#stardust tag

[thefangedman]

Is this-

A Cuddy reference???

(It’s Mad Dog by The Crane Wives)

everything is a lisa cuddy reference if you're lor thefangedman

[omegamoo]

(hadestown au)

do you think scott turns around because he doesnt trust jimmy or because he doesnt trust himself?

ASKS THAT MAKE ME WANT TO RUN INTO A POLE!!!!!!

i think it’s both. probably a lot the latter though i think scott reserves a special sort of hatred for himself, the bastard. “why would jimmy follow me” “who am i to think he’d follow me into the dark and cold again”

but also we can’t discredit the fact that scott consistently undermines jimmy… i think it could go either way

[nejires-hado]

One thing that's challenging in my HP fic is coming up with ways that British Wizarding culture and American Wizarding culture differs (while ignoring most of what JKR has come up with about it)

Hmm, that's certainly an interesting challenge to navigate. Taking out all the Native American cultural appropriation (which we, uh, should), there's really only superficial material to work with, so I understand wanting to ignore most of what she's done with the American Wizarding World.

I think it's important to understand what similarities there are first, and then work backwards from there to pick what aspects of the culture you truly want to focus on. For example, Ilvermorny and MACUSA are heavily modeled after Hogwarts and the Wizards' Council of Great Britain (the predecessor to the Ministry of Magic) -- which make sense, given that they are direct imports of Great Britain. In that sense, Wizarding government and educational systems aren't that distinct unless you get into the minutiae of it.

Unfortunately, the author's notion of American Wizarding society is heavily reliant on the simple "import" of British Wizarding society to the New World on the heels of colonization and imperialism, with a thin veneer of Native American folklore draped on top. So the trouble of trying to differ American Wizarding culture to British is that, quite frankly, there isn't much difference. But there can be ways to address this.

Focusing on regional differences within the United States -- The US is enormous. The cultural diversity is insane (source: I'm American). The South is worlds apart from the North, just as the East Coast is quite literally a continent apart from the West Coast. American Wizarding institutions (Ilvermorny and MACUSA) are primarily focused on the East Coast, where the initial colonies were first settled. Therefore it would be reasonable for wizards of this region to cling more tightly to British societal norms. But the Southern and Western US? These were the last frontiers, wrested from Mexico and Native American tribes through brute force, sheer violence, and occupation. Wizarding folk here may be resistant to that British-molded influence. Distrust of MACUSA and "elitist" Ilvermorny could be rampant. Folks from these regions could be very resistant to change and may cling to "the old ways" of how they practiced magic before these new institutions came to be. (Canada and Mexico may also be explored if you're thinking of North America as a whole.) Which leads to my next point.

Focusing on magical differences -- Like how Uagadou students can become Animagi at a young age, there can also be a noted difference in the ways in which American wizards practice magic compared to British wizards. Wandless magic, for example, might be more popular in the US, or even just focuses on different types of magic -- Divination is pretty widely ridiculed in Britain, but maybe not so much in the US. Things like that that can point out subtle cultural differences between the two Wizarding societies.

At the end of the day, it is ultimately an author's choice on what to delve into in their own stories, but I hope this helped in some way. Modern "American" culture as we see it today is, after all, extremely young, especially compared to the societies and cultures that existed in Great Britain and the continental US prior to invasion (referring to the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Norman invasions to the former) and colonization (by Europeans to the latter). But the world is your oyster, and it's always fun to make it up as you go along! :)

[bluishfrog]

Hm...let's go with 20!

writer ask game

20. Share your favorite kiss scene from [insert fic]. If there's no kiss scene, share your favorite moment of intimacy (romantic or platonic)

This made me realize how little kisses there are in my fics?? I thought there would be way more, but apparently my fics mostly consist of over-describing thoughts, feelings and the weather... But here are all the kissing scenes (two. all means two):

Touching Distance

“Dream,” George whispered, his voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water. His expression shifted from playful to earnest, eyes glimmering with something deeper. The tension hung thick in the air as George leaned in, his heart pounding as he searched Dream's face for permission. Everything inside Dream screamed to close the distance, to bridge that tiny gap separating them. But all he could muster was a soft, desperate plea. “Please,” he breathed, the word escaping his lips like a fragile secret. With that, George closed the distance, their lips meeting in a hesitant yet fervent kiss. It was gentle at first, a soft exploration that felt like a promise wrapped in warmth. Dream melted against George, feeling the weight of the world slip away, lost in the moment, lost in him.

Raindrops and Realizations

“You always do that,” George said suddenly. Dream blinked. “Do what?” “That.” George shifted, turning his head to face Dream completely. “The thing where you look at me like…” He trailed off, but the words hung in the space between them, unfinished but loud. Dream’s stomach flipped. He was thinking about it now, every moment before this one, every look, every touch that could have been brushed off but never really was. Every time Dream had let his gaze linger just a second too long. Dream swallowed. And dared. “Like what?” George hesitated. Then, softer this time: “Like you want to kiss me.” The air felt different now, charged and delicate all at once. Dream’s heart was a hammer in his chest. He could see it happening, could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him. George’s eyes flicked to Dream’s lips. He didn’t deny it. And then, before Dream could overthink it, before logic could wrestle control back from feeling— George leaned in. Dream met him halfway.

The second fic goes on to describe their kiss, so if you want to keep reading, feel free to head over to ao3 ;)

[askpharos]

Bell Pepper has evolved! Bell Pepper’s bio has been updated!

... and that concludes this small mini arc! More to come~

[the-heartlessness-of-the-fluffy]

hi! this is only if you want to, but... any frenemies to lovers ideas? (also am i on the taglist? and if not, can i be added?)

Hey! This sounds fun, and yeah, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get to this (feeling pretty unmotivated lately) but I promise I will, and I will tag you when I *finally* finish.

[song-tam]

question: what's the third part of fae/faer? like... it's she/her/hers... what would be the "hers" form of fae/faer? sorry, just wanna make sure i'm using your pronouns right :)

don’t apologize! i’m glad you want to know more. the “hers” form for fae/faer would be faers, and this is a pretty helpful guide also on how to use these pronouns :)

[abalonetea]

Tell me more about Rumi. And the (lack of) pants

fgdfgsdfgds this is a popular question, and I’m really, really glad for that!

Rumi is the captain of the Cosmic Pearl, and leader of the most notorious gang of pirates on this side of the galaxy. He’s a ROL-Judge with a dark past and big memory problems, and very likely the only person in the galaxy that can look a Judge in the eyes and not feel the weight of his sins.

He never meant to be captain of anything, but he’s slowly collected this crew of people who would sail with him into a black hole, if that’s what he asked...even though also no one has any respect for him at all, and they spend the better half of the story ribbing Rumi over his inability to put on pants.

Everyone makes jokes about it, poking fun at Rumi because “maybe you should go put some pants on, while you’re at it” or “it appears that the ship has suffered the same fate as your pants, captain. they’re both lost.”

Rumi just has bad luck with them! He doesn’t like wearing pants, and he very frequently forgets to pull them on before going off to deal with a crisis! Sometimes they’re dirty! Sometimes he loses them in the mess that is his boyfriend’s room! His first mate, Egret, has suggested that Rumi buy a third pair of pants, but Rumi figures that’s a waste of money. He already owns two pairs, why get any more than that, right?

Rumi also suffers from a distinct I don’t care attitude, which means he’s not bothered by walking around in his boxer’s...as long as he’s got his Captain’s Jacket to wear over top of them, you know? So he’ll show up to deal with a raid in his moon-covered boxers and his finely embroidered Captain’s Jacket, or go interrogate the people who tried to kill them with no slacks on, or show up to the galley for dinner with no pants.

It’s pretty normal on the ship, which is part of why everyone makes fun of it. Also, they have no respect for him.

(really, rumi doesn’t understand why that is!)