and then they dream of love…

Logic: Characters, just like real people, are mallable. There is typically very little that's so truly, heinously out of character that you absolutely cannot make it work under any circumstance. In addition, most fans are also willing to accept characterization stretches if it makes the fic work. Yeah, we all know the villain and the hero wouldn't cuddle for warmth in canon. But if they did do that, how would they do it?

What counts is often not so much 'would the character do this?' and more 'if the character did do this, how would they do it?' If you get 'how' part right, your readers will probably be willing to buy the rest, because it will still feel like their favourite character. But if it doesn't feel like the character anymore, why are they even reading the fic?

But it was along the lines of "instead of asking whether something is out of character, ask 'what would it take for this character to do this'"

for the week of June 21

As a ramp-up to the last Fic Rec Friday, @a-noble-dragon put together a week of celebration—five days of self-recommendations:

Beginning Sunday, there will be 6 daily themes. Creators your job will be to select as many themes as you desire then recommend your own applicable works. The more recs the merrier. Everyone is invited to join in. Each day there will be a new set of themes (selected from the previous 51).

I love you folks, but I didn't make a master list of everyone's works. Best I can do is this list of links to all your lists of links:

Day 1 Sunday:

Light & Fluffy, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Disability Representation, Period Pieces, Around the World

a-noble-dragon characterassassination-at-9am elleelleg hippolotamus jamilas-pen mallpretzles mammameesh queenmabcreates stargazer56 stereopticons trickiwooao3 tyfinn

Day 2 Monday:

Holidays, Rare Pairs, Night at Stevie's, Tropes, 5+1s, Media

a-noble-dragon characterassassination-at-9am elleelleg jamilas-pen mallpretzles mammameesh queenmabcreates smallumbrella369 stargazer56 stereopticons trickiwooao3 tyfinn

Day 3 Tuesday:

Sports, Angst, Missing Scenes, Hobbies, Meet Cute/Ugly, Family

a-noble-dragon characterassassination-at-9am elleelleg mallpretzles mammameesh queenmabcreates stargazer56 stereopticons trickiwooao3 tyfinn

Day 4 Wednesday:

Songfic, Magic, Fake Relationships, Weddings, Fix-Its, Ladies of SC

a-noble-dragon characterassassination-at-9am elleelleg queenmabcreates stargazer56 stereopticons trickiwooao3 tyfinn

Day 5 Thursday:

Occupations, Whump & Sickfic, Nature, Food, Fashion, Self-Care

a-noble-dragon characterassassination-at-9am elleelleg ifyouvegotmybackillgoon queenmabcreates stargazer56 stereopticons trickiwooao3 tyfinn

What a good turnout we had! We have so many talented, prolific, and versatile writers in our fandom.

Our final Fic Rec Friday's prompt was "happy endings," and the round-up is here.

Thank you for participating, everyone! Please let me know if you see a mistake.

Tagging the participants beneath the cut:

week 50: for June 12

Wish I Were There: Fics to Live In

For our semicentennial fic rec celebration, @jamilas-pen asked us to think about fiction's

ability to transport us to another time, place or even world. But which fics make you really wish you'd been isekai'd right into that universe, to live and breathe the story? Maybe there's a setting that the author describes so evocatively you wish you could see it in person. Perhaps you've got fomo for a fictional event. Or you wish you were there to give a character a much-needed hug or stop them doing something particularly angst-inducing. Whatever the reason, please share fics you wish you could dive into for real!

We found this a lovely, thoughtful exercise and have a solid list:

a championship game with an out, proud superstar athlete: I'd Swing With You for the Fences by @nontoxic-writes

a glamorous beachfront hotel: Paint on the Colours by @obsessedwithdavrick

a luxurious honeymoon in Iceland: nothing even compares... by @startswithhope

a magical Schitt's Creek with living sex tattoos and enchanted cupcakes: the Everyday Magic series by houdini74 / @mostlyinthemorning, in particular Dancing Beneath Your Skin and I Put A Spell On You

a peaceful lake house with an immaculate autumn atmosphere: let me fall for you... by @startswithhope (see also its podfic by @hullomoon)

a quiet, content moment between new fiancés: through a lens of soft focus by roseapothecarys / @gaylicense

a scenic trail in the Canadian Rockies in 1905: No Mountain High, No Valley Low by houdini74 / @mostlyinthemorning

a winter weekend escape to a cabin perfect for connecting: since we've got no place to go by railmedaddy / @rmd-writes

an artisanal market shopping experience: My Heart is like Paper (yours is like a flame) by @smallumbrella369

an epic musical production of Shakespeare on Broadway: the favored nations series by @blueink3 (start here with favored nations)

Next time I need to get out of my own head, I'm heading here. Join me?

I stole a lot of wording from recommenders' posts, so I am asking for forgiveness, and I hope the words I added accurately represent your intentions. Let me know if I need to make changes!

week 49: for June 5

Always Sunny in Schitt's Creek: Fics with Weather

For Week 49, I asked for recs meteorological in nature:

Do you know of any good fics where the weather plays a part? Maybe there’s one about characters dealing with a rainy wedding day? Maybe a snowstorm has our favorite couple or not-a-couple-yet trapped in a situation? Maybe someone’s on a beach enjoying the sunshine? Maybe there’s a heatwave or a cold snap derailing plans?

I was going to separate these by types of weather, but then I got sidetracked wondering about various kinds of storms and whether they needed differentiating—so, for the sake of efficiency, nevermind. I think most of them are clear anyway if you're looking for a certain mood.

All Summer Long by @simplymarleycat

and then one day, everything changed by railmedaddy / @rmd-writes

April Showers by AWorldOfDreams / @a-noble-dragon and its podfic by @hullomoon

Awake in the Night by @cypress-tree

Breakdown by @codswalloping and its podfic by @godoflaundrybaskets

caught in the slightest wind by foxtails / @ratchet

Cloudy with a Chance by @agoodpersonrose

Come Back To Bed by @characterassassination-at-9am

come rain or come shine by hudders-and-hiddles / @wild-aloof-rebel

come to sparkle the dark up by @simplymarleycat

Double-Booked by @themelancholyvegetable

Everywhere You Go, Always Take the Weather With You by AWorldOfDreams / @a-noble-dragon

Fire and Snow by iola17 / @beaiola

Frozen Fingers and its sequel Season's Change by @kindofspecificstore

the grey ceiling on the earth by @queenmabcreates

Hold Me Like You'll Never Let Me Go by @mooodlighting

Journées du Chat Noir by @jamilas-pen

Just to Hold the Hands I Love by @designatedgrape

keep you out of the rain by doingthemost / @sarahlevys

The Lighthouse by @68henley

A Little Rain Must Fall by houdini74 / @mostlyinthemorning

peaceful quiet... by @startswithhope

Raindrops Have Brought Us Together by AWorldOfDreams / @a-noble-dragon

snow is smiling by @banesapothecary

Snow Truckin' by @rosedavid

Suited Up by coffee_and_glitter / @fictasticvoyage

Too Hot for Clothes by @frizzlenox

Total Power Failure by @meadowharvest4856

Weathering the Storm by iola17 / @beaiola

Whew, thank you!

I hope that everyone who is too hot is doing the best they can. Perhaps you would like to reread some snow fics after you finish the above list?

If you are still interested in giving some fic recs, I am still collecting for wish you were there, Father's Day, and happy endings. It is noon on Sunday my time and I'm aiming for a round-up a day, just to give you an idea as to whether it's too late. It helps a great deal if you tag me.

Fic Rec Friday's Week of Celebrations and Self-Recs

Day 5

Thanks to @a-noble-dragon for organizing this! It's been such a pleasure to read these posts. Whump

Fallout at the Fantasy (30K). I had so much fun with this one. The tags tell the story: Different First Meeting, 13 percent gratuitous angst--yes I calculated, extravagant flirting, temporary suspension of the laws of physics, Resort Vacation/gay retreat, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, double happy ending, chimerical narrators.

Nature

From the Sunny Day I Met You (56.4K). My firstborn fic, and my most outdoorsy one by far: seven beaches, boogie boarding, a hike (guess who?), so many sunsets. The photos above are from my many visits to Del Mar, my happiest place.

Day 4

Song Fic: Would not have had Taylor Swift as my one and only Song Fic on my FRF BINGO Card, but here we are:

Lover [E, 1780] Patrick has a certain song stuck in his head

Wedding Bells: Sneaking in an engagement fic here (rather than just adding another missing scene) and some post-wedding fluffiness

Always Been for You [G, 2363] Clint and Marcy Brewer present Patrick and David with a wedding gift that was originally intended for their son and his first fiancé.

Post-Wedding Moments [T, 3130] A collection of little moments that take place in the days following David and Patrick’s wedding

Fix-It: Maybe not a traditional fix-it, but I appreciated being able to give Patrick some control over the Rachel situation and letting his internal/emotional struggles come through a bit more than is seen in the show

Another Successful Girl-Talk [T, 7520] The Barbecue AU: Stevie and Alexis figure out Rachel is referring to Patrick during their girl talk session in the lobby and warn him she’s in Schitt’s Creek.

Ladies of SC: Everyone knows I'm a proud member of the Marcy Brewer Fan Club, so here's a sweet little fic about our favorite mom loving and supporting her two sons💙🩵🖤

Made Special for Us [G, 1125] Marcy and her sister spend the day at their local farmer’s market where she finds something to represent her boys

💚🤍💙💜 🏳️‍🌈 🩷💛💙

Happy Wednesday everyone

Thanks for the tag @a-noble-dragon and @queenmabcreates

This is a bit of a stretch, but it's as close as I could get with today's themes.