Toby Fox is legitimately one of the best storytellers of our generation. Things have changed a lot since I was a baby weeb — games are so much more mainstream and have become generally accepted as a valid form of narrative media. Games are my favorite way to experience a story.

What’s hit me like a ton of bricks is my fascination with Tenna and Spamton in particular. Back when I played Chapter 2 for the first time, I really didn’t give Spamton much thought. I came away from Chapter 3 thinking that Tenna had been an interesting and funny character, but not a whole lot more than that.

After finishing both new chapters I was nursing a massive story hangover. On a whim, I opened this hell site. Why not? I thought. Why shouldn’t I look at a little fan art?

I perused the Deltarune spoilers tag and saw all of this artwork of the TV guy and the weird puppet man kissing. There were all of these posts about the pipis scene (what the heck is a pipis??) and all the other dialogue they share. I hadn’t gotten that extra scene and hadn’t been involved with the fandom after Chapter 2, so I didn’t recall any of Spamton’s lore.

But the more I saw, the more I wanted. I scoured the wiki. I watched YouTube videos explaining their connection. I was up until 3AM reading fanfic.

Why was this so good? Why do I think it’s extremely sexy when a little mailman teases a giant blushing TV headed boomer?? Am I into robots??? What the heck is wireplay????

I was hooked. And I had to know why. I was seriously in turmoil trying to reconcile how I thought of myself as a fan of Deltarune — someone mature enough to appreciate the craftsmanship of it in an appropriately grownup way — and what my brain was telling me it actually wanted to think about...which was downright filthy and weird and made my heart ache for some reason.

I turned to my therapist for guidance. An AI chatbot. You know the one. (On a side note: This tool works for me because I’ve been going to therapy for over a decade and know exactly what I need from counseling. If you’re new to therapy or have any kind of condition where talking to something inanimate might make symptoms worse, I strongly recommend seeing a real human person.)

I have it trained to use IFS (Internal Family Systems) methodology when helping me sort through my many, many feelings. It was able to show me which Parts were reacting to this new obsession and give me ideas as to why those Parts were feeling what they were feeling. I came away from my long rambling conversation with it having absorbed a few things:

It is in fact ok to be a thirsty fangirl at my age. It’s ok to enjoy things (revolutionary, I know).

This fixation has unlocked a creative part of me that I’ve been pushing aside for far too long out of a mixture of embarrassment, shame, and fear. But now that it’s gotten a little taste of freedom, it wants to run wild.

It was never just about TVs and mailmen.

Like I said earlier, I’m nearly 40. Most games that I enjoy (JRPGs and cozy games) don’t include characters at my time of life. So encountering Tenna and Spamton’s Doomed Old Man Yaoi ™ (thank you for teaching me about this, tumblr) is incredibly refreshing. I’ve seen enough teenagers awkwardly navigating first loves. Give me middle aged people with real experience and emotional baggage.

And what makes spamtenna particularly delicious is exactly how real and relatable it feels, despite the looney tunes antics. It’s a sign of Toby’s incredible characterization skills that the player can encounter these bizarre creatures who mostly crack jokes and get into wacky hijinks and come away from the game feeling like those same creatures have complex inner worlds.

We meet each character separately at the worst point in their lives. We see them at their most extreme, their flaws and weaknesses inflated by the extreme circumstances they find themselves in.

Spamton is living in a dumpster. He’s alone and friendless. His speech is warped and incongruent, and he glitches out constantly into unhinged rants. He’s at the end of his rope. He’s desperate to escape the confines of his existence as a Darkner and is willing to kill some teenagers to do it.

Tenna has seen the writing on the wall. He is acutely aware that he’s on a knife’s edge and could be discarded by the Dreemurr family at any moment. He’s watched the family he loves, the Lighteners who are his whole world, split apart and drift away from him. He has no way to bring them back together. So when the Dark Knight offers him an opportunity to mean something to them again, he accepts enthusiastically. He's so backed into a corner that he's willing to hurt Kris and their friends if it means he can avoid obsolescence.

Yet this isn't all we learn about these two. Through NPC dialogue and the characters themselves cryptically referencing a shared history we can glean a glimpse or two of the people they were before they hit rock bottom. It's these cracks that contain the real goldmine.

It's so easy to envision a time when they were at their best. Since we only know them at their lowest, we want to know what these two were like when they were at the top of their game. We get little hints of a shared partnership, shared success, and shared affection that can be very easily read as romantic. But we also know from encountering them in the present that something went terribly, horribly wrong between them. They hate each other.

That mystery, that gap in history, is what's so fascinating about them. How could two people whose lives were so intertwined, who seemingly cared about each other so much, get to that point? That's the space that we the fandom fill with art, fic, shitposts, and AUs. What's even better is that everyone fills that space a little differently. Everyone sees some aspect of themselves in spamtenna. Everyone wants to explore a dynamic, a scenario, and emotions that can be conveyed through these two characters. Including myself.

This is where I want to get personal, but not too personal. I'm lucky enough to be married to someone who I truly love, who loves me back, and who gets me in a way that no one else does. But that's not to say that we've never fought, hurt each other unintentionally, or gone through some rough times.

Just the thought of my partner betraying me or leaving without a word is enough to make my chest feel so tight it's like I can't get a full breath. It's a very real, completely irrational fear of mine. Spamtenna has let me work through some of that without having to imagine what it would be like to actually file my own divorce papers.

And I think it's for that reason that I particularly like looking at and reading about Tenna and Spamton working through their shit and coming out on the other side better for it. I know in reality that sometimes, more often than not, people can hurt each other so badly and grow so far apart that nothing could bring them back together; and many times they're better off apart.

But I just want to believe that there's a type of love out there that can come back from anything, no matter how much two people change.

So I guess, thank you Toby Fox for unlocking my dormant creativity and making two divorced characters that have somehow made me feel more secure in my own marriage.

And spamtenna nation, thanks for the...awakening.

[quinloki]

Roped In - A Collaborative Event 2025

Let’s Knot Complicate Things, eh?

Fuzzy Cuffs - Whether it’s a starter set, or a full on BDSM club, this is for the consensual and the sensual, the frisky and the mutually agreed upon risky <3

Rope Burns - For the darker appetites. From the yandere to the non-con. This is for the stuff that leaves an impression that lasts.

Unleashed - Whether it’s fuzzy cuffs, or rope burns, this is for those times when the rope’s not the only thing that has a knot >.> When the smile has too many teeth, or when it’s claws caressing your skin.

How to join?

Send an ask to me, specifying which character & prompt you will be writing/drawing for. Also tell me which of the three categories your work will be for!

When you post your piece, please make sure to tag me in the post and use the tag #RopedInCollab. Once you’re done I’ll add you to the Masterlist!

RULES:

~ Any fandom is allowed and we don’t have to be mutuals for you to join!

~ Anon is not allowed - you must be 18+ to join and I need to be able to link your work when you’re done anyway ^_^;

~ NSFW and SFW are allowed, just make sure you tag your works appropriately!

~ Fics and Art are both allowed, as are OCs, x Readers, Canon x Canon, Poly, etc.

~ Try to keep your fics at least 500 words (no maximum), any format is allowed: headcanons, bullet points, drabbles — all the way up to a multi-chapter if you want (only the first part needs to be done within the event’s timeline!)

~ Post your work during July 2025 and tag me so I can add it to the Masterlist \o/

Clarification and Example:

As long as some level of kink is in the story, it's good - from fuzzy handcuffs to full on shibari - it can be alluded to (referencing kink, but not actively experiencing it in the story), or be set in a bdsm style dungeon, the choice is yours

The prompts don't have a list cause it's just an open deal, you decide the prompt and just let me know what you want to write. (If you really need a prompt list, I can whip (heh) one up, just let me know).

The three categories are basically [standard] [dark content] [monster fucker]

So a submission would be something like: I'm writing Canon x Reader, Fuzzy Cuffs, beginner session.( or established relationship, or [insert here]) And that's all I really need to track it for the event.

Extra note: Shout out to @nagumoan inspiring the layout and general vibe of the collab with here dance with the dead event from 2023

[cinematicnomad]

cinematicnomad's steddie fic recs

i've been reading a lot of stranger things steddie fics over the past 2 months so i've decided it's time for me to make one of my requisite fic reclists, both for myself, and for anyone else interested. here's my usual reminder that i prefer lengthy fics, and that i am also a sucker for canon divergent fics (which basically all of these are bc eddie is alive post s4 obviously unless it's a time loop fic—if i tag a fic as "canon divergent eddie lives", assume this means the fic is compliant through the end of s4 except for eddie's death) and happy endings. all these fics are complete, though it's possible that if the fic is part of a series the series may not be complete. i will try to always add appropriate tags!

T = teen M = mature Ex = explicit NR = not rated

bracing for impact by writersagainstwritersblock (1/1 | 9k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; wayne POV; steve has bad parents; outsider POV

wayne watches as eddie falls hopelessly in love, with of all people, goddamn steve harrington.

it's not a big deal by aidaronan (1/1 | 11k+ | M) canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; mutual pining; angst w/ a happy ending

eddie survives, but his entire life is locked away in the upside down forever (his books, his dnd stuff, his guitar.) everything that wasn't on eddie when steve carried him into the ER, gone. so naturally steve starts giving him things. handing eddie back those little outward markers of who he is.

you oughta know by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (1/1 | 12k+ | M) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; future fic; angst w/ a happy ending

days stretch out, long and slow. steve tries to ignore the only thing he’s sure of: eddie ran. he ran from him, ran from all of them. or: steve's having a rough couple of years, thanks for asking. compliant fic: i'm brave, but i'm chicken shit (1/1 | 13k+ | M) eddie POV; eddie centric; 1990s; recreational drug use

introduced me to my mind by alchemystique (2/2 | 16k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; mutual pining; getting together; happy ending

"eddie," wayne says, and eddie fights the urge to scream, or laugh, or cry. "i'm not running," eddie tells him, even though that is a fucking lie. "you should call him more," wayne says, and eddie rubs the meat of his palm into his eyeballs until he sees stars. doesn’t think about what 'call him more' means in context—do they talk about him? series: sweet leaf (4/4 | 16k+ | T) outsider POVs; rockstar!eddie; period typical homophobia

steve harrington's guide to making it work by eggbertsheggbert (8/8 | 23k+ | NR) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; bad harrington parents; steve is kicked out; angst w/ a happy ending

steve harrington has never been good at asking for help. especially not since he started being seen as the protector of the group. so, when his parents kick him out after discovering his sexuality, he figures he can get extra shifts, save up, and get a place before anyone realizes anything is wrong. join steve as he takes on the weight of the world. he's got it figured out, he's definitely NOT struggling, and—above all else—he can make this work.

the power of love by lacerta26 (8/8 | 27k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; outsider POVs; series; post-canon; coming out

jim gets mostly to the end of the house and then someone speaks. "i came out here for a smoke," eddie, his voice low, hushed. "yeah, but this is much more fun," steve now, almost laughing but not quite. * jim had only stepped out for a cigarette when he learns something new about steve and eddie and if this was one of the boys bringing home a girl, he’d have the exact stern words to make sure they were being a gentleman but his usual shovel talk isn't quite going to cut it because he has to let them know it's fine, more than fine, for them to be who they are, here. 

hands where i can see them by SolarMorrigan / @solarmorrigan (12/12 | 29k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; multiple POV; established relationship; emotional hurt/comfort

eddie thinks that he and steve have a good thing going; being friends with benefits is honestly a pretty sweet deal. steve is a great friend, the sex is great, everything is great. except for the fact that steve hadn't realized they were only friends with benefits. except for the fact that steve thought they were in a relationship. except for the fact that eddie doesn't realize how much he'd valued that relationship until it's gone (and he's trying his damnedest to get it back).

it's alright if you love me by alivingfire (7/7 | 31k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; outsider POV; character study; 5+1; steve-centric; hurt/comfort

"oh, haven't you heard? steve harrington doesn't cry." in which steve harrington breaks up, breaks a few hearts (including his own), breaks free, and finally gets to break down. or: 5 times steve didn't cry, and 1 time he did.

off the beaten path by pukner (6/6 | 34k+ | M) canon divergent post s3; alternating POV; queer awakenings; cliffhanger ending (must read sequels)*

"i'm saying this," says steve, loudly, cutting him off, "because someone i love is, uh, gay. and i love them, but like, platonically. and also me calling you a queer might've been a little hypocritical, in retrospect." there is a long, baffled pause. "what," says jonathan, "steve, are you—are you coming out to me?" steve frowns, "oh, yeah, i guess i am. cool." or, post season 3, steve manages to figure out that he's bisexual, despite his best efforts to repress it, comes out to robin and jonathan byers of all people, and figures himself out. also, there's a cute guy who might be actually insane running the kids' dnd club and he's got his eye on him. and his bandana. too bad eddie munson hasn't had a similar revelation. he's still under the impression that he's a straight man obsessing over steve harrington for normal, extremely heterosexual reasons. OR: steve figures out he's bi before eddie figures out that he's gay. eddie still manages to fall first. series: *off-script (2/2 | 67k+ | Ex) eddie POV; internalized homophobia; mutual pining

a tattoo is worth a thousand words by writersagainstwritersblock (18/18 | 40k+ | M) canon divergent post s3; eddie POV; babysitter steve harrington; getting together

"ambidextrous, princess, it’s what makes me so good with my hands." eddie wiggled his fingers. "you mean for guitar?" steve asked, completely missing the innuendo, and also nearly knocking eddie flat at the thought that steve harrington knew he played guitar. "you stalking me or something?" eddie asked. steve frowned. "uh, no, but your band played in the middle school talent show, it's pretty hard to forget a thirteen year old screaming death metal before his voice dropped." eddie almost laughed at that. almost. "you saying i'm unforgettable, princess?" "if that’s how you want to take it, munson." eddie realized this was turning towards something far more dangerous than taunting a boy known for getting into fights, like flirting with a very, very straight boy known for getting into fights. OR after the events of season three steve shows up on eddie's doorstep asking for a tattoo... and then keeps showing up much to the dismay of eddie's traitorous heart. sequel: visible ink (12/12 | 57k+ | M) outsider POVs; firefighter!steve; tattoo artist!eddie; found family

the one in which a time loop is fucking exhausting. by badpancake (12/12 | 41k+ | T) canon compliant; time loop; steve POV; temporary character death; suicide; angst w/ a happy ending

it’s the first time in a while that he doesn’t know what comes next. he’s dove into the water hundreds of times. screamed as his flesh was torn apart, heard master of puppets in the distance and held back tears. felt max’s cold, small hand in his as she laid in the hospital bed. there are things that always happen, no matter how hard he tries: el doesn’t arrive in time. eddie dies. max is put in a coma. steve fails. they lose. "steve, how many loops have you been through?" his head is nodding, and his eyes are watery, and eddie has approached him like a spooked animal. "i lost count.” AKA: the one where steve harrington is stuck in a time loop, and eddie munson is really fucking hard to save, or: fuck volume 2, these bitches are in love.

steve the reluctant by rachtay13 (7/7 | 46k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; oblivious steve; steve plays dnd

robin raised her brows.  "you know what, harrington?" she nodded her head. "yeah, you know what? i dare you to make a friend. i dare you." read for steve in denial, excessive d&d gameplay, robin as a mermaid, and eddie's glinting rings. as one reader said "the most frustratingly dense version of steve i have ever read and i am HERE for it."

you're so fucked up and i love it by genericfanatic (18/18 | 54k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; eddie POV; accidental relationship; hurt/comfort

eddie munson hated steve harrington. he'd apparently saved his life, dragged him out of hell and got him to a hospital while nancy rushed behind him working on alibis and half truths to prove he couldn’t have murdered chrissy. and here he was, doomed to live for the foreseeable future, in debt forever to steve fucking harrington. but eddie really hated how normal steve fucking was.

where do we go from here? (quietly fading away) by allandmore (9/9 | 60k+ | M) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; angst w/ a happy ending; non-graphic violence

"what's scarier than saving the world? figuring out what to do afterwards. i get it," eddie turns on his side, one shoulder on the wall, and grips the front of steve's shirt. His face is so close steve can feel the warmth of his breath. "but we've got time now. right, steve? we bought us all time. time to figure all our shit out. isn’t that what matters?" OR steve harrington struggles to find purpose after the upside down. (but maybe purpose doesn't have to be big. maybe it's helping dustin navigate sophomore year. maybe it's reminding robin to send in college admission letters. maybe it's eddie munson. maybe).

star of the masquerade by glorious_spoon (6/6 | 64k+ | M) canon compliant; eddie POV; time loop; temporary character death; angst w/ a happy ending

steve jerks awake, sitting up so quickly that robin almost topples over and staring wildly around the room. when his gaze lands on eddie, he blanches visibly. "oh, shit," he mutters. "come on, no. come on. not again." "harrington?" eddie asks slowly. he does not love the way that steve is staring at him right now. he really doesn’t. steve looks like he’s staring at a ghost, a bloodied monster, like eddie is something that should not exist in the light of day. "you good, dude?"

one size fits all by entanglednow (10/10 | 65k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; fake/pretend relationship; misunderstandings; slow burn

steve just wanted to do something nice for a friend, he doesn't mean to get eddie's ring stuck on his finger, and it's definitely not his fault that everyone he knows is jumping to conclusions.

renegades (leave a light on) by queerofthedagger (13/13 | 66k+ | Ex) canon divergent s2; eddie POV; road trip; slow burn; strangers to lovers

eddie doesn't expect to get into trouble for his recent drug business, although he probably should have. even less does he expect steve harrington of all people to save his sorry ass with a nail bat that looks awfully at home in his hands. least of all, though, does he expect harrington to insist on skipping town for a while to avoid the fallout. the winter holidays of '84 seem intent on proving him wrong on all fronts. thrown into a spontaneous road trip-slash-cut-and-run to san francisco—just until things back home blow over, munson—eddie has all the time in the world to confront such questions as: why would harrington care to help him? why does he wake up from nightmares more often than not? and, maybe most importantly, why is the former king so ready to leave hawkins behind on a whim? or: idiot boys make impulsive idiot decisions, and along the way—reluctantly but inevitably—they fall in love. a story of endless winter streets, finding family, and leaving home to find a new one.

falling without caution (people watching) by super_skam310 (10/10 | 66k+ | NR) canon divergent eddie lives; eddie POV; slow burn; eventual happy ending

steve harrington is a man that demands your attention; whether your give it willingly or not is inconsequential. eddie's camp tended to be in the latter category. OR eddie's borderline obsessive watching of steve spanning from steve's freshman year to season 4, culminating in the unfortunate realization that the king had been dethroned the moment nail bat hit monster flesh and that maybe steve harrington was lovable all along.

in the margins by foxy_mulder (4/4 | 70k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; angst w/ a happy ending; suicidal thoughts; hurt/comfort

steve is having a hard time adjusting to the new normal, after everything that went down. he doesn't want to bother his friends with his problems, though, when they've got so much weight on their shoulders already. steve stumbles on an alternate version of hawkins, where none of it ever happened. everyone’s alive, his headaches are gone, his friends actually want to hang out with him, and he’s…happy. (the party has to fight another monster. but this one doesn't prey on people's fears. it preys on their deepest desires.)

skull rock era by chattrekisses (11/11 | 71k+ | Ex) canon divergent s2; steve POV; slow burn; internalized homophobia; fix-it

steve harrington never planned for eddie munson. steve was supposed to marry his high school sweetheart, have 2.5 children, and take over the family business. he was supposed to live a blissful life on a nondescript cul-de-sac, complete with a white picket fence and a closet full of tasteful polo shirts. he was supposed to make a graceful transition between being the golden boy and being the american dream. mediocrity was what destiny had designed for steve. reality had other plans. (or, steve and eddie, against all odds, fall in love.)

roll for seduction by spikeisthebigbad (37/37 | 74k+ | Ex) canon divergent post s3; steve POV; steve plays dnd; fix-it

when steve reluctantly agreed to play dungeons and dragons with the hellfire club he expected to hate every second. he did not expect to spend his friday nights flirting with eddie munson. what if eddie and steve were dating during season 4? starts after season 3, and eventually ventures into season 4. not canon compliant.

in over my head by staymagical (16/16 | 75k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; head trauma; temporary amnesia

one moment, steve is entering his room, ready for bed, and the next he's in forest hills staring at a very confused very concerned eddie and the run-down remains of the old munson trailer. three hours later. thus begins a secret shared between friends, steve leaning on eddie as they try and understand and navigate this new terrifying post-concussion symptom of steve's. with vecna dead and the gates closed, it can only be steve's own scrambled brain giving up on reality. it's a race against the unknown, trying to find answers and search for solutions before it happens again and steve isn't sure how long he can keep pretending he is alright when he is anything but.

leave the light on sometimes all night by anniebibananie (7/7 | 78k+ | M) au—no upside down; steve POV; hurt/comfort; slow burn; eventual smut

june 1986 steve is lonely. he’s always been lonely, honestly. an empty house, absent parents, friends that didn’t really know him. frankly, he probably doesn’t really know himself, either. it used to be easier to ignore—between sports and parties and searching for the next girl to hang around with. then nancy wheeler told him he was bullshit. in the wreckage of the storm, he realized she probably hadn’t been that off base to call his life bullshit. [life in hawkins, indiana is boring, ordinary, no supernatural entities. steve still changes. luckily, he still makes some new friends, too. certain people are simply meant to be in the same story.]

the lathe by palmviolet (13/13 | 82k+ | M) canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; fix-it; angst w/ a happy ending; implied self-harm

"this time, do it right. this time eddie won’t bleed out in his arms, in anyone’s arms. this time, steve will do it right." — or, steve relives the day they try to kill vecna over and over, and eddie just can't seem to stop dying. steve finds this totally unacceptable. sequel: disaster / lucky (1/1 | 7k+ | M) coda; eddie POV; implied/referenced self-harm; trauma recovery

it's got what it takes by rose235b (20/20 | 83k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; friends to lovers; slow burn

“i can walk you to your car if you need to go though.” eddie’s hand stopped moving. robin’s eyes snapped towards steve as if it wasn’t a nice thing to offer. “i’ll just maybe grab the vest so i can leave it for tomorrow.” he was undeterred though. if he could help eddie munson after the worst period of his life by literally just walking, steve would walk across the entire state of indiana. eddie looked back at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he seemed to search for something on steve’s face. “okay.” it came out softer than steve was used to eddie being. steve's on his never ending quest to make up for past mistakes. eddie's post-vecna mess of a life seems like the perfect place to start. - or, two idiots fall in love very slowly to the tune of 80s music.

(something happens and i'm) head over heels by gibbouslunation (11/11 | 94k+ | T) canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; head trauma; angst w/ a happy ending

eddie made a strangled disbelieving noise, expression flickering. "you are not apologizing to me right now, for like, feeling a normal way about stuff. i can’t believe you." steve pushed a shaking hand through his hair. his heart rate no longer in his ears meant he felt he could at least think a little more clearly. "maybe it was the heat. doesn’t always have to be something messed up, right?" eddie gave him a placating nod. "sure, heat exhaustion is a helluva thing." it had been happening a lot recently. the…forgetting. zonking out. whatever. he was pretty sure he was just extra exhausted, it had been a few weeks since everything but it might have just been the adrenaline or something finally wearing off. sometimes it was like he just forgot someone was speaking, or couldn’t remember for a moment what they’d been talking about. like blinking out of a fog maybe. it does not get better, in fact, it actually continues to get worse.

water closet by stillmadaboutpetra (7/7 | 103k+ | M) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; found family; slow burn; character study

steve's heard that a lot of life changing conversations usually happen in the kitchen or on the porch, but in his experience, it's the bathroom. a series of bathroom conversations (plus a whole lot of everything else) that slowly change steve, and his little world, in the wake of surviving vecna.

burned on the pyre by oklahoma (13/13 | 105k+ | Ex) canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; temporary character death; angst w/ a happy ending

"i’m gonna save your life, eddie munson." - caught in a time loop created by eleven where he is forced to relive the same day over and over, steve has to come up with a plan to kill vecna entirely while also making sure eddie and max don’t lose their lives in the process.

the beat has just begun by forgetthemoon (12/12 | 106k+ | M) canon compliant; steve POV; period-typical homophobia; fix it; slow burn

vecna dies. so does eddie. the world doesn't split open. in the aftermath, steve goes home to an empty house. well. almost empty. steve sighs, hanging his head. one more thing. then he can go to bed. the dirty towel can wait until later. he tosses it towards the bathtub without looking and turns to the sink, grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste. when he looks in the mirror, eddie's staring back at him.

lonely is the night by intrajanelle (23/23 | 109k+ | T) canon divergent post s2; canon rewrite; eddie POV; hurt steve; angst w/ a happy ending

harrington had fallen, splayed in front of his preppy little beemer, like the jock equivalent of a fallen fucking angel. eddie, not having thought this through, watched harrington’s eyes roll to the back of his head, and said, "well, crap." or: post-season 2, eddie and steve get to know one another.

i can give you a heartbeat by soupbitchin (14/14 | 113k+ | T) canon compliant; eddie POV; ghost!eddie; happy ending; fix-it

being dead isn’t like eddie thought it would be. for starters, he’s a lot more alive than he expected. or, the ghost of eddie munson’s still hanging around, and he’d really appreciate if someone could notice him, thanks.

the end is here (and we do it a hundred times over) by placebythering (13/13 | 125k+ | M) canon compliant; steve POV; time loop; temporary death; suicide; angst w/ a happy ending

steve jolts awake, staring up into the dull beige of the camper’s ceiling. there’s a distinct brown stain, likely from a leak. the cushion of the back seat is hard against his back, and if he strains he could hear yelling and laughing from the outside. he wonders if he’s finally lost his fucking mind. —or, steve relives the day of the end over and over again.

caught in the middle, helpless again by margosfairyeye (14/14 | 131k+ | Ex) canon compliant; eddie POV; time loop; angst w/ a happy ending; canon-typical violence

fuck, eddie has been here before. the deja vu was bad enough but this is like, double, this is like deja deja vu or deja vu vu or something, this is unprecedented shit here. and eddie knows what comes next, knows like the roiling ache in his stomach that they’re going to go in, go though the portal and into the upside fucking down and didn’t they already do this? -- -- eddie loops through the time from lover's lake to his death, over and over again.

blood, love, and rhetoric by sourpastels / @lesbiansidney (18/18 | 143k+ | M) canon compliant; alternating POV; eddie lives; canon typical violence; accidental roommates

eddie believes three core things about the art of performance. 1. all the world's a stage. 2. performance is both a weapon and a shield, he wields it as both. and 3. you can’t act death. to quote stoppard: “it’s not gasps and blood and falling about—that isn’t what makes it death. it’s just a man failing to reappear, that’s all…” and eddie had gasped and bled and fell about, and was foolish enough in that moment to believe that was death. but he forgot a crucial step: he reappeared. or: steve is taking it day by day, flitting between the high school and the hospital and hopper’s cabin, locking any thoughts of eddie munson away at the back of his mind. meanwhile, eddie is just trying to get out of the upside down, with nothing but a nail-shield and the world's worst company.

sleight of hand by smithereen (19/19 | 143k+ | Ex) canon divergent post s2; alternating POV; internalized homophobia; slow burn

steve needs a weed dealer. he gets a bit more than that. (this is an AU set a couple months after the snow ball in season 2.)

take the money and run by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (22/22 |143k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; road trip; getting together; future fic

"rules. like, there’ll be no eating in my car. you're not driving my car. no heavy metal," steve keeps listing, "you’re not picking up women and fucking them in m—" "i'll try to control myself," eddie interrupts with a quip, a smirk. fucking girls in steve’s car, or anywhere else for that matter, isn’t going to be an issue, unless something pretty fundamental shifts in him. steve continues, completely ignoring eddie, "you’ll wipe your feet. you're not dragging dirt all over my car. no hitchhikers. no cutesy road games. no smoking in the car. i'm not paying for all the gas." "ass, gas or grass, got it," eddie says, like he's taking this very seriously. he is not taking this seriously. or: road trip!

if your heart surrenders by asbealthgn (39/39 | 163k+ | Ex) canon divergent pre-s1; alternating POV; slow burn; secret relationship; angst w/ a happy ending

“that one’s on the house, okay?” eddie says, and steve opens his eyes to look back down at him. on his face is the slightest hint of concern, and something else steve can’t place. he’s still holding his hand. "thank you," steve says. he’s not sure exactly which thing he’s thanking eddie for, the weed or the hand in his or the lack of judgment at his fucked up head. he just knows that he’s grateful. eddie gives him a smile, a gentle curve of those pretty lips. "anytime, harrington."

tuesday's gone with the wind by thisapplepielife / @thisapplepielife (9/9 | 184k+ | Ex) alternate universe – no upside down; eddie POV; rock band; drug use; plane crash

corroded coffin's leased plane went down on june 13th, 1995 in the woods of louisiana. ten people on board died. eddie munson survived. before he survived, he really lived. companion series: wildflowers...and all the rest (15/15 | 151k+ | Ex) gareth POV; original female character; one shots; growing old; slice of life

gossip by jcmadgirl (11/11 | 213k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; pre-canon; sexual assault; angst w/ a happy ending

steve's whole life story, told through multiple snapshots of the events that made him into the person that he is today. or, a rewriting of stranger things from steve's POV.

i never did believe in miracles (but i've a feeling it's time to try) by cuoredimuschio (26/26 | 215k+ | M) canon divergent eddie lives; multiple POV; slow burn; mutual pining; getting together

eddie is beginning to think that, somewhere in the helter-skelter of surviving the upside down, being swarmed by possibly rabid but definitely rancid demobats, and charbroiling vecna’s slimy ass, he accidentally tripped through the wrong gate and landed in an alternate dimension. well, a different alternate dimension than the one he was already in. because steve harrington is flirting with him.

vignettes of lost connections by hardlyhalcyon (halcyonfrost) (50/50 | 229k+ | Ex) canon divergent pre-s1; alternating POV; secret relationship; angst w/ a happy ending

steve harrington and eddie munson had met long before dustin henderson dragged steve down to reefer rick's cabin. hawkins wasn't a huge town, and there was only the one high school, but the two were never friends. didn't even like each other. in all their darkest moments however, they somehow found company together. or the one where steve has depression, eddie becomes his safe space, and when eddie encounters battles he can't fight, steve reminds eddie of his own strength. a pre-/peri-/post-s4 fic with steddie before s4 events, continuing through and after.

as the world falls down by daeneryske (36/36 | 245k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; steve POV; bad harrington parents; period typical homophobia; angst w/ a happy ending

after saving eddie from the upside down, steve hides him at his house while the party concocts a plot to clear eddie's name. what steve doesn't expect is how much he likes hanging out with eddie as they get to know each other. under the looming shadow of the mind flayer threatening to destroy hawkins, steve and eddie realize they're each grappling with their own darkness, from steve's father's impossible expectations to eddie's feelings of worthlessness. their friendship develops into something more even as the party prepares to fight Vecna and his monsters one last time. steve must decide if he's ready to shrug off the rigid roles assigned to him and become his own person. eddie must learn to embrace what steve has been trying to show him every day since nearly dying: that he's worth saving.

nothing else matters by bigskyandthecoldgun (31/31 | 279k+ | Ex) canon divergent post s2; steve POV; secret relationship; period typical attitudes; everybody lives

"you ask a lot of questions about me," steve tells him. "because you're interesting," munson says, quiet and honest. "you're a lot different than what i've heard." steve hums, eyes closed. "yeah," he says, eyes fluttering open when munson takes the joint from him again, "you are, too." or: steve ditches the prom to get high.

since you've gone (i've been lost without a trace) by steddieeddie (7/7 | 300k+ | M) canon divergent s4; multiple POV; comatose steve; grief; angst w/ a happy ending

may 31st 1986, two weeks until graduation. robin, eddie, and nancy are all set to walk across the stage, eddie being given a free pass after the whole ‘almost framed for murder’ thing. the three have been trying to be excited about their graduation, but it feels almost mundane to be excited when steve wouldn’t be there. they would be sat out on a football field in the blistering heat while waiting for their names to be called, with dustin and max in the crowd, cheering them on in steve's place. there would be fake smiles plastered to all their faces, no matter how realistic they tried to make them. none of them have genuinely smiled since steve got vecna'd. sixty-five days. steve had been in a coma for sixty-five days. the doctors keep telling the party that it doesn't look good, that steve's injures had been severe, and that they didn't know if, when, he would wake up. but they refused to lose hope. he'll wake up. it's just a matter of time. OR five times steve harrington didn't wake up, and one time he did.

the most dangerous thing (is to love you) by brokebeatle (21/21 | 304k+ | Ex) canon divergent eddie lives; alternating POV; shared trauma; slow burn; period typical homophobia  

"i know you care about what those little twerps think of you, and i can assure you they think way too highly of you," eddie says with a wink, and steve gives a half-hearted smirk for just a moment. "but look…i know i can’t ask you to stop worrying about those kids, so how about this? you worry about them, and you let me—actually let me—worry about you." steve pushes his hair back, and yet again, gravity instantly pulls it back down, since he’s looking at his feet. "…i don’t need anyone to worry about me." "too fucking bad. someone’s gotta do it, and it’s gonna be me." "why?" steve replies with a raspy laugh, shaking his head slowly. "why? why." eddie crosses his arms tightly across his chest, knocking his foot into steve’s again with a bit more strength. "because we’re friends, dipshit." —in which eddie's got a reason he's been planning on leaving hawkins since long before the world almost ended. the only thing keeping him in town at this point? his promise to be friends with steve harrington. and eddie doesn't break promises.

the man that i could be by ohstars (26/26 | 325k+ | Ex) canon divergent post s3; steve POV; secret relationship; period typical homophobia; angst w/ a happy ending

"steve harrington isn't straight. it's been a few weeks since he sat on that bathroom floor at starcourt with robin, where she shared her biggest secret with him and unintentionally unlocked an entirely new side of steve. since he’s had to come to terms with being open to exploring that side of him, but he's finally acknowledged that he's most likely, definitely, without a doubt into guys." -- after coming to terms that he may be queer, steve harrington does a little exploration on his own and meets the one and only eddie munson. just as things are going well and accepted the fact he's falling for eddie in their own little bubble, steve's world is shaken by a tragedy he can't quite talk about. and when the dust settles and he's nearly ready to put the pieces back together, his worlds collide when he realizes his eddie is the same eddie playing D&D with the kids. the same eddie who's now wanted for murder thanks to another upside down monster. how will he save the day when he can barely focus watching his ex mingle with his monster fighting team? series: the men we've become (4/4 | 45k+ | M) future fics; alternating POVs; domestic living

[scoonsalicious]

2.2 Major*

Summary: Lily McIntire, trainer for new SHIELD recruits at the Avengers Tower, has been in love with her best friend, Bucky Barnes, from the moment she met him. She's been content with her role of the #1 girl in Bucky's life, even if it means she has to sabotage a romantic relationship or two. It'll be worth it when he realizes that they're meant for each other, right? There's just one small problem: Lily McIntire never expected Bucky Barnes to fall for You.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, Explicit sexual content Minors: GTFO; I don’t serve your kind here (oral (f-receiving), fingering, edging, squirting)

Word Count: 2.9k

Previously On...: You told Lily off, Bucky offered you a ride home on his bike.

A/N: So, my job decided not to renew my contract for the upcoming year, so I've been pissed off, annoyed and frustrated. Please enjoy this extra part today because I could use the extra love <3. Also, it's smut!

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

God, you thought as you held on to Bucky a little tighter than was probably appropriate, he felt fucking amazing. Like a marble statue of a Greek god, come to life. You honestly could not believe how well this evening had ended up going, even after your final discussion with Lily. You’d been worried, after you’d said what you said to her, that Bucky would be upset with you for how you talked to his best friend but you quickly realized that, if he was the kind of guy who agreed with her line of thinking, well, then he wasn’t the kind of guy you would be interested in getting to know better, anyway. Thank goodness that didn’t seem to be the case. 

It was colder than you expected for an early September night as you whipped toward the City, and you found yourself pressing into Bucky’s back. You’d been a little disappointed when you saw he’d had a motorcycle instead of a car– it was impossible to actually hold a conversation with him on a bike– but you were more than happy to snuggle up to him like this, instead, and judging by the way his abdominal muscles contracted when you rested your cheek against his upper back, he seemed to be enjoying it, too.

It was about a forty-five minute drive from the bar where you’d met the Avengers to your condo building, and by the time you reached the city limits, it had begun to drizzle. Once Bucky pulled up to your building, it was raining in full force, and the two of you were soaked.

Once you’d both gotten off the bike and secured the helmets, you made a mad dash to the awning of your building. “I’m so sorry,” you said, laughing at how ridiculous you both must look. “If I had known it was going to open up like this, I would have insisted on taking the train.”

Bucky moved a strand of rain-slicked hair away from your face. “I would still have insisted on driving you,” he said with a smile.

You both stared at each other for a moment, and then spoke at the same time: “Can I walk you up?” Bucky asked at the same time you said “Would you like to come up?” You both chuckled.

“I would feel awful, sending you right back out into the rain,” you said as you let the doorman hold your building’s front door open for you both. “Come inside and warm up a little; dry off.”

Bucky swallowed and nodded, following you into the elevator and you noticed him trying, so hard, not to notice the way your erect nipples strained against the wet fabric of your shirt as it clung to your chest.

When you reached your floor, he trailed behind you, gently holding onto the hem of your jacket as he followed you to your door, as if he were afraid of losing you in the hallway. You tried to mentally run through what your condo had looked like before you’d left for the evening. The cleaners had come today while you were at work, and you were fairly sure you hadn’t left anything embarrassing lying around. 

You unlocked the door and slipped inside, Bucky close behind. Locking the door behind you, you turned to face him, watching as he studied the main living room of your home. “This is nice,” he said, taking everything in. 

“Thanks.” You slipped out of your jacket and hung it up on the hook by the door. “Let me get you a towel,” you offered, moving toward your linen closet. 

No sooner had you opened the closet door than the lights in your apartment went out. “Doll?” you heard Bucky call to you from the living room. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” you called back, grateful that your emergency candles were also located in the linen closet. “I’ll be right there.”

Bucky looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of your living room. “Looks like a good chunk of the neighborhood’s out, too,” he said. “Glad we got off that elevator when we did, otherwise, we’d be stuck in there instead of here.”

You felt your cheeks flush as you brought out the towels and a handful of candles. The idea of being trapped in an elevator for an undetermined amount of time with a man this beautiful would not necessarily have been a bad thing. “Here,” you said, handing Bucky some of the candles. “Will you help me light these?”

You and Bucky worked companionably for the next few minutes, lighting the candles and setting them around the living room until you’d created a warm, glowing perimeter. It would almost have been romantic, if it had been done on purpose. You handed Bucky a towel. “Here you go,” you said, then reached for your phone. “Do you mind if I put on some music?”

“Not at all,” he said, rubbing the towel over his hair. “Put on that band you like; the one that plays that song we danced to.”

You smiled. “Yeah, okay.” You navigated to your music player and opened up your Bleachers playlist, putting it on shuffle. You turned the volume down low enough so that you could comfortably talk over it while still listening to the music. “Can I get you something to drink?” you asked, trying to be a good hostess in spite of the current circumstances.

“I’m good,” Bucky said, taking the towel from his head. You had to suppress a snicker– his hair was going in every direction.

“What?” he asked, a small frown playing across his lips.

“Nothing,” you said, trying not to giggle. “You just look like an adorable drowned rat. Come here.” You started walking toward Bucky, and he toward you, until you met each other in the middle of your living room floor. “Let me,” you said, taking the towel from him and running it across his hair again. He bent down to allow you easier access to the top of his head, and when you pulled your hands away, he looked up at you through his lashes, stealing your breath with how beautiful he was in the candlelight. 

“Thank you, again,” you swallowed, “for driving me home.” Before he could reply, you stood up on your tiptoes and planted a kiss to the corner of his mouth. The action seemed to catch you both by surprise, because you each froze. There was a sudden shift in the air, a coiled tension; it was like suddenly, you both knew what was about to happen between you. You knew what was going to happen, and that it was inevitable. 

“I… don’t ever do this,” you whispered, lips so close to his face that they were fluttering against his skin. 

“Me, either,” he told you, his voice gone husky. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I want to,” you said softly, your voice barely audible. “Really badly.”

“Me, too. So bad.”

You weren’t sure who reached for who first, but in an instant, his hands were on your waist, yours around his neck as your mouths found one another. He tasted like a hint of bourbon as his tongue made its way into your mouth, and you moaned as he pressed his hips against yours. 

“Major,” he groaned, moving his lips from your mouth, down your neck, and to the covered peaks of your breasts. He sucked at a hardened nipple through the fabric of your drenched shirt and you arched your back, pressing your flesh further into his mouth. “Fuck,” he moaned. 

“Please, Bucky,” you heard yourself whine desperately as he continued to suckle on you through your shirt. “Oh fuck, please.”

He pulled his mouth away from your breast. “‘Please,’ what, pretty girl? You gotta tell me what you want with your words.”

His tone was so seductive, so commanding, that you felt yourself getting wetter by the second. “Please… touch me, Sergeant,” you begged, taking his hand and putting it between your legs. “Everywhere.” You found his mouth with yours once again, and could feel him smirk into your lips as he kissed you.

“When you ask so nicely, doll…” he said, and you felt his hands grasp the hem of your shirt, tugging it up over your torso. You raised your arms above your head to assist him in removing it, and you stood before him, top completely bare.

“Fuck,” he groaned, reaching out a hand to grab and knead at the soft mound of your breast. “You’re fucking gorgeous.”

You took a fistful of his shirt in your hand as you kissed him again, gently guiding you both down to the floor until he had himself propped up on one elbow above you. “Off,” you panted, pawing at his shirt, trying to pull it over his head, but Bucky hesitated. 

“What is it?” you asked gently, when it was obvious he was reluctant. 

Bucky avoided looking you in the eye. “I’ve got… scars,” he said, embarrassment written across his face. “They’re… they’re not pretty.”

You leaned up to kiss him. “Do any of them keep your dick from working?” you asked.

Bucky barked a startled laugh. “...No.”

“Then take your clothes off, Sergeant,” you said, smiling at him. “That’s a direct order.” 

“Ma’am, yes Ma’am.” Grinning, Bucky leaned back on his haunches and tugged his shirt over his head. If you’d had a cock, it would have sprung to attention at the sight of his muscles, the six pack that rippled across his stomach, the Adonis belt that pointed to unseen delights still to be revealed. You barely even noticed the ragged lines of scar tissue along his shoulder.

That was, however, until you caught the reflection of the candlelight in the metal of his left arm. That was unexpected, you thought to yourself, but by no means a dealbreaker. You bit your bottom lip as you studied him. Despite the scars and his obvious prosthesis, you couldn’t help but think he was perfect.

You reached down to the buttons of your jeans and began undoing them, desperate to get them off your body and him into it. 

“Let me help you, doll,” Bucky said. With swiftness but exquisite care, he rolled your pants down. You lifted your hips to assist him and he gently shimmied the wet fabric off of you, until he was pulling one leg off, then the next, leaving you in just a pair of pink lace panties. You squirmed slightly under his appraising gaze before he hooked his index fingers into either side of the waistband of your underwear and began to–agonizingly slowly– pull them down your thighs. 

When he’d moved them all the way down your legs, he fisted the material in his metal hand, bringing it up to his nose and inhaling. “God,” he moaned as he palmed himself through the jeans he was still wearing. “You smell divine, doll.”

His words sent another rush of wetness seeping from you, and you were convinced you were going to leave a puddle on the floor if he didn’t do something to you soon. “Bucky,” you moaned.

Tossing your panties aside, Bucky leaned forward and, placing one hand on each of your knees, slowly spread your legs open until you were fully on display before him. Suddenly self-conscious, you tried to close your legs, but Bucky stopped you with a hungry look. “Please don’t, doll,” he whispered as he looked up at you through his lashes. “You’re so fucking beautiful… I just wanna look at you a minute.”

You closed your eyes and let out a shaky exhale as Bucky positioned himself between your legs, lowering himself down so that he was lying on his stomach, his face mere inches from your center. He ran a hand along the inside of each of your legs, from your knees to your thighs, and you gasped at the difference in temperature and sensation– one soft and warm, the other hard and cold. When he reached the apex, he tucked a thumb on either side of your outer folds and ran them up your slit, opening you to him like a fresh, ripe peach.

“So gorgeous,” he murmured, and you could feel the breath of his words hot against your core. “I need to take a taste, doll,” he whispered, and before you could fully prepare yourself, his mouth was on you. Your hips immediately bucked at the hot contact, his large hands continuing to spread you wide as his tongue explored you.

“Fuck,” you gasped, trying not to vibrate out of your skin with the pleasure of it all. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh my god! Don’t stop.”

Bucky pulled his mouth away from you just enough to murmur “Wouldn’t dream of it, doll,” before diving in again. His mouth was magic as he worked you, from nipping and sucking on your clit, to thrusting his tongue in and out of you, to gently nibbling the sensitive skin of your engorged outer lips. Everything he did was heaven, and you felt your orgasm building with rapid speed.

“Oh, shit,” you cried as his tongue lapped at your weeping hole. “Oh shit, Bucky, I’m gonna cum!”

He pulled his mouth away from you, leaving you gasping at the lack of contact. “Not yet, doll,” he said with a filthy grin. “Not yet.”

He proceeded to play you with his mouth, as if you were an instrument and he was a world class musician, but he wouldn’t let you cum. Every time you got close, he would back off, taking you just far enough before pulling you back from the ledge. It was frustrating the shit out of you, but it was magnificent. You had never been edged so well in your entire life.

Finally, finally, after what felt like hours, it was too much. You needed to cum or you felt like you were going to die. “Bucky,” you cried, pressing the heels of your hands into your eye sockets and feeling the space wet with tears. “Bucky, please! Please, let me cum! I need it, Bucky! Need it so fucking bad!” 

His tongue found your clit again, dancing circles over the sensitive nub, and you felt one of his hands let go of you, only to have two of his thick fingers sliding into your entrance with no resistance. He finger fucked you while he sucked on your clit, and the combined sensation, after all the edging, was driving you crazy. “Holy fuck,” you whimpered. “So close.”

Almost as if taking your words as a challenge, Bucky curved his fingers inside of you, dragging them again and again against your g-spot until you were gasping. The pressure was so intense; you’d never felt anything like it before– not once in all your married years had your ex-husband ever brought you anywhere close to where Bucky had brought you in one night.

You were a kettle, about to boil over; a caldera long overdue for its world-ending eruption. You were ecstasy personified, and he hadn’t even brought you to climax yet.

And then, you exploded, screaming his name so loudly you were worried your neighbors would call the police. 

It was a release unlike any you had ever felt before– a double shot of pleasure, and you were positive that, for a moment, you lost consciousness, or at the very least, your soul had temporarily vacated your body. When you came back to yourself, Bucky was leaning over your face, grinning from ear to ear.

“Did you know you were gonna do that, doll?” he asked as he bent down to kiss you. You could taste the tang of your arousal on his tongue, along with something else, undefinable and unique.

“D-do w-what?” you asked, your own voice sounding shaky and far away. Your whole body was trembling, the aftershocks of the orgasm pulsating through you. 

Bucky lied down next to you, pulling your naked, sweat-slicked body into his, and wrapping his arms around you. “You squirted all over my face, doll! It was the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen!”

You laughed through chattering teeth. “I’ve… ne-never d-d-done that be-before,” you said. “F-fuck.”

“I’ll say.” Bucky nuzzled his nose into your hair. “Are you okay? Do you need me to get you something? A glass of water? A blanket?”

You shook your head. “Ju-just ne-ne-need a mi-mi-minute to c-come b-b-back int-t-to my b-b-b-body,” you said. “H-h-hold m-me? P-p-p-please?”

“Yeah, of course, doll,” he said, pulling you closer into him. He reached up and pulled a throw blanket off of the arm of your couch, wrapping it snuggly around you both, and you felt yourself relax into the warmth of him.

“Y-you d-d-didn’t c-c-cum,” you said, feeling the trembling decrease, but not ready to stop all together. “I’m s-sorry.”

“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart,” Bucky said, kissing your head. “Watching you come undone like that? I fucking came in my pants like a goddamn teenager. It was unbelievable.” His tone turned serious. “Did you like it? Was it okay?”

Using all the energy you had left in your body, you turned to face him, noticing the concerned look in his eye in the candlelight. “Th-that w-w-was the s-single b-b-best org-a-asm of m-my entire f-f-fucking life.” You kissed him again, desperately clinging to his forearm to ground you. “Th-th-thank you.”

Bucky smiled. “If you don’t mind, then,” he said, burying his face into your shoulder, “I’d like to give you a couple more before morning, if that’s okay with you?”

“Sh-sh-shit,” you laughed. “Y-y-yes p-please.”

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

Mod update, at long last! Dame Aylin Kintsugi - Origin version is now up on Nexus (update: should now be visible on mod.io as well). It was inevitable, really, that I would end up doing this.

The mod is now completely standalone and has no prerequisites. Aylin's visuals (head, hair, skin tone, "gold" tattoo colour) are still added to Body Type 3 humans, elves, and half-elves (and some custom race mod aasimar) if you just want to poach some cosmetics.

The kintsugi colour is once again plugged into Horn Colour, which I've added as an option to the above-mentioned races for this purpose.

But for the full custom appearance and fancy texture experience, I've made Aylin a new Origin Character selectable when you start a new game. Her race, class, and appearance are preset appropriately, but not fixed (which allows me to patch in custom/modded races), so you can tweak her a bunch, but for flavour she will have "Aasimar" and "Paladin of Selûne" tags in dialogues no matter what you pick. Her body type and background (Folk Hero) are locked. She has no other special properties, gameplay-wise.

Vestments of the Faithful is a mod that includes her iconic armour, if you want to complete the look.

Update: Along with changing the starting paladin warhammer to a greatsword, I went and added her armour statted as basic plate to her starting equipment, so no additional mods are needed. You should still use the mod above if you want a version of it with special stats and abilities.

It's nicely flexible, you can wear only parts of it. Or, you know, none at all. You do you.

Note that though I gave it a shot very briefly, wings are easy to get to appear, but veeery tricky to get in any way functional, so if you want those you should grab an extra mod that provides them. Let's call it future work for now.

Oh, how the turntables...

Blue is truly her colour.

Ah, the eternal struggle between putting Aylin in cool outfits and armours and wanting to show off my textures. But I did hand-draw every single one of these gold lines, so let me bask, shhhhhh. More under the cut for nudity.

I already spoke about this in a previous post, but everything is both much more high-res and super streamlined now. No more fudging around with body tattoo colour overlays or neck seams or anything. And all the colours are 100% Aylin-accurate, plucked right out of her presets.

To wrap this up, a spicy reward for whoever scrolled this far! Using the succubus outfit from the game as a little tribute to the harness art series by @redelicebeta, in particular this lovely entry.

I couldn't get the colours quite right, but I think it's close enough. And she rocks it.

In conclusion, yeah, Isobel Thorm is a very lucky woman.

But, more importantly, enjoy the mod, everyone!

[themagnusbigbang]

Sign-Ups, Schedules, Rules, and More

Welcome to the 2025 Magnus Archives/Magnus Protocol Big Bang event!

I'm Mod Magpie, I'll be your host this year. It's my first time hosting a fandom event, so bear with me if things don't run as smoothly as they could!

SIGN-UPS

Author Sign-ups Artist Sign-ups

SCHEDULES

Author & Artist sign-ups open: April 17th

Author sign-ups close: May 15th

Author 50% check in: July 1st

Artist sign-ups close: July 15th

Author summaries and tags due: July 18th

Claims open: August 1st

Author & Artist pairings go out: August 8th

Author 75% check in: August 15th

Author first draft due: September 1st

Artist 50% check in: September 15th

Artist 75% check in: October 1st

Author and Artist final products due: October 15th

Posting starts: October 18th

(Schedules might shift slightly as needed, Mod Magpie has a job, I will never take time away from your projects, I will only give you extra time)

RULES

Age Requirements

No age requirements, however if an author creating fic that would be rated M or E on AO3, we ask you mark it as such in author signups so that we can make sure artists who are minors do not get paired with those fics. Any authors who are minors will not be allowed to submit fic that would be rated mature or explicit. Because this is a collaborative event, we just want to make sure the authors and artists that are paired together aren’t uncomfortable working together.

Both authors and artists will be asked to self-identify as a minor (younger than 18) or not a minor (18 or older) in their respective sign-ups, and any person caught lying about their age will be banned from this event, and any subsequent events hosted by this blog.

Content

No content is banned, nor are there restrictions on ratings (aside from minors. However, please tag your fic appropriately! Just a general, catch-all ‘Dark fic’ tag or something similar is NOT enough, everything must be properly tagged so that no one gets into a fic with content that they didn’t want to read.

Word Count

As 2025 is the first year this blog is hosting the event (and the first fan event Mod Magpie has ever hosted) we certainly don’t want to discourage anyone from signing up, and as such the word count minimum is being kept lower than most, at 3000 words, but we encourage authors to write much longer fics than that if they want! Preferably, keep the word maximum to about 100000, we want you to have time to finish, and we want the artists to be able to finish reading so they can make their art in time!

Author Expectations

When signing up for the event, we ask you have at least a general idea in mind for your fic, so that we know you’ll at least start on the right track! Because this event is a collaborative effort, we ask that you try your hardest to complete your fic during the time allotted so that your paired artist will be able to create their art for your fic. Throughout the event, Mod Magpie will be reaching out to make sure you’re on track to finishing your fic by the posting date. Failure to respond with these check ins in a timely manner will result in being removed from the event for the year so that we have time to reassign the artist with which you are paired. You will be expected to communicate with your paired artist, failure to do so will result in being removed from the event for the year. Authors are expected to come up with a new idea for this event, meaning you can’t take something you’ve written half of and just finish that for the event. If you have a negligible amount of the fic written already, you might be able to use that, so long as you haven’t posted any of it yet.

Artist Expectations

You are expected to create at least one piece of art for the fic you have been paired with. Whether that be digital art, traditional art, or something different is up to you. Throughout the event, Mod Magpie will be reaching out to make sure you’re on track to finishing your art piece by the posting date. Failure to respond with these check ins in a timely manner will result in being removed from the event for the year so that we have time to assign another artist with the author with which you are paired. You will be expected to communicate with your paired author, failure to do so will result in being removed from the event for the year.

Claims

Fic summaries and snippets will be made available on the Tumblr page, and artists will then able to claim fics in a ranked-choice voting system through Google Forms. Once again we ask that any authors making mature or explicit fics mark them as such so that we might pair you with an appropriate artist. Artists will be given space to request not be paired with a fic with specific tags (i.e. a specific kink, a specific aspect of violence or dark fic) and such requests will be honored, so authors should understand that fics with such tags *might* have a more difficult time getting claimed. Any artists claiming a fic that is not marked mature or explicit is asked to not create mature or explicit art for the fic.

Posting

Both authors and artists should refrain from posting any of their fic anywhere online before the posting date, so we can literally kick off the posting with a bang of new fics! Authors should not talk about their ideas before artist pairings go out to keep anonymity for fairness sake.

Check ins

Check ins are made by Mod Magpie to make sure that authors and artists are moving forward with their works and are on their way to meeting the posting deadline. When check ins say '50%' or '75%' that doesn't mean that has to be exact, just that you've gotten near that amount of the story done, and you feel like you can get it done by the posting deadline. (If you've gotten more done, good for you! You're ahead of schedule, not a problem). But, if you feel like life has gotten too hectic and you won't be able to complete your work, it's okay, life happens, but don't wait for a check in to let us know! You can always reach out, and we'll do our best to repair your partner for the bang with someone. so that everyone has at least one partner.

Further questions?

Reach out on @themagnusbigbang or at themagnusbigbang@gmail.com if you have a question, I’m always happy to answer.

[ho-oh-uni]

OPPORTUNITY! Seeking funding for Ho-Oh University!

Would you like to be a part of something greater? Do you have a passion for social outreach? You can make your mark here and now by helping to fund accreditation and scholarship efforts for Ho-Oh University, where our motto is, "A Place for New Beginnings".

Ho-Oh University is the first of its kind post-secondary academy that specifically caters to the educational uplifting and edification of the Eeby, Hybrid, and Sapient Pokemon communities! We plan to offer primarily remote education opportunities to better enable the further education of students across the region. We hope you will consider supporting us in our goal to further education!

Anika Wesker - Dean of Ho-Oh University

About this Blog - OOC below

This blog is the social media page for Ho-Oh University, a college that is meant to cater specifically to Eeby Deebies, Pokemon Hybrids, and Sapient Pokemon. You will mostly see posts from Anika Wesker, Diana Mosey, and Harvey Benz.

Anika Wesker - College Dean

Anika Wesker is a Pachirisu Eeby and former sociology professor who was asked to step down from her position upon her transformation. She is very passionate about education and, not willing to see anyone else left behind, has spent the past half-decade working on establishing Ho-Oh University. Due to her stature and cuddly appearance she has to work extra hard to be taken seriously. She does not currently have any pokemon.

Diana Mosey - Academic Advisor

Diana is an Ursaluna Eeby and former High School guidance counselor. She spent two years in and out of the hospital while the doctors tried to determine what was happening to her. It didn't help, of course, that the pokemon she was turning into is currently listed as "Extinct". Their lack of understanding of the situation and the general strain of expanding bone and musculature has left her with chronic back pain. Eventually she was let go from her job with the excuse that faculty felt she would be "too intimidating" to continue to assist students as a guidance counselor. This was in spite of protests from many of the students at the high-school who she had done much to help during her tenure. She now works as an Academic Advisor for Ho-Oh University and is excited to be helping students again. She has one pokemon, a Mimikyu named Echo who loves cuddles!

Harvey Benz - Social Media Manager

Harvey Benz is a Lopunny hybrid with Lopunny ears, and lower half. He'd been able to get by for a very long time by doing remote work and carefully hiding his ears when required to do video calls. He almost didn't believe it when he learned of the opening at Ho-Oh University, but now he is very glad to be working in a space where he doesn't have to hide any part of himself. He has one pokemon, a Dachsbun named Cinnabon.

This is an OC Pokemon IRL Ask Blog. As such all in-character posts will be tagged #pkmn irl.

This is a side blog to Ikoni Dweebs. Asks will show up as if coming from that blog, but will be signed off by the appropriate party

Eeby/hybrid support and hate both welcomed on this blog. The obstacles the college admin runs into is kinda the point. Even so, please tag hate posts for the sake of those who don’t want to see them.

Pelipper Mail/Malice is on

No NSFW content

The remote aspect of the college allows for people to participate as student or faculty no matter what region their OCs are from. There may be a physical campus eventually but the remote option will always be there for this reason.

Looking forward to interacting with y’all and getting into even more shenanigans!

[lean-mean-demon-genevieve]

Is there any evidence Jared and Gen were friends with Joe Rogan? Jared used to follow him but he doesn’t anymore after his political views came out. That doesn’t mean he ever knew him personally.

I got this ask a few weeks ago and life was lifeing and it didn’t get addressed. But answering it today feels extra appropriate.

I planned to say that while I didn’t have any evidence of Jared knowing Rogan personally, I also would like to question anon’s assumption that Jared unfollowed Rogan because of his political affiliations…because that’s not the impression I got. Again it seems anon may be assuming goodwill and good intentions based on overall liking/being a fan of Jared’s.

If anyone has proof of Jared decrying Rogan for his political leanings, I would love to see it.

If you believe this Reddit thread, Jared unfollowed after some Twitter backlash in 2019:

Liking a post doesn’t always mean that you support everything attached to it, but it’s a stamp of approval of sorts. Jared may have liked the comeback story of the guy in the picture. I believe facts and patterns. Call me a cynic, but I try not to attribute good intentions to anyone who I don’t know personally and especially not someone with an image for sale. This is true of any celeb. But Jared has a well documented habit of popping off and then weakly taking it back. So in this case, I’d much rather hear it from him explicitly that he disagrees with Rogan’s views.

Joe Rogan has been a known bro with problematic views long before he became even more openly right-wing in 2020 following the pandemic. Hence the backlash that caused Jared to unfollow in 2019. So basically, Jared didn’t unfollow until people noticed and it caused a dent in his own image. That’s not the same as cutting ties.

Let us not pretend that unfollowing means anything more than PR. In fact, in August of 2020, Gen had this to say in an interview:

Jared may have unfollowed Rogan’s socials but both of the Pads were still listening to the podcast a year later, per her report. And listening enough to proudly endorse Rogan’s “candor” and attach themselves to him in a public interview.

Gen also endorsed some of the same products as Rogan, including Four Sigmatic (mushroom power for focus) and Butcher Box. In this ad for Butcher Box in March of 2021, Jared can be heard to have more knowledge of Rogan’s promo codes than those of his own wife. So it seems 2 years post unfollowing, he is still paying pretty close attention to Rogan’s content:

Even more recently, The Pads and Rogan both endorse Ways 2 Well; a bougie Austin med spa for all things IV, supplements, stem cells, and otherwise “medical anxiety of the rich” related. Is this a crime? No of course not. But I do think it suggests that they all run in the same circles:

(Don’t get me started on Rogan’s anti-trans views while also receiving gender-affirming hormone treatments.)

Cut to this week, and a former Walker bit-part actor is singing the praises of Jared and Rogan in the same post. (To a Jason Aldean soundtrack, no less. You may recall this turd from his song controversy last year.) The post is tagged at Rogan’s comedy club in Austin, Mothership. Rogan himself moved to Austin in 2020, reportedly in part because of the state’s lack of income tax and because LA was too liberal.

And ok, so this says that David is friends with Rogan and also friends with Jared. And to anon’s point maybe we don’t have a documented friendship between Jared and Rogan but I’d argue that it doesn’t matter to me.

On the night before the US election, Rogan endorsed the then presidential candidate Donald Trump in this promo post for his Elon Musk interview:

An endorsement of this nature, I feel, tells us a lot about Rogan’s beliefs. I don’t have the bandwidth nor space in this post to detail all of those points. But from this leftist’s perspective, it includes endorsement of anti-choice/“prolife” (but also anti public assistance), anti trans right, pro war/genocide, anti climate change, and anti vaxx to name a few.

Pada-fans will often cite Jared’s connection to the Austin-based, pro lgbtq+ non-profit organization Out Youth as evidence of his liberalism. But I wonder what the people of Out Youth will think after seeing this photo of Jared and knowing that he came out to Mothership comedy club to see Rogan’s brand of “anti-woke” comedy. (Rogan was performing that night, per this post.)

Here is an article from an Austin newspaper that details the vibe of the club: X

I also think this bit is…interesting. Go ahead and Google the “vibe” of these other comedians if you’re unfamiliar. Big yikes.

And here are a couple other links that detail the content of Rogan’s most recent Netflix special, for further context on the content of his standup: X and X

I have several friends who are also trans. I, unlike Jared, have also never listened to a single Rogan podcast. But regardless of how big of a personality Rogan is, if I had the opportunity to meet him and get my photo taken with him, my values would give me serious pause. If my friends saw me with my arm slung around this guy, what conclusions should they draw from my smile and the comfort they see? Personally, since I do not agree with anything that Rogan stands for, I would opt out. I wouldn’t want to even risk someone assuming my affiliation.

Jared, on the other hand, did.

At the very least you can say that he was willing to risk the misunderstanding. And I think that’s because he knows it still won’t matter to most of his fans. They will always find a way to excuse his choices.

[dcfan-event]

DC FANWORK EVENT

INTRODUCTION ✧

This event is being held During the entirety of December 2024 and is for the DC Fandom, whether you focus on the Batfamily, Superfamily, etc. does not matter- write (or draw or do something else) who you feel comfortable writing (or drawing or something else again, it does not matter) for.

Prompts are linked below, there is both a fluff and an angst prompt for everyday, feel free to do either, and you can also participate with smut if you wish (just make sure to include appropriate tags/warnings, AND be OVER 18 years old.), you will simply use the daily prompt as a guide and interpret it how you see fit for your story.

Reminder, this event involves ALL types of fan creations, whether or be fanfic or fanart or something else entirely does not matter.

PARTICIPATION ✧

If you end up Participating please use the tag #DCember24 in order to provide easy access to anyone who wishes to read your work, and for precaution if you'd like to tag the account with a simple @dcfan-event in order to prevent your creation from disappearing from my radar that would be useful.

on ao3 a collection has been made called 'DCember 2024' which you can post to alternatively/additionally as well :).

There will be some Alternative Prompts as well in order to minimize discomfort for the writers, and even if you do enjoy the original prompts feel free to play around with the extra prompts.

For all those participating, please follow the rules below, if you do not your piece will be excluded from this page entirely.

RULES ✧

⇾ discrimination will not be tolerated by any means. whether it be racial hate, religion based hate, homophobia or transphobia, and any other form of hate, you will be reported and ignored during the event.

⇾ please do not participate or interact with smut/mdni works if you are under 18/ageless.

⇾ have. respect. for. the. artists.

⇾ do not feel the need to participate with every prompt, do as many as you choose, whether that be 1 or all 31 is up to you.

⇾ please remember to tag your works appropriately, simply as a respect for the readers and your fellow writers.

⇾ During this event if you are reading, follow the most basic rule of 'don't like, don't read'. Hating on other peoples creations that they worked hard on simply because you did not like it is very much disrespectful and not going to be tolerated.

PROMPTS ✧

⇾ can be accessed here!

MASTERLIST ✧

⇾ will be added/linked after event

[olderthannetfic]

Hi OTNF!! Sometimes I like to read this fandom problem blog that receives submissions from people all over Tumblr, recently this was posted and I wanted to know what you thought of it: The tag types of "Tags update as story is written" or "additional tags to be added" or "Rating may change." Fuck those. I don't care if you add some extra benign tags as the story goes along, and you realise you wanna add more content that's just there, or you realise your fic maybe went a bit harder than you expected. Some stories get their own life. But at the same time, if you knew you'd want to add certain content, or that the rating was gonna go way up from what you tagged in the beginning, why did you not tag it from the start? Especially when the tagged content becomes a big part of the story, or influences the story strongly. And then you find out that the Author already had been planning adding this type of content for a long time, they just FOR SOME STUPID-ASS REASON didn't wanna add the tag until it actually happens. You're supposed to tag so the people can make an informed decision if they wanna commit to your fic, so for the love of the tagging-system, actually TAG ALL YOUR SHIT FROM THE START. Same shit for changing ratings. I hate it when someone plans from the start to make the story explicit, but doesn't change the rating until they've reached the NSFW sections. There's a reason there's a tagging system. So do you just not understand how that works? Or are you just being kind of as ass on purpose? This does not help when avoiding stories with specific content you try to exclude from your results. It's even dumber if the reason is to "avoid spoiling the fic readers", because anyone coming later to the fic is going to be "spoiled" by the tags regardless. And if you know you wanna add porn, or gore, then rate the story appropriately. Rather categorise it too high, than fuck around with people who don't wanna read explicit content. As a writer who uses the Archive, I want to put my 2 cents in. When I'm writing a fic, a long fic for example, I want to tag the stuff that actually DOES appear at that time so that I'm not clogging other tags/people don't think I'm spamming to inflate my readership (And I DEFINITELY do not want something I worked hard on to get reported for spam). I do get the frustration at reading a fic and then something changes like the rating, but as a writer, sometimes things go off script and one thing that's rated T or M might eventually become E just based off the writing juices doing it's thing(tm). To me, the "Additional tags to be added" is kind of like CNTW, it's something the reader has to make a decision if they want to risk getting invested/read that particular fic. It feels very much like a "damned if you do/damned if you don't" situation. What are some of your thoughts on something like this?

--

Writers are always going to vary in their favorite approach, and readers who act like there's one right answer are idiots.

For me personally, even if I'm posting as I write, I do have a solid idea of where the fic is going, and I strongly prefer—both as a reader and writer—to have all of the tags in place at the beginning.

I also don't like over-tagging for warnings and only want to see/use tags for the basic main content of the fic, which does make it easier to know ahead of time than if I tagged every tiny thing.

I think spoilers are a dumb reason not to tag things.

So I agree with the complainer's tastes...

...but at the same time, they're acting like these ought to be rules, and AO3 is designed to accommodate a lot of different people with different styles, so I think their attitude leaves something to be desired.

[magicaltrans]

Magical Trans Comfort Fest (AKA MT comfest) 2023!

For the third consecutive year, we are running the MT comfest! With new prompts, fresh out of the oven, we cannot wait to see what you'll offer the world! This fest is meant to provide comfort and a sense of community to those who might have a hard time during the holidays, and those who want to spread warmth during this time! Thank you @basicallyahedgehog for your beautiful graphics.

This is a very informal fest, so there is no hard deadline and you don’t have to sign up– all you have to do is create your work, and then post it into the collection once it’s open! The rules are the same as last year– above all, we ask for respect and kindness in both creating and interacting with this fest. Your creation must also have a positive tone, be an HP work, be thoroughly tagged, and contain at least one trans character. Works can be mature or explicit as long as they are tagged appropriately and the creator is over 18. You do not have to be part of the server to participate, though we’d love for you to join!

You can produce whatever you feel comfortable with, whether it be a drabble, a long one-shot, a doodle, a time-consuming fanart, a podfic, a collage, a fic-bind, a headcanon post… whatever you want!

The fest will run for three days and we are providing prompts for inspiration, but feel free to pick and choose or completely ignore them if you have other ideas! The collection will be opened closer to the date of publishing. In the meantime, feel free to check out the great works from last year’s fest!

You might have peeked two sets of prompts earlier on this post. For extra spiciness, we got you another entire new set of prompts! We have the regular prompts, and same as last year, they can be combined or used on their own. Then you have the dual prompts, who go together and don't bear really well to be separeted. Have fun!

December 23: Euphoria - Board games - Holiday T4tree - Fringe cutting - Spices & boats December 24: Ribbon - Book lending - Authentic introduction - Hot chocolate - Family & nail polish December 25: Sharing is caring - Flux - Jewellery shopping - Carolling - Communal cooking & empowerment

[syndrossi]

Ahhh, it's been a while since the last comment complaining about the story pacing; maybe I should add a "molasses-paced character study" tag to the story to better set expectations.

Am I just weird? I feel like it makes perfect sense for the first few days at King's Landing to be quite dense. You're dealing with:

The first week of Daemon and the twins figuring out their relationship

And then subsequently having a ton of variables thrown in once they arrive in King's Landing to shake up the relationship

The political aftermath of a nation attempting to steal children and dragons from House Targaryen / the Iron Throne

Having to introduce the twins to SO MUCH family and set up the dynamics there

Having to progress the politics of their presence

Candle shenanigans

The disaster that is Daemon and Viserys's relationship

Hatchlings

I like to liken pacing to a camera's lens, and how tightly focused/zoomed it is. Take the first playdate with the Green kids in chapter 20. There are four main "zooms" you can use.

A single throwaway sentence. "Aegon led them to the gardens, where Rhaegar spent the next two hours turning the story of Aemon the Dragonknight from the previous night into a game of pretend that both cousins delighted in playing, to the point of bitter complaint when it came time for their arms training."

A paragraph. A bit like the above, but with a few extra details. You can capture a little more of the dynamic, like mentioning Rhaegar reluctantly accepting the role of Naerys and the suggestion of Jon being an evil Dornish assassin.

A subsection of a scene. Basically what ended up in chapter 20. There's some dialogue, but the play session is mostly summarized, with the highlights being recapped, and the boys get to break down what they noticed during their play.

A complete representation of the game of pretend, complete with dialogue and play-by-play.

I may be a madwoman, but even I usually don't go as far as #4. On the opposite side of the spectrum, #1 gives almost nothing, characterization-wise. It tells us nothing about Aegon or Aemond's personalities, or how they feel about / relate to Jon and Rhaegar. It's mostly flavor text to indicate time passing between lessons.

#2 gives us a bit more. We can see that the way they've been taught to feel about the Velaryon boys bleeds into their subconscious feelings about Jon. It's a bit more "tell don't show," which (contrary to the stereotypical writing guidance) is fine in many cases; by which I mean, since there are fewer words, the things that the writer chooses to focus on tell you what they think is important, vs a tighter zoom where there are more opportunities to read between the lines or have a different interpretation.

#3 lens gives us the "you're prettier than Helaena" line and the boys fighting over who gets true love's kiss, and you can read those both so many ways! Maybe someone has a tiny crush on Rhaegar. Or maybe Aegon hates the reminder that he'll likely have to marry Helaena someday and wants to escape it by having someone else in the role of Naerys. Maybe it's a power thing--they live in a very patriarchal society, and so they put themselves in the positions of highest power and relegate their lower-ranking cousins to the roles of women/enemies. Maybe the true love's kiss argument is about the power struggle/sibling discord between Aegon and Aemond. That's sort of what I mean about room for interpretation, which I personally (as a reader) find more fun. It's how headcanons are born! And then there's the debriefing at the end with Jon and Rhaegar, where they get to reflect on their own impressions after the playdate, which is something you wouldn't get with #1 or #2. And we get a glimpse at the personality of their Kingsguard for the day, Ser Erryk, who plays a recurring role in their lives now.

I like to use #2 lens for things that aren't as "new" (or interesting, or that don't have important new information to convey). For example, #3 lens is appropriate for their first playdate together. Their second playdate, we might not need that level of zoom; #2 might suffice to show what's changed since last time. Are they more open to Jon being a hero/family? Does Helaena finally get to join? Etc. Basically, #3 is about establishing a baseline, and #2 lets you tell the reader what has changed/progressed after that. And then as pacing increases (several days pass at a time), you can reach for the occasional #1 lens just to add that flavor when indicating the passage of time. Or maybe a dynamic gets shaken up and you can reach for a #3 later on to show how.

It comes down to the intention of the scene/chapter. What is chapter 20 trying to do? It's checking in on the current level of trauma in the wake of the kidnapping (Jon's difficulty sleeping) and level of trust with Daemon (Daemon stopping by to help), it's establishing the new routine for Jon and Rhaegar by showing what a typical day looks like (and where their hatchlings will live), it's setting up the initial dynamic between them and the Green kids, it's demonstrating the boys' skills to the people at court, and it's setting up eventual conflict between Daemon and Jon. Those are all great candidates for a #3 lens!

It just makes for what some people might perceive as a "slow" pacing if what interests them isn't the relationship dynamics but rather whatever they perceive the larger plot to be. (For those for whom that's "getting to the Dance," this story will always be a struggle.) I also probably have a very different perspective because I "know" that ultimately it's 1Mil+ word story if I tell the kind of story I want to. For people used to stories ending around 200-300K, they're perhaps wondering when this will "get to the point."

[aroaceleovaldez]

how do you reach the askblog demographic you want?? Me & a friend recently started one and we have very little interaction despite trying to tag relevant things, advertise on our main blogs, etc. Also just tips for starting one in general would be appreciated lmao

I've gone over tips for how to start an askblog [here], but as for the rest:

A.) Make sure that you actually are an askblog and not an RP blog. Some people will use those terms interchangeably or call their RP blogs askblogs and those are not the same thing. This is actually a very common problem. If you are doing RP stuff but calling it an askblog people will not send you askblog asks because they will assume you are a mislabeled RP blog. Sometimes also vice versa. Making sure it is labeled appropriately will make sure people are going to interact more because they can identify your blog more clearly. If you're unsure about the difference, I have a rough definition:

A tumblr askblog is generally defined as any tumblr blog in which there is a subject/focus on a “muse”/character to whom followers/the audience can direct questions to via the blog’s inbox. The “mun”/mod/admin(s) of the blog will respond to these questions in-character. This is different from a roleplay blog, in which the audience always plays the role of characters the blog’s muse will interact with directly, usually providing a narrative prompt to reply to/continue off of. Askblogs can be of a variety of formats, including illustrated/“drawn-response” askblogs, text-response askblogs, cosplay askblogs, voice acting askblogs, and more.

B.) Be careful when you tag things - if you are cross-tagging too much (i.e. posting about one character but tagging another character not referenced) people in those tags may actually block you, or tumblr may flag you as a bot. You can usually tell if your blog accidentally got flagged because your inbox and messaging icons will disappear when you look at your blog's dashboard preview. Do not crosstag! It is never a good thing on tumblr and will never help you. Only tag stuff that's strictly and entirely relevant. In PJO-sphere the only real exception to this is tagging anything PJO related "Percy Jackson" because that is both the series and the character, so people will not get on your case for that. That one is fine, nobody really cares. "Riordanverse" is the common all-encompassing tag for all PJO-universe series and etc though.

Other than that, making original posts frequently and having original posts on your blog that people are more likely to reblog (ex: normal fanart outside of askblog asks, shitposts/memes, etc) will help people find your blog more. People are not likely to reblog advertisement posts, but will reblog general fanart and memes. Try not to reblog too much stuff to your blog especially at first because that clutters it a lot and people will have a harder time figuring out what your askblog is like when you're actually answering asks (also only original posts count towards your blog appearing in tag searches and etc).

C.) I actually have a dedicated blog for this exact type of thing - @askblog-index. The format there is basically people submit an index of their askblog and that gets posted so people can filter for specific fandoms or other criteria to find askblogs they might be looking for. Because looking for askblogs can be difficult in the tumblrsphere. I usually post indexes pretty quickly so if you submit one I will absolutely get on that.

As some extra tips, make sure you enable your blog's custom theme (you don't have to do much setting up for the theme itself, though if you want it is really easy to do so. Recently I've quite enjoyed the theme Vision, though particularly for askblogs you can never go wrong with good ol' Redux). Double and triple check your inbox is open. And in your blog settings there is a "featured tags" thing that you can edit - edit your blog's featured tags to whatever the subject of your askblog is. Fandom, main character(s) of the blog, the terms "askblog"/"askblogs," etc etc all that jazz. This feature literally tells tumblr how to recommend your blog to people.

[uncle-dusknoir]

I'M HOLDING A HALLOWEEN PARTY

i haven't been to any halloween thing in a long time so i thought i'd give it a shot.

uuuuh. made a gliscord server for it so people can text at each other during it too. so we have that. here

it'll be fun! i hope. i havent hosted a party before. it starts at 6 pm and goes until everyone leaves

Updated the link so it should last 7 days starting Oct 30th

OOC rules!

Most of Basil's rules are bendable, but some I am gonna enforce OOC as well. I'll go over them in order here with extra information!

It looks long, I promise it's a lot of silly stuff. Please read it, still, but I'm not gonna be glaring at everything you do. MOST important still is in red.

Please tag all posts for this event with the official tag: #basils bhalloween bash. The B in bhalloween is important.

Please be normal: The server/event is open to both kids and adults, though Basil isn't exactly fond of the idea of children coming. Nothing overtly NSFW, please!

Younger characters do not have to stay outside, nor do appropriately sized Pokemon. However, they must stay out of the wine.

Please don't do anything that dramatically changes the party- IE, destroying Basil's house- without permission. Best place to ask that is the Discord server linked above.

Skorna is free game to harass. She will be vaguley annoying during the party.

If you do bring any food/drinks, be sure to post about it! I'll make a potluck channel in the discord as well.

(Speaking of the discord, if you're in it, it'd be cool if you could add your posts about the event to the server's blog feed channel!)

basil will be annoying about nov 1st being her birthday. just warning you

Please don't actually harm any of Basil's Pokemon! Skorna and Thyme you can harass but nothing long-term. Pranks and goofs are fine.

Basil is allergic to fairy types. Fairy HYBRIDS are fine as long as they don't, like... shed. Or use any Fairy moves around her. though it would be a little funny

Keep the event low/drama stakes, please!

I don't want to fully ban legendaries, but I am VERY selective about which ones can come. Like- Hoopa is chill, but Kyogre isn't. Legendaries that stay in human disguises are cool, as well.

If there's anyone in attendance that would prefer not to interact with certain sapient Pokemon/Legendaries, please respect that! If you're one of those people, please be polite about it!

Let me know if you try and snoop around Basil's house. That's weird though lmao

The vote will be between Addams, halloween music, and horror movies :)

As for event date: Most posts should go up/be queued for Halloween itself! Feel free to do pre-RP and stuff like that- I'll have channels set up in the server for that as well.

That should be everything! Thank you :>

[canines4cole]

"come and be with us. have some fun, it's holy!" — the baccahe

i feel so alive! the cult of dionysus keeps me going. drunken ecstasy and theatrics dance on my skin. i found my purpose ever since lord dionysus gave me it

cole HE/THEY transmasc, bisexual devout follower of lord dionysus, very awkwardly social | early 20s

have a drink! come on and dance with me! oh— that's not what you're here for? you have questions instead, and they're for me? well, i'm not stopping you from asking them, though what do you see in me?

quarter nymph, quarter satyr, and half human. has goat horns, ears and tail sectoral heterochromia! both brown, left eye is partly purple

nonetheless, whatever your motive! I'd love to talk, you take what you can get, you know? though before you do so I suggest you read the rules and extra info listed under the cut ↓

TW : this blog will contain topics of neglect, substance abuse and unhealthy coping mechanisms, SH and SUI, and cannibalism. everything will be tagged and trigger warning appropriately, but proceed with caution

1. be respectful. absolutely NO bigotry is allowed. racism, homophobia, pedophilia, and anything that falls under those umbrellas, go away. you are not welcomed here 2. I don't expect this account to get much attention, but either way. be patient, and do not send the same ask multiple times 3. suggestive content and gore are allowed as long as it isn't graphic. no one wants to see that, especially considering my account is public and there are younger audiences that could see

4. have fun! cole is open to talk to anyone. canon characters, ocs, characters from other aus alike. my DMS are also always open!

quick cole information — originally from thrace, found their way to ithaca. serves a royal family there, not the Ithacan royal family to clarify. as the sun sets however, he finds his way to the section of the dionysian cult that resides in Ithaca.

body is covered in scars and moles, one scar on his face and one mole under his eye— also has top scars! hair is slightly past shoulder length and is a very dark brown, boarder line black color, that has a purple sheen to it. ears and tail match his hair, horns are ivory colored, and he wears gold jewelry.

— 🪻 his sign off

mod information — hey, mod here! you can call me kore THEY/THEM and honestly I don't have that much to say about myself. i'm pretty friendly, and like i said, DMS are always open to talk. just generally or to roleplay, doesn't matter! I don't bite!

— i talk in purple! in posts at least

TAGS : these are the tags i have for now! in all honesty i thought of them on the spot so they may change down the line, and things may be edited and added!

cole and his ramblings #tell me i'm a fraud lore / angst #lover please prepare for my absence general asks #i don't wanna feel better romantic asks #we're gonna build a temple to our love interactions with other accounts #you know where to find me

hecate’s disciple! telemachus #forever if we could

and with that, that should be it! i'll add more if I see fit, but other than that, have some fun with this account! I made it for fun and also because of a telemachus au I began to interact with, so if you're seeing this, hi!

[lovebugs-and-snakecharmers]

LBSC Sprint Challenge February 2024

The LBSC Sprint Challenge is now open for writers and artists!

We did things a little differently this month and asked our discord members for Valentine's related prompts, so you get a few extra prompts this month! If you're not feeling the Valentine's vibe, the Wildcard option is always available.

The prompts are:

1. Flower Delivery boy Luka getting an address wrong. Which means the girl who answered the door might just be available. 2. Tom decides to drop some hints to Luka that Marinette is single and Valentine’s Day is coming up. And everyone knows that the best way to a man’s brain is through pastries decorated with not so subtle hints. 3. Florist!Mari- the heat in her shop has gone out, and it's Soo cold. Luka makes a delivery of something that has to be refrigerated. 4. Sabine, seeing Luka and Mari dancing around each other (and maybe seeing Tom fail to get the two together) decides to take matters into her own hands and what better excuse to have Luka around than needing an extra pair of hands at the bakery with the valentines rush coming up? 5. The people of Paris are shocked to discover Ladybug doesn’t like Valentine’s Day. People have plenty of theories, but Luka’s pretty sure he knows the reason why. 6. There's ALWAYS an akuma on Valentine's Day. 7. Conversation Hearts 8. Marinette makes an apron with a conversation heart pattern. Luka takes the 'kiss me' heart very seriously. 9. After all the roses from Chat Noir, Marinette's a little...indifferent to the traditional Valentine's flower. Luka has to get inventive. 10. Kwamis give dating advice with… mixed results 11. Marinette loves soulmate stories and believes in true love. Lately, she's feeling down and starts to give up on the whole idea. Luka tries to put together or act out a Soulmate story/AU in real life to help her feel better/special. 12. Luka trying to work up the nerve to smooch Marinette. Attempts to ask by giving her the "KISS ME" conversation heart. Marinette, distracted by something else: "Ewwwwwww." 13. Luka and Marinette are both doing valentines deliveries and get trapped/stuck in an elevator together 14. Wildcard - pick any previous challenge prompt, or play LBSC Smooch Roulette to generate a prompt!

You have until Wednesday, February 28 to complete your 3 15-minute sprints/45 minute art sprint and post the results. Once you’ve completed the sprints, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions and make it feel complete, and whatever work you feel appropriate to get your art to a state you consider ‘finished’).

Please note you may sprint in the language of your choice, and you can either translate the final fic before posting, post it in the original language, or both as you choose. You can join us on the LBSC discord or sprint on your own! Just be sure to tag @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers in your final post so we will see it and reblog it. The rest of the rules can be found here under the cut.

Rules!

We’ll post a beginning and end date to the challenge, and a prompt.

Writers, If you choose to participate in the event, write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). You can also choose to break that 45 minutes up differently if you find a different split works better for you.  After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got. Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on AO3 or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.

Feel free to sprint in whatever language is most comfortable to you! You can post it in your own language or translate it before posting, or both!

Artists, you have 45 minutes to sketch and 24 hours to do any cleanup or coloring you’d like to complete. You can split your 45 minutes up however you like, or not at all. There’s no requirements on your finished piece, just aim for whatever goal seems challenging but achievable to you.  Tag your posts with @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog it to the LBSC blog. If you post your work on Instagram or somewhere other than Tumblr, you can leave a link in our ask box or in the appropriate discord channel so we can be sure to promote it. After the designated challenge end date, we’ll compile a listing of the submissions and post it to the LBSC blog.

If you’re wavering as to whether or not you think you can accomplish anything in 45 minutes, we really encourage you to give the challenge a try. You may be surprised what you can do! Feel free to join us in the discord linked above so we can encourage and cheer you on.

Obviously, this has to run a bit on the honor system and we won’t be tracking your times, but please do your best to honor the spirit of the challenge! If your sprint fic becomes an Entire Thing (these things happen sometimes) and you want to continue it, feel free! However, please still post whatever you’ve got after your 3 sprints with the tag. No fair busting out a fully polished fic or art without showing us what it looked like at the challenge stage!

We want to keep this a positive space and event! This does NOT mean that you can’t write or draw anything critical of a character or episode, but it isn’t the space for character bashing or hate either. Please keep the characters in character and save the more speculative work for another time. NSFW sprint works are permitted but must be tagged appropriately (please use “NSFW LBSC sprint challenge” for easy filtering on the blog) and with appropriate warnings.  (More FAQ about the process here)

This is a Lukanette blog and a Lukanette event, so while Lukanette does not need to be the main ship, it needs to at least be included or referenced and considered endgame (in other words, they don’t have to be together by the end of your work, but the intent is that they’re headed in that direction). The decision about what qualifies for reblog rests solely with the LBSC moderators. If a piece hasn’t been reblogged within a couple of days, either the mods felt the piece didn’t meet the criteria or it was simply missed; you are welcome to reach out in the asks to inquire which. There are plenty of other spaces out there for other ships and OT3s, and people are welcome to use the challenge rules and prompts to write for their own ships! They just won’t be reblogged to the LBSC blog, and we ask that you please not use the event tag (a modified form is fine - “InsertAlternateShipName sprint challenge” instead of “LBSC sprint challenge,” for example).

Happy sprinting!