Rags to Rosie

part one

- - - - -

They say that the devil is in the details.

Things can change with an instant’s notice - there one second, gone the next.

They say that to lay with the devil is to sell your soul.

A fitting end.

- - -

The lower floor of the tavern is largely darkened when Geralt descends the stairs, only the fireplace lit. It’s bewildering at first - after all, it isn’t terribly early in the morning. The dull light of the tavern, combined with the stormclouds and rain outside, lend a gloomy atmosphere to everything, one that has unease twisting low in Geralt’s stomach.

“Out of luck if you’re looking to head out,” comes a gruff voice, and Geralt looks to the bar, only partially surprised to see Nivellen there, wiping it clean.

Funny thing, cleaning something that hasn’t been used.

“Come again?” Geralt asks as he crosses the room, settling onto a barstool and watching the damp rag move across the smooth wooden counter with passive interest.

Nivellen hooks a thumb at the windows, but doesn’t look away from his task. “Storm washed out all the roads for miles around. Doesn’t look as though it’ll clear up any time soon, neither. Your horse would get bogged down, sure as anything.”

Geralt heaves a sigh, frustrated by the confirmation, though not exactly surprised. “It came on fast,” he remarks, gaze straying to the window nearest him. He could barely see the trees for the pouring rain, falling from the clouds in thick curtains that turned the world a murky gray and black. “Won’t bother you if I wait it out here, will it?”

Nivellen merely shrugs, saying in a tone that, while not unkind, is nonetheless indifferent, “Long as you’ve got the money, you can stay for a week, for all I care. Breakfast served half-past nine, lunch at one, dinner at eight. Gonna cost you.”

Of course it will.

(This fic takes place on the same night as Sirius and Remus sleeping together in Remus’s hotel room after the Lions’ loss to the Rangers, and a couple weeks after my fic Alone in the Storm. Credit as always to @lumosinlove for creating these wonderful characters in her fics Sweater Weather and Coast-to-Coast.)

Leo pushes the door shut behind him and leans against it, letting his head fall back with a thump.

Their hotel room is nice, mostly cream and white and tastefully modern. Meant to feel warm and inviting, he imagines, but right now it’s just foreign and too cold from the AC. He wishes he could go home and crawl under his own musty duvet. Any other night he might care that this is the first time on the road he’s thought of Finn’s apartment, his apartment, as home.

He’d made it through a late dinner at the hotel bar with Tremzy, Harz, and some of the other guys without having to say much, mostly just picking at his food for something to do. Nado offered to order him a drink so he could stay and hang with them for a while, but the posh wood and brushed steel of their booth felt sharp and cramped, and the way the guys’ eyes turned soft when they looked at him made him want to throw something.

He wanders over to his bed by the window and plunks down on the edge, elbows on his knees and palms pressed to his head.

He’s overreacting. It was just one game. And it’s not like his were the only mistakes; Kasey limping off the ice just a few minutes into the first period shook everyone a little.

He inhales long and slow through his nose. It was just one game. Sirius had pulled him aside in the locker room after to tell him as much, though Leo barely heard him, like listening through an echo.

Just one game. Plenty of season left.

His first game.

He clenches his fingers in his hair until he feels a sharp tug in his scalp.

First game out on the ice with the Lions. First game goaltending in the NHL in front of the entire world.

And he blew it.

Except then Aang meets Zuko - probably when Zuko jumps in to save someone, because his sense of justice is too strong to just sit back while someone is hurt, even if he is trying to remain apolitical - and his brain goes “!!!!” Because that’s a good firebender. They do exist. And now Aang knows someone who can teach him firebending without trying to kill him

The Gaang: It’s Zuko!

Zuko, trying to ignore them: Who’s Zuko?

The Gaang: … You are? You look exactly like him.

Zuko, starts sweating: Nope. I’m Lee. Humble tea server.

The Gaang: Then how you get that scar?

Katara: Toph isn’t your town landlocked?

Toph: Yes, your point?

Katara: This tea shop is a giant naval vessel??

Zuko, panicking: THIS VESSEL CAN FLY

Toph: Yes, exactly.

Sokka: …Katara, let it go. Let’s just get our tea and get out of here before Aang finds out that–

Aang, sprinting over to them: ZUKO?

Toph, without missing a beat: No, this is Lee, humble tea server who got his scar in a wild tea accident.

Aang: What? No it’s not, it’s–

Toph: Yes it is. *metalbends it into the air*

This fic was written for @fandomforoz thanks to the amazing donation of @do-and-hope! I hope, ultimately, that it’s a story about healing, patient love, and the slow and worthwhile business of re-connecting to life after shuttering yourself away. It’s also the fic I wrote a 30k pre-emptive fluff apology for, so there’s that.

Rating: E Word Count: ~36.5k Pairing(s): Geraskier Summary: Geralt’s not human. Why should he have to feel like one?

In which Geralt measures his potions in careful doses—and Jaskier is like taking a drink.

Your love made the Librarian melt, so thank you for the recognition of all the work that goes into this! We’ve gone into our system and found a bunch of woflstar fics featuring them as athletes of various sports. Hope you enjoy them, and thanks for visiting the Librarian!

Athletic Wolfstar Fics 

Fic mentioned Sweater Weather by @lumosinlove

Remus works for the Gryffindor Lions as a physical trainer, and has been half in love with Sirius Black, the Lions' heartthrob captain, for a while now, but he never expected Sirius to return the feelings. Read if you like cute nicknames, slow burn, and pining. Yep. That's it.

12 Days of Ficmas - 2018 by @lumosinlove

On the first day of ficmas Hazel gave to you, a hockey player au….

Footballer!Sirius by @lumosinlove

Just a little quick idea I had about footballer!Sirius.

Currents by @quoththethestral

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black arrive in Sydney to compete in the Summer Olympics, both intent on making these games a better experience than the last. The two swimmers have a tumultuous history and intense rivalry, but can America’s golden boy and Great Britain’s notorious bad boy put their past behind them and find some common ground?

Chasing Glory by @yumenouveau

Sirius is finally competing in the Winter Olympics, and though that is normally enough to make any man throw themselves at the skier's feet, Great Britain's beautiful elusive figure skater does not seem impressed. After Remus turns him down, Sirius has to figure out how to win over the man he's had a crush on for four long years.

Finding You by @yumenouveau

Remus finds Sirius in the locker room after a victorious Quidditch match and is only to happy to reward his boyfriend in the best way possible.

Winning by Anythingtoasted

Prompt: Olympics fic for Aeryn, on Tumblr Genre: AU, present day; Sirius is an olympic swimmer, Remus is a gymnast.

Rule of Thirds by @bluepeony

Modern AU: Sirius Black, star of the university's football team, only wants one thing: a teensy-weensy, harmless little kiss.

Bonus Jersey Smut below:

When Remus Learned About Quidditch (and Became a Successful Player) by @remus-john-lupin

Remus comes across Sirius’s old Quidditch jersey, and takes an impromptu lesson while wearing it. This is literally just pure smut.

FINALLY. the final chapter is up!! god, i’m tired. firstly, before i forget, pls forgive my ignorance regarding the passport thing. HAHA. i had no idea that a passport wasn’t necessary when crossing between states. best believe i was shooketh when i found out. i tried to briefly correct it in this chapter. also, once again the French phrases were translated online, so apologies if there are any errors.

i wanna thank everyone who’s provided support one way or another. i love you guys <3<3

special thanks to @lumosinlove for the wonderful story & characters. you are very lovely :))

“DUMO,” Finn yelled as the Dumais’ door slammed open. “God damn, fuck, I’m sorry, oh god—”

“C’est bon, Harz,” Dumo, who had jumped in shock, got up off the couch and made his way over to Finn and Leo, meeting them halfway at the entryway of the living room. 

“I don’t understand,” Leo removed his glasses to rub at his eyes blearily, not bothering with contact lenses at six thirty in the morning. “Pourquoi est-il parti?”

“Je ne sais pas, mais quelque chose a dû lui arriver….”

Finn groaned and shoved Leo lightly. “French, guys.”

“Sorry, mon chéri,” Leo patted Finn’s unruly mop lightly.

Dumo raised an eyebrow at Leo, who yawned, unaware. “Dumo, you’ve got any coffee? I can’t think straight right now.”

Dumo gestured for the two boys to follow him into the kitchen, where he started heating water in the electric kettle. He busied himself with getting three mugs while Finn and Leo plonked themselves at the dining table. 

While Leo was still half asleep, despite dozing on the car ride to the Dumais’, Finn was filled with nervous energy, subconsciously shaking his knee out of habit until Leo softly slapped his thigh under the table to stop him from rocking the table.

None of them said a word, all lost in their own thoughts until Dumo placed the three steaming mugs of coffee on the table, along with creamer and sugar, before sitting down opposite the pair. He took a sip, while Finn and Leo jostled for the creamer and sugar. When they were sufficiently satisfied with their coffees, Finn spoke up again.

“Dumo… You didn’t speak to Logan at all yesterday?” 

“Non, not since before he left the house after training. D’you know where he went?” Dumo gave Finn a significant look, the latter flushing and quickly taking a big gulp of his coffee to avoid meeting the former’s eyes.

After several moments, Finn realised he hadn’t answered. He shrugged in what he hoped looked like a nonchalant way, “We went for lunch, and then he dropped by. He… He left before dinner, so I assumed he, err… I assumed he came back here right away.”

“Ah bon? Celeste and I brought the kids upstairs to bed around ten, and he still hadn’t come back by then.” Dumo frowned into his mug, as though his coffee had the answers to all his problems.

Finn and Leo shared a look, Leo raising his brows meaningfully. He jerked his head ever so slightly in Dumo’s direction, and Finn shook his head sadly, looking down at his hands. 

“And he’s not answering his phone?”

Dumo laughed humourlessly. “Never does, that boy. It’s bad enough on normal days, but I think he’s completely turned his phone off. I can’t get through at all, and his last seen was—”

“Yesterday night. Yeah.” Finn buried his face in his hands.

“Did… Did you try asking the rest of the team? Maybe they’ve seen him,” Leo suggested, running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

“Later, I guess,” Dumo hummed, looking out of the kitchen window. “‘s still a bit early.”

Finn stayed silent, draining the rest of his coffee in one gulp. His knee was shaking again, and Leo didn’t have the heart to stop him this time.

They went down to the basement, greeting a sleepy, bewildered Celeste at the stairs as she made her way to the kitchen. Dumo stayed to exchange terse whispers with her while the other two boys headed down.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/omegaverse-erotica-copyright.html?action=click&algo=bandit-story_desk_filter&block=editors_picks_recirc&fellback=false&imp_id=363771365&impression_id=838338177&index=1&pgtype=Article®ion=ccolumn&action=click&module=editorContent&pgtype=Article®ion=CompanionColumn&contentCollection=Trending

And here’s my response to my chair, to those who are curious (key bits bolded for a TL;DR reading experience): —

It’s funny you would send this, as the “omegaverse debacle” has been a hot topic of discussion in media/fandom studies circles for over a year now. All of the BNFs and/or media scholars and/or lawyers I’ve spoken to about this agree that the case likely will not resolve in Cain’s favor (nor should it, imo).

As someone who has read the books in question, I have many thoughts on the situation; I’ll try (and probably fail) to keep them concise.

If you look at the first DMCA takedown that Cain sent to Ellis, there is not a single quote that is identical to Cain’s text. https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/9757a1_8b7166541a084d5ebe957b896cdc8132.pdf (see exhibit 3). Rather, Cain lists plot points. But the majority of these plot points Cain cites as evidence for plagiarism appear in any ABO story (fic or original fiction; differentiating between the two is particularly tricky when you’re talking about fic that Cain scrubbed for publication). Ellis’ lawyer’s response to the takedown notice tackles this: https://www.legalinspiration.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Counter-Notices.pdf. The similar plot points that can’t be solely attributed to omegaverse can be attributed to standard dark (heterosexual) romance novel tropes. The books were not similar in a way that would have stood out to me from other omegaverse/(het)romance fusion stories; they were both predictable in the way that genre stories often are. If you want a more in-depth analysis of this, Kristina Busse, who I’d say is the media studies expert on ABO fic, if there is one, wrote this: http://kristinabusse.com/pdf/Busse,%20Kristina%20-%20Discussion%20of%20Addison%20Cain’s%20Alpha%20Claim%20and%20Zoey%20Ellis’s%20Myth%20of%20Omega%20(2018).pdf

As the NY Times article notes, fandom has been using these tropes for over a decade under the label of “omegaverse” or “ABO” and they previously appeared in similar forms via dom/sub verse or sentinel verse fic. Fandom also, frankly, often deploys these tropes in more interesting ways than either Cain or Ellis did. Fandom, at least some of the time, uses these tropes to challenge social and romantic assumptions about identity and gender and investigate biological determinism rather than reinforce or further exaggerate gender binaries. The fact that Cain would write a story using watered down fandom tropes, scrub it, publish it, and then try and prohibit another author from using the same tropes that she borrowed is…sort of baffling.

I think a victory for Ellis will do little to change the landscape of fic/romance/fantasy publishing. The two lawyers I’ve spoken to (and lawyerly opinions I’ve read on the topic) did not indicate that it would result in authors having "one fewer legal lever to protect their work,” as the NY Times article posits. Rather, it will maintain the status quo for “original” authors who scrub fic or use fandom tropes in their original fiction, while warning authors against making DMCA claims that they cannot fully support (and will hopefully lessen the number of claims weaponized against competitors).

Alternatively, a victory for Cain could be disastrous for writers traversing the divide between fic to original fiction, and potentially troublesome for writers of fic—but it would also set a scary precedent about whether or not “Scènes à Faire” elements can be copyrighted. In the legal world, “Scènes à Faire” are common aspects inherent to a particular genre or trope. Currently, you cannot copyright Scènes à Faire, and doing so would be all but impossible. Imagine if someone tried to say that elements inherent to many “western” or “alien encounter” or “mermaid” stories were suddenly their property?

In essence, after reading through the available court documents online, it appears Cain’s argument isn’t one of plagiarism; she’s trying to claim ownership over omegaverse Scènes à Faire, when she herself borrowed the Scènes à Faire in her works from the collaborative hive mind of fandom.

I think the NY Times article, in particular, reinforces the assertion I make in my project RE digital capabilities bringing widespread attention and accessibility to fandom spaces. This attention, while at times unwanted in fandom niches, facilitates conversations about media, literature, who/what is controlling the content we as consumers have available to us, and who/what owns that content. While not mentioned in the article, the lawsuit (and countersuit) illustrates the connection between social media, fandom publishing/archiving, and original publishing that my project also notes. The docket for the case is full of screencaps from social media posts that the authors, particularly Cain, made while producing fic and fiction. 

No!! And it’s not in my flagged list, but now I can’t find it either. Other than Heartstopper I think I recommended: 

https://tapas.io/series/fangscomic

https://tapas.io/series/Electric-Bones

https://tapas.io/series/Indigents

https://tapas.io/series/Honey-and-Venom

https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/midnight-poppy-land/list?title_no=1798

Some Drarry, because I am nothing if not consistent in my slide back into hp every 5 months~ Also I like the thought of Harry with a beard thanks <3

(Please do not repost or redistribute without asking)

Sooo, this cute and silly thing was directly inspired by this post about bath goblins, and then enabled mercilessly by my friends :D

Rating: G Word Count: 3k Pairing(s): Geraskier Summary: “No, I’m serious, I really do have like, uh—a goblin… thing… in my house!” Jaskier insists. “Will you come take a look at it? I don’t want it to, I don’t know, eat my liver or something?”

Geralt massages at his temple. “Very few monsters are that picky. It would probably just eat all of you.”

Aka: The one where Jaskier hires Geralt to investigate a monster in his house, and the outcome is somehow better and worse than Geralt expects.

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER Suki/Zuko Part 2 Yue/Zuko/Sokka Part 4 Zuko and Spirits, Part 15 Dragon Husband and Water Bride, Part 5 Yue/Zuko/Sokka, Part 5 Dragon Husband and Water Bride, Part 6 Yue/Zuko/Sokka, Part 6

BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA Secret Identity Part 4 Literal Dad-Might, Part 5 Literal Dad-Might, Part 6

DETROIT BECOME HUMAN Existence Is An Act Coda

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST Olivier / Trisha Part 7 No Thanks Ed and Havoc, Part 17

GODS AND MONSTERS Artemis and Helen

HARRY POTTER Reluctant Uncle Severus Part 2 Draco the Muggle Expert, Part 28 Harry and the Twins, Part 21 Professor Riddle, Part 8 Professor Riddle, Part 9 Reluctant Uncle Severus, Part 3 Reluctant Uncle Severus, Part 4 Draco the Muggle Expert, Part 29 Reluctant Uncle Severus, Part 5 Reluctant Uncle Severus, Part 6

NARUTO Naruto and Sakura Friendship, Part 7 Naruto and Sakura Friendship, Part 8 Naruto and Sakura Friendship, Part 9 Naruto and Sakura Friendship, Part 10

PERCY JACKSON Momma Hera, Part 23 Momma Hera, Part 24

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS Oops

SPIRITED AWAY Champion Sen

STAR WARS Ben and Poe

THE UNTAMED Time Travel Wei Wuxian in Love

THE WITCHER Bad at Love Too Smart Too Pretty

If it works it works.