#post-book 3 it was a delight to work on it again

[matchingbatbites]

For @steveshairychest and based on their post here. I read it and just couldn't resist <3

The thing is, Eddie knows that Steve is straight. Honestly, that's the only reason Eddie is as bold as he is, why he starts flirting with him in the first place. He's got years of repressed feelings towards the younger boy, and now they're friends, good friends, and Eddie feels comfortable letting loose some of that pent up attraction, knowing that Steve won’t shun him for it.

He does start off small, just to be safe, with pet names and terms of endearment like handsome, honey, sweetheart. Just little things that make Steve's mouth quirk in a smile, nothing to make him feel uncomfortable. The longer Eddie goes, though, the bolder he gets.

The first pickup line is a joke. They’ve been talking about some new beach movie that's just been released onto video when Steve mentions his lifeguard certification, and before Eddie can stop himself he says “It's a good thing you're a lifeguard, because I'm drowning in your eyes.” 

Steve laughs at that, not mean, just surprised, and is still grinning as he gives a half-hearted “Shut up, Eds,” and turns back to what he was working on. 

And, oh, Steve has no idea what he's done, because Eddie is instantly obsessed with the need to make Steve laugh, to pull out that playful side of him that’s so rare to witness. So Eddie pulls out every dumb pickup line in the book, tries his best to make him laugh again.

“Hey, Stevie, your hand looks lonely. Can I hold it for you?”

“Did you just come out of an oven? Because you're too hot to handle.”

“Is your dad a boxer? Because baby, you're a knockout.”

Most of the time Steve just rolls his eyes and grins, but every so often he’ll make that surprised laugh, or god forbid, he’ll giggle, and Eddie mentally crows in victory every time it happens.

The kiss thing is spur of the moment one day, when Eddie has been hanging out just to be around Steve, and causing a little bit of a racket in the store. After a while, Steve playfully shoves at Eddie's shoulder and says "Get out of here before you get me in trouble, man," and Eddie just grins as he leans into Steve's space. 

"What? No goodbye kiss before you send me off into the world?" 

And oh god, Steve actually blushes this time, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink, and oh fuck, Eddie is such a goner. Steve shakes his head and tries his best to hide a smile as he says "In your dreams, Eddie." 

"In my dreams it’ll be, then, handsome," Eddie replies with a grin, giving a mock salute on his way out the door.

It becomes a usual thing, Eddie hanging out and flirting and asking Steve for a kiss before he leaves. Every time, Steve's response is the same, that delightful blush covers his cheeks as he grins and pushes Eddie away with a "Keep dreaming," or a "You wish,” or even a half-assed “Fuck off, Eds.”

It all comes back to bite him in the ass when, for once, Eddie arrives at the video store to pick up Robin, instead of just doing his usual lazing about and bothering Steve.

Walking in, he doesn't see Buckley immediately, but he does spot his favorite person behind the counter and he beelines to Steve. He leans on the counter, elbows on the clean surface and chin in his hands as he bats his eyelashes at Steve.

"Hi Stevie! How's the prettiest boy in Hawkins today?" 

Steve looks over at him and Eddie feels like a deer in headlights when the man gives him a sly grin. He leans on the counter, arms crossed as he presses into Eddie’s space.

"I dunno, gorgeous, how are you doing?" 

All of Eddie's higher brain function just stops as Steve speaks. It’s such a stupid response, something that anyone else might have said if asked the same question, but for some reason it makes Eddie go dumb, cheeks flooding with color and mouth dropping in shock.

Steve’s grin widens and he tips his head to the side, looking like the cat who got the fucking canary. He reaches up and grabs a curl that had fallen from the messy bun Eddie had thrown his hair into, and twists the lock around his finger as he leans even closer.

"You look so fucking good today. Drives me crazy when you wear your hair up like this, sweetheart. Puts your whole neck on display, all that pretty skin just begging to be bitten and marked up."

And yeah, Eddie's brain must be leaking out of his ears, because it’s him, it’s Eddie, the master wordsmith who always has something to say, and all he can manage to get out in response is a single, stupid sounding "Uh.”

Steve's expression shifts to something more condescending and god, Eddie is so into it when he tugs on the curl again and coos "Aw, got nothin’ to say, baby doll? Can't take what you dish out?" 

An embarrassing whine finds its way into the air between them and fuck, Eddie has to go. He needs to leave before he makes an even bigger fool of himself than he already has, because Steve is looking at Eddie like he wants to eat him and his knees feel like jello and where the fuck is Robin??

As though summoned by just a thought, Robin breezes through the shop and throws out a casual “Steve, can you stop? I need him to drive me home and he can’t do that if his brain is mush.”

Eddie glances over as she walks past them, thinks Traitor! as she leaves him at Steve’s mercy and heads outside to his van. He looks back to Steve, at those hazel eyes alight with amusement and tries to get his brain to work.

“I need- uh- Robin-” he stammers, unable to even complete a thought as Steve smirks and leans in even closer, his nose almost brushing against Eddie's when he asks, "Can I get a goodbye kiss?" 

And Eddie could never say no to Steve, especially when the other is looking at him like that. He nods dumbly, hoping he doesn't look as desperate as he feels, and there's another tug on that curl.

"I need you to use your big boy words, sweetheart," Steve says, still tinged with condescension, and Jesus fucking Christ, this whole dynamic is really doing it for Eddie, more so than he ever thought it would.

"Yes, Steve- Please-" he says, fully prepared to start begging if he has to, if he can find the words to, but he's given a bit of mercy when Steve closes the gap between them.

It feels like he’s being electrocuted, and that's all he needs for his brain to get with the program, for his hands to finally respond as they fly up and tangle in honey locks as he kisses back.

Steve groans and presses closer, his tongue bullying its way into Eddie's mouth and Eddie can feel his limbs turning into goo as Steve kisses him thoroughly, those old King skills being put to good use as he wrecks Eddie with just this.

A car horn sounds from outside the shop and Steve pulls away, smirking again at Eddie's soft whine of protest. “You better go before Robin pitches a fit.” 

Eddie nods, still dumbstruck from the last few minutes and says "I- Yeah, okay. Uh, call me? Tonight?"

Steve hums and stands up straight, and Eddie can feel his brain power returning with the little bit of distance now between them. 

“Why don’t you come over after my shift? Say, 9?” Steve asks, giving Eddie that hungry look once again, and Eddie’s breath hitches.

“Yep, yes, I can- I’ll definitely do that,” he answers, taking a few steps back and trying his best not to stumble. “I’ll, uh, see you then, Stevie.”

Steve calls out “See you later, baby doll!” as Eddie scrambles for the door, and oh god, Eddie is fucked.

#the prompt was delicious and I totally ripped a line from it #ily and hope you like it #steddie #steve x eddie #steddie fic #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #joey writes #i wanted eddie to be very silly goofy 'haha joking around with my best bud...unless👀' #and steve to be very straightforward cutthroat 'i know what i want and im gonna fucking get it' #because i feel like that fits them both well #ficlet

[giddyfatherchris]

📱skz texts — how they react/comfort you (when you’re going through a rough patch with a friend)

| including. felix, han, hyunjin

warnings. none!

a/n. who am i 😮 posting two days in a row??😮 hehe sorry it took so long for the second batch to come! bang chan and lee know will be next<3 hope you enjoy babies xx tagging my sweet bubs @httpdwaekki as promised hope they measure up to your expectations 🙈

a/n. also i know these are ‘out of order’ but… whatever:)

changbin, seungmin & i.n

bang chan & lee know

Felix

He was just about to get into the car when he got your text.

He hefted up the last bags in before he smiled, knowing only from your words that you would be so happy with the surprise he had prepared for you. As he drove to your school, he reminisced on the last few weeks. 

His knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel as he remembered the first night you had arrived at the studio, crying. Your cheeks were red, and you looked so disoriented. You explained in between sobs that you fought with one of your best friends. School was easy for you, you had to put in your fair amount of work, but it did come to you easier than for other people, aka them. They let that jealousy grow and grow and had it become a nasty tumor hogging everything in its path. Until that one night when they held your success up against you, and it all exploded, leaving nothing in its wake. 

He tried calming you down, but it was one of those moments in his life when he felt the most unhelpful, helpless, and worried. You seemed to be reassured by his touch, but your breathing was still labored, a constant stream of tears flowing down your cheeks. He held you closer, thanking the universe he had been alone practicing, but he knew even if the whole group had been there, he would have let everything down to be there for you. 

Releasing his grip, he breathed through the memories and hung to the truth that it was now over. Yes, you still had to see that person from time to time in school, and they were still being incredibly pissy, but you no longer were hurt by their behavior and attempts at screwing you. Thanks to many, many nights spent with Felix, you talked everything through, and he helped you process the situation. He was so proud of the way you handled things, and since it had been a while since you two had the opportunity to have a special date he impulsively decided to organize this getaway. He smiled as he pulled to the curb, noticing your confused smile.

"Hey you, isn't tonight a recording night?"

"Not for me. We're going away," he answered with an enigmatic smile. He nodded for you to get in, "It's a surprise. Yes, everything is arranged. Yes, your bags are packed, and yes, I'm totally free to go."

You narrowed your eyes as he answered all your questions without you having to ask them. "And, where are we going?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that information yet."

You rolled your eyes, secretly delighted. "Okay then, can I ask why?"

At that, he settled and grabbed your hand. "Because I'm proud of you. I know it hasn’t been easy for you lately, but you've handled everything so well and managed to get out of it stronger. There was not much I could do to help, but I can do this. I think you deserve this little getaway for all the hard work you've been putting in."

"Lix..." your gaze softened with his kind words.

"No complaints will be accepted at this moment. You just have to sit back, relax, and let me handle it, sounds good?" He brought your hand to his lips, softly kissing it while his eyes scanned your reaction. 

"Sounds very good." You smiled back.

He kissed your joined hands once more before putting the car in drive. 

You let a beat of silence pass before you tried again with a pleading tone. "You really won't tell me where we're going?" 

He laughed at your impatience. "No baby." 

A smile wouldn't leave his face as he imagined your reaction when you would pull up in the entryway of the little cottage he had booked near the sea. He could already picture your eyes growing in size and your excited screams when you would see the blue waves and sandy beach. Felix felt his heart strain under all the love he felt for you, as he promised himself to keep doing these little things for you forever.

Han

He already knew everything about the situation happening with one of your friends. Honestly, he had a hard time understanding why they were suddenly turning against you. But then again, he always had a bad feeling about them and never thought they treated you half as well as you deserved. 

Still, he hated seeing you so affected by it. He understood why, but he hated feeling so unhelpful. He listened when you needed to vent and tried supporting you as much as he could, but he always felt like it would never be enough. So, when you texted him before heading home from work, hinting at how hard today had been, guilt started gnawing at him.

You got home about 20 minutes later. He was already waiting for you at the door. As soon as he saw the tired look on your face, the dark circles slowly settling under your eyes, his heart ached, but before you could notice his sad puppy eyes, he masked them with his warmest smile.  

"Hey pretty, how are you?" Immediately he took your bag from your hands and helped you take off your coat before wrapping you in a hug.  

"Could be worse, but could be better too," you sighed. "They were extra petty today, I'm not sure how to deal with this anymore."

He pulled back to grab your face, staring at you lovingly as he did. You looked back at him, the sight of his plush cheeks and chestnut eyes already easing the pain in your chest. "But, I'll be okay. I just want to think of something else. If you're still up for it, a movie night would be amazing." 

His face lit up with a sweet smile as he kissed the tip of your nose. "You can head up for a quick shower. I already started the heater and laid down some clothes for you. I'm taking care of everything."

As soon as you disappeared in the corridor he started creating the perfect setup. He made sure to bring all your favorite blankets, pillows, and plushies on the couch. When he heard the shower start he was already preparing hot beverages for the both of you, along with a few of your favorite snacks. He proudly looked at the final result, dimming the lights to create the perfect cozy ambiance. Han would have done anything you would have asked of him tonight. Still, as he looked at his work, a proud smile illuminated his features. As outgoing as he was, he always liked when you said you would rather stay in with him than go out. 

Your soft steps on the floor snatched his attention away from his thoughts. Your hair was still wet from your shower, your face bare, and as planned, you wore the matching pajamas he had laid out for you. You were now both rocking an adorable fuzzy set. His heart tightened at the sight of you, looking so relaxed and cozy. 

"Since you said you didn't know what to watch, I made a little selection."

You snuggled up next to him, listening to his suggestions before adding one of your own. "While I was in the shower I was thinking we could watch one of our comfort movies. If you want to, of course."

"Sure, what were you thinking of?" he asked as he handed you the remote and placed his arm around your shoulders to pull your body closer to his. 

You quickly typed in the movie title, and he felt a smile tug at his lips as he read it. "Are you sure you want to watch Howl's Moving Castle again? I made you watch it just last week."

You nodded confidently, "It's the first movie we've ever watched together and it gives me the best comfy vibes. So if you're down for it...?"

He only pressed play in answer, made sure you were snug in your fort of blankets, kissed the side of your head as you settled against him and the familiar soundtrack started playing.

"I wish I could do more to help you with this whole thing. I hope this still lessens your burden, at least a little. I'm sorry I can't do more." He whispered a few seconds into the movie.

You turned back to look at him, his hair falling in soft curls. The worried expression on his face made you want to hug him as tight as you could. Maybe then you would be able to squeeze it out of his body.

"It's perfect. I couldn't ask for a better partner to go through all this. You do not have to apologize. It's all more than enough." you kissed his plump lips tenderly, "You will always be more than enough." You added before focusing on the movie again, not seeing the beautiful smile now visible on the young man’s face.

Hyunjin

He stared at you in disbelief as you dropped to the floor from extenuation and frustration. You had barely closed the door that you laid your head on the wall and closed your eyes. Your handbag hung limply from your hands, and your coast rustled and creased from the awkward position you were in. He knew what this was about as it wasn't the first night you had assumed that position. The first time you did, a few days ago, he had panicked, thinking you had lost consciousness or were sick. Even if it was nothing of the sort, his worry was still called for when silent tears streamed down your face. That's when you first explained what you were going through, that you had made new friends at your workplace only to discover they were associating with you to steal your ideas. Hyunjin remembers your smile and shining eyes when you first came from work telling him you had made new friends. When you discovered they stole your ideas and presented them to your boss first, that dream had cruelly shattered. You had fought back and proven the ideas were yours, but still, the situation at work was horrible as they had decided to make it hell for you as revenge. Hence the exhausted slide down the door every night.

He crouched next to you, a silent support. "I'm sorry, give me two more minutes, and then I promise to get up and get in my pajamas." You sighed heavily.

"Can I ask you a question?" he softly spoke. You looked up before nodding silently. "If the situation has been solved, if you still have your job, and if your boss is happy you spoke up about it. Why do you still feel like this? I'm not trying to judge or anything I promise. I'm only trying to understand." 

You thought about his question, analyzing his features, so soft and open. "It's just so- conflicting? In a way? I mean, I feel angry at them for doing this to me, but I also feel guilty for ratting them out, even if they deserved it. And I'm angry at myself for not seeing through their schemes. It's just a lot of contradictory feelings. Plus, it hurts... I really thought they liked me at first. It hurts to know they never did, it doesn't help all the little voices telling me I'm worth dirt. I don't know, I've just been stuck in this stupid loop for a week now... I'm not sure what to do to get out of it." 

Even if he wasn't touching you, Hyunjin's attentive stare felt just as intimate. You loved that about him, how present he always was. You knew his silence was no indicator of his level of care. He stared a second more before suggesting, "You know what, I don't think you should get changed. I think we should do something different tonight. What would you say to go out?"

"What are you thinking?" you cautiously asked.

"I'm thinking you need a change of scenery. I think we should go out, have a drink, go for a little exploring, or we could even go to the amusement park! I think changing it up could help you get out of this loop you say you feel stuck in."

You stared at him in silence, weighing in the pros and the cons, still a spark lit your gaze. He dropped his chin on his knees and stared at you with his attentive eyes. You knew if you said you didn't want to go he would support you, but you also knew Hyunjin had that innate sense sometimes where he knew exactly what you needed before you even did. 

"What do you say angel?" he finally asked, slowly reaching out to wrap his slender fingers around yours. 

You simply nodded a slow smile spreading on your lips. For the first time this week, you felt the familiar pang of excitement.

You settled on going to the amusement park as it had been the thing that sparked the most interest in you. Your skin prickled as you neared the gate, it felt so refreshing, so new. You were about to head in when you heard a few familiar voices calling your name. 

You turned around to see Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N approaching you, broad smiles on their faces. You weakly waved at them as you looked at your boyfriend, a proud smile already on his face.

"I thought you needed to be reminded just how appreciated and liked you are. I'm truly sorry it turned that way with those assholes, but please do not let it make you doubt your worth. You are surrounded by people who love you and think you are the most amazing human being. Me on top of that list." He leaned in to kiss your temple while he pulled you in for a quick hug and you felt your heart overflow with joy at the gesture he had pulled and the seven excited boys joining you.

You truly were blessed with the most amazing people.

#ilya texts fics #stray kids #stray kids x reader #stray kids texts #stray kids fluff #bang chan #lee know #changbin #hyunjin #han skz #felix skz #seungmin #i.n skz #felix x reader #han x reader #hyunjin x reader

[nanowrimo]

When Is a Small Press a Good Fit?

When it comes to publishing, many writers will think about big publishers first. However, there are a lot of different publishing options out there to explore. NaNo participant and author, Clara Ward, talks about their experience publishing with a small press and gives you questions to consider while you think through your publishing options!

NaNoWriMo inspired me to write. Signing with a small press gave me the support I needed to publish a book I love. 

I’d published books before—starting with NaNoWriMo sponsor deals in the early days of online publishing—but I never had the right skill set to promote those books. As a result, they never truly found their audience. 

In November of 2020, I poured my heart into a genre-blurring near-future tale of sailing across the Pacific and building a neurodiverse, queer, and possibly magical chosen family. In 2021, I titled it Be the Sea and asked myself: What am I going to do with that?

1. Are you looking for fame or family?

Small presses are as varied as the people who form them. If you read widely, you may already have a treasured book on your shelf from your publisher-to-be. Try asking NaNoWriMo friends who share your interests if they’ve discovered any surprising or emerging sources for great reads. (At the very least, you may find books you’ll love in unexpected places!)

Admittedly, a small press doesn’t have a fortune to spend on paving your path to fame. But I have never felt as seen as when my soon-to-be publisher, E.D.E. Bell at Atthis Arts, wrote back, “I’m really in love with what you are doing and would like to talk about it.” 

2. Do you have the bandwidth for working with others?

Even with the most supportive small press, you may have to push outside your comfort zone. I know authors who love the absolute control and freedom of self-publishing. For a time, I felt very comfortable just posting my NaNoWriMo fanfiction novels on Archive of Our Own. At most, I had one or two beta readers to offer feedback on those works. Whereas E.D.E. told me in one of our earliest conversations that in addition to our three rounds of editing we’d need “a good number of betas” to cover the range of topics we were working on together.

I was delighted! I knew what I’d written was ambitious, and I welcomed all the feedback I could get. But it turns out, each extra person in a process adds new challenges and delays. I had to stretch my empathy as well as my publishing timeline because, to quote E.D.E. again: “It’s a lot of emotion (as well as brain cycles) to go through...” Outside perspectives will only improve your writing if you are willing to work with them, to truly listen and learn.

3. Can you handle the two-way commitment?

No form of publishing is easy. The myth that authors write while others handle business and promotion is not true at the top, and certainly not with small presses. In my experience, working with Atthis Arts was like joining a team or chosen family. Beyond certain paid tasks, such as editing and sensitivity reading, I discovered a community of authors who freely offered coaching before my first public reading, social media boosting, tips for author webpages, and an extra pair of eyes on letters requesting bookshop readings or other events. While not all small presses work the same way, this supportive culture proved to be an excellent fit for me. Naturally, I wanted to give back whenever possible.

Small presses can only succeed with community. This month, as I promote the launch of Be the Sea at bookshops in Mountain View, Davis, and Sacramento, I will be introducing many Californians to my Michigan-based small publisher, Atthis Arts. When I stand up as a panelist at Norwescon in Washington state or at various science, library, or Pride events later in the year, I’ll be promoting more than Be the Sea by Clara Ward. I’ll give back by sharing my appreciation for small presses, the supportive and inclusive practices they can normalize, and the opportunities they open up for future writers and readers. 

Clara Ward lives in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. Their latest novel, Be the Sea, features a near-future ocean voyage, chosen family, and sea creature perspectives, while delving into our oceans, our selves, and how all futures intertwine. Their short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Decoded Pride, Small Wonders, and as a postcard from Thinking Ink Press. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, and glass to make practical or completely impractical objects. More of their words along with crafted creations can be found at: https://clarawardauthor.wordpress.com

Photo by Hümâ H. Yardım on Unsplash

#nanowrimo #now what #writing #publishing #small press publishing #by nano guest #clara ward

[blithesharem]

You scare me sometimes but I enjoy reading your stories, soooooo how about the Weird Wizard s3x, thanks luv! 😘💕

Unironically "You scare me sometimes but-" is a delightful compliment to me <3 I'm sorry my upsetting horny beel posting scared you bby <33 Have some tentacles to make up for it.

@alpine-forget-me-nots

This was the first idea that came to me for a series I lovingly call "Solomon Uses his Sorcery for Evil".

Also after a few months after I had the idea for this posting, I definitely saw someone else post a delicious smut about accidentally summoning something with tentacles. If I come across it I'll try to link it again...I just wanted to mention it so no one thinks I accidentally or intentionally copied their concept <3

AFAB reader in a skirt. Tentacles etc. A little dubcon? But they're into it.

-

“Well, well, well. What have we here?”

You freeze, one hand fisted around a writhing black tentacle, the other reaching for the textbook that had skittered just out of reach. With a huff, you squirm to look over your shoulder, cursing when the gripped tentacle uses your distraction to flick free of your grip and smack you wetly in the face.

“Very funny, Solomon. Give me a hand here,” you whine to your sorcerer, but he only leans against the doorframe of his office and smiles.

“No, I don’t think I will,” he replies easily, laughing lightly as you narrow your eyes into a glare.

He has caught you in quite the compromised situation.

You hadn’t meant to be snooping. Not exactly anyway. You were working on an assignment and needed a reference book Solomon had shared with you many times before. It just happened to be laying underneath a thicker, more archaic looking tome. This book was covered in Solomon’s signature scribble, though in a language you weren’t familiar with, and on pages black as ink. It had also been oddly damp, like it had been fished out of the sea just hours before and had barely begun to dry out. You hadn’t even really dug into it, just lifted it off your textbook and given an idle ruffle of the pages.

Only to be sprayed in the face by a gush of seawater. While you were sputtering, the tome had fallen and something had burst out of the pages. Something with too many tentacles and a perverted streak…

“Solo-mONnn.” You try to hiss his name but it ends in a squeal as a thick tentacle latches to your thigh and begins to nurse the soft flesh with its wide suckers. One of your arms is pinned to your side now, the other back to wrestling with a cheeky limb that seemed to be trying to nuzzle against your cheek.

“Solomon what?” he coos back, fluttering his lashes at you smugly.

“…bastard.” He laughs and shoves off the door frame, but any hopes you had of him helping you free yourself are dashed as instead he moves to an armchair, settling into it with a content sigh.

“Forgive me, my darling apprentice. I think I’d like to see how this plays out,” he teases, you can’t help the excited flip in your stomach when you see he’s already hard. Dammit. He Pavlov dogged you there.

“You-“ Again, your frustrations are cut off, this time with a gasp when you feel a push between your legs, an oddly giving press against your clit through your underwear. It makes you realize you’re already slick, something in the way Solomon’s eyes rake over you and the hungry squirm of the tentacles warming your core in eager preparation.

“I hate you,” you pout.

“Mmm,” Solomon replies with a sympathetic hum as he palms his cock lazily through his slacks, “Tell me how much, my love.”  

#obey me smut #obey me solomon #mwah #blithe smut

[disniq]

i havent read all of the comics post urban legends to gotham war with jason, but as far as i remember between them jason didn't really kill anyone? tfz is on my mind (he tried to kill 'bane' but didn't). i suppose he couldve been murdering off screen as well but i also have no idea if that's hinted at

anyway with tmwsl and the beast war stuff having him kill it means:

urban legends -> stops killing

gotham war -> is brainfuckedup by bruce. cant do shit

tmwsl -> joker unbrainfuckedups him, he proceeds to go ham and kill some goons/tries to kill the jokers

beast world -> still killing in larger amounts

so if bruce had left his ass alone would he still be in a holding pattern with the bats? way to fuck it bruce (though im happy. so.)

obviously the doyalist explanation is they probably realized jason was in a bit of a limbo atm and decided to shake it up again. but watsonian is soooo funny to me. good job b

Thank you for bearing with me anon, I'm finally free from work and mostly compos mentis at the moment, so!

My initial instinct when I got this ask was to disagree, because I didn't read Jason's behaviour in the last issue of MWSL as any more or less violent than he was in the earlier issues, I don't think he ever actually killed anybody in that run (though do correct me if I'm wrong on that), and I'm extremely reluctant to take the Beast World characterisation into account because it's a, uh... reductive view of Jason, at best.

But.

BUT!

As I was turning this over in my head, I realised why it was pinging at my brain.

It's because this exact thing *has happened*, back in RHatOs Rebirth.

Pre-rhato 25 my beloathed, Jason had been consistently using less-lethal methods in exchange for Bruce's implicit approval and regular interaction with the batfam. He specifically says this on panel in The Trial of Batwoman, this is a choice he chooses to make against his own beliefs;

Detective Comics #975

This holds until six months later, when Jason shoots Penguin. And then Bruce famously snaps and beats the everloving shit out of him in a brutal and notably one-sided fight.

After which, Jason changes up his outfit, swaps the guns for a crowbar and a katana, and becomes significantly more lethal again.

RHatO (2016) #25, RHatO (2016) #26

And when I thought about it, well. I think you could argue that each of Jason's more lethal spells are proceeded by an altercation with Bruce.

Brothers in Blood, where Jason plays a murderous, knife-wielding Nightwing to annoy Dick, is the first Jason story after the infamous Under the Hood showdown wherein Bruce chooses to cut Jason's throat instead of... doing literally anything else instead.

Batman: Under the Red Hood, Nightwing (1996) #118

And after working relatively civilly with others throughout Countdown, Jason goes full murder gunbats in Battle for the Cowl after Bruce's delightful little "you're broken and you'll never be fixed" hologram speech.

Battle for the Cowl #3 , Battle for the Cowl #1

Now, I absolutely do not want to come across like I'm saying Bruce is responsible for all Jason's more extreme actions at all, because I'm not about that lack of agency shizzle at all. Obviously Jason was already very much down to kill prior to his final confrontation with Bruce in UtRH, and I think he does genuinely believe some people deserve to die.

But I think this pattern of Jason reacting to Bruce's outright and often violent rejections by escalating the very behaviour that has Bruce repeatedly rejecting him is super interesting as a facet of their continuous cycle of abuse.

So regardless of Beast World, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Jason does lilt more lethal for a hot minute before he inevitably makes consessions to get back into Batman's good books.

#asked and answered #jason todd #bruce wayne critical #my meta

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP5/8 O CLOCK AT THE OASIS (PART 3) Aka SweaterPaws, Fake Fish, The Best Okuh Ever, And Jess Mariano Is A Waterlogged Infant Kitten

Parts 1 & 2 and all other episodes can be found in my pinned post.

This scene of Rory overhearing an answering maching message from Dwight's irate wife combines two of AmyShermanPalladino favorite things: answering machines and (the voice of) Alex Borstein (Celine & Drella on GG, Suzie on Mrs Maisel. Also Lois on Family Guy). Gilmore Girls Producer: Attention, Gilmore Girls crew! It has come to my attention that our budget will not cover both Outdoor Landscaping Scenes and Fishtanks. Sacrifices will have to be made.

Finally she admits to herself that Dean is a serial killer. And casual swearing from Rory? Wow, what a delight to hear.

!!!SWEATER PAWS ALERT!!!!

What do the kids say? Unbothered. Moisturized. Flourishing? In my lane? Something like that. It's clearly a school day (since Rory is in her uniform) while it appears to be a rare day where Jess hasn't been scheduled to work in the Coffee Mines before school. Speaking of school, he's walking away from school instead of towards it and is not carrying any school supplies or a backpack. He looks happy. Just vibing in his ugly oversized clothing. Hopefully he looks up every so often so he doesn't walk face first into a lamp post.

Or that.

Blue Crush was a 2002 movie about a girl who surfs starring Kate Bosworth. Get it? Cause Rory is covered in water?

Hey. Eyes up top, Pal.

The floofy hair. The prominent draggy lip. The five o'clock shadow. Salty enjoys naming things she can see.

How many of Jess' books have been ruined with water? 2 so far. The answer is 2.

And now...ladies and Gentlemen...I present the greatest Milo Okuh Ever Okuh'D:

Get you a man who will risk soaking himself and pretend he didn't assist you with turning off a sprinkler so your boyfriend Dean won't fly into a jealous rage over it. It brings a tear to ol Salty’s eye. The episode wraps up with Lorelai attempting to end the Peyton Sanders nonsense by apologizing to Emily and taking the blame for the entire incident. Silly Lorelai, she didn't consider "What would Emily Gilmore think?" first and foremost before agreeing to go on one date with a random guy. I mean, Lorelai declining a second date with Peyton could have caused Emily to lose rank in her Tea Party Circle with Peyton's mother or some nonsense like that, according to a ridiculous story Richard just told Lorelai earlier in the episode. Let me be clear here, in case the message got a little lost- I am 100% siding with Lorelai here. She should not have to grovel like this over something so meaningless.

HOGWASH. Stop this right now Lorelai. Emily is standing just a few feet away and you're in a kitchen filled with many sharp knives and cooking implements. I'll look the other way. She even agrees to go on a second date with Peyton just to pacify Emily even though she just made it painfully clear how miserable it would make her to see this dude again. Emily is quite pleased seeing Lorelai's state of misery. Well, like I said earlier, you do only have a very small window of time before David Bowie stops performing forever, so go for it I guess. Take the tickets, then drop Hamm. Drop him like Rory dropped out of Yale. I have a final comment: Although by the end of this episode we don't see Rory at school, one would have to presume that after the sprinkler incident she either had to get on the bus and go to school sopping wet or go home and change and blowdry her hair and risk being very late to class. Either she gets reprimanded for showing up to school late or she gets reprimanded for the wet uniform and hair so she's screwed no matter what. If he didn't take an ounce of pity on Rory for her Hit By A Deer story, do you think Headmaster Charleston would buy some fantastical tale from Rory about her tardiness being due to a sprinkler, sweater paws, a neighbor with a board game fetish, and Dean the unabomber?

#8OCATO #gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 3 #rory gilmore #literati #jess mariano #soaking wet puppy #sweater paws #denise rewatches gilmore girls #No Dean in this episode! #No wonder it was so easy breezy

[misslavenderlady]

Lost Boys - TransFem AU

Part 3: Santa Carla and The Lost Boys

Truly a babe if ever there was one 💕

Mikayla Emerson

Once Mikayla gets to Santa Carla, she starts turning heads of some very special boys~

part 1 HERE, part 2 HERE

The events of the movie are pretty identical to what happens to Mikayla. She moves to Santa Carla after her parents' divorce and Lucy says it's a good change.

A difference in events is how things go with Grandpa. He's still his goofy self, but is a bit surprised to see how Mikayla looks. The last time he saw her, it was before she began HRT. However, Lucy had a long talk over the phone with him prior to their move, and he was very welcoming to his granddaughter.

As a welcome home present, Grandpa gives her a locket that belonged to her grandmother. Sam still gets taxidermy. Safe to say, Mikayla likes her gift a lot more.

Finding work has its challenges for Mikayla. She's able to use her looks to get a few job applications in to some shops, but the downside is that...80s sexism is very much a thing. It's a pain, but she's determined to help her mother in any way she can.

Mikayla and Sam still go to the concert, and she still spots Star. She's a lot more shy, as she's worried about how Star would feel about a girl having a crush on her. While Sam is at the comic book store, Mikayla decides to suck it up, and talk to Star.

She compliments her beautiful appearance, and to her delight, Star compliments her gorgeous hair and makeup. They have a bonding moment together, developing a friendship with a budding attraction to one another as well. She hopes to see Star again soon.

Little does she know she's going to meet someone else as well.

David and the boys didn't get a chance to see Mikayla the night she spoke to Star. They are, however, still instructed by Max to go after the children. Max is a very old fashioned man with outdated ideas about gender expectations. So he believes Lucy has two sons, not understanding that's not the case.

Because of this, the Lost Boys are on the lookout for a BOY. So when David spots a beautiful girl walking side by side with Star, he gets so captivated by her that he nearly crashed his bike into a lamp post.

The girls catch what happened, and Mikayla is the one to run over to David. Obviously he's not hurt, but she's still worried. Her big, blue eyes widening and her glossy lips pouting as she asks "hey, are you okay?"

David immediately turns on the charm.

"Well I must have gotten into an accident and died since I'm looking at an angel right now~"

Mikayla is FLUSTERED. He thinks her flushed cheeks are extra cute.

When the other boys get a look at her they are in full "babe alert" mode. They circle around her, not crowding her but making it clear they all think she's very beautiful. Star is annoyed that they're trying to cut in on girl time, but still introduces her new friend.

They are all so incredibly smitten, eager to get to know her better. They decide to put Max's plan on the back burner for the time being, not realizing they're inviting their very target to spend some time with them.

The first night in the cave is wildly different this time around. The boys have turned up the charm to 11, and want to make her comfortable, not play mind games with rice and noodles.

Dwayne breaks out his trusty skateboard to show off some tricks and see what she can do too. Paul pulls her onto his lap and gets his lips so close to hers that they're practically kissing before blowing smoke into her mouth (he offers it as a fun alternative to smoking the weed he has). When Marko returns with their food, he shows off his Italian skills to her, even calling her "Bella" and "Principessa".

Mikayla isn't used to such affection from such handsome boys. She enjoys their hospitality, but still holds her underlying fear of being rejected (or God forbid, attacked) if they learned more about her identity. The boys mistake her caution for shyness, and find it extra cute.

Star notices it too, and she begins to worry that Mikayla doesn't like them coming on so strong. She still tells the boys to leave her alone, just in a different context this time.

They enjoy her company all throughout the night. All of them like her, and see a great deal of potential in her as another member of their coven. Towards end of their time, David has some one-on-one time with her, and finds out she has a little brother named Sam. The gears start turning in his head and between that, her recent move from Phoenix and learning her mother works at the video store, he realizes that Mikayla is the one he's supposed to pursue.

He thinks Max is a total idiot for misgendering Mikayla.

David asks her to have some fun with them another night before toasting to her new addition into their club (with the blood, of course). She's still cautious and uncertain as to David's motives, but can't deny she's quite infatuated with him. They drink, and David helps her get home safe by following her on his own bike. He sends her on her way with a kiss on the back of her hand.

yadda yadda yadda train stuff still happens and Mikayla almost attacks Sam as the blood takes over her body.

In an interesting turn of events, David makes sure Star isn't at the cave the night Mikayla comes looking for answers. Mikayla is still very frightened by what's happening to her, but unlike Star saying she can't help, David calms her down, and explains everything.

He's open and honest and patient when she starts to pick a fight, not happy about what's happened to her. David promises her that she is safe, and that all of the boys and Star like her. He's still his manipulative self, twisting her mind to see that they can take care of her. She won't be alone. They want to be with her. The sweet nothings get to Mikayla, as she admits she doesn't want to be alone.

David kisses her, and to Mikayla's relief, he very much accepting of her being trans. This time around, David is the one to have sex with her in the cave~

Sam is worried about his sister and the Frogs are itching to hunt, but Mikayla has fallen in love, and it's about to let her fellow vampires get hurt. She hopes to patch things up with her brother and keep everyone safe. She knows that Max is dangerous, and will do whatever possible to get her happy ending.

Bonus:

Each member of the coven has a special nickname for her

David - My girl/darling

Dwayne - Beautiful

Marko - Principessa

Paul - Mama/Babe

Star - Mickey (It's what the girls on Mikayla's cheer squad called her. It's based off the Toni Basil song "Hey, Mickey")

#transfem Michael Emerson #the lost boys #tlb #lavender lady rambles #michael emerson #mikayla emerson #tlb au

[masked-fools]

❝ your old buddy sampo is a model citizen these days. y'know the guards on sentry duty in the restricted zone? i deliver their breakfast every day! ❞

— Sampo Koski, ancient relic specialist

Tavern Notice Board

14th of August — 20th of August

(1) coming home beaten and bruised [blade] — @milksnake-tea

platonic!blade x teen!reader where they come home battered. mentions of physical violence, bruises and blood

(2) an enchanting white day [jing yuan, dan heng, gepard, march] — @cnnmairoll

spending white day with them

(3) analysis of art & names in the simulated universe [aha] — @ahaclownery

post reviews the blessings in the SU, what they reference, and what it could mean for aha

(4) a book club for two [dan heng] — @cnnmairoll

in the intimate haven of dan heng's room, you both share a stack of books on his bed, the warmth of a cozy blanket draping over your legs as you enjoy each other's presence.

(5) seeing you wearing his clothes for the first time [blade] — @milksnake-tea

blade seeing you wear his clothes for the first time + prompt "you're so cute"

(6) lady fu's matchmaking service [jing yuan] — @eggluverz

fu xuan thinks the lonely general needs to go on a date, and you are just the person she wants to set him up with.

(7) first flower [gepard] — @cnnmairoll

amidst the blooming flowers of their shared home garden, you and gepard's love blossomed, nurturing not only the vibrant petals but also a profound and enduring connection between two hearts.

(8) a new history [welt] — @bladesmuse

ever since becoming a history professor at the city's university, Welt has been coming to the coffee shop where you work at the exact same time every single day without fail. coffee shop au.

(9) when they want attention [blade, dan heng, sampo, yaoshi] — @pyroxeene

what they do when they crave your affection and attention.

(10) a voice unheard [jing yuan] — @generalsmemories

if you're given the chance to meet someone you thought you wouldn't meet again, what would you tell them? almost lovers to strangers. hurt/comfort

(11) what their lips taste like [genshin men + aeons] — @pyroxeene

short headcanon post about what their lips taste like.

(12) napping with the dozing general [jing yuan] — @cnnmairoll

the "dozing general" jing yuan's legendary laziness transforms into heartwarming domesticity as you both find solace and love in shared naps, their tranquility echoing the depth of your affection within the bustling world of xianzhou.

(13) captured moments beyond the stars [luocha] — @cnnmairoll

in a world of boundless wonder, the foreign traveller luocha and you embark on interstellar journeys, capturing the essence of your shared love through photographs that become the foundation of a treasured album, a testament to the extraordinary adventures and the deep bond you nurture together.

(14) a rose for the ferryman [blade] — @pyroxeene

it is said that some people see the other side when they die even for just a brief moment. those near-death experiences often change them for good... blade wonders when the moment will come that he'll finally get to see you again. angst; open ending; near-death experience.

(15) culinary love knockout [luka] — @cnnmairoll

in the warmth of your shared domesticity, luka's request for your homemade lunchboxes becomes a cherished ritual that strengthens your bond and fills your hearts with love and laughter.

(16) blind dates & hidden feelings [dan heng] — @eggluverz

march 7th sets you up on a blind date with gepard and dan heng finds himself feeling jealous when he sees the two of you together.

(17) the entire fluff alphabet [jing yuan] — @pyroxeene

elaborate fluff alphabet for jing yuan. 7.2k words.

(18) sunday mornings & cookies [sampo] — @cnnmairoll

on a lazy sunday filled with flour-dusted laughter and affectionate banter, you and sampo create a batch of imperfectly perfect cookies, turning a simple baking session into a cherished memory of sweet delights and tender love.

(19) coming home beaten and bruised [nanook] — @milksnake-tea

you got hurt and nanook is ready to take revenge. hurt/comfort.

(20) late night conversations [dan heng] — @pyroxeene

you wake up to dan heng having a nightmare in the room next to you and decide to check up on him over text only to find that your fellow crew member seems to be a lot more open when sleep-deprived. confessions ensue.

#hsr #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #blade x reader #nanook x reader #yaoshi x reader #dan heng x reader #march x reader #march 7th x reader #sampo koski x reader #gepard x reader #gepard landau x reader #jing yuan x reader #luka x reader #luocha x reader #honkai star rail fanfic #honkai star rail fluff

[jerzwriter]

High Seas (2/2)

And here is part two! Based on this ask from my bestie @icecoffee90 I hope you enjoy this, Z (and everyone else too!)

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Characters: Tobias Carrick, Ethan Ramsey

Category: Humorous fluff

Words: 2,500

Summary: Casey and Tobias have been looking forward to their vacation plans, a cruise on the high seas with some of his old friends from Hopkins. But when work got in the way, Casey convinced Ethan to join her husband instead. Now, out on the high seas, some confusion ensues. Will the friends turned frienemies now friends again survive?

A/N: There are author's notes at the end. Participating in @choicesflashfics Prompt 3 — “You like getting under my skin, don’t you?” and @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 2 - Stars.

Part One

My Masterlist

It was impossible to miss Ethan’s annoyance as he waited impatiently by the baggage carousel. If his tapping foot and the vein protruding from his temple weren’t proof enough, his exasperated sighs would have given him away. He has his bag in hand. Bag. He had the common sense to bring one carry-on. But not his prima donna companion was still waiting for his third.

“Jesus, Carrick! We’re gone for a week! How much did you pack?”

“Sorry,” Tobias snapped, lifting his final suitcase from the carousel. “But being fashionable matters to some of us; we’re not all Neanderthals.”  

“You’ll be fashionable back in Boston when the ship sails without us!”

Tobias stopped dead in his tracks and shot Ethan an incredulous look. “It leaves in four freaking hours! Damn! I forgot how much of a pain in the ass you were to travel with.”

Ethan opened his mouth to launch an acerbic retort, but as his words formed, he couldn’t fight the smile tugging at his lips.    

“In fairness, it’s been over a decade... and at your age, memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“I’m a year younger than you!” Tobias laughed as Ethan lagged behind. Throwing his last suitcase in the taxi’s trunk, he turned around with a smirk. “Try to keep up, old man. We don’t want to miss the boat.”

~~~~~

Somehow, Tobias managed to convince Ethan to carry one of his suitcases, and he hadn’t stopped complaining since. Having effectively tuned his friend out as they moved through the halls in search of their cabin, Tobias was relieved to see they were almost there.

“The suite is right down here,” he pointed.

“Suite?” Ethan asked. “I thought Casey said she changed it to a room?”

“She was going to, but I told her I’ll need my space if I’m stuck with you for a week. A separate sitting room and a balcony will come in handy when I can’t take listening to you anymore.”

“I love you too, Tobias. But weren’t you two getting a honeymoon suite?”

“It’s just a name, Ethan,” he laughed as they neared the door. “Casey told them there was a change in plans, so you have nothing to worry about. They promised to remove the sex swing from the room before our arrival.”

Ethan ran a hand down his face, and Tobias delighted in seeing his friend so irritated. After all, aggravating him was the man’s second favorite hobby.

“You really like getting under my skin, don’t you?” Ethan grumbled.

“Come on, sweetheart, you know that’s not true,” Tobias winked as he flung the door open. “Honey, we’re ho...”

Now, Tobias was flabbergasted, and Ethan couldn’t wait to get him back.  

“What’s the matter, dear. Are the champagne and rose petals strewn across the bed distracting?”

“Casey told them to cancel all the extras! I was there when she called.”

Ethan lifted champagne from the bucket, nodding in approval. “Krug Grande Cuvee, not bad. If this is what we can expect, please leave the romance package in place.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave that in place,” Tobias mumbled while inspecting the bed. “And it looks like I’m leaving this in place, too. They told us the suite had two beds that could be combined into one, but this thing does not come apart.”

“Now that’s a problem.”

“Yeah, I’ll go talk to guest services. They must have something else available.”

Ethan patted his friend on the back. “You do that,” he grinned, happily popping the champagne open. “I’ll be here breaking in the chair on the balcony.”

Which was exactly where Tobias found him upon his return, ending Ethan’s brief tranquility.  

“Problem,” he muttered, pouring a huge glass of bubbly. “The ship’s completely booked. All the suites with twin beds are taken.”

“Surely there must be someone in a standard room who would be happy to switch.”

“Perhaps,” Tobias sighed. “But then I’m back to being stuck in a room with you. No offense, buddy, I’m not sure I’d survive, and my daughter needs her dad.”

“Possibly,” Ethan deadpanned. “I could argue that she’d fare much better without your influence.”

“Very funny! They offered to bring a rollaway bed, but then we’ll fight over who gets the plush, comfy mattress and who gets to feel like they’re on a college bender.”

“So, I have to share a bed with you instead!”

Tobias raised an eyebrow. “You want the rollaway?”

Ethan’s expression gave him the answer he needed. 

“It’s a king-size bed, Ethan. We practically have our own zip codes.”

Ethan shook his head as he downed the rest of his champagne.

“Casey did this on purpose. She’s probably back in Boston laughing as she imagines our misery.”  

“It’s possible,” Tobias smirked. “My girl has a great sense of humor. We can Facetime her from bed tonight.”

Ethan shook his head as he stood up to return inside the suite. “You do as you wish, but I’ll be safe in my zip code.”

~~~~~

Hours later, the tuxedo-clad men entered the after-dinner mixer for Hopkins alumni. Tobias smirked with delight when several heads turn their way. 

“You have to admit it,” he boasted. “I’ve still got it.”

“You?” Ethan spat. “What makes you think they’re not looking at me.”

“Common sense,” he smiled, tapping his friend’s shoulder. “What do you say we go mingle.”

“With whom? I don’t see anyone I recognize yet.”  

“They’ll be here soon enough. We can get a drink while we wait.”

Nearby, an elegantly dressed woman glanced inconspicuously in their direction.

“Peggy,” she whispered to her wife. “Is that Tobias Carrick and Ethan Ramsey all chummy over there?”

Peggy adjusted her glasses to look. “You are correct, love. That’s them.”  

“I didn’t realize they were on speaking terms again. After Vincenza-gate, I would have thought one of them landing in jail for the other’s murder would have been more likely than a reconciliation.”  

“Yeah,” Peggy shrugged. “But that’s a long time ago now.”

“True, but when I ran into Tobias at that conference a few years back, he was still referring to Ethan by that pet name.”

“Which one was that?” Peggy laughed.

“Peckerhead, I believe.”

“Well,” Peggy smiled. “It looks like they resolved that.”

“Who resolved what?” A dark-haired man asked as the two women greeted him.

“Joshua! I wasn’t sure you were coming!” Leah grinned.

“What, miss this chance to network and gossip? No way!”

“Then you’re in the right place,” Peggy smiled. “We were just commenting on Carrick and Ramsey being friends again. Who would have thought it?”

“Uhm, they’re not friends.”

“Josh,” Leah said, motioning in their direction. “Look at them. It’s clear as day. And I, for one, am happy to know they buried the hatchet.”

“Then you’ll be even happier to hear this... they’re married.”

“They’re what?” The women replied in unison.

“Get out of here!” Peggy nudged Joshua’s shoulder.

“Well...” Leah stalled, “I did hear Tobias got married... that alone shocked me, but no one mentioned he married Ethan. Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent,” Joshua said, crossing his heart. “Mallory and I are in the suite next to them.”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “So they’re sharing a room... and you assume they’re married?”

“No. But the walls are thin, and we heard Ethan was going on and on about their romance package. Not to mention they were calling each other dear and sweetheart.”

“And Carrick is definitely a newlywed,” Peggy added.

“And it’s too soon for him to have something on the side. At least, I hope it is,” Leah chided. “Wow. Ethan and Tobias married. I didn’t have that on my bingo card.”

“Let’s stop ogling them and go and say hello,” Peggy insisted. “We’re going to look downright rude.”

The trio approached them, and after greetings and pleasantries were exchanged, Tobias went right into being...Tobias.

“You ladies look gorgeous as always! How is it that you’ve been aging backward,” he smiled.

“Ah, I see married life hasn’t made you any less of a flirt,” Leah tittered.

“Nah, that’s genetic. But now I’m all bark and no bite.”

“And it better stay that way,” Ethan jumped in.

“As if that’s even a question,” Tobias smiled. “You know darn well I know how good I have it.”

“I have to admit,” Peggy injected. “I was shocked that you two made up much less...” she motioned between them. “This.”

“Yeah, I don’t think most saw this coming,” Tobias agreed. “But it’s a good thing. We wasted too many years.”

“Years we’ll never get back,” Ethan agreed.

“You know, Mallory and I are in the suite next to you,” Josh informed. “Perhaps we can join you on the balcony for a few drinks tonight.”

“That works,” Tobias smiled. “Ethan and I will supply the drinks.”

“Yeah,” Ethan laughed. “We have the top-shelf stuff in our suite.”

“I know,” Josh smiled. “The romance package... we got it, too. We’ll see you later.”

~~~~~

Late that night, Ethan showered while Tobias Facetimed Casey and Sammy. As much as Tobias was enjoying himself, he missed his girls, and seeing them reminded him how much. Still, he did his best to stay positive.

“That’s right, baby girl,” he beamed at his babbling daughter. “That’s right!”

Then, a groan, loud enough for Tobias to hear through his AirPods, came from the bathroom.

“Babe,” Tobias interrupted Casey. “Wait just a second.” Removing an earbud, he walked to the bathroom door. “Ethan? Are you OK?”

“I’m fine. I just slipped, this space is just too damned tight.”

“Is it now?” Tobias chuckled at his friend taking his third shower of the day. “It wasn’t a problem this morning or during round two this afternoon.”

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s because I’m exhausted.”

“I told you three times was a bit much,” Tobias replied. “But, as long as you’re all right, I’m returning to what I was doing. So, where are we?” he said, slipping his earbud back in place. “Look at you smiling for Daddy! You are such a good girl....”

Outside the door, Mallory stopped Joshua from knocking. She looked at her husband as they heard bits and pieces of the conversation inside Ethan and Tobias’s cabin.

 “You know, honey,” Mallory started. “They sound like they’re...busy...”

“They sure do. Three times today?”

“Well,” his wife shrugged, “they are newlyweds. Let’s allow them their privacy.”

“You’re right,” he said, wrapping his arm around her. “How about we go to the Lido Deck? The buffet will be open in fifteen minutes, and we can get a good seat.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

“Heh,” Josh chuckled with a shake of his head. “Ramsey and Carrick. Who would have ever thought?”

~~~~~

The following afternoon, Ethan and Tobias were poolside when Mallory, Joshua, Leah, and Peggy approached, floppy hats on their heads and towels under their arms.

“Hey,” Leah smiled, motioning to the empty deck chairs. “Are these seats taken?”

“Only by you,” Tobias smiled. He motioned for the waiter to order drinks for all. “And tell the bartender not to skim on the rum!” He hollered before turning to his old classmates. “So, how are you enjoying the cruise?”

“It’s been great!” Peggy enthused. “You know, work is so busy, it feels like Leah and I never get to see one another back home.”

“Yeah,” Tobias laughed. “We don’t have that problem, do we, Ethan?”

“Nope,” He said, leaving his dark Ray-Bans in place. “It feels like we’re together morning, noon, and night.”

“Aww, but that’s lovely!” Mallory grinned. 

“Yeah,” Ethan chuckled. “That’s one word.”

“Hey,” Tobias tapped Joshua’s shoulder. “I thought you and Mallory were going to pass by last night.”

“Uh... we were,” Joshua started. “But we figured you could use your... privacy.”

“Honestly, I appreciate that. I was Facetiming my daughter. I knew I’d miss her, but I didn’t know how much.”

“Your daughter?” Leah gasped. “I knew you got married, but I had no idea you had a baby, too!”

“Oh yeah,” Tobias beamed, pulling out his phone to show off Sammy’s picture. “I waited long enough, so I figured, go big or go home!”

“She’s beautiful!” Peggy gushed. “The two of you must be so proud!”

“We are!” Tobias smiled. “I wish Casey could have made this trip. She would have loved meeting you.”

“Casey?” Leah asked. “Is that your nanny?”

“My nanny? No,” Tobias laughed, thumbing through his phone to show them a wedding photo. “Casey’s my wife.”

“Your wife?” Mallory asked. “But, but... aren’t you two...?”

Ethan sat up and finally removed his sunglasses. “Aren’t we what?”

“You’re not married?” Josh asked.

“Me?” Ethan spat. “And Tobias?”

“Yes,” Mallory started. “We thought...”

“US?” Ethan asked with disgust.

“Yeah,” Leah replied, looking a little miffed herself. “Clearly, we got it wrong... Josh!”

“Me and Ethan... married,” Tobias laughed. “Now, wouldn’t that be something?”

“No!” Ethan shot back. “It would not! It would not be something at all!”

“All right, Ethan,” Peggy said, sounding offended. “I understand we were wrong, but are you that insulted we assumed you were married to a man?”  

“WHAT? No! Not at all. I’m insulted because you assumed I’d pick Carrick!”

“I love you, too, Ethan.”

“And see,” Ethan said. “That’s how rumors start.”

Tobias let out a weary sigh. “You seem a bit flustered. Should we go back to the room?”

“Again... how the rumors start.”

“Look,” Tobias laughed. “As adorable of a couple as we would make. It would never happen. I’m way out of Ramsey’s league.”

“You know I was saying that to Le...” Peggy said, stopping when Ethan glared her way. “I was saying you would be an adorable couple... that’s all.”

“Good save,” her wife whispered.

“Not good enough,” Ethan groused.

~~~~~ 

Ethan sat on the balcony, appreciating the total darkness that made every star in the sky feel within his reach. He closed his eyes and took the salty air, the sound of the surf as the ship clipped through the ocean waters. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this at peace when the sliding door opened.

“Yeah, I know, baby,” Tobias chuckled. “As if he could do better.”

“Are we still on this?” Ethan moaned. 

“You think I wasn’t going to tell Casey,” Tobias smiled before wrapping up their call. 

He handed Ethan a cold beer and popped the cap off his own before falling into his chair with a smile.

“You know... this is nice.”

“It really is,” Ethan agreed. “I never thought I’d enjoy a cruise, but this is so... peaceful. I’m glad Casey convinced us to do this.”

“Oh, the cruise is great, but that wasn’t what I was referring to.”

“Oh?”

“If I had imagined a Hopkins reunion when we graduated... hell, if I had imagined one three years ago, we would be on opposite ends of the room... glaring daggers at each other.”

“I would have pretended you weren’t there,” Ethan half-smiled.

“Yeah, well... this is better.”

Ethan raised his bottle to Tobias’s. “Yeah, this is better.”

“Look at us,” Tobias beamed. “And Casey was sure one of us would end up overboard.”

“The week is still young, Tobias... the week is still young.”

@openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

Other tags on Reblog

#choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #open heart #open heart fanfic #open heart choices #choices open heart #ethan ramsey #tobias carrick #playchoices

[denimbex1986]

'Amazon Prime’s hit adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s bestselling novel Good Omens will return for season three, starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

The TV series follows the unlikely celestial bond between grouchy demon Crowley (Tennant) and fussy rare-book seller and earthbound Angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) as they are faced with world-ending threats and rogue angelic beings rocking up at their doorstep.

The first season, written by co-creator Gaiman, arrived on Prime Video in 2019 and quickly cultivated a devoted queer fanbase invested in the heavenly chemistry between Crowley and Aziraphale as they raced to save the earth from an all-consuming apocalypse.

After a four-year wait, the second season arrived in July this year and did not disappoint as the unconventional pair teamed up once again to restore order in the cosmos after taking the lost, confused and amnesia-ridden archangel Gabriel under their wing.

The season ended on a major cliffhanger, with tensions between Aziraphale and Crowley higher than ever leaving fans waiting with bated breath for the show to be renewed for a final season.

And their dreams have come true after Prime announced on Thursday (14 December) that a third and final season would be arriving on the streaming platform. Read on to find out everything we know so far.

What is the plot of Good Omens season 3?

The end of season two saw Gabriel runaway with Beelzebub, leaving his post as heaven’s head honcho wide open, which is then offered to Aziraphale. In the dramatic finale, Crowley admits his undying love for Aziraphale before planting a passionate kiss on his lips – much to the delight of fans.

However, in a heartbreaking twist Aziraphale leaves Crowley devastated after telling him he has accepted the job offer and will be returning to heaven, with little hope of seeing Crowley ever again.

In a statement announcing the season renewal, Gaiman teased about what audiences can expect from the upcoming season.

“I’m so happy finally to be able to finish the story Terry [Pratchett] and I plotted in 1989 and in 2006,” Gaiman said in a statement.

“Terry was determined that if we made Good Omens for television, we could take the story all the way to the end. Season One was all about averting Armageddon, dangerous prophecies, and the End of the World.

“Season Two was sweet and gentle, although it may have ended less joyfully than a certain Angel and Demon might have hoped.

“Now in Season Three, we will deal once more with the end of the world. The plans for Armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren’t talking.”

Much like the previous seasons it looks like divine intervention will force our spurned lovers together once again as a brand new threat to civilisation emerges. But will this be enough to make them realise their deep affections for one another and finally get their happy ending?

Amazon MGM Studios head of television Vernon Sanders described the show as “clever, witty, and funny”.

“The final season is sure to be packed with the same dynamic energy that our global customers have come to enjoy,” he said.

Fan theories and reaction to Good Omens season 3

Naturally, fans are raring to watch the new season and are offering their best theories about what to expect alongside their most joyous reactions.

There are several potential avenues the show could go down for the third season, although most are hopeful of a happy ending for our main duo. Gaiman has previously hinted that Aziraphale and Crowley end up living together in a cottage after the events of the TV series, known as South Downs Cottage.

As for what the major existential threat will be, according to receipts collated by Good Omens fan and X/Twitter user @swirlingthings, the plot is likely to converge around the Second Coming of Christ.

According to Gaiman, himself and Pratchett previously discussed this plot in which Jesus would descend on a silver plane with angelic secret agents sporting dark glasses, only to get lost in New York’s Time Square.

Meanwhile, fans are sharing their jubilation at the renewal news.

Who is in the cast of Good Omens season 3?

There is currently little information on the cast of the third and final season of Good Omens aside from the guaranteed return of David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

There is the possibility that character from previous seasons make a returning such as Gabriel (Jon Hamm) and Beelzebub, portrayed by Shelley Conn in the second season.

Nina Sosanya may also make a reappearance after starring in various roles across the first two seasons.

Is there a trailer?

There is currently no trailer for Good Omens season three.

What is the release date?

There is currently no release date for the third season but Gaiman has offered a potential timeline on his tumblr, after revealing he has made strong headway on writing the scripts after the WGA strikes lifted.

“If we shot it in 2024 it would probably be released in early ’26. (We started shooting S2 in October 2021. It’s about a year in post-production from wrap to release),” he told fans. Adding that he has long had the “final fifteen pages” of season three episode six ready “in case he got hit by a bus”.

So if all goes well, we may be seeing Aziraphale and Crowley’s happy ending by 2026.

Good Omens season one and two are now streaming on Prime Video.'

#Good Omens #Prime Video #Neil Gaiman #Terry Pratchett #Twitter #Michael Sheen #David Tennant #Crowley #Aziraphale #Gabriel #Jon Hamm #Beelzebub #Shelley Conn #Nina Sosanya

[serenpedac]

Hii, can you recommend TWC writers? I'm new to the fandom so I dunno many writers (for any detective).

Thank youu 💓

Hi anon! Welcome to the fandom ^^ This was a great ask, it was fun to get a chance to talk about the amazing writers in this fandom! 

Some notes:  If someone writes for multiple pairings, I mention the one that is my favourite of theirs first. This list only has writers who post their work on Ao3, since that’s my preferred place to read fic. Some of the people on this list are not (as) active in the fandom atm, but their work is still very much worth reading! One final caveat is that there are many other writers that I love, but argh, this list was already getting very long haha

Alright, enough rambling, here’s a list! I hope you’ll have fun reading <3

SerialChillr (@serial-chillr) – Detective/Mason, Detective/Nate – Amazing writing, obviously, but I wanted to highlight the way Serial writes relationships. The gradual development of intimacy, opening up, ah, just everything. Also, excellent smut!

firebreathing_bitchqueen (@thee-morrigan) – Detective/Nate, Adam/Nate, Detective/Ava, Detective/Morgan, Detective/Felix – First of all, I love Katie’s N-mancing detective Holland. Self-reliant and sarcastic, she plays off of Nate really well. Other than that, Katie’s prose is always a joy to read and her writing feels very immersive!

cryptidlibrarian (@vryptidart) – All pairings (ignoring gender options), including Detective/Farah and OC/Nat – What I love most about Salt’s writing is how they bring their stories and characters to life, whether that’s in their stories that expand on the world of Wayhaven or in their various AUs. Their stories always feel imaginative and vibrant!

aeruh (@sealriously-sealrious) – Detective/Felix – This writer currently only has one TWC fic online (though I saw a WIP snippet for another one), but oh, the way they write F is so good! Nuanced and with a great character voice. I’ve also read a few of their works for their other fandom, which were also very good, so I’m happy to recommend them.

Arcane_Apparition (@agnt-sexysuavewell) – Detective/Nate – I’ve some catching up to do on this writer’s fic, but ones I have read have been wonderful. The feels! The turns of phrase! I also feel they have such a good understanding of N’s character. 

evil_bunny_king (@evilbunnyking) – Detective/Nate/Ava (poly as well as LT), Nate/Ava, Detective/Nate, Detective/Adam – Listing my favourite pairing here was a bit of a struggle, as all Bunny’s writing is gorgeous. The atmosphere, the beautiful prose, the insight into different characters and their relationships to one another. Masterful writing!

forest_creatures (@whalesfall) – Detective/Nate, Adam/Nate – Again, beautiful prose, but I also really like how their writing goes into a slightly darker direction at times, focusing on the vampire’s need blood. Because, let’s be honest, there’s something very sexy about drinking someone else’s blood. Seeing this writer return to the fandom when book 3 came out made me very happy!

plasticdodecagon (@wayhavenots) – Detective/Nate, Detective/Morgan, Detective/Ava – Great dialogue! Seriously, PD’s character interactions are so well-written, whether they are lighthearted or more angsty, they always feel very realistic. Just a heads up, I think she has a couple fics here on tumblr that are not on Ao3.

Lykegenia (@lykegenia) – Detective/Nate – Lovely writing that just flows wonderfully  and is a delight to read. The relationship dynamic between Nate and her detective, Leah, is so good, but what I love most is how she captures Nate’s character.

shahrazade (@ava-du-mortain) – Detective/Ava, Detective/Morgan, Detective/Nat, Detective/Morgan/Ava (LT), Detective/Farah – Very varied writing, from angsty snippets to sweeter ones to horror, and all of them have some very poetic turns of phrase in them. Also, Nairuz captures all members of UB really well!

narrativefoitrope (@narrativefoiltrope) – Detective/Mason, Detective/Nat, Detective/Ava – The soft angst of Erin’s Winter/Mason pairing hurts so so good! They explore what a detective choosing to remain human means in such a heartbreakingly intimate and thoughtful way. On a more general note, I really like the dynamics of all their pairings (narrative foils indeed).

Ejunkiet (@ejunkiet) – Detective/Mason, Nate/Adam, Detective/Nate, Detective/Ava, Detective/Morgan, Detective/Falk – My favourite thing about EJ’s writing is how the trust and intimacy comes across so well. There is some excellent smut in here, always with feelings shining through, whether those feelings are spoken (or even acknowledged) or not. I very much admire how EJ makes me feel those, ehm, feels!

qbrujas (@queerbrujas) – Detective/Nate, Detective/Morgan, Detective/Nat, Detective/Ava, Detective/Felix – Stunning prose that always feels so intense. As in, the emotions are felt very strongly, pulling me along, and I’m here for it. Silv also has great interpretations of N in general.

natehsewell (not on tumblr anymore?) – Ava/Nat, Detective/Nate, Detective/Ava, Detective/Adam – The kind of writing that makes my heart ache, because it’s so beautiful. It’s like poetry that makes you want to read it over and over.

In case you’re interested in recs for individual fics, here and here are my End of Year Fic Rec Lists from the past two years. 

As a final, gentle note, I’m sure these writers would be overjoyed to get a comment if you’ve read and enjoyed their writing.

#the wayhaven chronicles #rec list #twc #the way i wanted to add for each of these writers that their writing was amazing haha #but that should already be obvious from the fact they're on this list! #hope you'll have a great time in this fandom anon <333 #not sure if you were looking for such a long list asdfads #(omg my obsession with N can't be missed xD)

[wingsoverlagos]

Hi, wingsoverlagos! Love your blog from The Bruce McMouse Show' Paul to your posts on magic Lewisohn. Thank you a lot! And not that it matters but I thought about you when read this comment on youtube (by @DrAnne-mc8er, who tells nice and seems truely stories about her family, especially on her unkle worked with The Beatles in 1969, and her own childhood near Paul, John, George and Ringo),

'… I've kept written diaries my whole life, which our youngest daughter is in the (necessarily) very long process of putting in date order with my help. These go way back to the early 50's, and include things which (now) seem so innocent and naive. Like when John knocked me off a swing in the local park, and when John and Paul had a real fight over a pair of £2 roller skates, both refusing to give up the one skate they each were holding on to for dear life! LOL Obviously this was when we were all still teenage kids fooling around.

Yes, I was contacted by a lady well over a year ago from "the office of" Mr Lewisohn in London, which to be quite honest, I thought was an arrogant way of him going about things, and I said so to the lady. Anyway he called back to "personally apologise". I should probably clarify that I'm now well into my seventies, and have a number of health issues. Yet rather than come up and see me at home in Liverpool, Mr Lewisohn assumed that I would be so keen to be in his book, that I would take the 3 hour train journey, to go and see him (or an assistant) in London, stay overnight if necessary, and then "hope" that anything I would say about the early days, might make it into his planned book. ALL at my own personal expense!

Needless to say I told my husband what Mr Lewisohn expected, and I also phoned Paul to tell him (in no uncertain terms) what I thought of the man. Frustratingly, our daughter who's here now, has just said I can't say what Paul said to me over the phone, here in a public forum. So that's as much as I can say. Well, other than I chose NOT to take the delightful Mr Lewisohn up on his offer! (I'm angry with him now all over again, just recalling what the arrogant sod expected me to do!) But anyway greenatom, you now know the story behind all that.

PS - Our daughter's gone home, so I'll quickly tell you that Paul said he'd talk to Richie (Ringo) about everything, and would phone me back. Anyway in the meantime, Barb phoned me and said Richie was furious with this Mark Lewisohn about what had happened, and that he should "stick his effing book where the sun don't shine!" LOL Then Paul phoned me back the same evening, and said he'd been round to Richie and Barb's (which of course I knew after chatting with Barb earlier), and said it was entirely up to me. but that he and Richie, both felt that I should tell Mark Lewisohn to "eff off". So I don't know for certain, but I think Paul and Richie might have temporarily fallen out a bit with Mr Lewisohn. Not just because of how he spoke to me, but mainly because as Paul said over the phone, the book is supposed to be about The Beatles. Not what the lads got up to as kids individually. Sorry for writing such a stupidly long reply, but take care anyway, and please stay healthy and wear a mask x' From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hv2EkzqUb8&lc=Ugy-Dnq03NdsYhh6xTB4AaABAg&ab_channel=YouCan%27tUnhearThis

Thank you so much for reading my posts, and for sending this message along! The comment thread in question is very interesting and sent me down quite the rabbithole. I wanted to believe! But I fear this person's story doesn't line up on close inspection.

The thread in question is at the top of the comment section on this video on the You Can't Unhear This Youtube channel. It's from the user "DrAnne-mc8er" who claims to be the neice of Bob Moog, of synthesizer fame. The thread is over 100 comments long with many replies by Dr. Anne. In addition to being the neice of Bob Moog, she claims to have known Paul and George as kids, being a couple of years younger than them, and to still be friends with them to this day. She says she has many handwritten journals starting in the 1950s and, most pertinently, she claims to have been contacted by the office of Mark Lewisohn. Her story goes that a research assistant of Lewisohn contacted her; Dr. Anne thought it was rudely done, and Lewisohn then conteacted her personally to apologize. She came away with the impression that he was full of himself, and then spoke to Paul & Ringo, who confirmed that Lewisohn was bad news.

Obviously, this story was like catnip to me. Having beef with Mark Lewisohn is such a specific thing to lie about, I thought, would anyone bother to add this detail if they were simply LARPing as someone celeb-adjacent? Still, there were some details that gave me pause. Dr. Anne said, for instance, that John was a devout christian at the time of the Maureen Cleave interview, which...lol. But one very wrong assumption doesn't necessarily invalidate her entire story. She also said that George Harrison had done uncredited backing vocals on London Town, which sounds improbable, but idk, you never know???

So I decided to dig in to see if anything she said held water. First, I image searched her profile picture (crazy how using a basic google function makes me feel like Sherlock Holmes), and the results were somewhat encouraging: the picture was indeed of a Dr. Anne Cremona, a psychologist. Further digging showed that the real Dr. Anne and the commenter Dr. Anne both professed to have at least four children. On the flip side, Commenter Dr. Anne purports to live in Liverpool, while Actual Dr. Anne practices in London. Not a realistic commute, eh?

But the story truly fell apart once I looked into Bob Moog, who I previously knew nothing about aside from the fact that he was the Synthesizer Guy. Commenter Dr. Anne said that her mother was Bob Moog's younger sister, who had moved to the UK in 1938. She named her grandfather as Robert Sr. There are claims with all of these problems, not the least of which is the fact that Bob Moog seems to have been an only child. I read the first few chapters of a biography of Moog--(Switched On by Albert Glinsky)--which provides plenty of detail on Moog's family going several generations back, but doesn't mention any siblings.

The second issue is the timing: based on this commenter's story, she would have been born around 1944 or 1945. Bob Moog was born in 1934. If he somehow had a younger sister who went unmentioned in his biography, she would have been at most three years old in 1938, when she purportedly went to Liverpool--with a non-parent guardian, as Bob Moog lived with both his parents. This sister would have been ten at the oldest when "Dr. Anne" claims to have been born.

Then we have her grandfather, Robert Sr. Bob Moog was actually the first Robert in a long line of Georges. His dad was George, his grandfather was George, and his great-grandfather was, I think, Georg. There may have been another George thrown in there.

So it seems like this commenter is just doing some high effort LARPing. The thing I'm left wondering is whether or not this commenter is actually Dr. Anne Cremona. If it isn't, they didn't just pick a random picture for their troll account, but used her name as well, all while incorporating details that seem pulled from her life. There's the number of children for one, but the commenter also sprinkles in some psychology talk.

What's the deal? Is this an actual psychologist doing some dedicated trolling (the comment chain spanned a time period of more than a year) with her actual name and picture? Or is this a troll impersonating an actual psychologist as part of their neice-of-Bob-Moog routine?

Thank you for sending this my way, @tavolgisvist! It may not be the genuine article, but I had a lot of fun digging into it. The Mark Lewisohn Tipline (my askbox) is always open!

#the added detail that dr. anne cremona formed a special interest group #for women in the uk in the field of psychology #guess what field ml's wife works in... #coincidence? almost certainly

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The seductive, science fictional power of spreadsheets

Tomorrow (Apr 30) at 2PM, I’ll be at the San Francisco Public Library with my new book, Red Team Blues, hosted by Annalee Newitz.

This week, John Scalzi was kind enough to let me write a guest-editorial for his Whatever blog about the themes in my new crime technothriller, Red Team Blues; specifically, about the ways that spreadsheets embody the power and the pitfalls of science fiction at its best and worst:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2023/04/26/the-big-idea-cory-doctorow-2/

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/29/gedankenexperimentwahn/#high-on-your-own-supply

Yes, spreadsheets. Marty Hench (the protagonist of Red Team Blues) is a 67-year-old forensic accountant who specializes in unwinding Silicon Valley financial frauds, a field he basically invented 40 years ago, when, as a PC-struck MIT dropout, he moved from Cambridge to San Francisco to recover the stolen millions hidden in spreadsheets.

Working through this book — and its two sequels, which travel back in time to the 1980s and Marty’s first encounters with VisiCalc and Lotus 1–2–3 — I was struck by the similarities between spreadsheets and science fiction.

While many people use spreadsheets as an overgrown calculator, adding up long columns of numbers, the rise and rise of spreadsheets comes from their use in modeling. Using a spreadsheet, a complex process can be expressed as a series of mathematical operations: we put these inputs into the factory and we get these finished goods. Once the model is built, we can easily test out contrafactuals: what if I add a third shift? What if I bargain harder for discounts on a key component? If I give my workers a productivity-increasing raise, will the profits make up for the costs?

These are the questions that anyone managing a complex system asks themselves all the time. Historically, the answers have sprung from intuition, from fingerspitzengefühl — the “fingertip feeling” of how a system’s components work and what their potential and limitations are. But intuition can calcify, become a rigid set of rules that increasingly diverge from the best strategy.

By contrast, spreadsheets yield a set of crisp, instantly tallied answers to any question you put to them. Change the input and watch as that change ripples through the whole system in an eyeblink. If you’re adding three more people to your camping trip, will the amount of additional water require renting another vehicle? No need to guess: just check and see.

This has a lot in common with science fiction, a genre full of thought experiments that ask Heinlein’s famous three questions:

What if?

If only, and

If this goes on…

These contrafactuals are incredibly useful and important. As critical tools, science fiction’s parables about the future are the best chance we have for resisting the inevitabilism that insists that technology must be used in a certain way, or must exist at all. Science fiction doesn’t just interrogate what the gadget does, but who it does it for and who it does it to:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/20/love-the-machine/#hate-the-factory

One of science fiction’s key methods comes from sf grandmaster Theodore Sturgeon: “ask the next question.” Ask a question, then ask “what happens next?” Do it again, and again, and again:

https://christopher-mckitterick.com/Sturgeon-Campbell/Sturgeon-Q.htm

This technique produces excellent, critical ways of interrogating technological narratives — check out this delightful example of the possible pipeline from self-driving cars to ransomware gangs to mutual aid societies to the reinvention of the train:

https://dduane.tumblr.com/post/715940904747352064/you-can-make-your-mercedes-ev-go-faster-for-60-a

The commonalities between sf and spreadsheets don’t stop there — sf and spreadsheets share pitfalls, too. A spreadsheet is a model and a model is not the thing it models. The map is not the territory. Every time a messy, real-world process is converted to a crisp, mathematical operation, some important qualitative element is lost.

Modeling is an intrinsically lossy operation. That’s why “all models are wrong, but some models are useful.” There is no process so simple that it can be losslessly converted to a model. Even the actions of the nanoscale transistors in a microchip, which toggle between “0” and “1,” are rarely in a state of “no voltage” and “voltage.” That clean, square-wave line that’s used to describe what happens in a chip is a lie — that is to say, it is a model.

The wave isn’t square, it’s a squiggly line that hovers around zero and around one. Under normal circumstances, “zero” and “zero-ish” is a distinction without a difference. But when computers go wrong, it’s sometimes because a sufficiently ambiguous “zero-ish” acts like a “one.” That’s true all the way up the stack. On engineering diagrams, the nanoscale lines that electrons travel along inside a chip are represented as sharp paths, the kind of thing a Tron-cycle would lay down. But in the real world, we get all kinds of weird effects at that scale — electrons sometimes tunnel through those lines, performing a spooky quantum trick that reminds us that Newtononian physics are also just a model.

Every real-world phenomenon contains qualitative and quantitative elements, but computers can only do math on the quantitative parts. This creates a powerful temptation to incinerate the qualitative and perform operations on whatever dubious quantitative residue is left in the crucible, often with disastrous results.

Remember during lockdown, when a pair of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign physicists produced a model of covid spread that predicted that the campus could safely reopen, predicting no more than 500 cases over the entire semester and no more than 100 cases at any one time? The physicists were openly contemptuous of their epidemiologist peers, saying that this kind of model making lacked the “intellectual thrill” of real science.

UI was so swayed by the crisp, precise model that they invited students back to campus — only to shut down again in a matter of weeks, with 780 active cases on campus and more rolling in every day.

The model reduced qualitative factors — like the propensity of undergrads to get drunk, take off their masks, and lick each others’ eyeballs — to a quantitative probability, using the highly precise, scientific technique of taking a wild-ass guess. That guess was wrong. The campus reopening was a super-spreader event.

Any model runs the risk of hiding the irreducible complexity of qualitative factors behind a formula, turning uncertainty into certainty and humility into arrogance.

Think of how we replaced contact tracing with exposure notification. Contact tracing has a qualitative foundation: public health workers establish rapport with infected people, win their trust, and get them to fully enumerate the places they’ve been and the activities they participated in.

By contrast, exposure notification measures whether two Bluetooth radios were within range of each other for a predetermined interval. It substitutes signal strength for a person’s own understanding of their experience. Now, people can be wrong about their own experience — we lose track of time, we misremember emotionally charged events, and so on — but that doesn’t mean we can substitute Bluetooth measurements for personal experience.

That’s why, despite all the clever privacy-preserving math and interesting analysis, exposure notification was a bust, something between a distraction and a false-confidence-generating disaster. Contact tracing ended the 2014 ebola outbreak. Exposure notification just wasted a lot of time:

https://locusmag.com/2021/05/cory-doctorow-qualia/

It’s just too easy to forget which parts of a model are based on guesses and which parts are based on ground truth. And even if you can keep track of those differences, it’s even harder to re-check the model’s ground truth to determine whether the underlying factors have changed. That’s how we got into so much trouble with collateralized debt obligations, which were supposed to be “risk-free” mortgage derivatives that could be safely insured and invested in.

The formulas behind CDO hedging were designed by some of the world’s smartest mathematicians and physicists, who simply assumed that market actors — from loan-originating bank officers to insurance underwriters — would act in reliable, predictable ways. They were so very wrong that they brought the world economy to the brink of ruin:

https://www.wired.com/2009/02/wp-quant/

This is also science fiction’s failure-mode: any science fictional “ask-the-next-question” exercise represents a series of guesses or speculations or maybe possibilities — but when you combine that guesswork with the deceptive certainty that comes from inhabiting a cracking story, it’s easy to mistake “guessing” for “prediction.”

Prediction is hard, especially about the future. The assumptions that go into a prediction are always incomplete, not least because human beings have free will and agency and can change the circumstances that go into the assumptions. The very best science fiction embodies this principle. I’m thinking here of the likes of Ada Palmer, an historian and sf writer whose deep historical knowledge informs her sf and her pedagogy at the University of Chicago:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/10/monopoly-begets-monopoly/#terra-ignota

Palmer is famous — even notorious — for her annual four-week undergraduate LARP in which students re-enact the election of the Medicis’ Pope. It’s four weeks of alliances, betrayal and skullduggery by the students, each of whom is enacting the agenda of a real-world Cardinal or other power-broker.

The final investiture is done in full costume at the university’s massive faux-gothic cathedral, and going into that climax, of the four candidates, two are always the same, because the great forces of history are bearing down on that moment to ensure that the champions of the two dominant power-blocs are in the running. But the other two? They’re never the same — because the agency of the actors jockeying for power change the outcome, every single time, in absolutely unpredictable ways.

Like any other model, sf is wrong, but sometimes useful. Thinking about jetpacks and flying cars is “useful” insofar as it gets us to interrogate how we think about cities, about mobility, about privilege and geography. But it’s not a prediction. Worse, the endless tales in which flying cars are presented a fait accompli is a gift to grifters raising money for the objectively stupid idea of flying cars. After all, we all know flying cars are inevitable, so it’s basically a risk-free investment, right? With flying cars just around the corner, wouldn’t it be irresponsible to build a city with mass-transit instead of helipads?

There’s a whole range of thought-experiments that got transformed into predictions and then certainties: self-driving cars, “general artificial intelligence,” infinite life-extension, space colonization, faster-than-light travel, cryptocurrency, etc etc.

Spreadsheets don’t just lead their users astray — they also trick their creators. The very same people who transform wild-assed guesses about hairy, unknowable outcomes into neat mathematical relationships are perfectly capable of acting as if those relationships are based on fact, rather than supposition. The Great Financial Crisis wasn’t just about people who didn’t understand the uncertainty in the hedging algorithm going all-in — the people who made those models were also fooled by them.

It’s very easy to get high on your own supply. I’ll never forget the sf convention panel I was on with Robert Silverberg about sf’s supposed predictive value, where the subject of Robert A Heinlein came up, and Silverberg sniffed, and, in that trademark bone-dry way of his, said, “Ah yes, ‘Robert A Timeline.’”

Sf isn’t just full of writers who mistake their suppositions for predictions — the canon is full of tales in which brilliant people can and do predict the future, with near-perfection. Think of Hari Seldon, the hero of Asimov’s Foundation series, who is able to forecast the future several millennia out. Or Heinlein’s first-ever story, “Life-Line,” in which a genius inventor destroys the insurance industry by creating a computer that can predict your exact date of death using statistical methods.

There’s something wild about this phenomenon, in which writers make stuff up and then assume that anything that cool must also be accurate. One tantalizing explanation for this comes from EL Doctorow’s (no relation) essay “Genesis,” from his 2007 collection “The Creationists”:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/41520/creationists-by-e-l-doctorow/

Doctorow tells the history of the Genesis story, which the Hebrews plagiarized from the Babylonians. In Doctorow’s telling, the Babylonian mystics who made up the Genesis story assumed that it had to be true, because they considered themselves to be nowhere near imaginative enough to have come up with something as great as Genesis. An idea that amazing had to be divinely inspired.

I like this because it’s a story of being led astray by humility, rather than hubris.

Imaginative exercises — whether or not they are assisted by mathematical models and self-updating digital spreadsheets — are powerful tools for thinking about the future we want, and to guide our attempts to make that future come true. All models are wrong but some models are useful, of course!

I’m on tour with Red Team Blues right now — I’m writing this post while waiting for my flight to San Francisco, where I’m appearing at the public library with Annalee Newitz tomorrow (4/30) at 2PM:

https://sfpl.org/events/2023/04/30/author-cory-doctorow-and-annalee-newitz-conversation-red-team-blues

One especially fun stop on this tour will be on May 5, at the Books, Inc in Mountain View, where I’ll be talking about the book with Mitch Kapor, the creator of Lotus 1–2–3, who knows a thing or two about spreadsheets:

https://www.booksinc.net/event/cory-doctorow-books-inc-mountain-view

The tour is bringing me to Berkeley, Vancouver, Calgary, DC, Gaithersburg, Toronto, PDX, Nottingham, Hay, London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Berlin — I hope to see you!

https://craphound.com/novels/redteamblues/2023/04/26/the-red-team-blues-tour-burbank-sf-pdx-berkeley-yvr-edmonton-gaithersburg-dc-toronto-hay-oxford-nottingham-manchester-london-edinburgh-london-berlin/

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Mountain View, Berkeley, San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: A Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet with green-on-black, low-res type; its center has an irregular vignette revealing a space station.]

#pluralistic #el doctorow #parables #gedankenexperiments #contrafactuals #qualitative factors #quantization #collateralized debt obligations #cdos #science fiction #false precision #great financial crisis #models #spreadsheets #red team blues #the map is not the territory #warnings #prediction #fingerspitzengefühl

[griddle-cakes]

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Thanks for the tag, beloved @tleeaves <3

1. the last flower

I feel like it would be wrong not to put this as number one. This absoutely unhinged novel-length AU of a classic d*sney movie took so much passion and effort to bring to life and I'm still so amazed at what I managed to do with it. I put more time and planning into this than I have with my original stories, and after a year and a half of writing and publishing the entire product of that labour is out in the big wide world :')

2. unbreak this heart new

I wrote this fic in a couple of hours with no prior planning, motivated by pure insanity, and despite being posted later that evening with virtually no beta, it remains one of my favourite works. Post NtN fix-it fic for Gideon and Harrow (to explain any further than that would spoil most of the book series).

3. her care, so constant

I've written a lot of no plot just cuddles oneshots, but this one remains my favourite. I love to have Gideon being looked after, and just letting herself cry and be held and feel safe. It's an underrated genre of hurt/comfort that I hope to write more of someday.

4. i'm almost me again (she's almost you)

This is another one that took a lot of planning and effort to pull off, though it might not seem as complex as the tangled au. I wrote this for the 2022 tlt fic exchange and was so delighted with my request that I just had to give it my all, resulting in this very weird but very fun piece, starring the tower princes of ntn having a Bad Time.

5. i always see my youth in you

This piece (being poetry rather than fic and hence decidedly short) is probably one of my least-viewed works on the archive, but it still means a lot to me so it makes the list as well. I'm not a pro at poetry, but I feel like this demonstrated the emotions I was trying to convey, and it was such a fun piece that I still look fondly upon.

Tagging @locked-tomb-shenanigans , @manawari , @nooomagnus , @stedesbonnets (I know that's only four people but I don't actually have as many writer mutuals as I thought 😥 no pressure to do this if you don't want and apologies if we haven't talked that much on here before)

That being said, if any writer mutuals I haven't talked to before are seeing this feel free to say hi! So sorry if I've missed anyone.

#tag game #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #archive of our own #the locked tomb #griddlehark #tlt #gideon nav #harrowhark nonagesimus #gideon the ninth #harrow the ninth #nona the ninth #kiriona gaia

[atonalginger]

WIP Wednesday and a big update to Reclaiming Home

yes I'm doing another massive update because it's all been sitting banked and I'll feel better once it's out. Also, because it's Wednesday and this is my main WIP atm so boom, two birds and all that jazz.

tagging the coemancer crew, @silurisanguine, @fangbangerghoul, @staticpallour, @eridanidreams, @bearlytolerant, @aro-pancake, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @order-of-the-eye, @toxiclizardwrites and anyone I might have forgotten <3 here's a snippet of the WIP that was posted to ao3 below. To start from the beginning of the update (chapter 5-11 is the big update) click here.

--

Cora stared back at the monitor, at her unfinished letter, “when I was younger I tried really hard to get him and my mom back together. I didn’t want things to change. I liked having my dad more but I was still scared of the changes. She just stopped coming around and I tried really hard to rebuild my family.”

“Changes are scary,” Frost agreed.

“I know my dad and Doc are trying to take it slow, to start over. I don’t want him to think I’m trying that again with Doc. I don’t want them to think I’m trying to rush them.” Cora felt her voice going shaky and she didn’t like it. Big girl, no tears.

“You could tell them that,” Frost reasoned, “it doesn’t matter the original purpose of the album, it’s just pictures now.”

“I like Doc a lot,” her voice broke and she stopped, trying to stop the emotions from coming.

“That’s natural, she’s a delightful soul,” Frost said.

Cora laughed, a tear breaking through, “Right?”

“Why does that make you sad?” Frost asked.

“I don’t want to drive her away too,” Cora whimpered and pulled her knees up to her chest, sitting in a tight ball on the big chair.

“I don’t see that happening, little bookworm,” Frost assured her.

Cora hugged her shins and steadied her breathing. Hearing that from Frost was comforting and she was trying to hold onto his words, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything,” Frost said. He leaned against the wall, his arms relaxed at his sides.

“Do you remember my mom?” she asked, “Have you ever met her?”

“I have,” Frost nodded, “I do.”

“Do you think she loves me?” Cora asked, her eyes glued to the monitor.

“I think she loves having a daughter,” Frost said. 

It wasn’t what she asked and yet answered so much. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, letting her legs relax to sit crossed-legged in the chair, “Does she like our secret book club?”

“She is proud of your little secret,” he said.

Another half answer that said so much with so little, “Do you think she’d notice if I stopped picking books? If I stopped?”

“Yes,” Frost nodded.

“Thank you,” Cora said as she went to finish her letter, “I should get this done while we’re closer to the FC satellite so it’ll get to her faster.”

“May I ask you a question?” Frost asked.

“Yeah,” Cora looked over.

“Do you enjoy your secret book club?” he asked.

Cora sat quiet, pondering his question. They’d started the book club as a way of sharing one of Cora’s interests and giving them more to talk about. Mom wanted it to be a secret because mom mentioned her dad not liking it, which Cora thought silly but then again they fought so much whenever they talked that it was possible. She didn’t like keeping that secret from her dad, she felt bad every time she lied about it, but it was what mom wanted. 

Then there was the fact that mom took so long to read the books Cora picked. She knew her mom was busy with work but she was pretty sure it was actually taking so long because her mom didn’t like the books. She frowned, “I wish it didn’t have to be a secret.”

Frost nodded, “secrets can weigh heavy on the soul.”

#starfield #sam coe #starfield fanfiction #fanfic #coemancer #the coemancer crew #atonalginger writes #wip wednesday #Cora Coe #Doc Melody #DocCoe #Reclaiming Home #Frost

[hungrydolphin91]

ok I had to go make my own post about Eugene Cassette Beasts, it's not fair for me to fill up everyone else's tags w how much I love this guy. I wanted to speculate a little about his backstory here cause it honestly fascinates me and I feel like I havent seen this happen much in other media, much less turn based monster collecting RPGs.

So Eugene is from a future world (seemingly the only party member who is except maybe Barkley but he's a dog so.) It sounds like he's from the turn of the century, maybe 2100 or so, and mentions in his rank 3 friendship that in his world, there was a massive reformation when society as a while realized they couldn't keep fucking each other over and destroying the planet, so everyone worked hard to abolish the kinds of structures that unilaterally hurt people (for instance, capitalism). Sounds like a utopia right?

Eugene only says good things about his world really, how much people value acts of goodness and kindness. But he says it all with such a sad tone, like something he's missing out on, because he thinks he is, he didn't fit in. He says that he wasn't great at being helpful all the time, which is why he wants to do better in New Wirral, a world removed from his own where he can be a better person than he was in his own world.

But the thing is, he IS a nice person. Maybe that's by design, everything he does in New Wirral is about him playing the hero, but it's also oh so clear that he brought his own expectations of goodness from his own timeline and they're just as much of a burden here. Even when hes succeeding, he won't cut himself slack, he says he needs to have a cause to rally behind, or what that archangel said to him would be proven true: he IS empty. Or at least, useless, which is probably the same thing to him.

What really grabs me about all of this though (besides the usual love of angst and guilt complexes and hero complexes and whatnot) is this future of moral reformation. Those are a pretty common historical phenomenon, often involving moral panics and an emphasis on presentation--- what matters is that you LOOK pure compared to others. And poor Eugene just felt like he couldn't keep up just because he has some small selfish impulses, or something in that nature I'd imagine--- I think he'd rather throw himself off a bridge than admit whatever the reason was that he didn't fit in in his own world.

It's easy to see his world being our future, in a way. I'd be delighted if terrible oppressive governments and economic systems were torn down in favor of ones that promote equality and universal well being, but currently moral purity is just as much of a trend as ever--- look at any discussion of book banning, not to mention transphobic legislature, fandom antis and so much more. So this hypothetical future is one where even though the 'right' thing has been done, there's still a subtle form of policing going on to enforce it. Maybe that is successful at keeping cruel practices from coming back. Or maybe it's just traumatizing people like Eugene who feel judged by their every action and pressured to be a saint every single moment of their lives.

One last thing I thought was interesting--- as part of his level 4 friendship rank, Eugene mentions how his parents' generation still seem scarred by the cruelties they endured before this reformation. But Eugene is too young to have lived through it himself so you know what that means?? Generational trauma babyyyyy. He's inherited guilt about a time he wasn't even alive for, along with a pressure to make sure it never ever happens again, so no unkindness is tolerated. It's no wonder this boy has so many issues.

So that's my late night rambles about this guy, probably like 50% of this is just me projecting but it's also fun to dissect what's happening here. Like I said before, it's unusual to see a unique concept like character like Eugene and his world in what appears to be a fun little indie game about turning into monsters with cassettes.

#eugene cassette beasts #cassette beasts #i think eugene might be from the future US too going by his accent and our history of protestant moral purity culture would add up #hope this was coherent i really am just rambling #i am most definitely projecting but mannnn. sometimes the characters just resonate w you