enemyofperfect | Entries tagged with wednesday things

Lately I've been really enjoying the song "Hide Out" by Mahalia (lyrics here). There isn't really an area of her performance that doesn't shine, but maybe my favorite part is her body language and delivery. Revenge through living well is a common theme in breakup songs, but she seems so genuinely delighted by the person that she is that when she sings You don't know what you had, I'm amazing, it feels less like defiance and more like the simple truth.

I've been quiet lately, but I'm still here. My life hasn't been very eventful (and I'm grateful for that fact), but I have started DMing a new D&D campaign, which currently has four whole players! It's definitely more of a balancing act than DMing for just one -- and I went and upped the challenge rating by homebrewing the setting, too -- but I absolutely love the characters everyone came up with, and I'm doing my best to learn quickly enough to deserve my players' trust.

There are about a million things I meant to post about and didn't -- novels, fics, two whole anime series, the game Lenna's Inception from that itch.io bundle, an interactive novel about professional wrestling, the writing of Michael Harriot. I don't know if I'll catch up on any of that, but I hope I can do a better job of keeping up with my reading list going forward.

How have you all been?

READ

The first 59 chapters of the epic Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter WIP snipers solve 99% of all problems by

silentwalrus, in which Edward Elric, Roy Mustang, and Maes Hughes get sent across a dimensional gate to lend a hand with this little Death Eater problem and end up facepalming a lot about the entirety of the wizarding world.

It's... kind of a masterpiece of mayhem and colorful language, by which I don't only mean swearing, but don't not mean swearing, either. Content note for numerous and highly embellished insults based on intelligence, gender, and probably some other traits I'm forgetting? Plus canon typical levels of societal fuckery, and presumably someday of violence, although to date there has not in fact been contact with the enemy -- just 175k of lovingly described alchemy, incredulity, and scheming.

WATCHED

( The Expanse through episode 2x06, "Paradigm Shift". )

I also really liked cover of The Killers' "When You Were Young" by Press Club. I love the energy, and lead singer Natalie Foster's stage presence is fantastic.

READ

( MCU, Person of Interest, Harry Potter, DA:I... )

I also read and luxuriated in the novel Docile by K M Szpara, but I think maybe I'll save my thoughts on that for another post. In the meantime, the first six chapters are available for free, if SFnal decadence and m/m dubcon are your kind of thing!

PLAYED

Terraria, for about an hour, the entirety of which was hilarious. I was graphically murdered by slimes! I built a house with no door and immediately trapped myself inside it! Then I dug a trench so I could escape, which was pretty nice, although once I installed a door, it took me another small eternity to figure out how to open it.

( Fictional... fish harm? )

WATCHED

( Stumptown episode 1x7, "All Quiet on the Dextern Front". )

Brooklyn Nine-Nine through episode 7x7, "Ding Dong". Thoroughly enjoyable, even if I don't seem to have much to say. ( Minor spoilers. )

Sym-Bionic Titan through episode 1x08, "Shadows of Youth". That and "Showdown at Sherman High" were both pretty fun! I love Octus, and anything involving characters interacting with words and/or feelings is going to engage me more than the action sequences. Entirely cromulent insomnia viewing.

READ

Many fanfics, as usual! Favorites include:

The Man in the (Summer Weight) Suit by

st_aurafina, an exquisite time travel fix-it for Person of Interest. I want to say more about it, but I don't know how to to do it justice without spoiling it. It's really good. 4k.

Pinioned by

AbigailMoment, a painful (and at times grisly) but also deeply endearing Good Omens fic in which Crowley does much to protect Aziraphale. ~6k.

New Lands for the Living by

DramaticEntrance is another wonderful time travel fix-it, this one for Star Wars, and with a more convincing Poe/Luke romance than I could have imagined. There's loneliness, but also teamwork, friendship, love, and even hope. 50k.

Taste of Freedom, also by

DramaticEntrance, is a lovely Leverage AU in which Parker tries to rob Eliot, but finds his bare apartment so distressing that she starts bringing him stuff instead. 10k.

like nails in my feet by

Riona a Silent Hill 2 fic, which probably functions as a complete warning if you know that game. If you don't... ( have some content notes? ) Riona excels at psychological horror, and this is no exception. 1k.

suddenly becoming one you have never read by

susiecarter is for a pairing I'd never heard of -- GQ/Croc from Suicide Squad -- but it's also amnesia fic, so I guess that worked out okay! It's... emotional hurt/comfort while one party is severely injured and hiding in a sewer? But like, in a warm and fuzzy way! ~3k.

I also read and enjoyed several original short stories recced by

forestofglory. My favorite was Give the Family My Love by A T Greenblatt (also available as a podfic!) which is about a perilous trek to an alien library while the Earth may be dying, and about relationships, and about hope. 5k, or 42 minutes in audio form.

PLAYED

Become Nothing by

AbigailMoment, enthusiastically recommended here.

WATCHED

Brooklyn Nine-Nine through episode 7x05, "Debbie", but honestly, the only thing I have to say is about "The Jimmy Jab Games II, and that is ( a minor spoiler ).

( Doctor Who through episode 12x10, "The Timeless Children". )

READ

I finished Call It Intelligence by

talkingtothesky! It's such an interesting S3 fix-it. ( A bit of spoilery commentary... )

I've enjoyed several DA:I fics of

Stonestrewn's lately, most notably Glass Cabinet (Tama Bull, gen, 1k, agonizing) and Writing love all over, in which Cassandra and Josephine are fangirls together and, over the course of 8k, fall gradually in love. It's such a gorgeous depiction of fannish feeling as well as romance, and I especially loved that this particular version of Cassandra is ( spoiler? )

Long-distance call by

LadyGwenllian is an adorable Yuri on Ice fic in which Phichit helpfully explains a few things to Yuuri before the whole Victor-in-Hasetsu situation can get too out of hand. I especially appreciate that it gently pushes back against the fat-shaming that struck me as YOI's biggest (only?) flaw.

Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) by

Delphi is exactly 8k of original romance between one Benny Zalman, who serves gin and occasionally breaks bones at a mediocre speakeasy, and Abe Hirsch, the strangely mesmerizing new piano player classing up the joint. Very well written and incredibly charming.

The Axiom by

pauraque is ~1.5k exploring Data's perspective in an episode of Star Trek: TNG I never saw, but I love it to pieces despite my ignorance, because it's just so heartbreakingly thoughtful in what it says about what it's like to be an android who, axiomatically, cannot feel. Do mind the warnings in the tags.

Finally, I've been perusing some of

susiecarter fics after enjoying their Witcher fic last week, and I think this song is about you is my favorite so far: 11k of Cullen POV as he and Dorian pine over each other like beautiful fools. The use of roleplay and storytelling towards the end as a way to share painful and delicate truths is particularly well done.

WATCHED

Stumptown episode 1x15, "At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles". What a title, oof. But the episode is good fun, as Stumptown tends to be.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine through episode 7x03, "Pimemento". It's a fun episode! I just don't seem to have much to say about either it or "Captain Kim".

LISTENED TO

Now that Chocolate Box is done, I can admit to being super into this MS MR cover of "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow without risking giving anything away! Note that the lead vocalist changes the lyrics so she's singing to a boy rather than a girl, but I love her delivery and the moody feel their performance gives the song.

( Two more. )

I got a little distracted by Chocolate Box this past week, but at last it's time for another round of Wednesday things!

READ

I'm not sure I ever would have given Silver and Gold by

scioscribe a try if

schneefink hadn't recommended it, but I'm so glad I did. It's 150k of an MCU AU where after Loki stabbed Thor for the first time when they were kids, Odin disowned him and gave him to Heimdall to raise, and it's... so beautiful and wise? It has so much to say about deep emotional wounds suffered in childhood, about grief, and about learning to trust and connect with others. ( One thing does confuse me... )

Anyway, after devouring that, I went on to enjoy the hell out of some of

scioscribe's other works, most notably the TOS fic Crete, in which Kirk distracts space pirates by... essentially making himself a living sex pollen dispenser, I guess. It's so idtastic, and absolutely do mind the warnings, but it's also written with a sort of humane clarity that I really admire.

I've already recced my two amazing Chocolate Box gifts, but they still deserve many more eyeballs!

( Several more fics I've enjoyed, Chocolate Box and otherwise. )

And finally, as of tonight I am happily and ravenously gulping down Call it Intelligence by

talkingtothesky with illustrations by

Singing_Orange so I can be ready for POI book club on Friday. It's 60k of Finch/Reese pining, believably bad choices, and really remarkably gorgeous self-defense lessons. Plus, Shaw is so good! And the art is so beautiful! And last month's book club discussion was so much fun, I really can't wait for this one.

I also loved Afterwards by

Scytale, a fan-haiku for the Hakuouki series of otome.

WATCHED

Bumblebee. Let's be honest, I was 100% here for the lonely car robot hesitantly getting to know a human kid; the action scenes and coming of age arc were competently executed but not really to my address. Content note for ( a couple of instances of ableist language ). I did enjoy that the big bad was voiced by a woman!

( Doctor Who through episode 12x07, "Can You Hear Me?". )

( Stumptown spoilers through episode 1x14, "Til Dex Do Us Part". )

BoJack Horseman episode 1x01, "BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One". As advertised, this really is about a very unpleasant man who is also an anthropomorphic horse. I was struck by how often the other characters comment on how little he has accomplished lately, as opposed to how much of an asshole he is to everyone he interacts with. There are some fantastic sight gags, though.

( Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode 7x01, "Manhunter" )

READ

I still seem to be taking a break from The Fifth Season, but I did read a book this week: Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer, which is a YA novel, adorable and suspenseful by turns, about an AI and their teenage friends. I was surprised by the ( content note ), but I really appreciated the story's deliberate and thoughtful inclusion of nonbinary characters in particular. Plus, the AI and their friends! Are all so adorable! ( I felt a particular affinity for... )

I also read Masked Ball by

Waid, which is another excellent Holmes/Watson fic for the original stories, this one with a fun case to play the pair against.

Retrieved from Impossibility by

phnelt is a delightful Eliot/Parker/Hardison first time AU in which Eliot is a cyborg. It is delicious.

Finally, and for me most atypically, I read something like 60k of a WIP on ( an anon meme. )

WATCHED

( Doctor Who through episode 12x05, "Fugitive of the Judoon". )

( Stumptown 1x13, "The Dex Factor". )

I've also rewatched the first two episodes of Leverage with an eye towards participating in the conversation over at

the_rewatch_job, although so far I haven't actually managed the participation part, whoops. I really feel like I'm appreciating the show more the second time around, though -- I think having some familiarity with characters already helps a lot with my investment in the shenanigans.

( Cut for US politics. )

But more cheerfully, have Garden of your Mind by

sandalwoodbox, a lovely Critical Role vid set to a musical remix of Mr. Rogers!

READ

Some more of The Fifth Season, until The Good Place kicked me in the tender bits and I reverted to reading fanfic until my brain recovered. Fortunately, it's all been really good fanfic!

Something You Somehow Haven't to Deserve by

dsudis deserves ( content warnings ) It's 10k of Eskel from The Witcher, mainly -- with some Geralt/Eskel too, but I wouldn't really call it a primarily shippy piece. It was a good fic for me to find this week.

The latest installment of the Xenoethnography series by

Dasha_mte is as wonderful as ever -- it's this amazing epic series in which Optimus Prime seeks an anthropologist to help bridge the culture gap between Autobots and humans, and I love it to bits. It also deals with some heavy subjects, like war and death and a variety of social ills, but honestly, I find it a joy to read.

Most recently, Winter in London by

Waid, which I happened on while skimming through old entries of

violsva's, is a beautiful 45k ( content warning ) fic set among the original Sherlock Holmes stories, written alternately from Watson's and Holmes' points of view. It hits so many of the favorite tropes I mentioned recently -- noncon, hurt/comfort, mutual pining -- but it's also just a gorgeous character study of two people who have grown very close but are still learning more about each other.

WATCHED

( Doctor Who through episode 12x03, "Orphan 55". )

( The Good Place episode 4x13, "Whenever You're Ready". )

READ

Some more of Reparations by

Saras_Girl. The plot is thickening and feelings have definitely been caught!

I have also, in the interests of taking part in POI book club next week, happily devoured learning to fall (don't try this at home) by

MulaSaWala, which is the shorter prequel to this month's story. It's a delightful pre-series what-if where Nathan and Grace fall in love, and I'm totally looking forward to reading the sequel!

I also finished Gideon the Ninth.

If this novel were a fic on the AO3, I would expect to see it tagged with ( many content warnings. ) It's also incredibly vivid, gripping, and often hilarious when it isn't breaking your heart. It reminds me a little of Tanith Lee, except with even more necromancy and lesbians.

( I will now proceed to discuss every twist in the novel. )

WATCHED

( Doctor Who through episode 11x03, "The Ghost Monument". )

( The Good Place episode 4x11, "Mondays, Am I Right?". )

In the brief window left by a Snowflake challenge that doesn't involve posting anything, have some belated Wednesday things!

READ

( Many fanfics, mostly short. )

In the world of origfic, I (28M) created a deepfake girlfriend and now my parents think we're getting married by Fonda Lee is exactly what it says on the tin, and basically amazing.

I'm also reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (previewable here), and it certainly makes a bold impression! Necromancy, spaceships, impassioned teenage rivalry, a heroine fond of the longsword and of disreputable comics. In addition to the general atmosphere of biting sarcasm and abusive hazing, there is ( a grisly detail worth warning for ). But I've been enjoying myself so far!

PLAYED

Seedship, a lovely poignant little game where you're an AI trying to find humanity a new home among the stars. I don't seem to be very good at that job yet, but maybe someday?

WATCHED

The last two installments of Parallax by Adam Westbrook (mentioned previously). I'm glad I watched this; it's entertaining, thought-provoking, and not a minute longer than it needs to be.

This Is My Story, which is introduced here by LeVar Burton. Six short personal accounts of racism in America, five from black men and one from a black woman. I think Burton's own story hit me the hardest.

The Witcher 1x01, "The End's Beginning". ( I don't think this is my kind of show. )

Sym-Bionic Titan 1x06, "Shaman of Fear". The enemy monster in this episode had a really cute design. Apart from that, still a low-investment watch, which is sometimes exactly what I want.

( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel through the end of season three! )

( Fleabag 1x01. )

( Stumptown 1x10, "Reality Checks Don't Bounce". )

( The Good Place 4x10, "You've Changed, Man". )

READ

More of This Time Next Year (previously), which is still kind of a surreal experience. It's partly a traditional frontier narrative (and one self-admittedly silent about the problems inherent in the concept of a "frontier") that uses omegaverse tropes to help bolster the red-blooded violence of some of its male characters, but then it's also got this fascinating religious worldbuilding around omegas and what they mean to the people around them. I feel like there's a universe next door where the author filed off the hockey RPF serial numbers, published it as mainstream fiction (but not SF, for some reason, despite the speculative element), and blew the minds of a generation.

I also read Halloween on Christmas by

rionaleonhart and

th_esaurus, which is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse fic featuring grief, awkwardness, and ill-advised makeouts between the forty-ish Peter Parker of the movie and a nineteen year old Gwen. If that sounds like your kind of thing, it probably is!

And just tonight I read speak truth to knowledge by equivalence relation by

alexseanchai, which I'd seen recced before Yuletide reveals but didn't get around to reading until now, because I'm much too tired to brain. But this fic, omg. It's written for the fandom of the music video to Taylor Swift's "Ready For It", but although I watched said video before reading it, I don't think that's a necessary prerequisite to enjoying the heck out of it. Mostly, it's a thoughtful look at the lead-up to the cyborg revolution.

Here also is a poem by Emily Short that I forgot to link last week, which speaks briefly on the subject of joy, and of its necessity and strength.

WATCHED

( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel through episode 3x04, "Hands!" )

( Sym-Bionic Titan through episode 1x05, "Roar of the White Dragon" )

Also, parts one through three of Parallax by Adam Westbrook, which is a short video series (five episodes @ ~5 minutes each) investigating a mildly interesting planet that is by some of its inhabitants called Earth. I'm digging it. (Only auto-generated closed captions, unfortunately.)

I have what I thought was a pleasantly mild-mannered cold, but it's clung on for something like ten days at this point. I wonder if you can get a watered down version of the flu if you were vaccinated against it?

Looks like the CDC thinks yes: "Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick." That's cool to know! I'm definitely happier now than I remember being while sick with the full-strength version.

Anyway, have some belated Wednesday reading and watching.

READ

I finished Castle in the Sand

DesdemonaKaylose and

neveralarch, which was just as much of a dysfunctional delight as you'd expect from a story where Megatron and Rung get conjunxed while Starscream, the third in their triad, organizes the reception, and yes, that does include violence as foreplay. But in a kind of adorable way?

I also read the tiny and lovely My Hogwarts Will Be Intersectional Or It Will Be Bullshit by

swingandswirl, written in direct response to JKR being unpleasantly transphobic on twitter this past week, and skimmed through Magical Metamorphosis by

EontheDragonMage, which is a lovely Goblet of Fire rewrite in which Harry Potter realizes she's a girl, and a lot of other little injustices in the stories are worked out along the way as well. As of this writing, it's also a WIP, but it's just reached the end of the school year, so I didn't feel too unsettled when I got to the end of chapter 17.

( And then there's the very strange historical omegaverse hockey RPF... )

VIEWED

I don't usually think to include works of visual art in these posts, but Honk by

vass, which comments very wryly on the ongoing drama regarding the AO3's Hugo award, merits an exception.

WATCHED

( Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. )

( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel through episode 3x01, "Strike Up the Band" )

I'm still hard pressed to categorize this show, but it hasn't stopped me nominating it for Chocolate Box.

( Sym-Bionic Titan through episode 1x05, "Elephant Logic" )

READ

( Much fanfic, as usual: a bit more Batfamily to start, and then suddenly Transformers. )

Also, I very happily read the fifth chapter -- which is also the last one before a promised slashy epilogue! -- of

violsva's So Foul and Fair a Day, which I first mentioned last week.

WATCHED

( Stumptown through episode 1x09, "Dex Education". )

( The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel through episode 2x02, "The Punishment Room". )

Wednesday things come late this week because December is dreary and so am I, but apparently that hasn't robbed me of things to say. ^_^

READ

DC Comics: The View From Jade by

lowflyingfruit, which is 70k of Jason Todd being pissed off about being sent fifteen years back in time, terrorizing (and occasionally murdering) random gangsters, and accidentally befriending a much tinier Dick Grayson. I know even less about DC comics than I do about Marvel, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this left me wanting Dick whump in the worst way.

So now I'm partway through Second Generation by the same author, which features the fallout of apparently canon noncon (!) as well as the introduction of Dick's twin baby daughters. It's interesting the way it ( is and isn't my kind of thing. )

Detroit: Become Human Philosophical Zombies by

wheatear, which is pretty much just 3k of Kamski being a jerk to Connor supposedly in the name of scientific curiosity. It's fun!

Marvel Cinematic Universe: The first four chapters of So Foul and Fair a Day by

violsva, which is a lovely medieval spy AU with Clint/Bucky attraction brewing and some great Clint & Natasha once she shows up. The last two chapters have yet to be posted, but it's been great fun so far!

WATCHED

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 1x01, "October Country". It's nice to see Michelle Gomez again. Other than that, it's a charming enough pilot, but ( spoilers... )

The Marvelous Mrs. through episode 1x07, "Put That On Your Plate!".

I saw this recommended a time or two on tumblr, I think, and then I saw a commercial with Susie being her amazing self and I immediately fell in love, so that's why I started watching, and I think I can say that Susie is definitely the reason I'm still watching now?

( This is kind of a weird show for me... )

I've also watched a couple of recent Philosophy Tube videos -- Queer✨, which is about coming out and queer theory and, briefly, mouthfeel; and The Trouble with the Video Game Industry, which mostly made me want to learn more about dialectics, damn it.

It's also thanks to those videos that I've acquired two new songs to listen to endlessly on repeat! The music video for "My Type" by Saint Motel is annoyingly mesmerizing -- a bit male gazey and heterosexual, but I'm fascinated by the lead singer's ability to lip sync his own vocals while looking emphatically not like someone who's singing. Cheerfully dtf lyrics here!

As for "Born Depressed" by Drill Queen, I basically just love it to bits, I guess. So confident and brash, yet relatable! I'm sad that the group seems to have vanished after one EP. But you can find this song's boldly defiant lyrics here!

READ

( Three fics under 15k. )

Hockey RPF: To Be Seen Aright by

Deastar, which is 110k of glorious Sid/Geno BDSM AU dealing with a ton of internalized and original flavor domism -- including about a million microaggressions against subs as well as some really bad scenes -- on its way to happily ever after for its endgame OTP. I almost wasn't sure I could rec this in a public post, because it's locked to the AO3 and what if mentioning it was violating privacy somehow? But the author has linked to it on an unlocked tumblr, so I think mentioning it is okay. Which is good to know! I really love it!

In a more nonfiction vein, I found this post about tumblr undermining communities really intriguing. The lack of moderation for common spaces is definitely a big problem there, and ( I was also really struck by... ) Content note: the post is discussing these things in the context of asexual and aromantic communities, and contains links to other posts discussing some pretty heavy stuff relating to anti-ace prejudice.

Thanks to

stunt_muppet, I've also enjoyed this three-part review of Pathologic, a truly fascinating game I am glad I will probably never play!

PLAYED

Alter-Ego, a weird life simulator from the 1980s I played once or twice as a kid (not in the 80s) and whose existence I was reminded of by this satisfyingly uncomplimentary review, so then of course I had to play it again.

( It's such a creepy game... )

Eyes of Tree by

ursula, which is a beautifully written Twine game about someone trapped in service to the Lady under the Hill in a time when said Lady's court receives news of the Americas. Content note for allusions to historical slavery and genocide.

( Spoilery discussion. )

READ

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I wasn't sure I'd have better luck with this than I did with the last few non-fannish novels I've tried to read, but I was underestimating the sheer power and charm of Austen's snark.

( Spoilers for a novel published in 1817. )

I'm a little glad that I have now read all of Austen's finished novels -- I was saving this one until I had at least a glancing familiarity with the Gothic novels she plays with, until finally I realized I enjoy reading Austen much better -- but also, I'm sorry that I don't have more to read. Maybe I need to reread Pride & Prejudice sometime soon...

Familiar Thing by

the_ragnarok is 33k of kinky, magical, polyamorous origfic, chock full of lovely bespoke relationship negotiation. I'm especially fond of Henry, whose favorite geometric shape is a scalene triangle, and who thoughtfully integrates his Jewish faith with his magic practice. Abusive exes, painful miscommunications, and agonizing chronic pain flare ups each make their appearance in this story, but the care the main characters all bring to their relationships still gave it a restful feeling for me.

A fascinating article about Hmong language radio shows implemented as never-ending conference calls. Sometimes I really love human ingenuity and dedication.

I have also read and enjoyed some fanfic this week -- e.g.

scaramouche's Steve/Tony Binary System and (via

oracne)

thedoubteriswise's Steve & Natasha friendship fic the way a traveler knows a traveler -- but I feel like with the onset of obligatory familial togetherness season, I haven't really been able to give it more than half my attention, unfortunately.

WATCHED

The Good Place 1x09, "The Answer". January 9th is so far away!

And this two hour video about the genius of Pathologic, which is a more than a decade old Russian video game that is apparently as grueling as it is beloved by the rare souls who manage to finish it. I found myself seriously wondering whether watching this would give me nightmares -- which I do not often have! -- but it never failed to hold my interest. Um, content notes on request?

READ

Many fanfics!

Dragon Age:

iodhadh's So a Crow, an Enchanter, and a Ben-Hassrath Agent Walk into a Bar..., accurately tagged Zevran Arainai's Amazing Self-Preservation Instincts, is a bit of fun Zevran/Iron Bull following a foiled assassination attempt.

Yuri!!! on Ice: hood & glove by

Fahye and featuring gorgeous illustrations by

hawberries, is 12k of beautiful fairy tale romance between Otabek Altin and the shapeshifting fae Yuri. The balance it strikes between enchantment and irreverence is exquisite.

Fire Emblem Three Houses: Speak Your Secrets, Stay Your Tongue by

stunt_muppet is for a fandom I know nothing about, but it's got a languid teasing female dom pegging her eager husband, which is really all I needed to know.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Overhaul by

scaramouche is a rare thing in fandom: a fic in which one character (Tony) is hopelessly pining after another character (Steve) who is fully aware of the first character's attraction, but doesn't return it, until he does. I thought my love for mutual pining could not be eclipsed, but the premise of this fic thoroughly captured my interest!

Pride & Prejudice: Not Every Gentleman by

hele, a novel length work starring Edward Bennet, has a tricky, delicate premise it takes many chapters to fully reveal. Its own author seems hesitant to recommend it, and I see why -- it's the sort of thing people are likely to have strong feelings about, and my own feelings vacillated as I read it. But ultimately, I have to appreciate the nuance of its ending, which rejects too-simple conclusions and offers the beginning of something precious and new.

( For anyone seeking spoilers... )

The Good Place: The Ethics of Narcissism in the Afterlife: A Case Study in Rortian Pragmatism by

Mosca is by now jossed -- unsurprising in fanfic for a show so full of twists and turns! -- but still delightful. It's genuinely written as an academic study, complete with footnotes, while also containing excellent character voice and even a touch of smut. But also, it's made me really interested in the work of philosopher Richard Rorty! I feel like I have to find more about him now!

WATCHED

The Good Place 4x08, "The Funeral to End All Funerals". It's a little thing, but ( something I really appreciate about this show... )

Stumptown through episode 1x06, "Dex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll", though I haven't gotten to this week's episode yet. But I am enjoying this show so much! Won't you join me in enjoying this show?

READ

Much of fanfic, as usual. My favorite might be A Fire and a Conflagration by

iodhadh, which is 16k of Doran and Iron Bull exchanging poems that start out merely ribald and grow increasingly intimate. ( My favorite poem... )

Returning to the theme of things fannish osmosis does and does not convey, I'm kind of tickled that ( Dragon Age spoilers ).

WATCHED

( The Good Place 4x07, "Help Is Other People". )

( Doctor Who through the 2017 special "Twice Upon a Time". )

Also, inspired by two intriguing posts by

giandujakiss, I've started watching Stumptown and am now four episodes in! I was starting to write a little summary of what I love about it, but actually, I think I'm going to sit on that and give it a post of its own once I'm caught up. It's really fun, though -- not particularly complex, but refreshing.

READ

Mostly fanfic once more!

I especially liked The Sky Begins to Roar by

lettered, which is 47k of The Walking Dead in an AU that's missing the walking dead part, with Daryl Dixon helping Carol Peletier find a way out of an abusive marriage while he highkey pines for Rick Grimes. I know absolutely nothing about any of these characters, but it's an amazing story, if you're in the mood for ( content notes ). The rest of the series is good too, in a more romance-centric way, but the found family element of this first installment stole my heart in the best way.

Today I also finished the intriguing Love of a Particular Kind by

laurakaye, which is upwards of 50k of Clint/Coulson set in an omegaverse heavily inspired by various avian mating rituals. I especially enjoyed the psychological worldbuilding, if that makes any sense -- the careful depiction of how a prolonged and public courtship helped Clint believe that he was wanted and desired, in particular, was really cool. And for those of you who are into that kind of thing, the final chapter is a dedicated overview of the physiology and sociology of Homo avis!

WATCHED

( The Good Place 4x06, "A Chip Driver Mystery". )

( Doctor Who through episode 10x11, "World Enough and Time". )

READ

Some fanfic, but I seem to be having a hard time settling on anything at the moment.

However, I did read all of Down the Rabbit Hole by Issendai, which is a thoughtful and in depth look at the abusive behaviors that some people will publicly admit to in forums for parents who are estranged from their adult children. It's very interesting, in a strange, sad, awful kind of way.

WATCHED

( The Good Place 4x05, "Employee of the Bearimy". )

( Doctor Who through 10x05, "Oxygen". )

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Entries tagged with wednesday things

"I'll get back up after this fall-down"

FMA meets HP, The Expanse

Fics, Docile, Terraria

Doctor Who season finale & assorted fic

Delicious fanfic and awesome covers

Epic angsty kidfic, scattered television catch-up

Cat-loving AI; idtastic fic

Excellent fanfic, a less than excellent finale experience

Yelling about necromancy, mostly

Short fics, new shows

Happy New Year, everyone.

Enter Sym-Bionic Titan

Stumptown, Autobot psychiatry

The bemusing Mrs. Maisel, and sundry

Shippy fic and text-based games

Austen, origfic, awesome conference calls

Varied fic recs and The Good Place

Maevaris Tilani; Simone Garnett; Bill Potts

Interesting AUs and more Doctor Who S10

Doctor Who S10 and sundry