Fiction and life whining
Mar. 1st, 2026 02:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rivkatHi there--it's been a bit! The first day of school (which was also a snowstorm) involved me waking just before 7 to the sound of water pouring through my bathroom ceiling, followed shortly by electrical explosions and a fire that will have me out of my apartment for, apparently, at least a year. No one was hurt! That is very good. The rest, not so much. I've now moved all my clothes, shoes & jewelry to my office (which I might actually keep in place forever if I can manage the jewelry organization--turns out bookcases are also really good shoe racks, and they make pretty good clothes racks for cheap now). Anyway I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off; the apartment is now empty except for the stuff that was destroyed, which sadly includes two century-old curved glass windows. And I've acquired a place to nap in my office. I'm both grateful for the resources I have to get through this and still pretty overwhelmed given all the rest of the terrible stuff in the world.
Greer Stothers, Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die: ( fantasy about a cowardly knight and the wizard he seduces )
Aisling Rawle, The Compound: ( hell is reality tv )
Matt Dinniman, Operation Bounce House: ( the wargamers throw stones at frogs for sport but the frogs die in earnest )
Kimberly Belflower, John Proctor is the Villain:( great even as a script )
Aliya Whiteley, The Misheard World: ( an interrogation in a strange world )
Charles Stross, The Regicide Report: ( good night and good luck )
Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting: ( fantasy about a knight and the man who loves her )
Constance Fay, ( two sf m/f romances )
Joanna Russ, The Female Man: ( the feminine shriek )
James S.A. Corey, The Faith of Beasts:( alien enslavers )
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Pretenders to the Throne of God: ( started as it meant to go on )
Kai Butler,( 2/3 of a fantasy trilogy about an assassin and his emperor-target-lover )
Kai Butler, The Inconvenient Count: ( space m/m regency )
Joe Hill, King Sorrow: ( playing in the King wheelhouse )
Greer Stothers, Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die: ( fantasy about a cowardly knight and the wizard he seduces )
Aisling Rawle, The Compound: ( hell is reality tv )
Matt Dinniman, Operation Bounce House: ( the wargamers throw stones at frogs for sport but the frogs die in earnest )
Kimberly Belflower, John Proctor is the Villain:( great even as a script )
Aliya Whiteley, The Misheard World: ( an interrogation in a strange world )
Charles Stross, The Regicide Report: ( good night and good luck )
Alix E. Harrow, The Everlasting: ( fantasy about a knight and the man who loves her )
Constance Fay, ( two sf m/f romances )
Joanna Russ, The Female Man: ( the feminine shriek )
James S.A. Corey, The Faith of Beasts:( alien enslavers )
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Pretenders to the Throne of God: ( started as it meant to go on )
Kai Butler,( 2/3 of a fantasy trilogy about an assassin and his emperor-target-lover )
Kai Butler, The Inconvenient Count: ( space m/m regency )
Joe Hill, King Sorrow: ( playing in the King wheelhouse )
I make my own fun with my blorbo
Mar. 1st, 2026 01:12 pmpetra
I am a completely psychologically normal individual and the part where I had, until I posted one of them yesterday, two active WIPs started in the last couple of weeks in which my blorbo loses his virginity to, in fact, the same person, under extremely fraught circumstances, is simply because I love joy.
Definitely nothing to do with VirginWan Weekend posts having filtered onto my Tumblr dash for weeks and inspired me to greater heights of appalling Obi-Wan/Anakin.
The one I finished is: i want to raise a city behind his teeth (for when the AO3 comes back to us). It’s identity porn, Petra stylée, set the day Anakin is knighted.
The one I am still working on is your classic Obi-Wan in a Time Loop trope, except he’s repeating RotS and he only gets one day to do it in.
( It starts like this, and I am looking for an alpha-reader/cheerleader/audience. )
Definitely nothing to do with VirginWan Weekend posts having filtered onto my Tumblr dash for weeks and inspired me to greater heights of appalling Obi-Wan/Anakin.
The one I finished is: i want to raise a city behind his teeth (for when the AO3 comes back to us). It’s identity porn, Petra stylée, set the day Anakin is knighted.
The one I am still working on is your classic Obi-Wan in a Time Loop trope, except he’s repeating RotS and he only gets one day to do it in.
( It starts like this, and I am looking for an alpha-reader/cheerleader/audience. )
MDZS RBB is now open for its 6th year!
Mar. 1st, 2026 12:58 pmroseclaw posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
theuntamed_mdzsCalling all artists, the time to submit your artworks has come! The MDZS RBB 2026 is officially opening our doors. The form for submitting artwork will run from Mar 1st–9th, so if you wish to join us this year, don't forget to send us your art within the timeline!
A few points to keep in mind:
> Multiple submissions must be sent separately — this means you will need to fill the form once for each submission!
> If you have more than one piece for a single idea, they count as a single submission and must be sent together
> You cannot exceed three (3) submissions, so this means you can fill the form once and up to three times..
Our rules and FAQ can be found in our carrd, but feel free to contact us in ask-a-mod! We're excited to see what everyone will make this year. Happy MDZS RBB!
Please remember that you must join our Discord server if you wish to participate, it is a mandatory step for being eligible for the event. Link is provided in the artist submission form, which is here!
March 1st - March 9th: Art Submission period, No Prior Sign-Ups Needed!
March 11th - March 17th: Writer Claims period, No Prior Sign-Ups Needed!
March 21st: Collab info/matchups shared with participants; Fic creation period begins
April 25th - April 27th: Rough Draft minimum 50% Check-In
May 30th - June 1st: Rough Draft minimum 75% Check-In
June 27th - June 29th: Final, 100% Complete Check-In; Posting Date Survey
July 7th: Posting Date assignments shared with participants
July 10th: Posting Begins!
A few points to keep in mind:
> Multiple submissions must be sent separately — this means you will need to fill the form once for each submission!
> If you have more than one piece for a single idea, they count as a single submission and must be sent together
> You cannot exceed three (3) submissions, so this means you can fill the form once and up to three times..
Our rules and FAQ can be found in our carrd, but feel free to contact us in ask-a-mod! We're excited to see what everyone will make this year. Happy MDZS RBB!
Please remember that you must join our Discord server if you wish to participate, it is a mandatory step for being eligible for the event. Link is provided in the artist submission form, which is here!
March 1st - March 9th: Art Submission period, No Prior Sign-Ups Needed!
March 11th - March 17th: Writer Claims period, No Prior Sign-Ups Needed!
March 21st: Collab info/matchups shared with participants; Fic creation period begins
April 25th - April 27th: Rough Draft minimum 50% Check-In
May 30th - June 1st: Rough Draft minimum 75% Check-In
June 27th - June 29th: Final, 100% Complete Check-In; Posting Date Survey
July 7th: Posting Date assignments shared with participants
July 10th: Posting Begins!
Weekend sewing
Mar. 1st, 2026 05:31 pmqueen_ypolitaIn late October, I ordered the fabric I needed to make a sweatshirt knit dress, one plain and another with a print. The one with print was a print-on-demand item, so I was prepared to wait for it, but the wait was a little longer than I'd imagined. It arrived about two or three weeks ago, so I was finally all set to sew. So yesterday I made good progress and only had one somewhat complicated part with the collar to do today, and then it was just easy stuff with sleeves and the hem. I would have finished easily, but ran out of thread with only a little bit to do on the hem, and I didn't really have time to go out and buy more today. So finishing will have to wait for another day, but at least it's not much more left, and I might get some wear out of it before it starts to feel like a winter garment.
Tumblr Crosspost: In Defence Of Amita Ramanujan
Mar. 1st, 2026 10:32 pmswingandswirlCopying my rant here for when the hellsite eventually goes down.
I’m not sure where the original poster got the idea that Amita is weak or doesn’t have character development. Just because you don’t like a character, babe, doesn’t mean they’re badly written.
So. I ran across a post on this here hellsite that claimed that Amita’s character is apparently ‘weak’ and ‘has no character development’. I’m not going to link that post, but I am going to talk about how that person is so wrong it is physically painful.
Now. Are there legitimate criticisms of the way Amita’s character is depicted? Absolutely. Can a lot of those issues be explained/contexualized by the fact that Numb3rs ran from 2005-2010, and culture has changed A WHOLE DAMN LOT in the intervening years? Also yes.
However. One thing. Amita Ramanujan is not is weak. Nor does her character have zero development, especially when you consider that N3 went off the air over fifteen years ago.
I’m going to deal with the two (imho) valid criticisms - the student/teacher thing and the Desi rep thing - first, then move on to the accusations of a lack of character development.
So the thing all y’all newbies have to understand. Numb3rs is a (relatively) old show. It started in 2005, when Les Moonves was still in charge at CBS, before #MeToo, before DADT was repealed, before Obama was elected to the White House, before we got even anywhere near the amount of representation we have today.
That is the environment in which Numb3rs decided to make Charlie’s student, the only other actress in the main cast, a Brown woman. Now, at the time, I don’t think they’d settled on whose love interest she was supposed to be, Don’s or Charlie’s.
But after s1? The Powers That Be at CBS wanted Charlie made more butch, more obviously straight, given the small but vocal contingent of Eppescest shippers. N3 didn’t have the money for another actress, and Diane Farr had already claimed Megan for Larry. Excellent decision on her part, but it left the show with a quandary: either pair Charlie up with his student, or fire Navi Rawat and write in a new love interest character.
They chose to keep Navi Rawat. They chose to keep the Brown woman, and make the geeky Brown girl the main character’s love interest. That didn’t happen back then.
Looking back from a 2026 lens, yeah, problematic as fuck. But Numb3rs, for all its fundamental kindness, for all its efforts to be as un-copaganda-like as it could, was still a network show in the late 2000s.
And in that context? A geeky brown girl love interest was revolutionary.
Now let’s move on to the second valid criticism: the Desi rep, and the fact that it’s complete and utter crap. Which is what happens when you hire a very Westernized Pakistani-German actress who was very divorced from her culture growing up to play a second generation Tamil Brahmin character who grew up in a city with one of the largest Little Indias in America, and nobody can be bothered to do any research, because all Indians speak Hindi and love naan and butter chicken, right?
How do I know the rep was bad? I’m literally from the same sub-community as Amita, with second-gen immigrant friends and cousins all over the US. If anyone wants, I’ll write up a detailed explanation of all the ways the show gets Tamil Brahmin American rep wrong. In the meantime, here are some fics with an actually accurate Amita.
That said. The worst of the bad rep happened in s4, which was also the season of the writer’s strike. A hugely important and unfortunately necessary thing, but it did mean that the shows that season had less than stellar writing sometimes. Which does go some way to explain how goatfucking stupid the Desi rep was in s4.
Those major and valid criticisms aside, Numb3rs got a LOT right about Amita, including making her a strong, well-rounded (for the time) character with depth. Under the cut, for spoiler reasons.
( Read more... )
I’m not sure where the original poster got the idea that Amita is weak or doesn’t have character development. Just because you don’t like a character, babe, doesn’t mean they’re badly written.
Culinary
Mar. 1st, 2026 03:50 pmoursinLast week's bread held out, unto there being (just) enough for frittata (onion &thyme) for Friday night supper.
On Friday evening I made some Famous Aubergine Dip (had wild pomegranate vinegar, yay) to take to book group (happening this evening), but have not made foccaccia due to other attendees' gluten issues. Will take carrot sticks instead.
Saturday morning breakfast rolls: basic buttermilk, 3:1 strong white/dark rye flour.
Today's lunch (a bit early because of having to set off to book group): partridge breasts rubbed with crushed white peppercorns, thyme, rosemary and salt, panfried in butter and olive oil, deglazed with madeira; served with kasha (have now discovered the correct proportions, and this sort does not go mushy, either), purple tenderstem broccoli, for which I sauteed chopped ginger and fennel seeds in olive oil and then added the broccoli and stirred around for a bit, then added a few tablespoons of water and steamed for half an hour, and gingery-grilled baby courgettes.
i look to you and i see nothing
Feb. 28th, 2026 10:05 pmmusesfool
Last night, I logged off work and got into bed for a proper nap, none of this half-assed falling asleep on the couch business, and I thought I'd set an alarm so it didn't go more than an hour or so, but it turns out that all I did was open up the clock/alarm app on my phone without setting it, so I woke up at 8:30 pm all befuddled. I decided at that point that fuck it, we ball sleep, so I brushed my teeth, changed into my jammies, and went back to bed. And slept pretty well! I woke up once or twice but had no real trouble getting back to sleep, and then I woke up for good around 7:45 am, so it was like a FIFTEEN HOUR night. Which is bonkers, but I guess I needed it?
Anyway, I did a very small recs update today for February:
unfitforsociety has been updated for February 2026 with 7 recs in 3 fandoms:
* 5 Heated Rivalry and 1 Heated Rivalry/Sesame Street crossover
* 1 The Pitt
Maybe once I finish my DCC reread, I will get back to reading more fic, idk. It's just very hard to pay attention to anything these days, thanks to *gestures* everything.
*
Anyway, I did a very small recs update today for February:
unfitforsociety has been updated for February 2026 with 7 recs in 3 fandoms:* 5 Heated Rivalry and 1 Heated Rivalry/Sesame Street crossover
* 1 The Pitt
Maybe once I finish my DCC reread, I will get back to reading more fic, idk. It's just very hard to pay attention to anything these days, thanks to *gestures* everything.
*
I know I won't be leaving here with you
Feb. 28th, 2026 05:26 pmgwyn
Escapade was much fun this year, though as with last year, stupid cancer fatigue put a damper on a lot of things. The best panels were the one for The Pitt and Murderbot, though I would have enjoyed the Murderbot panel more if a) it hadn't been at nine a.m. on Saturday morning and b) hadn't been dominated by one really obnoxious person. The moderator did a yeoman's job trying to rein her in (seriously, I really admired her skills at hardassery), but I had really hoped to talk about Gurathin in the show and the final episode, how SecUnit's memories might have changed him, etc., but that didn't really happen. And when I started talking about him, in typical fannish fashion, someone immediately countered and diminished my comment with how he wasn't what they thought he should be from the books and yadda yadda, so I never really got to make my point. Maybe next year?
But it was good to see people, even if I didn't get all the time I wanted to glom on some folks (par_avion, I'm lookin' at you). Still, there were a few wonderful surprises where some folks I adore and haven't seen in years came to the con, because their fannish brains had been kickstarted by Heated Rivalry. I am so not into that show but the fact that it brought them back out into fandom makes me feel more warmly towards it.
I woke up Sunday morning to news that LAX was in chaos because the Nazis in the government (and I use that term loosely) had decided to shut down TSA precheck and global entry, but after a while that got walked back and by the time I got to the airport, things had settled down a bit and it was fairly quiet. Then the flights started getting canceled by the East Coast blizzard (poor par, she was stuck at the hotel till Wednesday night), and the Mexico flights were stopping because it seemed like half of Mexico was on fire, and it made for a really surreal experience. And now today I woke up to the news about Iran and I just...I really often wish that this fucking cancer would just take me out. This world is just so fucking horrible, and I feel so utterly helpless to do even the tiniest thing about it.
I mean, I have signed up for Fandom Trumps Hate (fth2026offerings) (god i hate that fucker so much that i can't even stand to use a perfectly good verb because it's saying his name), but if I get even a bid over my $10 minimum, I'll be shocked. I've done auctions before, but I don't feel like I make much of a contribution, and I know throwing money at some of these horrors are at least some small way of helping, but I'm just not someone who'll generate that kind of money and I can't make many donations of my own.
Still, I'll hope that maybe a friend will feel sorry for me and buy me ;-D . But I have to admit, the basics of this auction confuse me--listings are on DW here, but a lot takes place on Tumblr, and I'm confused about how to publicize my listing. I was able to reblog the auction roundup listing for The Pitt today, but I don't know how one goes about promoting their own listing. Has anyone done FTH before and would be willing to give me some advice? There's only a couple days for browsing, so I would love to see if I could at least generate some attention if someone wants a fic for Marvel, The Pitt, or Fast Color (hah). I feel like in the past, I've seen people's contributor listings on tumblr, but I just don't know how that goes. Ugh, I'm so out of touch.
I broke my toe on my left foot *again* this morning. My third and fourth toes are so fucked up now. I know there's not much to do about it but tape them and take pain relievers, but jesus your toes really make a difference in walking. And I'm seeing a new sports medicine doc about my fucked-up knee, so now we'll have to see how it might affect my walking even more (I have an MRI this week). So much excitement, but as I said to a friend, at least it's not about the cancer, lol. I'm such a fucking klutz. I think I should probably get some of that bubble wrap with the really big bubbles, and put it around the legs of my bed--it won't solve everything, but those legs have definitely contributed to a few of the breaks. This time, I heard a little snap sound!
But it was good to see people, even if I didn't get all the time I wanted to glom on some folks (
par_avion, I'm lookin' at you). Still, there were a few wonderful surprises where some folks I adore and haven't seen in years came to the con, because their fannish brains had been kickstarted by Heated Rivalry. I am so not into that show but the fact that it brought them back out into fandom makes me feel more warmly towards it.I woke up Sunday morning to news that LAX was in chaos because the Nazis in the government (and I use that term loosely) had decided to shut down TSA precheck and global entry, but after a while that got walked back and by the time I got to the airport, things had settled down a bit and it was fairly quiet. Then the flights started getting canceled by the East Coast blizzard (poor par, she was stuck at the hotel till Wednesday night), and the Mexico flights were stopping because it seemed like half of Mexico was on fire, and it made for a really surreal experience. And now today I woke up to the news about Iran and I just...I really often wish that this fucking cancer would just take me out. This world is just so fucking horrible, and I feel so utterly helpless to do even the tiniest thing about it.
I mean, I have signed up for Fandom Trumps Hate (
fth2026offerings) (god i hate that fucker so much that i can't even stand to use a perfectly good verb because it's saying his name), but if I get even a bid over my $10 minimum, I'll be shocked. I've done auctions before, but I don't feel like I make much of a contribution, and I know throwing money at some of these horrors are at least some small way of helping, but I'm just not someone who'll generate that kind of money and I can't make many donations of my own. Still, I'll hope that maybe a friend will feel sorry for me and buy me ;-D . But I have to admit, the basics of this auction confuse me--listings are on DW here, but a lot takes place on Tumblr, and I'm confused about how to publicize my listing. I was able to reblog the auction roundup listing for The Pitt today, but I don't know how one goes about promoting their own listing. Has anyone done FTH before and would be willing to give me some advice? There's only a couple days for browsing, so I would love to see if I could at least generate some attention if someone wants a fic for Marvel, The Pitt, or Fast Color (hah). I feel like in the past, I've seen people's contributor listings on tumblr, but I just don't know how that goes. Ugh, I'm so out of touch.
I broke my toe on my left foot *again* this morning. My third and fourth toes are so fucked up now. I know there's not much to do about it but tape them and take pain relievers, but jesus your toes really make a difference in walking. And I'm seeing a new sports medicine doc about my fucked-up knee, so now we'll have to see how it might affect my walking even more (I have an MRI this week). So much excitement, but as I said to a friend, at least it's not about the cancer, lol. I'm such a fucking klutz. I think I should probably get some of that bubble wrap with the really big bubbles, and put it around the legs of my bed--it won't solve everything, but those legs have definitely contributed to a few of the breaks. This time, I heard a little snap sound!
petra
i want to raise a city behind his teeth (9422 words) by Petra
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Virgin Obi-Wan Kenobi, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Coming In Pants, Oral Sex, Intercrural Sex, Anal Sex, Rimming, Infidelity, Identity Porn
Summary:
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker
Additional Tags: Virgin Obi-Wan Kenobi, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Coming In Pants, Oral Sex, Intercrural Sex, Anal Sex, Rimming, Infidelity, Identity Porn
Summary:
Obi-Wan celebrates becoming a Jedi Master and Anakin's knighting by thoroughly ridding himself of his virginity with Anakin's assistance; Obi-Wan mourns the loss of his padawan and consoles himself with several partnered orgasms. Anakin contributes to both sets of emotions.
Bits and bobs
Feb. 28th, 2026 04:21 pmoursinWe Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe:
In his groundbreaking documentary, We Were Here, Kuwornu shares the diverse African presence in Renaissance Europe that he found: princes, ambassadors, saints, artists, scholars, and knights—all revealed through art from the period.
***
This is an older piece but I don't think I've posted it before: Taking Photos of the First Women’s Liberation Conference
***
Q&A: Bidding farewell to the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust:
The Shropshire site, which comprises 10 museums and 35 listed heritage buildings, is transferring to the custodianship of the National Trust on 2 March after a challenging period that saw it grapple with severe flooding and falling visitor numbers.
Supported by a £9m government investment, it is hoped the takeover will secure the site’s long-term future and enable it to benefit from the National Trust’s high profile and visitor expertise.
***
Ultraprocessed food: whaddya know, It's All More Complicated.... People want to avoid ultra-processed foods. But experts struggle to define them - not all are junk foods.
***
Tags:
HAX 2026
Feb. 28th, 2026 09:22 pmswingandswirlHello, wonderful FFFX creator!
First off, thank you so much for agreeing to create something for me! I hope you have fun doing so. :)
Second, I know that different people like different levels of detail in their creator letter, and that for some people, TOO much detail can feel stifling. So I’ve divided this post into two parts - a short roundup of things you absolutely NEED to know, and then, under cuts, a crapton of babbling and prompts.
The more detailed notes aren’t meant to be demanding or scare you away; it's just that, given the expected wordcount, I thought you might like more than a list of likes/dnws. If they inspire you, great! If not, feel free to ignore - I would much rather a fic about X that YOU are excited by rather than you seeing Y in my letter and struggling through it because you think it’ll make me happy (as long as my DNWs are respected, of course). Please also note that the fandoms are in alphabetical order, and that length isn't really indicative of how much I want a particular one; some canons just lend themselves more easily to prompts :) If you want even more ideas, please feel free to look at my dear author letters tag.
Treats are welcome and squeezed and hugged and called George :)
So, on to the absolute basics!
General DNWs:
AI generated content | dystopias | universes darker than canon | darkfic | stories where characters react to the books/movies/TV shows they are featured in | stories that have the same plotlines/characterizations/deaths as canon despite being AU, especially genderbends | female-to-male genderbends unless specifically requested | kidfic (fic with child characters as well as de-aging) with the exception of Daisy from the Kingsman movies | change of setting AUs unless requested (chars making different choices in the canonical setting is fine) | bigotry (homophobia/racism/sexism) or issue fic | character/ship bashing | unhappy/open/bittersweet endings | unrequited feelings between main ship or one of them still being into someone else/"settling" with other half of main ship | fake relationship or marriage of convenience stories without pining/(eventually resolved) UST/romantic feelings between the characters | someone under 18 with someone over 21, or more than a 20-year age gap if they're both adults | love triangles (perceived is fine- like a thinks b is into c) | first or second person POVs | Reader inserts | omegaverse | mpreg | stalking/stalker stories | explicit violence/torture or body horror (dealing with the aftermath is fine) | cheating/adultery | Bad/awkward sex | sexual assault/rape or domestic abuse/violence between requested pairings (recovery from assault by someone else is fine) | bodily waste, vomit, watersports, scat, graphic descriptions of injury | major power differences (eg: student/teacher or boss/secretary, unless in roleplay) | villain AUs/good guys are the bad guys (or vice versa) | Hero/villain pairings - eg: Order Members/Death Eaters in Harry Potter (Draco or Narcissa is fine), Avengers/Hydra members in MCU | Mentions of COVID or a fictionalized version of same | betrayal by canonical friends/family (exception for a specific Numb3rs plotline) | Brexit having happened | Trump as President (please either use a Democrat or a fictional Republican)
General Likes:
fix-it fic/AUs | Worldbuilding (esp fashion, food, and magical theory) | fake dating | marriage of convenience | pining | only one bed | male-to-female genderbends (cis or trans) | friends to lovers | female friendships | complex, fleshed-out female characters | found families and families of choice | casual queerness/diversity | smut | happy endings | non-verbal declarations of feelings | requested pairings being protective of each other | pining | non-sexual intimacy | stoic characters being vulnerable with loved ones | different first meetings
Smut Likes:
begging | orgasm delay/denial | double penetration | edging | spanking/flogging | dirty talk |public/semi public sex | rough sex | cock cages | fucking machines | bondage/being held down | sex toys | sensation play | possessive sex | markings | D/s
Now, on to the canon-specific info! My apologies for not doing individual cuts for each fandom – DW does something really weird when I try.
( Read more... )
My favourite thing about this series is how positive and filled with queer joy it is, especially given the current /waves hands at everything/. I love how much Bitty and Jack try to support each other, how great their friends are, how much of an emphasis there is on found family.
As much as I love their canon relationship, I am an absolute sucker for different meeting or canon divergence AUs.
Some prompts:
- Post-rehab Jack stumbling on a certain made-of-sunshine baker's vlog and the two of them striking up a friendship (feel free to have Jack go to the NHL early or keep him at Samwell, up to you). Bonus for Jack discovering a love of cooking!
- Falcs social media manager Eric is tasked with making their leading scorer slightly less of a hockey robot on camera.
- Team nutritionist Eric and his quest to get Jack Zimmermann to eat things other than chicken tenders.
- This amazing Reverse Skating AU: https://whoacanada.tumblr.com/post/165536014067/reverse-figure-skating-au
- After the Closet Incident, Coach Bittle decides it's time to get out of the South. And Samwell just happens to need a football coach.
- The Heated Rivalry AU. You know I had to ask for it. (Please not a fusion; I haven't read the books/watched the show yet, although passing mentions that don't need me to know canon are okay.)
Closer-to-canon prompts:
- I would love fic where Jack and Bitty get together earlier than in canon. Maybe Jack gets a clue sooner, maybe they start out as FWB then Emotions happen, maybe they have to pretend to be dating For Reasons and then they realize the emotions are real.
- We know Jack is wealthy, but we don't really see much of it in canon, the oven aside. I'd love fic where Jack spoils Bitty, or if you want to take a slightly more serious note, Bitty navigating what toxic masculinity tells men about being providers, and how a lot of important labour is dismissed because it's 'women's work'. (Please keep the fic generally fluffy, though.)
Fandom-specific DNWs: Kent Parson as a major character | Jack not being in the NHL (that one specific prompt aside) | RL hockey players expressing terrible opinions (please either use only fictional ones or change their opinions) |
DCU (Comics)
Superbat was one of my first OTPs, and I still adore them. I grew up with the comics as well as the Timm/Dini animated series (BTAS, STAS, JL/JLU) so incorporating things from cartoon canon or vice versa is fine by me, although I'm not a fan of the movies. My favourite characterization of Bruce leans more towards the toon version, but I don’t mind Brucie being a loveable himbo so long as the second-hand embarrassment isn’t too bad. I definitely want Gotham absolutely loving their dumbass well-intentioned playboy son who pours so much money into their beloved city, even if it is in sometimes very (outwardly) dumb ways.
I love these two so much. I love that they're two such different men who come to trust, respect, and admire each other. I love their bone-deep friendship and their certainty that together they can do anything.
I would love fic set early in their careers, set before Bruce acquired his passel of orphans. If you choose to go later, please keep the focus on the boys.
I would also love an exploration of Kryptonian culture. There’s several comics runs where the Fortress of Solitude is equipped to teach Clark about his planet and culture, and I would love a fic that acknowledged that he’s Kal-el of Krypton as well of Clark Kent of Smallville and Superman.
For genderbends, feel free to make Clark female but please keep Bruce his cis dude self.
Prompts:
- a fic set in this AU. Lifelong besties FTW!
- Casefic, ideally with Clark's investigative talents used too. I really hate the characterization of him as dumb or naïve just because he’s a small town farmboy.
- Confessions when they think they're about to die but oops they survive
- Hurt/comfort, with the other fussing over the hurt one
- shameless smut
- Fake dating while pining for each other. Bonus if all their superhero friends sigh at their obliviousness.
- Bruce is pleasantly surprised by the dirty mind behind Clark's farmboy facade
- Kryptonian culture, especially anything to do with courting rituals
- Fic where Gotham and Metropolis have distinct personalities, and bonus if the people of Gotham have to defend Brucie or Batman somehow until Clark can get there
- Allies to friends to lovers
- Battle couple; completely in sync, kicking ass and taking names
- Outsider POV: what does their relationship look like to the public? A gossip columnist who doesn’t know the secret would be fun for this, I think, or two random civilians arguing about ships in some online forum (you know Bruce Wayne/Batman is popular in Gotham)
Canon-specific DNWs:
Bruce or Clark being bad fathers | a focus on the Batkids (background is fine, but please keep the story about Bruce and Clark) | Clark portrayed as a naive virgin ingenue | Red Hood (please set the story before Jason's death or have him come back as Jason) | Oracle going back to being Batgirl/no longer needing her wheelchair | Lois, Diana, or Selina bashing | Clark and Lex being childhood friends | evil/colonizer Jor-el and Lara
Electra McDonnell
I read this series last year and fell utterly in love with it. I am such a sucker for the buttoned-up military man with a secretly passionate side, and of course Electra herself is a darling. My one complaint about the series is that we don't get Ramsey's POV, lol.
Prompts:
- Ramsey POV of any of the events of the series, especially times when Electra was in danger.
- AUs where they got together earlier.
- AU where she told him what was going on with her mother vs keeping a secret that blew up in both their faces.
Canon-specific DNWs:
Pregnancy and kidfic
Pregnancy and kidfic
Harry Potter
Ah, HP. Even with all of JKR’s Nonsense, the first four books are still gold to me. I love the magic and whimsy of them, love the boarding school setting and all the fun ways it can be played with. HP is where my id comes to play.
Solo Harry Potter:
- Harry finding out about an inheritance that's been kept from him, especially if it involves a title/estate. This can include secret wills, blood tests to determine inheritance, wizarding politics... any kind of inheritance-related shenanigans, basically.
- Shopping sprees and finding out that magical London is more than just the Alley, and magical Britain is more than just what the books tell us (come on, Hogwarts is not a breeding population! Regardless of what Remus says in DH.)
- Harry realising that the magical world is more complex than he first thought, and that there are things about pureblood culture that are not tied to blood supremacist bullshit and are worth keeping. Bonus points for purebloods working to make their culture more inclusive and less bigoted.
- Dumbledore being a manipulative bastard who's happy to sacrifice Harry for the Greater Good (this can include spelling Harry and/or other people to keep things DD doesn't want them knowing to come to light)
- EWE where Harry gets the fuck out of England after the final battle and explores what it's like to not be the Boy Who Lived
- Rule 63 Harry: What would the Girl-Who-Lived's life have been like? Especially since canon tells us the wizarding world is in many ways LESS sexist than our own?
- Harry making friends not Hermione and Ron. (Let him remain friends with them, though!) Bonus points if he and Neville bond, or he makes friends with people from Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.
- Harry doing something other than being a wizard cop, ditto Ron.
- Harry discovering magic we don't see in canon - ritual magic, non-Latinate magic, stereotypically 'feminine' magic like fibrecraft
- Some kind of Peggy Sue time travel fix-it fic where Harry takes shameless advantage of his foreknowledge
Worldbuilding:
One of the things I love most about HP, at least the first four books, is the potential for worldbuilding. There’s so much scope for fun and whimsy and I would love a fic that leans into that.
- I’ve mentioned it in my DNWs, but the ‘robes’ in the movies that have since infected book!fic drive me absolutely crazy. In the books, wix wear floor-length robes that bear some similarity to nightgowns. I think a fic that shows Harry (male or female) adjusting to magical fashion would be very interesting. (You can find what the books say about the robes here and a sketch from JKR here.)
- Speaking of! The WW separated before Beau Brummell and the pervasive homophobia of the Victorian era made men’s fashion hideously boring. Given that, the WW probably isn’t afraid of colour or embellishment on their men – what does that look like? Especially since Apparition, Floo, and Portkeys exist and so influences from Africa and Asia should be easier to obtain. (Also colonialism, but I am of the firm belief that magic is as much of an equalizer there as canon says it is for gender, so. Please don’t focus on that very much if at all)
- Magic used in fun ways - robes with moving designs, magic-powered automatons, color-changing hair dyes, whatever. Go wild!
- I am a sucker for a good Diagon Alley scene, as mentioned above. A genderbent Harry would be even more fun, just because I don’t think the original cared about fashion, lol.
- For queerness in the wizarding world, I would love a vibrant queer scene that is much more progressive than the Muggle world, given that magic exists. Please make your magical world trans inclusive, because fuck JKR’s nonsense.
- One of my great sorrows with the last two books is that we never got more of the DA. I’d love fic that has Harry (or others) actually fighting! Bonus for unconventional uses of magic - can’t you see Molly Weasley being absolutely deadly with household spells, or the Quidditch teams figuring out how to use their brooms in combat?
- Re: communication in the WW. Presumably most parents of muggleborns and halfbloods love their kids and want to stay in touch, and owls are… noticeable. How is communication between them managed? Is there some kind of mail forwarding service? Did some enterprising halfblood see a need and set up a business facilitating communications between the two worlds?
- For food in the WW, it always bothered me that although we got some really fun sweets/junk food, all the meals were depressingly British Muggle. Given that the WW separated in 1692, when food was actually quite different than it is now, not to mention that magic probably makes travel to Europe and North Africa much easier, I’d love to see a different magical cuisine. (Maybe all the food mentioned is Muggle because that’s all Harry recognizes?) I’d also love to see uniquely magical crops, dishes made from transfigured foods, and how Hogwarts deals with students with different dietary needs.
Harry/Bill:
I have no idea how I fell in love with Harry/Bill, but it's absolutely one of my favorite HP ships. I love the idea that after some time away from the WW post the final battle, Harry finds himself a sexy cursebreaker.
Prompts: (feel free to genderbend Harry, but please keep Bill cis male)
- post-war, EWE: Bill runs into Harry a few years after the war and realises his little brother's best friend has grown up very well indeed. Bonus if Harry's spent the past few years travelling the world and/or their meeting is outside of England.
- post-war, EWE: Harry and Bill fall in love while restoring Number Twelve together. Bonus points if you include magical worldbuilding lore.
- post-war, EWE: Harry and Bill bond over scars, visible and invisible.
- shameless smut would also be great. Harry deserves to be thoroughly railed, lol.
- for any BDSM fic, I would love Dom!Bill taking care of sub!Harry. The poor boy could use it.
Hermione Granger/Viktor Krum
Man, I have loved this pairing for over twenty-five years now. Geek girl and jock boy is SUCH a classic, and add to that that he saw her as a girl when nobody else did… yeah, Tam!bait. My characterization of Viktor is very heavily drawn from the works of Miss Yetigoosecreature, which you can find here.
Prompts:
- Tell me more about their romance at Hogwarts! How did he ask her out? What did they do for dates? Were there any funny misunderstandings thanks to the various language/culture differences? (While I don’t mind some awkwardness, I have a bad second-hand embarrassment squick, so I ask that you keep the general awkwardness level low.)
- Hermione decides she needs a break from Britain after the final battle and visits Viktor in Bulgaria. (The kiss with Ron never happens or they break up amicably.)
- Give me a fic with the Taylor and Travis dynamic: Hyper-succesful woman has had string of relationships with intellectual art bro types who want her to make herself smaller for them; finds love with actually smart sportsball type who loves and supports her being her awesome self.
- Viktor travels with Hermione to Australia to retrieve her parents.
- Hermione and Viktor unexpectedly run into each other years after the final battle. They're both single and the sparks are as hot as they ever were. (Please no fic where either of them are parents.)
- Fake dating for whatever reason. Bring on the pining!
- Hermione and Viktor have to work on a project together and decide to give their relationship another shot.
Harry Potter/Viktor Krum:
I've always thought that it was such a missed opportunity for Harry and Viktor not to better friends in GoF. Well, good thing we have fic, lol.
Prompts:
- Viktor is intrigued by the person crazy enough to fly against a dragon and makes it his mission to get to know Harry better.
- Harry rescues Viktor from the Viktorias and a friendship (and more) forms.
- In an AU where Winky got Hermione's wand and Harry knows more spells than Expelliarmus, he gets separated from his friends... and winds up helping Viktor rescue Muggles from Death Eaters. Hey, there are odder meet-cutes.
- Harry is travelling after the war and runs into Viktor. Sparks fly.
Bill/Fleur
I love Fleur, and I hate how badly done by she is in canon.
Prompts:
- Bill and Fleur meeting in the Gringotts Archives and Bill impressing her by not assuming the (very complicated) book in her hands is for someone else.
- As two young, beautiful, charismatic people, Bill and Fleur are tasked by Dumbledore to drum up support for Harry in wizarding high society. Which they don't mind doing... except the food is crap, so they wind up falling in love over late-night dinners of street food instead.
- Thank-god-we're-alive sex after a dangerous mission and a close shave.
- Fleur showing Bill he's still desirable to her post Greyback.
- Bill and Fleur caring for each others' hair.
- Competence porn from Fleur. She wasn't made Champion just because of her looks, after all. Let Bill be impressed by her brains and skill.
- Bill charming Fleur by managing to react utterly normally to her looks. Bonus points if he's such a gentleman that SHE has to ask him out.
Bill/Fleur
I love Fleur, and I hate how badly done by she is in canon.
Prompts:
- Bill and Fleur meeting in the Gringotts Archives and Bill impressing her by not assuming the (very complicated) book in her hands is for someone else.
- As two young, beautiful, charismatic people, Bill and Fleur are tasked by Dumbledore to drum up support for Harry in wizarding high society. Which they don't mind doing... except the food is crap, so they wind up falling in love over late-night dinners of street food instead.
- Thank-god-we're-alive sex after a dangerous mission and a close shave.
- Fleur showing Bill he's still desirable to her post Greyback.
- Bill and Fleur caring for each others' hair.
- Competence porn from Fleur. She wasn't made Champion just because of her looks, after all. Let Bill be impressed by her brains and skill.
- Bill charming Fleur by managing to react utterly normally to her looks. Bonus points if he's such a gentleman that SHE has to ask him out.
Canon-specific DNWs:
Snape as good guy or major character | Magic in North America/only 11 schools worldwide/FB movies/Pottermore as canon (please feel free to worldbuild more diversely) | AUs with the same deaths as canon | Accents written out phonetically for Fleur or Viktor | Wizard Cop Harry or Ron | the magical world being less progressive gender- and race-wise than the Muggle world; relatedly, Hermione or other Muggleborns 'civilising' the benighted backwards magicals | gender specific magic that is not trans inclusive | knotting | movie canon (specifically the actors' physical appearances, Ron's characterization, Mudblood being carved into Hermione's arm, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang as single-sex schools, pureblood wix wearing Muggle clothes/robes being basically bathrobes over Muggle clothes) being privileged over the books | the Statute of Secrecy falling | Fleur doing translation from French to English (English to French is fine) | Fleur actually having taken the Gringotts job for Bill | Remus/Tonks being a thing or Teddy existing | Pregnancy or kidfic | fic set during the Horcrux hunt
Numb3rs
Ah, Numb3rs, the show of my heart. My favourite thing about this show is that nobody was an asshole. (Well, except Ian, occasionally, but we forgive him.) I love that the agents get to be smart, too, that everyone is kind, and they're all clearly family.
Colby is my fave character. Really, I'm easy for anything Colby-related, especially fics that show us the layers he has. I would also love h/c, either from a canonical event like in Primacy or new shenanigans.
- Rule 63! I feel like a female Colby would see a legacy of five generations of duty and honour very differently. And a female math genius would be such fun (and probably have sharper edges than her canonical counterpart. Bonus: she and Amita would be amazing friends). (If you're doing Ian/Colby for this, please only genderbend Colby - f/f as a main pairing does not work with my brain, alas.)
- Speaking of that five generations legacy. I would love to see fic where Colby grapples with the toll it took on him, especially if he's thinking about fatherhood. (He doesn't have to decide on children; I would ADORE more childfree rep.) Colby/Ian and Colby/Charlie would both work for this.
- Casefic! Especially with Ian involved. I love a good old-fashioned casefic. Bonus if one of the requested pair is in danger and has to be rescued.
Ian/Colby:
I adore Ian/Colby. They have such a fun dynamic, even the show sees the chemistry. Prompts:
- I would love Ian standing up for his man. Give me all the fic where Ian delivers a set-down to people who think Colby isn't good enough.
- For genderbends, I think a female Colby dealing with the bastard son of Clint Eastwood and Yoda would be delightful. She wouldn't give him the time of day.
- Relatedly, Colby only plays the dumb jock - write me fic where Ian is charmed, and turned on, by his brain rather than that admittedly delectable ass.
- Ian/Colby: I would love to see the effect of a certain event in S3 on Ian’s opinion of Colby. (Please do not have Ian not believe him; I would love a fic where Ian is emphatically on Colby's side.) I would also love to see Ian helping Colby deal with how that must have fucked him up both mentally and physically.
- If you're a younger fan, it's hard to understand just what a big deal DADT being repealed was. I would love a fic that dealt with its impact on Colby and Ian, or the repeal being an impetus for one to come out to the other.
- For smut, give me all the sub!Colby, please. He just looks like he would be so much fun to play with.
Charlie/Colby:
The geek and the jock! Especially when the heart-eyes are practically canon, lol. Prompts:
- I’d love fic set during/post Rampage and Colby helping Charlie deal with the trauma of the ep.
- Fic that explores why Charlie believed Colby over the math would be awesome. Ditto post-freighter fic.
- Teaching someone to shoot is practically an LEO fic cliche at this point. I’d also love a fic that explores the aftermath of Charlie having to kill someone.
- For genderbends, I’d love a female Charlee Eppes falling for a surprisingly smart Army jock who drinks his respect women juice.
Canon-specific DNWs:
Charmita even as a background pairing | 6.08 Ultimatum as canon | Fic focused on Colby and David's friendship (I adore them but I'm in a mood for shipfic)
Pride and Prejudice:
THIS IS A SAFETY FANDOM
While I love Elizabeth and Darcy, in fic I prefer exploring other pairs.
Jane Bennet/Colonel Fitzwilliam
Jane and Bingley are well and good, but I've always had a soft spot for Jane and the good Colonel.
I would love a fic where they meet and fall in love - maybe an AU where Jane has enough money that she can marry the Colonel? (Bingley leaves Jane a well-left widow, perhaps, or the Bennet parents actually step up?) Or he decides that straightened circumstances are worth it for such a wife. Either way, I would love it if Colonel F falls in love with Jane for something other than her beauty. Extra bonus points if it's her brains.
Fitzwilliam Darcy/Elizabeth Bennet/Colonel Fitzwilliam
- I would love a fic where Elizabeth and Darcy bring the Colonel into their relationship - maybe he's recovering at Pemberly after being injured in the war? Bonus points for there being a pre-existing more-than-cousinly affection between Darcy and the Colonel. Please no love triangles.
- Context for this prompt: There is plenty of mention of male homosexuality in ancient Greek texts, some of which Darcy and the Colonel would undoubtedly have come across at school. And Elizabeth's father did teach her both Latin and Greek. After perusing certain sections of her husband's personal library, Elizabeth has questions for him and the Colonel. Darcy, for his part, can only laugh and say this is what comes from having a clever wife. Bonus points for someone saying, roughly, "If they did not want men having sex with each other, they should not have taught us Greek." (In a more period-appropriate way, of course.)
Canon-specific DNWs:
the Bennet parents or any of the sisters as actively malicious/evil, or Georgiana for that matter | good Lady Catherine | Collins bashing (he is canonically a pompous toadying oaf but not a bad man) | Bingley bashing | compromises or forced marriages | fic where it's a V not a triad| jealousy | homophobia crossovers with other Jane Austen books
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to reach out to me via the mods if you have any questions.
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom - Jason Pargin
Feb. 28th, 2026 12:32 amsholioSo I'm still on a Jason Pargin kick. This is definitely a Jason Pargin book (bizarre, convoluted, funny, much sweeter and kinder than you'd expect). Unlike most of his other books, there are no horror or SFF elements; this one is more of a straightforward(ish) satirical action/thriller/comedy. Also, Jason Pargin continues to have the best titles around. (The next book in the John Dies at the End series is There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs. I cannot wait.)
Anyway, back to this book.
Abbott is a 26-year-old Twitch streamer, incel, and part-time Lyft driver who shows up on a call to a parking lot, where he finds a girl about his own age with a mysterious black box, who introduces herself as Ether (clearly not her real name) and offers him $200K in cash to drive her across the country, on the condition that he a) does not ask her what's in the box, b) does not open the box, and c) leaves his phone and other electronics behind. Abbott, who still lives with his emotionally abusive dad, agrees on the principle that this will give him the ability and agency to move out (failing to realize that the money isn't really the issue; wherever you go, there you are, etc).
However, before he leaves, he broadcasts one last Twitch stream in which he tells his followers that he'll be gone for a few days on an errand. Since this is wildly out of character for Abbott, his followers and online friends immediately conclude that he's been kidnapped or is otherwise in trouble, and start a Subreddit to track him. Abbott, phoneless, is blissfully unaware that he and his companion are the subjects of an online media frenzy, or that they're being pursued by a growing number of people who are after the box and/or them, including a homicidal biker, a disgraced FBI agent with a specialty in online conspiracies who is convinced the box contains a nuclear bomb, and Abbott's dad, as well as a lot of online wannabe heroes.
It turns out that "black box of doom" refers not just to the box that is the book's Pulp-Fiction-style maguffin, but also (and perhaps foremost) online echo chambers that isolate people and turn their entire world into a popularity spiral in which they are terrified to voice their real opinions, and any controversy can blow up into a literally life-ending scandal.
I think the thing that makes this book work for me is that it's not terribly ham-handed and mostly just lets the characters be people (and genuinely isn't afraid to let them be terrible people now and then). The point is that we're all flawed; the point is that the world is better than you think; the point is that the people who think the only real world is offline and the ones who live completely within a screen are equally right and wrong. Abbott's online friends are real friends (one of them is one of the most helpful and resourceful people who gives them a hand on their increasingly bizarre and problem-prone road trip), and the people who say they're not, including Ether, are wrong; Abbott's dad, who is at least 50% of the reason why Abbott is Like That and thinks his son is wasting his life online and failing at Life, while successful by real-world standards is just as isolated, miserable, and emotionally repressed as Abbott is, but is also a Big Damn Hero when he has to be. Ether has embraced the ethos of living off the grid and insists that people are wasting their lives in the electronic world, but it was the online world that shaped her and created her biggest success and failures. You can make real connections online, but you also need to get offline and touch grass once in a while. It's not either/or.
This book also includes a chapter written by a conspiracy nut on a wall, lot of subreddit posts, and a climax that made me keep having to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. It's absolutely not going to be to everyone's taste, but I really liked it.
A brief, spoilery comment on pairings in the book:
Anyway, back to this book.
Abbott is a 26-year-old Twitch streamer, incel, and part-time Lyft driver who shows up on a call to a parking lot, where he finds a girl about his own age with a mysterious black box, who introduces herself as Ether (clearly not her real name) and offers him $200K in cash to drive her across the country, on the condition that he a) does not ask her what's in the box, b) does not open the box, and c) leaves his phone and other electronics behind. Abbott, who still lives with his emotionally abusive dad, agrees on the principle that this will give him the ability and agency to move out (failing to realize that the money isn't really the issue; wherever you go, there you are, etc).
However, before he leaves, he broadcasts one last Twitch stream in which he tells his followers that he'll be gone for a few days on an errand. Since this is wildly out of character for Abbott, his followers and online friends immediately conclude that he's been kidnapped or is otherwise in trouble, and start a Subreddit to track him. Abbott, phoneless, is blissfully unaware that he and his companion are the subjects of an online media frenzy, or that they're being pursued by a growing number of people who are after the box and/or them, including a homicidal biker, a disgraced FBI agent with a specialty in online conspiracies who is convinced the box contains a nuclear bomb, and Abbott's dad, as well as a lot of online wannabe heroes.
It turns out that "black box of doom" refers not just to the box that is the book's Pulp-Fiction-style maguffin, but also (and perhaps foremost) online echo chambers that isolate people and turn their entire world into a popularity spiral in which they are terrified to voice their real opinions, and any controversy can blow up into a literally life-ending scandal.
I think the thing that makes this book work for me is that it's not terribly ham-handed and mostly just lets the characters be people (and genuinely isn't afraid to let them be terrible people now and then). The point is that we're all flawed; the point is that the world is better than you think; the point is that the people who think the only real world is offline and the ones who live completely within a screen are equally right and wrong. Abbott's online friends are real friends (one of them is one of the most helpful and resourceful people who gives them a hand on their increasingly bizarre and problem-prone road trip), and the people who say they're not, including Ether, are wrong; Abbott's dad, who is at least 50% of the reason why Abbott is Like That and thinks his son is wasting his life online and failing at Life, while successful by real-world standards is just as isolated, miserable, and emotionally repressed as Abbott is, but is also a Big Damn Hero when he has to be. Ether has embraced the ethos of living off the grid and insists that people are wasting their lives in the electronic world, but it was the online world that shaped her and created her biggest success and failures. You can make real connections online, but you also need to get offline and touch grass once in a while. It's not either/or.
This book also includes a chapter written by a conspiracy nut on a wall, lot of subreddit posts, and a climax that made me keep having to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. It's absolutely not going to be to everyone's taste, but I really liked it.
A brief, spoilery comment on pairings in the book: