#jane writes sometimes

[johnnystorms]

When Peter was seven, Mrs Kanowski wrote in his report card that he always has something to say. Uncle Ben had found it quite funny. Aunt May had elbowed him in the side and murmured something about it not being a compliment, a word Peter didn’t quite grasp until a year later, when Gwen Stacy socked him in the shoulder then said, “I like your socks.” (They were covered in crossed swords and skulls wearing pirate hats, much to Aunt May’s dismay. Harry thought they were cool, though, and so did Peter, kind of, and now so did Gwen. So there.) “Thanks,” Peter had said, and that had been that. Not his first friend, but one of them.

He doesn’t know why he thinks about that now.

They’re on the roof of the Baxter Building. The sun is setting, spilling red and pink and orange all over Johnny, over his golden hair, the planes of his face, the brightness of his grin. The grin in question: the remnants of laughter, left over from Peter telling him about the time Harry keyed his dad’s car in a fit of six-year-old pique and Peter had tried to take the blame, only for Norman to dismiss the attempt with a brisk you’d have chosen more sensible places to do it, which had made Johnny absolutely howl with laughter.

“Really, Pete,” he says, still grinning, “what kind of six year old gets told they’d commit vandalism sensibly?” He snorts, shaking his head, looking out over the city.

Mrs Kanowski was wrong, it seems. Peter is tongue-tied, watching Johnny’s eyes crinkle in the corners, the slope of his nose as he looks out over towards the Chrysler Building. It swells in him, the way Johnny looks right now, the way he feels, loose-limbed and relaxed and happy. Peter likes Johnny a lot of ways, but this is maybe his favourite, when it’s just the two of them, and Johnny has that smile that looks like it put the stars in the sky, instead of the one he flashes at people in corridors, at the press when they get in too close, at ex-girlfriends and maybe-boyfriends – everyone who wants a piece of him.

It’s a nice smile, don’t get him wrong. Peter is mostly immune to Johnny’s charms, but that one still makes his chest feel a little warmer. It’s just got nothing on Johnny when he’s like this, bright and open and beautiful.

“I wonder what you’d have been like if you’d known me back then,” Johnny says, still not looking at Peter. His voice has gone thoughtful, smile fading until all that’s left is a soft tilt to his lips. “What I’d have been like.” He’s quiet for a second, and then: “I’m a little jealous, you know.”

Peter can’t work the words out of his mouth. His tongue feels too thick. Still, there must be something questioning enough in his gaze when Johnny glances back at him that it gets conveyed, because Johnny blinks, then smiles ruefully.

“That they knew you back then – Harry and Gwen and even Mary Jane, though I know she was a little later. They all got to know you so early… It kinda feels like I was missing out.” The way he says kinda is like an inside joke, the type where you’re the only one in on it, where you’re laughing at yourself. Peter’s heart aches.

Johnny’s smile goes crooked as he looks back at Peter again. “You’re my first real friend, Peter. You know that, right?”

And, like, maybe. Maybe Peter knew that, logically, if he ever really thought about it, but he didn’t – he doesn’t – because Johnny is bright and handsome and funny, charming and charismatic and wildly popular even though he has enough personality defects to fill a dictionary. Everyone likes Johnny, even some of his exes, and the ones who don’t usually have a grudge to pick with his brother-in-law, or they think Johnny is just like any vapid, handsome, rich, famous type. And it’s not that he’s not, but he’s also so much more than that. Sometimes Johnny is so much that Peter doesn’t have words to contain it.

But that’s a lonely thing too.

So maybe Peter knew, on some level, that this is what he is to Johnny, this is the space he occupies. But he’s never really thought it consciously, never really framed it that way, and certainly never heard it out loud before.

He swallows. Hard.

Johnny just blinks again, then grins. It’s not that crooked one, small and quiet and delicate enough to make Peter wish he could fit it in his pocket. It’s a sudden blitz against the sky, against Peter’s fucking mental stability, because it is so gorgeous that it is utterly devastating. Peter is devastated and Johnny is beautiful. Status quo.

Mrs Kanowski was definitely wrong, Peter thinks, as he slides a little closer to Johnny, nestles up against him so that their thighs are pressed close and their shoulders are knocking together. Because when Johnny looks at him like that, he can’t think of a single thing to say.

#johnny storm #peter parker #spideytorch #vaguely high school au? written for the prompt ‘firsts’ #not… that i can tell anymore why i wrote this for ‘firsts’ lmao #this isn’t new in that i wrote it for twt 1.5yrs ago #but i literally forgot abt it until searching smth on my twt just now #jane writes sometimes #meet me at the usual place #also sorry for the awol work has been Whew but i will be putting the avengers twilight one on ao3 later

[billdenbrough]

They’re hanging out on the roof, Bill’s ankle knocking against Richie’s knocking against Bill’s knocking against Richie’s knocking against Bill’s, over and over and over, feeling as endless as the summer does on a day like that, middle of August and not a cloud in the sky, when Richie says, “I kissed Eddie last night.”

He says it casually, like it’s just the kind of thing anyone does, and not the kind of earth-shaking moment Bill’s kind of always known Richie dreamed of doing but would never have bet on coming true.

“I,” Bill says, then regroups. “What?”

“C’mon, Big Bill, don’t tell me all that growing went to your bones and skipped your brain,” Richie jibes, but it’s good-natured. He sounds so calm. Too calm.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe he’s so scared he’s come around to calm. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened to someone, wouldn’t be the first time Bill’s seen it. He’s never seen it happen to Richie, not that he can remember, but that’s maybe because Richie has always run on bravado more than this particular brand of bravery.

Bill can remember feeling like this, so fucking scared that it made him brave again, and he’s seen it in Mike’s eyes too. Bev and Ben’s sometimes, though Bev usually doesn’t like to let anything that gets to her show, and Ben’s heart tends towards taking whatever he’s given more than turning it into something that helps him stand stronger. Which isn’t a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just a thing, and it makes Bill want to pull him on the back of Silver sometimes, like it’ll help him remember he’s important too.

Stan gets quiet, and then he gets loud, at least by his standards. It’s not really the same for him, Bill thinks. When he’s scared for his friends, his voice gets stronger and weaker at the same time, like he’s building it back up but he’s building it up with broken parts, making a fractured foundation. It’ll hold, but eventually it’s gotta give. And then when he’s scared about other things, things that don’t make sense, he gets almost angry, like – like how dare that exist, how dare it have the audacity to creep into his head when it doesn’t make sense.

Sometimes Eddie’s like that, but mostly he’s the first type. Sometimes he gets so scared that he forgets he’s scared at all, brave and determined and terrified out of his fucking mind, so much so that he doesn’t even register it.

If Richie kissed him, maybe that’s why he’s feeling like it. Like… Eddie’s probably the bravest person Bill knows, if he thinks about it real hard, and he’s got so much of it in him that maybe it makes sense that some of it ended up in Richie too when they kissed.

That’s probably not how it works—Bill wouldn’t know, he’s only kissed Bev, and Mike, one time, with his warm eyes and warm hands and warm lips, on a dare from Richie that made his pulse skitter off-beat, and Bill’s not as brave as Eddie because he’s never let himself work out why—but it’s all he can think about as he sits there on the roof of Richie’s house and listens, and listens, and listens.

“It was nice,” Richie says after a moment, nonchalant and earnest at the same time, and Bill thinks, huh.

Bill thinks, this is how he sounds when he’s lying and being honest at the same time.

Bill thinks, this is how he sounds when he means it.

Bill says, “Wow,” instead of saying any of that. Then, eyes on their ankles instead of on Richie’s face, like he’s worried Richie might get spooked and fall off the roof, he adds, “Good, uh, good for you.”

A pause, then: “What did Eddie say? Or do?”

Richie looks out into the sky, into the sunlight, a million miles away or maybe just a few hours, the space between now and last night, between that kiss, that moment.

“He stomped on my foot,” Richie says, grinning a little, and it takes Bill so completely by surprise that he snorts.

“He what?” he asks, incredulous.

Richie glances at him, eyes blown wide by his glasses and maybe a little by Eddie Kaspbrak. He’s smiling, that toothy thing that comes out when he’s relieved or when he’s happy or when school finishes and the summer starts. When he feels free, maybe.

“He stomped on my foot,” Richie repeats. Then, smiling in a way that kind of hurts to look at, he says, a little softer, “And then he kissed me back.”

#reddie #bill denbrough #richie tozier #it fic #the losers club #like i recognise they’re not all Physically in this but they’re v much in bill’s head rn ykwim #jane writes sometimes #dunno what the fuck this is! but it’s winter and i can’t stop coughing so here we are #rambling as a form of sick relief lmao #she’s writing nonsense in the silly little tumblr text box on her phone again les

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Punk is a thought, not a look. It's a message, not a sound. ________________________

Mariah-Janet Waters

Hobie's 'Mary-Jane' | Earth-138

18 - Any Pronouns - 5'3'' - Aro/Bi - Autistic - Pronounced Mariah-JA-net

Mixed Nigerian and Irish

Police Whistleblower from age 15, publishing anonymous exposés and hosting a local illegal anarchist radio-show

Daughter of Captain Walter Waters

Earned her blue laces off her father at 16 - Doesn't regret it all and still sleeps sound as fuck at night (well... not soundly)

Survivor of 4 assassination attempts - counting on a 5th

Most talkative person on planet earth - but wears the mask 24/7

Hates being called MJ DEEPLY

No piercings, untatted, and doesn't even like punk music

Entirely Punk none-the-less

[unmasked Mariah at the end]

Background:

Mariah-Janet has dedicated her life to the anarchist movement, and taking down Fisk's administration - no matter what it costs. Not that she had much left to spend. Born to Captain Walter Water's, a white police officer, and Barbra, her Nigerian mother, Mariah's mother left her life early - at the age of 4, not bothering to take Mariah with her. Instead she was raised by her father, an abusive cop mad at the world- and out to make it his daughter's problem. Raised in a tiny flat in low-income Tower Hamlets, he spent the majority of her childhood trying to iron the blackness out her hair and beat the queerness out of her soul. Though none of it ever worked much. She says change ain't in her nature. As Fisk's administration grew, so did her father's ruthlessness, and his newly earned V.E.N.O.M symbiote was only fuel to his fire. And at 15, Mariah become 'Red' - An anonymous Anti-Police whistleblower. Publishing dozens of exposes, reports, and zines against the administration - 'Red' rose to infamy through his illegally broadcasted rogue-radio show and his uncensored and ruthless protesting tactics. However, at 16 Mariah came across a story that would change her career - discovering the murder and cover-up of her own mother. Enraged but determined, Mariah leaked the report, at the same time her father uncovered her identity. Consumed by rage and powered by the V.E.N.O.M symbiote, when her father attacked her, Mariah earned her blue laces. And started wearing her mask, living life as the wanted 'Red'. Today Mariah lives in hiding, couch-surfing at the places of other organizers, or squatting in vacant flats.

Personality:

Don't let the bandana and dead stare fool you - Mariah is far from quiet and cold. Being autistic and hyperverbal, Mariah talks A LOT - whether she's actually saying something or not. She's not very expressive or emotive, and her humor is pretty dry and bland (think Dwight from the Office), even though she hates mean-spirited jokes. On the lighter side of things, Mariah is pretty brash and open. She's a writer, not a leader, and she's more interested in going with the flow than being in charge, though she often finds herself there. She fairly laid back - and incredibly confident. Almost outright cocky, even moreso than Hobie. She sits legs spread and burps loud and rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth. She enjoys cursing in front people who think it's 'rude', and she has an accent thicker than Hobie's. But unlike Hobie - she's not a 'typical, actual' punk (yeah right). She doesn't listen to punk music. In fact, she doesn't listen to much music at all. She has no real interest in the clothes, or the music, or the crowded live shows. And when she met Hobie, she had no real interest in the pretty boy who brings a guitar to a protest. Mariah is a punk, because that's how she lives her life. And she'll genuinely laugh in your face if you tell her she isn't, just because she thinks the Sex Pistols are shite. And she's incredibly loyal. To say Mariah doesn't trust anyone (from her universe at least) is an understatement. She can't afford it - what with 4 assassination attempts and counting - but if there's anyone on Earth she trusts, it's Hobie. But her and Hobie don't always see eye-to-eye. On the darker side of things, Mariah lacks the 'radical kindness' that Hobie does. Even though her and Hobie are both hard-core anarchists, 'Red's definition of 'justice' is often far more extreme. Mariah hates cops. All of them, and she genuinely wants them dead - in the most painful way she can muster. Knowing there are more men like her father out there, still sleeping soundly at night, and that there are men out there protecting them, Mariah says the movement isn't over until all of them are either punished, dead, or both. Mariah wants merciless punishment, and she isn't afraid to say it. For cops, politicians, fascists, nazis, racists, and any other bigot still breathing. She's an amazing planner, and a phenomenal speaker, but her protesting tactics often teeter into dangerous and malicious territory. Including arson, and if given the chance, execution. When Spider-Punk saved Mariah's life from a cop torturing her - the third attempt on her life - Mariah insisted he kill the already downed officer. Because it'd be 'One less to worry about.' Hobie didn't. And both began looking at each other a little bit different from that point forward. When they're alone and Mariah talks about how good it would be to live in a world without cops, Hobie can't help but agree. He's just afraid of what Mariah is willing to do to get there. And the more she tries, and the more she speaks, the more dangerous it gets for her.

Hobie & Mariah

Meeting:

Hobie knew his MJ Canon Event was coming - he just didn't know he already knew her. Hobie had met Mariah as 'Red', at an 'unpermitted political protest/performance art piece' - Hobie's words, not theirs. A Molotov cocktail in hand, and a balaclava across his face. To Hobie, to meet the person behind the words was surreal, and only for a few brief moments. Red met Spider-Punk months later. Coincidentally, while staring down the barrel of a gun. Faced with his second assassination attempt, Red comes face to face with the other masked anarchist, and is instantly filled with respect for him. Red's a fan, and Spider-Punk's a fan of his as well. And soon, the two are working together on the regular. Staging protests, running an illegal anarchist-rock-radio-show, and exposing insider information. It isn't until Red's third - and fourth - assassination attempt, that Hobie realized Red was now living in a bullet proof vest. After the fourth attempt, Hobie demasked himself, bringing an injured Red to the boathouse. He somehow convinced Red to stay while he healed. It was only then that Red revealed her identity to Hobie, and switched from ski masks to bandanas, and from Red to Mariah.

Relationship:

They aren't dating. If you even insinuate anything of the sort, Mariah is very likely to either tell you to 'piss off', or she'll (lovingly and playfully) insult him. 'I love charity work, darling. But not that much.' Romance isn't in the cards for them - Mariah's aro anyway. But that's not why this canon event exists. In every universe where MJ and Spidey are together, they are a rock for each other, mentally and emotionally. They're there to keep each other standing. Hobie didn't believe in canon events, and he still doesn't. But it took him a while to understand why Mariah was his canon event. Not to love her, but to protect her. Hobie believes in Mariah's message. And he believes in the power of her voice. 'Red' is loud. And Fisk knows it. She's a threat, because she's the voice of the people. Hobie may not agree with all of her methods. And that's fine. He can live with that. Because he believes in her message - and more importantly, he believes in her power. Hobie and Mariah were never meant to be partners in romance. And they'll forever be partners in crime. Outside of that - Hobie and Mariah's relationship is purely sexual and platonic. They're more than best friends. To them, they're two people who puts their lives in each other's hands every day, and respect each other beyond anything in this world.

Face Claims: Ice Spice /// Erin Kellyman

More about Mariah [Mentions of My Spidersona Disco-Spider Diane below]

Mariah is pretty romance averse. Her and Hobie never kiss outside of sex, and she's not touchy unless she's flirting. (Which she does, A LOT, just not to Hobie. She always tells him she can pick up more chicks than him - which, true.)

If Hobie tried to kiss her on the lips out of nowhere, she would look at him like he was absolutely insane. (She'd be like 'bruv - fuck are you in my face for')

She's not interested in romance at all, either thinking it's bizarre or distracting - and she's not afraid to say it

Though she has no interest in Hobie romantically (and doesn't see the appeal), she's still happy that he has Diane in his life. And she's VERY happy to leave that gushy shit to her.

*Makes retching noises when Diane & Hobie kiss in front of her*

Unlike Diane & Hobie, Hobie & Mariah are pretty open about the fact that they're fucking and nothing more. They're casual about it, but when Mariah is making Hobie sit on her lap at an afterparty - it sends a message.

She also likes to grab his ass at any opportunity, especially in front of people - doing things like pulling on his suspenders (then letting them go so they snap at his back lol)

She's also involved with Diane - originally independent of Hobie, after Mariah and Hobie got together - getting together shortly after Diane came out as bi

She knows Diane is not from their Earth - Hobie told her this before she ever met Diane. They first met when Mariah went alone to go introduce herself to Diane in her universe (with Hobie's blessing)

She went unmasked, and so Diane saw her face when they first met

The three of them are in a soft polycule

Mariah's masc-bi-butch and she prefers masculine descriptors.

Most of her clothes are thrifted jerseys of teams she doesn't back, and jeans 3 sizes up. When protesting, he'll wear all red.

Mariah prefers he/him pronouns when out as 'Red'. When out with unfamiliar people, organizers, or active protests - He's most often in balaclavas and ski-masks

Mariah doesn't wear boots - only trainers, but she still ties blue laces around the shins of her baggy pants every morning, because she feels like she's earned them

Wears her bandana almost constantly, and will wear it even when alone with Hobie - though she takes it off by herself. She has dozens, so it's always easy to grab one.

Very rarely will she take it off to eat or drink. She'll try to eat around it or drink around a straw, which is usually successful. If it isn't, she'll leave the room

She doesn't want people to memorize her face. And it's not that she doesn't trust anyone - which, she doesn't - it's that enough torture could break anyone. And she's not taking the risk.

If she takes off her bandana in front of you (unlikely) and you scan her face, she immediately doesn't trust you. (Why you looking so hard)

She wears her bandana so often around Hobie, that he finds it very easy to tell her emotions, even though Mariah does not emote much in general - besides, Mariah talks A LOT

It took her multiple months before Hobie saw her face, and she only showed him after living on the houseboat for some weeks, after they'd slept together

Raised being called 'MJ' by her father, Mariah highly dislikes it. She'll tell you not to call her it once, and every time after, she'll be a little more pissed

Around Hobie and people he trusts, Red prefers to go by Mariah or M - and uses any pronouns. If you ask Mariah their gender, you'll get an amused smile and bored shrug. What are you, a cop?

Asks people 'What are you, a cop?' or 'You a narc??' quite often. Half the time she's joking. Will also say "Okay, Officer." If you're being pushy and annoying, and laughs if that irritates you (Hobie)

Her laugh is very sharp, and it almost sounds mocking. Even if she isn't

Lots of times people don't trust her, what with the mask. These are the people she likes to take the piss out of most

Mariah experiences a lot of chronic pain, mostly derived from her father, and her 3 & 4th assassination attempts - making protests extremely taxing on her

Though she will hide this at all costs, in front of everyone except Hobie. During times of stress or increased pain, she'll take painkillers in sporadic doses. But being wanted by the state, she can only get her hands on so much.

She doesn't do much but protest and write. She doesn't like music like that, and she doesn't see the appeal. She doesn't draw anymore, though she used to

After years of living in survival mode, she works, plans, chain-smokes, and tries not to get killed while doing it

She doesn't understand Diane's groupie behavior, or Hobie's 'punk' rockstar cover. She thinks it's pointless, and on occasion she'll say this, not realizing how callous that may sound

To her, Hobie is a dork. And she calls him a dork all the time. How someone could see him as cool or rather - 'groovy' - is beyond her.

Has little to no filter - unless it comes to secrets and observations. Either she tells you exactly what she's thinking, or you get nothing at all.

Often has to be told when it's too much, and on occasion, during political planning, she has told Hobie he talks 'too nice'.

Though she does envy Diane, and her ability to just dance. Mariah has no form of escapism - her writing will always be a harsh reflection of reality. And she admires Diane's ability to live in spite of that, without the anger her and Hobie often go through.

The only escape Mariah has is reading, and puzzles. Mainly rubix cubes and things like that.

She loves fiction and fantasy. But her love of books doesn't stop there, and Red's radio show isn't all screaming.

Mariah is extremely versed in political and anarchist literature, being able to memorizes passages from manifestos and books easily, as well as speeches or direct pieces of confidential files she reads

Mainly leads riots - using anti-tear gas safety, road-blocking, and anarchist warfare like molotov cocktails & destruction of surveillance

Whereas a lot of Hobie's protests preach Love & Kindness among the community, Red's radio show and organized riots are backed by rage - telling the people to end the oppression by direct action, at any cost

Red wants revenge and a future, and if that means burning it all down and rebuilding from ashes and graves, then that's what he'll do. Happily.

She has killed in front of Hobie before, and he was not very happy about it (to say the least)

Sleeps in Hobie's bed a lot of nights - mainly because of the nightmares. She doesn't like doing this, and wish it didn't happen, but it is what it is. What helps helps, and she trusts Hobie more than anyone

Unlike how he is with Diane, Hobie is extremely protective of Mariah and worries about Red constantly - to the point that he's hypervigilant

Still has the badge she took off her father at 16. Her most prized possession

________________________________

ART STYLE: [We're almost done I PROMISE]

Less animated and expressive than Hobie - Mariah does not change colors the way he does. Most of the time she is black, white, grey, or the color of aging parchment, detailed with handwriting and lined paper.

Mariah can only turn Red, when enraged or at protest, and Blue, for injured, scared, or upset. As she gets angrier, the handwriting across her becomes more and more erratic and illegible.

INSPO:

Mariah is about being authentic without performance.

She's a punk, even though she 'doesn't look it'. She gets told that a lot. She's black, even though she 'doesn't look it'. Disabled, though she 'doesn't look it'. She's bi, but she 'doesn't look it' either.

Mariah isn't quiet, and she never hides the truth. But because people can't see her face, they act like they can never get a read on her - even though she's brutally honest.

I wanted her to defy the idea of what a punk is. She's not the girl who goes to Hobie's shows and kisses him backstage. That's Diane.

Mariah is the one that follows him into battle and debates him for hours. Even if she doesn't like his music. She still believes in anarchy, and fighting, and freedom.

She's still punk, and despite the anti-blackness of her father, she's still black.

Mariah is the opposite of Diane, although that wasn't really on purpose.

A lot of the time in the comics, MJ and Peter's relationship is about them being on the same side, and facing the world together - MJ always a encouraging force for Peter. And I wanted to boil that down as much as I could. So often that encouraging force is through romance and romantic affection - but unlike MJ and Peter, Hobie and Mariah have everything but that aspect. Both their attraction to each other and their mutal emotional support of each other are divorced from romance - instead being based in respect and care. Hobie wants to protect Mariah, and Mariah wants Hobie to fight at her side. Mariah is the reflection of Diane. She represents his political side, while Diane represents more of his musical side. She represents his enraged determination, while Diane is his radical kindness. Diane and Hobie aren't open about being 'together', but the romance between them is clear. Meanwhile Hobie and Mariah are open about sleeping with each other - and the lack of romance is just as clear. And my favorite part is their reflection of morals. To Diane suffering for the system, and for the Society, is a worthy cause. A necessary sacrifice. Diane is community oriented above all else, something she gained by her communist upbringing. Meanwhile, Mariah couldn't disagree more. No community liberated her. Instead, she liberated herself - not by sitting outside a courthouse - but by direct action - and killing her father when she got the chance. If life was a garden, Diane tries to plant flowers. Mariah is more interested in pulling up weeds. Maybe Diane is naive. Or maybe Mariah is cynical. Or maybe they both know exactly what they're doing. Either way Hobie cares for both of them beyond words. And in return, they love giving him headaches.

If you read this far - THANK YOU SOOO MUCH. Mariah took a while to come to me, but now that she's here she's as hardheaded and smug as can be (affectionately)

Her and Hobie are basically bros that fuck sometimes and their 'kisses' are actually just passionate looks of rage when they lock eyes during a riot lol

And because you made it this far: Here's a rare unmasked Mariah!

As per usual, take this Hobie photo, absorb it, cherish it, and use it in times of weakness for it will give you strength

Bye.

#*muffled sounds of Mariah ranting in the next room* #cause she never shuts up #sometimes hobie is just like 'shut up man!!! (affectionate)' and she starts calling him hobart #SO HAPPY TO FINALLY WRITE HER OUT A BIT #diane is the golden retriever #mariah is the grumpy ginger cat #hobie brown #hobie brown x oc #hobie brown x mj #spiderpunk #spider punk #spidersona #spidersonas #mary jane watson #atsv #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #no proofread as usu #hobie x oc #hobie x mj #hobie & mariah #discospider #disco spider

[bethanydelleman]

What do you love most about Jane Austen's writing?

I actually really like how little description she uses though I know some people dislike that. I am not a visual reader, there are usually not pictures in my brain just a voice, so I tend to skip gratuitous description (looking at you Robert Jordan, still have not finished Wheel of Time). So I love that Jane Austen's writing tends to be heavy on dialogue and plot and low on description.

I love how she writes in third person but also kind of traps you in one character's perspective. Especially in Emma, it can be difficult to see the story actually happening without Emma's biases. But the books are also written so well that on a second or third read you can really start to understand the perspectives of the other characters and what they are doing.

She is also able to set the stories in a living world, which some authors fail to do. Maybe the best example of this is when Kitty says she forgets Darcy's name. And you realize that Kitty has not seen Darcy in 8 months and she hardly talked to him even then, so of course she would forget his name. It reminds you that a whole world is happening outside of Elizabeth and Darcy. And somehow she gives this impression of a whole neighbourhood and country existing around you without really getting into it.

And everyone says this but it doesn't make it less true, you discover something new every time you read. Like this little gem on my recent read of P&P, never noticed it before.

Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character. Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied.

I never noticed before that part about Darcy liking Bingley's personality without appearing to dislike his own. Hilarious!

#I can visualize in my head I just don't when I read except sometimes randomly #question response #jane austen #writing style #things I love

[pastafossa]

hey pasta! I don’t know if someone has asked this already but is TRT gonna go into Born Again or end at season 3?

So that's where I'm not sure! The current outline is as such:

All Major Arcs (including Cyrus James/Project Beagle fallout arc and psychic abilities arcs): scheduled to wrap up a bit after the end of S3 so that Matt and Jane's arcs/development neatly dovetail together. This will mark the official end of TRT's main fic.

Special Additional Arcs (chaptered fics not attached to main fic but still TRT canon, taking place after end of main fic) in no particular order: Endgame/The Snap arc, Spider-Man: NWH arc, Spoiler Removed arc, tentative She Hulk Shenanigans arc.

Oneshot Arcs: various domestic fluff arcs, interactions with major MCU events, a 'What Their Life Is Like When Old Cause GD It They're Going To Live To Old Age And Will Have Rocking Chairs' arc, a SINGLE take it or leave it 'What If?' fic of something funny with a possible daughter cause damn I had this idea for a hilarious scene and it won't leave me alone

Now, those are what are planned in the outline, and the main event with Project Beagle tie-ins and plotlines and all of that is something I'm still planning to end just after S3 because I really do want to have a finish line for that, and I feel like dragging that all out for Born Again wouldn't work for the... events that are going to happen, without saying too much. Once that's wrapped up, that's when you're going to see TRT finally marked as 'complete' on AO3, though there'll be more fics set in that universe (see special additional arcs and oneshot arcs) that I'll mark as in the Devil and Hound series along with drabbles on tumblr.

Once we're past that official endpoint and those special arcs, though, things get fluid and murky since when I was outlining all the major plotlines, there was no Daredevil: Born Again, nor was Matt even in the MCU officially (which is why Spider-Man pops in way sooner in TRT than he meets Matt in the MCU) and I specifically set up Jane's plotline to bookend with Matt's so their growth twined together and they both finally found peace around the same time. Outside that, I'd planned some shorter chaptered stories in the series post-mainline TRT like the Snap arc that I may now adjust (since it sure is looking like Matt was left behind for the snap) but nothing on the level of TRT's main plotline which is absolutely massive and took me years to fully outline and construct before coming back from hiatus in 2021 and pumping out chapters (Happy six year anniversary to TRT on Sept 15!).

ALL THAT BEING SAID.

I do have plans to write stuff for TRT's take on Born Again because I'm 100% married to writing for Matt at this point and there's no possible way I won't want to do something once I'm being fed Charlie!Matt scenes again. I'm not sure what those plans are just yet - I kinda wanna wait and see what happens in Born Again in case it sparks something. But I also want to make sure that no matter what I do, there's some sort of strong original plotline so that, much like mainline TRT, we'll be able to weave in and out of canonical events (especially since things like the Snap or a wedding or Jane and Matt's friendship with Peter will alter canon). I don't think I'm going to do something quite as huge as TRT's main plotline again, mostly because it takes a TON of time and work, and I'm planning to take the original TRT elements and morph them into an original series fit for publishing (different enough that I can leave TRT up for everyone to read, cause at this point the fic's part of DD fandom culture and I have no plans to take that away) which will also take a ton of time. But I'm definitely rattling my brain around, looking at different plotlines I could do knowing what I know about the ending, hunting for loose ends or canonical threads that I can weave in with TRT's world and create something new!

Then again, I never would have said I'd make something as massive as TRT before I started, either, so who knows.

So in short: YES, there will be TRT events for Born Again even if it's not as elaborate as TRT! I just have no idea what those will be yet. Fortunately, TRT mainline's only a little over halfway done so I've got time to plan!

#the red thread #daredevil: born again #if authors and characters are sometimes like marriages then me and matt and jane have rings #all of the mainline stuff i had was basically planned to wrap up just after season 3 and that's still going to happen #with additional but much shorter chaptered fics planned to explore MCU events through a TRT lens #as well as some domestic fluff stuff and exploring what their relationship looks like as the MCU moves forward #so I was always planning to do *something* in a way #but honestly i didn't expect for there to be a born again #and certainly not as much stuff with matt as is happening #so i didn't really have anything SUPER huge planned unless a movie did something big that sparked an idea (think the snap) #and now i'm like OH MY GOD THE SHOWS THERE WILL BE SO MUCH #and i have a feeling i'll have a lot to work with that might stir some creativity! #it just probably won't be as elaborate as TRT cause gd i love it but it's a ton of work #and i want to get a variation of it published which will also be work since i need to change a mountain of details #but yes i do plan to write stuff for born again set in the TRT universe! just need to see what gets sparked unless i bump into something #that inspires a plotline #a bit like i did with the idea of red threads

[purpleshadow-star]

Willel cosplay twins where Will designs the cosplays and El makes them. They're both crafty but in different ways, so they'd be able to make the best cosplays. Will would do any intricate makeup necessary, and he's not as good at it as painting, but over time, he gets really good at it. And they'd definitely force the rest of the party to cosplay with them. Jonathan is their photographer for awesome shots in the woods.

#tbh this could be canonverse or a modern au #but #its canon to me #will byers #el hopper #byler #willel #willel siblings #willel supremacy #wonder twins #jane hopper #byers hopper family #hopper byers family #if it's mondern au theyd make an awesome cosplay webseries for some fandom and mike would write all the episodes #theyd gain a cult-like following and theyd become legends in the cosplay community #sometimes jonathan or nancy will agree to be some one-off side character and erica has a side character role that appears semi-regularly #their cosplay group name would literally be 'the party' or smth bc they didnt bother coming up with smth creative #bc they didnt think theyd get so popular #anyway we stan creative willel

[folkorae]

I have been quiet here but i have been slowly writing in my drafts too! Please bear with me as i fight this cold haushauaha

#❧ ⸻ jane speaks . #sometimes i have mini writing inspiration through the day #and then i come here to write!! #replies are pilling up again #but i am trying to focus on answering asks #also please have in mind that #i write what i have the highest muse first!! #so the replies that i have the lowest muse might take a while to get answered

[rexscanonwife]

Yanno? I think I will participate in f/ovember! 😁

Participating f/os for now will be Captain Rex (romantic 💙), Anakin Skywalker (platonic 🔥), and what the heck Kepler Quinn (familial 🪐) but I may add more later in the month! Event hosted and created by my amazing partner @cherry-bomb-ships who you should follow if you're not already!! 🥺💘💘

#jane journals #self insert talk #shfjgjg i probably won't answer EVERY question #i might try to answer the ones i do with drawings once in a while tho!! #i feel kinda silly doing stuff like this and sometimes worry about my ability to write them #but then i remember i write from Rex's perspective in fanfic quite a bit so im probably better than i think! #anakin is my bestie and i know him #and kepler is literally my and my bff's brainchild we know him better than anyone!! #so send any questions you have and ill probably get answering tomorrow and sending a bunch to my fwiends and moots too :3 #and everyone say thank you ruby for creating the event or else!!!! 👊💥💥 #f/ovember

[copadjacent]

What if I moved Grace from her blog to this blog as a guest/per request muse. What then.

#that would be kind of messy but. she doesnt get a lot of traction anyway and sometimes i just wanna write grace. #what if... what if i wrote ALL of the cbi fam but all but jane were per request #out of tea [ooc];

[skloomdumpster]

"you were going to walk out my life forever, so you wrote me a fucking letter" "that's because I knew if I told you in person you'd try to-" "What? Try to stop you? Yes I would, Bloom- Do you even know what's beyond that?" "I don't know" "Do you even know where it leads?" "I don't know" "Do you know if it's dangerous?" "No."

"But it has to be closed from the inside and I'm the only one who can do it-" "-I don't think you want to try and find I different way. I think you want a way out, I think you wanted a way out for a long time now"

+ the suicide letters for each loved one

"She's gone" while the girls cry and hug each other

If you read that ending as anything other than death, I have no idea of what to tell you

#like... the parallels with pretty much every other suicide media and YET people dont see? #sometimes i do feel like i'm going crazy like i can point 30 different movies and shows where this is very much a suicide #but bc of 'the writers intended to bring her back!!' this is simply not taken in consideration #intent is entirely dependent on fruition my man #it doesnt matter if they intended to bring her back and have her have a full life bc IT DOESNT HAPPEN #road to hell is paved with good intentions #anyway like remember when netflix made a mocking post of skloom next to a bunch of other ships and chris hemsworth going #this love... does it last? #remember how pretty much every love interest in that post DIES #one of them is literally jane/thor in love and thunder #the other is max/lucas in stranger things #remember how in stranger things max writes letters to the people she loves bc she thinks she'll die #and remember how at the ending she's pretty much dead? #remember when the directors came forward to say how the script originally had her dead #anyway i'm sure this is just me reading too much into it (HEAVY SARCASM) #i'm normal about bloom

[johnnystorms]

avengers twilight!steve, on regrets, memories and tony stark. written post-avengers twilight #002. stevetony.

Steve has a lot of regrets. Tony—not the real one, the best friend he lost on the day he lost everything, but the one he keeps in his head, his mind’s best attempt at a ghost of the person he misses most—says that’s inevitable, living as long as Steve has.

C’mon, Cap, he says, smiling that way his Tony used to: eyes as bright as the future he was always talking about, everything in him shining. Or maybe that’s just how he looked to Steve, young enough back then to not yet have blinked the stars from his eyes. You live long enough, you run the risk of anything outweighing the good memories. His smile fades, not enough to disappear, but to become something smaller, quieter. Tinged with something requiring care. Do me a favour, handsome. Try not to let that happen to you.

Steve doesn’t like disappointing Tony Stark, not even the one dreamed up inside his head, but he thinks it might be too late on that front.

If someone asked for a list of regrets, he’d have to give that wry, hoarse laugh that makes him sound as old as he feels, and say, Nobody has time to listen to all that. If someone had asked Tony, he’d have a breathtakingly clever quip or an outpouring of guilt, depending on his mood, and who had asked. If it had been Steve, maybe both. Matt would have thought about it, long and hard, and disappeared to a confession booth. Peter – Jessica – Logan – Carol – all of them, he thinks, would have their own laundry list of hauntings, justified or otherwise.

That’s the name of the game, he thinks. You have to take the wins for what they are, but it doesn’t make the losses any lighter to bear. Steve’s posture isn’t what it used to be, even with the Defenders’ replicated super soldier serum in his veins, but his shoulders were shaking under the crushing weight of all his mistakes long before his age caught up to his body.

Janet isn’t here anymore to ask, but he doesn’t know what she’d say. It’s not that he thinks she has no regrets—even outside of the hero business, that’s a tall order for anyone—so much as that’s not how he remembers her. When he thinks of Janet van Dyne, he thinks of her deft fingers readjusting the lapel of the suit she designed and Tony cajoled him into; he thinks of her tinkling laugh almost being swallowed up by Thor’s booming one, the two of them bent double at the disgruntled expression Clint was shooting their way one golden night back when the world knew what heroes were meant to be; and he thinks of her clever, smiling mouth, and the way nobody could ever resist smiling right back. Steve had been no exception.

He misses it so fiercely it burns. Jan’s smile and Thor’s relentless steadiness and even Peter’s terrible jokes as he chased the Human Torch around the city. Carol’s quick fists and Jessica’s quick thinking and Natasha’s quick draw, and the time the three of them had a punch-up contest with the Thing that ended in an exasperated Tony footing the bill to the city and Johnny cackling as Sue dressed down Ben for his part in it. Luke’s laughter as he slung his arm over Danny’s shoulder and Jessica Jones taking photos of the two of them and Logan and Bobbi in the corner, trading tales of Hawkeye’s Greatest Hits: Indecent Exposure edition.

And Tony—always, always Tony. The press of him against Steve’s side, a reassuring line of heat, like, hey, you’re not alone anymore. You’re not cold anymore. You have a team. You have me. His tired eyes and easy smile and razor-sharp wit, even half-dead on his feet. The late nights where Steve coaxed him out of his lab with a hot drink and the promise of conversation, the early mornings where Steve would wear a worried frown and say, you should really sleep more, Tony, and Tony would grin at him and say, and give up these early mornings where you bring me coffee and those big blue eyes of yours? Never, and Steve would sigh, but there would be something fond tugging at the corner of his lips, and Tony would look all pleased with himself, animated in a way no caffeine fix could ever cause, and Steve would want—

Steve swallows.

You’re drifting, baby. It’s Jan’s voice, that classic combination of fond amusement and concern that Clint used to perk up at being addressed with and Tony used to call the van Dyne special, all those years ago. God, Steve misses them all. He aches with wanting. You’re drifting. Bring it back home, Steve. Start with the most important bit. Let’s take it from the top.

There isn’t a team to report to anymore. It is not a new fact, a new thought, but every time, it hits him like a concrete block to the ribs.

There isn’t a team to report to anymore, but Steve Rogers breathes in, and thinks about it anyway. Take it from the top. The most important things.

How the tables turn, Tony says. He’s the only one Steve keeps. All his other ghosts flit in and out of his head, coming and going like the tides, but Tony is the forever haunting. The only one his mind holds onto on a permanent basis. D’you remember, oh, all the way back near the start -- one time you asked me if it got exhausting, thinking so much.

Steve remembers. Steve has never forgotten anything Tony Stark gave him, be it physical or a vow or just the smallest memory that wasn’t intended as a secret but became one in Steve’s desperate hands. The world has taken so much from him, from all of them, ever since H-day. He can’t talk about Tony, because what if the world takes that from him too?

How the tables turn, Tony says again, soft in that way most people didn’t believe Tony Stark could be. Steve knew, though. Steve’s always known. You look exhausted, Steve. Don’t let it be so big. Just -- right now, right at this moment. What’s the call, Cap?

That was what Tony had said that day, Steve remembers. The world was on fire, and about to become a whole lot colder, and they didn’t know that, didn’t know anything about what was to come, just that this was it, this was the moment, this was the do or die, and Tony had stood at his shoulder, the armour a familiar comfort against Steve’s side, and asked, What’s the call, Cap?

An itemised list of all of Steve Rogers’ regrets would take too long, and a ranked list of all time would be impossible to decide upon when Steve has such a long memory and even longer history.

So, in its stead, Steve thinks, he’ll give Tony the right now.

STEVE ROGERS’ TOP THREE REGRETS RIGHT AT THIS VERY MOMENT, 0142HRS, DEC 31 20XX, COUNTING DOWN:

3. Rosa. He’d deserved the slap. He’d deserved a lot of things, really. He’d had good years with Rosa; years of her no-nonsense love, of her careful hands, of the way she looked at him in the quiet of the night with all the warmth their little home could hold, like she still saw something worth believing in him. Maybe she did. He thinks she probably did. His wife was a lot of things, most of them good, but above all else, she was never a liar.

He’s sorry he blew up her life. He’s sorrier about that than the fact he blew up their life together, but that’s always the way it goes with him, isn’t it? There’s nothing he’s felt he had to keep more than the shield. It’s not that they matter less to him—God help him, but it’s not about the love. There’s never been a lack of love—but to his bones, to his core, he’s always been the guy who wants to stand up and help. If the fight needs to be had, he’s going to stand there, fists up, no matter who he is, no matter how old he is. No matter how super he is.

He knew that about himself a long time ago. Maybe if he’d stopped pretending that had changed, Rosa wouldn’t be stuck here now.

2. It’s a little one, in the scheme of things, but it also feels more important than almost anything else at this moment. He wishes he’d touched Matt, that last time they saw each other. Gone are the days where Steve would clasp his friends by the hand, something lost to time and loneliness and gradually brittled bones, but he wishes desperately that he’d clasped his hand to Matt’s shoulder one last time. Just a moment. Just enough for some phantom warmth on his palms, a tangible ghost of Daredevil, not just something dreamed up by his mind in the moments when losing almost everyone he’s ever trusted is insurmountable.

1. He doesn’t know where to begin with this one. H-day. The way it went down. Peter bleeding out in front of him. James Stark growing up without his parents, the best of them both twisted into something Steve can’t look at directly without feeling hopeless, helpless. Clint’s arrow snapped in half, a crater where the Thing should be. His last sight of Reed Richards, stretching further than he’d ever seen before as he reached out desperately towards his wife. Tony’s voice in his ear: what’s the call, Cap?

And that’s what it comes down to, isn’t it? His biggest regret. This one, he suspects wouldn’t change even if it was an all-time list. Tony Stark, the vibrant, blaring truth of him. Something Steve misses so desperately that when the world forced him to live without him, he made up a version of him to keep in his head forever.

It’s more similar to #2 than he thought. He has so many regrets, and so many of them are about Tony Stark—about that day, about missing people, about loving people and losing them because of the fight, whether they were lost in the fight or he left them behind to join it—but more than anything, he thinks he misses the feeling of Tony’s hand in his, pulling him in close, arm going around Steve’s shoulder to draw him into a hug.

I’m not half as good at anything as I am when I’m doing it next to you, Tony says, years ago, so far away from this moment that it might as well have been another world, and Steve, old and jaded and lonely and tired and missing the person he loves best so fiercely it aches in his lungs, thinks, You and me both, Tony. You and me both.

You and me. You and me. You and me.

-

(When the dossier falls open in front of him, with a blueprint of a tank and photos of him—photos of Tony, and even Tony in pieces makes Steve ache with something he thought had long been buried—spill out, let’s get it from the world’s smartest man, Tony Stark echoing in his ears—

Steve, for a moment, wants to throw up.

Then his jaw sets.

All right, Tony, he thinks. He doesn’t know if he’s addressing the ghost in his head, or the one in the tank, or some nebulous third thing, a Hail Mary thrown to the universe, some last passage of faith he thought he’d forgotten. What’s the call? You and me. That’s the call. I’m getting you out of there.

I’m bringing you home.)

#stevetony #steve rogers #tony stark #avengers twilight #stony fic #read av twilight 2. talked to 616 s/t server abt it. wrote this on and off at work that day bc i keep thinking abt steve in it lol #can't wait for this to all be jossed in issue 3 LMAO #jane writes sometimes #you gave me a home #apparently this is 1.9k which is probably excessive for a tumblr ficlet but in my defence this was just meant to be the list

[billdenbrough]

BLOOD EVERYWHERE

aftg · aaron minyard centric · 10.5k, t on trauma, mirrors, and memories

Before Nicky can do more than open his mouth, Andrew says, “I’m abstaining from violence.” Nicky closes his mouth and looks at him. Andrew smiles, almost as guileless as when he’d been on his meds, and spreads his hands. “Joan of Exy’s convinced me.” Aaron snorts. That seems to wake Kevin up, and gets him back on track. “Andrew’s not involved,” he tells Nicky impatiently. “Between Aaron and Neil.” “Why are Aaron and Neil fighting?” Nicky wants to know. “They’re not,” Kevin says at the same time that Neil says, “He’s jealous of my superior relationship,” and Aaron says, “Have you met him?”

read on ao3

#aftg #aaron minyard #aftg fic #neil josten #kevin day #andrew minyard #nicky hemmick #renee walker #this fic is about a lot of things and also nothing lol. mostly it's aaron thinking about his starring moment in trk #copious amounts of aaron thinking about all the other monsters bc i know what i'm about #this also means it comes with all the general TWs expected for discussions of aaron's life and That Scene in trk #[clenches fist] i love aaron minyard i love the twins and their relationship i love the monsters i love the FOXES #anyway this is from february i just had a bad sitch yesterday and am expelling the energy by finally posting things here lmao #this fic is like. monsters hanging out debating something silly and also aaron has trauma and runaway thoughts #u know. [tumblr vc] justgirlythings #all for the game #jane writes sometimes #jane fic links #aaron spends like 1k just thinking about andreil's relationship lmao that's so embarrassing. loser

[loadsofcats]

Have a feeling that, if more of you read Riders of the purple sage by Zane Grey, you’d be going mad over Lassiter

#the puns with his surname would be insufferable it sometimes sneaks up on me #i love him very dearly #both him and jane #Jane for being exactly who she is; stubborn kind welcoming and seemingly dumb but actually quite clever #she has a ranch all to herself #and for lassiter…… his name is Jim. I was not expecting that #secondly he’s from texas and now i had to figure out how texans speak. #this one also sneaks up on me because i did not earlier have a) a realisation that texan accent Does Exist so i remembered that’s a thing #too and b) i did not ususally connect texan accent with cool people (sorry but i only ever heard it once in a blue moon from tv) #anyway I love him very much because in the first chapters he comes all like “Yes. The Black cowboy it is me. I am very dangerous. #Jane I will protect you and your friend.” and then he does and #Jane later invites him for dinner and the man just… dissolves into a puddle with heart eyes on it like “oh i… really miss #it is a-a-alright; you don’t have to invite me for dinner [insert that emotional crying cat] Lassiter can survive just fine” #He’s twirling his hat all that time in his hands like a nervous teenager #I mean he comes there all strong and brooding and whenever Jane speaks he just. Melts. Babygirl really #he goes to retrieve Jane’s cattle he loses his horse in the process!!! #and he still stays! Even when Jane tries so hard to deter him from killing who he came to kill hes like “oh well. Guess I’ll stay here unti #you… change your mind” and Jane’s like “I will not change my mind”. And he goes #“Oh well ill stay anyway you need help managing a farm on your own” and he just stays to “help” #i could write paragraphs about Jane as well but this is a Lassiter appreciation post <3 #book #books #it talks #tag edition #riders of the purple sage #zane grey

[hungryyheartarchive]

some of his material is Highly questionable and i know he looks like he belongs in whoville but i would love to write half as well as stephen king writes when he's writing really fucking badly.

#ooc. #started if it bleeds the other night and i gotta ration my reading time. it's so HARD though #his prose is so simple and easy to read and these are things i sometimes still feel self-conscious of in my own writing #need to start reminding myself how hooked i am on his stuff lmao like it's possible to be a Plain Jane and still knock it out the park

[fictionadventurer]

Thinking about my Powers and Prejudice universe has brought up one of the most horrifying concepts I've ever imagined: telepathic Mrs. Norris

She knows what you're thinking and feeling, and she will know just what to say or do to you to make sure that you're thinking or feeling the way she believes you should. (This is just normal emotional manipulation, not mind control, but telepathy gives her a huge advantage).

She's a high-ranking instructor at the Mansfield Institute for Young Superhumans in the city of Highbury, highly respected by the principal, who believes she has the best interests of the students at heart. She massively plays favorites and makes sure to put down any student she views as a threat to her. When telepathic Fanny Price attends the school, Mrs. Norris makes sure, from Day 1, to train her to understand that her powers are worthless and/or dangerous, and that she's lucky to be at Mansfield at all, and she'd better not do anything out of line or Mrs. Norris will know and see her expelled. Whatever it takes to keep the girl beaten down so there's never a chance she'll surpass Mrs. Norris' ability.

Long story short, Fanny Price is even more of a wreck in this universe (or more resilient for hanging onto her self-worth amid all this).

#powers and prejudice #mansfield park #jane austen #superheroes #i don't plan on writing any more of this #but this universe is too developed not to talk about it sometimes

[pastafossa]

Do you see Jane as yourself or a separate person because when I read x reader fics I feel like I always make up characters that I think would fit more but idk

Me personally, I see Jane as a different person, just one with a few attributes I share! And that's kind of on purpose. I've essentially tried to make her a mixture of all of us, of the fandom, of the love we—me included—have for Matt and that world. That's why she's never physically described, why her original family is kind of murky and lost. She's both herself—her own character with a shaped personality and flaws and strengths—but also all of the readers, including me, and she looks like what each of us wants or needs to see, comes from where we need her to come from. Which is how I think of a lot of great Reader characters when I'm reading, or characters I style after me in RPGs! They're me but they're me in another world with another life story, which makes them different in their own way, in the way any alternate universe version of yourself might be different.

Because of Plot Reasons (TM), you can never really make a reader fully everyone, it's true. There are always choices the plot requires a Reader to make, which is one reason I've set Jane up with the backstory she has, and why we're exploring questions of identity through her that I want readers to consider - wouldn't we be the same as her, make a lot of the same decisions, feel the same loneliness and wariness and trauma, if we'd all gone through what she has? And if you spend all your time being someone else, how long until you start changing? How much of you is created and how much of you is born? How much of you would change if you went through what she did? And what if you did go through what she did? This could be you, what if? In that way, she's potentially (since some see her as entirely separate, which is fine!) a sort of a variant of us, an AU, a what-if, in which our lives and selves were morphed by circumstances beyond our control. This is how I see the CYOA books I read as a kid, and there was a great article I read a few months ago that sums up the You in CYOA, Reader fics, RPGs, and TRT pretty well (it's the highlighted bits I found most accurate, the part about not having 'relatability' I think was a misunderstanding of what You POV/Reader/the best CYOA books were about if done right since it CAN be relatable, though the rest of it after that still feels accurate).

So I don't think your stance is unusual at all! I've got a whole range of readers—some who see Jane (and other reader characters) as fully them, some who see her as wholly separate, and some who land somewhere in the middle. All of those for x Reader are valid, and I work REALLY hard to keep her as relatable as possible for that reason, so that even if someone does see her as someone else, you can still understand and appreciate her choices when the plot forces her hand. But that's the thing: where you stand on whether a Reader character is you or someone else or even a pre-established canon character is fluid. Everyone sees them differently, pulls on that costume, slides into that skin in their own way. And I think that's really awesome tbh, since it means we get a million different flavors of a character who's still essentially the same.

#reader fic #reader #discussion of reader fic #the red thread #me personally i see jane as separate BUT #a lot of that is because i'm the author #i *have* to keep her separate for something like TRT so that i can have her grow and do the things she needs to #while still being someone that people can see themselves in #(although there's absolutely a place for indulgent reader fics that are just you let's be clear) #but for me when my friend challenged me to try writing 2nd pov/reader fic i never really had an issue getting it #because i grew up on RPGs and CYOA books and You You Yous all over #I was inherently familiar with the idea. I just didn't know you could do fanfic with it! #but yes long story short I see Jane as another person and kind of an amalgamation of the love for Matt we all have #she is US 100% #but because of circumstance she's also another person that was shaped by the shitty things that happened in her life #and now she's being reshaped again not by trauma but by the love of Matt and their friends and Ciro and the Kitchen #sometimes when I'm reading other reader fic I see me and that's always neat though!