If you haven't heard, the em dash has been getting a lot of attention lately…
Because it was trained on pirated work—including freely accessible online writing (like fanfic, academic texts)—ChatGPT picked up patterns and quirks native to human writing.
Including (sigh) the em dash.
There are other victims here (RIP tapestry and delve 🫠), but the appropriation of the em dash—a punctuation mark beloved by writers everywhere—feels especially personal.
A kind of low-grade panic is ensuing. Writers who once memed their own em dash overuse—the greatest punctuation mark ever to grace the control-freak’s lexicon, frankly—are suddenly backing away to avoid accusations.
No. More. We have centuries of dash-abusing writers behind us. We will not sit quietly while AI repurposes our beloved stilted aside—or the just-one-more clarification the sentence demands—or the dramatic pause your comma could never—etc.
You don’t write like AI—AI writes like you.
Defend the em dash.
(Feel free to download/share/stick it where it matters!)
ATTENTION SIFKI SHIPPERS! Signups for the 14th Annual Mischief and Mistletoe holiday fanworks exchange are officially open! Signups will be open for the rest of the month, closing on Friday October 31st. Here is the timeline:
Sign-ups: October 8 - October 31
Assignments Out: November 1
Last Day to Drop Out: December 15
Assignments Due: December 22
Fanworks Posted: December 25
Author/Artist Reveals: January 1
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If you feel the need to edit your signup, you can do so up until the end of the signup period; you will be automagically transported to your completed signup by clicking the link above. Signups end at 11:59PM CST, October 31!
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Do you guys ever think about how much Darcy's anti-people-pleasing personality was shaped by growing up with Wickham? Sure, Darcy was probably naturally more introverted, but when you grow up beside the kid who everyone loves for being so open and friendly and charming, but you know he's hiding a selfish personality, you'll start to see changing your personality to please other people as lying. Manipulative. If you don't want to be like that, it's easy to over-correct in the other direction, until you're neglecting basic courtesy for fear of being dishonest.
Darcy sees Bingley being genuinely kind and courteous, but that's Bingley's natural personality--Darcy can't pretend to be what he's not. When Wickham comes and everyone falls in love with him, it's just more proof of his dishonesty. Darcy's unpopular, but at least he's truthful. He can be proud and aloof on the moral high ground. He thinks he's being true to himself, but he's actually warped by Wickham. He's so afraid of being a scoundrel that he's not able to act like a gentleman. He rejects what Wickham is, but in the process, fails to become what he wants to be.
a whole lot of people heard “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” and took that to mean “the people who disagree with me are literally demonic and when I fight them I fight evil itself” instead of “every flesh and blood person you meet, including the ones who disagree with you, are loved by God and you are called to pray for them and have compassion for their suffering and mourn the hurt they incur by their sins; the most important fight against the devil is the fight for the soul of our neighbor”
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Thor (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Loki/Sif (Marvel), Loki/Sif
Characters: Thor (Marvel), Loki (Marvel), Sif (Marvel)
Additional Tags: sifki week 2025, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Summary:
Sif has given Thor permission to set her up on dates with guys he knows, and he is determined to find someone great for her. It’d be a lot easier, though, if Loki would stop finding reasons to shoot down every guy Thor comes up with.
Another late offering for @sifkiweek, this time for day 4: match.
Sif agreed to marry Loki so that he could become crown prince. So why is he less friendly to her now that she is his wife than he was when they were simply comrades in arms?
For the @sifkiweek day 2 prompts
'prize'/'possess'. This is a prize for you to possess! Fics listed alphabetically by author. Assume most authors listed here will have other fics you will enjoy, I couldn't list everything! List will continue to be updated until it reaches the 100 link limit for a tumblr post. (Also note that I've been shadowbanned since April, so this won't show up in the Sifki tag, nor will authors get a notification that they've been tagged -- reblogs to spread reach are appreciated!)
Paper Planes and Playground Games by Barkour -- When young Sif is introduced to the princes, she and Thor immediately fall into an easy friendship, but Loki seems to both draw her notice and infuriate her.
Hold Me When I Turn My Back by a_ufo_party (aka @chidi-anagonye) -- Frigga places Sif on the throne as queen by marrying her to an imprisoned Loki. (Abandoned, but unique and memorable enough to be worth reading.)
Archaic kinds of fun (the old way) by ashers_kiss -- In the wake of the Dark Elf attack, Sif wakes yet again from a dream of the long gone time when she and Asgard's lost prince found pleasure in each other's bodies, dreams that have become increasingly vivid of late.
Body Swap by @callistonicol: When a spell goes wrong, Sif and Loki end up trapped in each other’s bodies. Also:
Quit Hounding Me: Loki gets turned into a dog and adopted by Sif.
Stud Finder -- Sif, Thor, and Loki decide to ride out a hurricane in their Florida hardware store and must struggle to survive in the disastrous aftereffects. Epic length fic with an unexpected twist and is so much more than a 'ship' fic, with strong themes of family and eventual redemption.
Higher Learning - Sif agrees to go to her roomie’s Greek lit class as official note-taker and ends up falling hard for the professor, Loki Odinson.
The Effects of Fake Dating -- When Loki's estranged family visits, Sif agrees to be Loki's fake girlfriend after he'd told his mother he had one. No magic AU.
You Could Be My Unintended by @coffeesuperhero -- Sif and Loki end up accidentally married thanks to a dwarven spell. It’s up to them to make the best of it.
La Belle Et La Bete by @eienvine -- a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Loki’s imprisonment has been changed from a dungeon cell to an old manor on a distant moon, but the price for the greater freedom is having his Aesir form stripped away. His loneliness is eased, however, when Sif finds herself inadvertently trapped on the estate, and old feelings and bonds begin to resurface. Also:
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives -- Sif had been friends with Thor and Loki nearly all her life, and she’d have sworn she knew everything about both of them. But in their senior year of high school, a revelation about Loki’s past sets off a chain of events that will affect all three of them in ways Sif could never have predicted. High school AU.
One Yuletide Night -- Sif suggests she and Loki fake a relationship to drive off a married woman who won’t leave him alone. She finds she enjoys it far more than she was expecting. Meanwhile, it’s everything that Loki has secretly yearned for.
In The Mirk and Midnight Hour -- in which Loki is a faery changeling left in place of the real Loki Odinson. He is kept, and he is loved, and when years later the faeries decide to return the child they stole and take back their own, they find it more difficult than they expected. A mash-up of folklore and the traditional English/Scots ballads.
Faint Heart Never Won Fair Magician -- An obstacle course is set up to find a suitable wife for Loki, the prize waiting in a tower at the end of it. Sif bullies her way through.
Nights by Elenniel -- What if, when Loki was made regent while Thor was banished and his father in the Odinsleep, Sif had been someone that Loki could have come to to talk about his days and finally, confide what had happened that night the Frost Giants appeared in Asgard? Also:
Choice -- Learning the truth of his heritage puts a stop to Loki's and Sif's desire to wed, until a magical Jotun object that finds your soulmate makes things right again.
The Ring-Mark -- Soulmates AU. Neither Loki nor Sif ever say anything about their feelings for each other, since Loki's finger does not bear a matching ring-mark to the blue one on Sif's own, the sign that one has found one's soulmate. It isn't until Loki shows her his Jotun form that they see the mark that has been hiding under his Asgardian skin all along. This gets an extra nod for the open ending that promises a better ending to the Dark Elf attack of TDW.
Bound By Fire by Lacrimula_Falsa (@lacrimulafalsa) -- To save Loki's life on an adventure gone wrong, Sif claims him as her betrothed and agrees to marry him in a Muspellheim ceremony, unaware that it will permanently bind them together for the rest of their lives. (Unfinished, but still worth reading for the strong opening and idea.)
But Never Doubt I Love by @ladylaufeyson1 -- Marriage proposal fluff
Fallen In Snow by @lizardbeths -- The expedition to Jotunheim ends with Thor dying and Loki fleeing in grief and self-recrimination. When Odin falls into the Odinsleep, Asgard needs her only remaining prince, and Frigga sends Sif to fetch a suicidal Loki home when she finally catches a glimpse of him on Midgard. Can Sif give Loki a reason to go on living? Unfinished, but I like the uniqueness of the set-up despite the angst.
Fallen by madametango -- Before Loki fell into the Void, he left her with child. Heartbreakingly tragic, but with a powerful final scene. Followed by the sequel Across The Universe -- Kept a captive on the other side of the universe, Loki feels Sif die -- but is aware of the son she has left behind for him.
Five Times Loki Cut Sif’s Hair and One Time He Didn’t by meltha -- Exactly what it says in the title! Extremely well done. Also:
See You Later...-- Loki gets stuck in animal form after trying a new spell and needs Sif to help him change back. (The title should give you a hint as to which one...)
Delayed Engagement -- Odin is willing to bless Loki's wish to wed Sif within the week; Frigga is suspicious of the reason behind the sudden urgency.
A Species of Desperation by Mira-Jade -- With Sif dying from the black ice consuming her body after Laufey cursed her for killing his son Helblindi, Loki must not only confront but embrace his heritage if he wishes to save Sif's life. Includes a much better scene with Odin in the Vault, and a Thor who didn't need to be banished to learn to value the lives of his friends and family over war and glory. Also:
All Our Winters To Pass -- After using his status as 'Odin' to rally the realms into an army that was capable of taking down Thanos, Loki disappears into self-imposed exile. Decades later, Sif seeks him out for aid when Thor's life hangs in the balance -- followed by her son, Ullr. As adventures ensue, Loki realises that Ullr is his son too.
I Know Places by murdur (aka @psychoticgirl) -- Loki-as-Odin learns that Sif has borne him a son. Also:
Twofold -- Prime Sif/Loki/Ullr fluff. Not a bit of angst in sight & everybody is alive.
What the Water Gave Me -- Sif/Loki/Thor bathhouse smut
At Her Feet -- Sif realises Loki has a praise kink.
Fundamental Forces by nayanroo (aka @teslatricity) -- Thor AU. Two weeks into the Odinsleep, and with Thor still banished on Midgard, Frigga arranges for Sif to marry Loki and rule beside him. First part of the Kingsverse.
Out of Sight by @teh-nos --Loki takes Sif against a pillar in a crowded room. She’s almost certain his magic is concealing them.
You Don’t Do It On Purpose But You Make Me Shake by residualaffection - Shared frustration with Thor’s boasting and the glossing over of their own deeds leads to a night of passion for Loki and Sif, and an awkward morning after.
I Wanna Live With You Even When We’re Ghosts by rories (aka @elizabethkween) -- Non magic AU; Thor sets Loki and Sif up on a blind date. They never want it to end. Also:
just fall in love with me this christmas -- non magic AU, coffee shop meet-cute
within the measure of a day -- Notting Hill AU with used bookstore owner!Sif meeting actor!Loki in New Asgard.
Fire With Snow by scarletsherlock -- Yuletide is supposed to be a time of peace and family. Of forgiveness. A teenaged Loki and Sif help each other get into the spirit during a year when both of them are beginning to question their place within Asgard and their own families. Part one of the Compact of Fire series, continuing with:
Never Doubt I Love -- A rescue mission to find a lost child brings Sif and Loki closer together. (Mostly pre-canon)
Midnight Clear -- Sif and Loki visit Midgard on Christmas Eve in 1895.
Toil and Trouble -- Lady Sif is worried. Thor and Loki have just returned from a diplomatic mission to Vanaheim, but their arrival heralds a mysterious illness, the men of Asgard going missing, and Odin himself under the thrall of a strange, seductive woman.
I Live Not Where I Love by @sidhemail -- Death is not the end, it’s the beginning. Also:
Angel -- Loki-as-Odin chooses Sif to be his bride. One of the most satisfying ‘how he survived’ explanations I’ve read.
I am Stretched Out On Your Grave -- Pair bonded with Sif, Loki quickly begins to die when all think her dead and he can no longer feel her. She fights to come back to him, meeting him in dreams even as his family gathers around him and Loki learns how much he is loved.
Summit by subjunctive -- Loki falls to Midgard. Sif goes to bring him back, and finds him trapped in his Jotun form.
A season of giving by summerof16 -- Non-magic AU. Loki's plans to ask Sif to marry him at a festive Christmas Market go awry when a disagreement has him questioning the way she views their relationship.
A Matter of Convenience (Love) -- @sundance201 -- With Thor renouncing the throne to be with Jane, Loki is wed to Sif in advance of his own coronation. Arranged marriage.
Gift of Truth by @theladysif -- Pre-canon adventure where Loki gets cursed to only speak the truth.
In a land of ice and snow by violetswrites -- A pre-canon adventure; on a diplomatic mission to Jotunheim, Sif and Loki admit their feelings for each other.
Dare by woodelf -- Jane has introduced the game of Truth or Dare to Asgard. When Thor dares Loki to kiss his old flame Sif, the result is all that he could have ever hoped for. Thor AU with the premise that Sif saw Loki's arm turn blue on Jotunheim and kept him from falling apart after learning of his origins.
