royalblue31 | Recent Entries

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Challenge #1: The Icebreaker Challenge: Introduce yourself. Tell us why you're doing the challenge, and what you hope to gain from it.

Hi! I'm royalblue31 and introductions can be really hard for me so I'm just going to take this space to write about the things I like.

I like writing fan fic and reading fan fic; I like the MCU; I like Stranger Things (and I liked the finale!); I like watching movies, and I especially like watching movies with a giant bowl of popcorn.

I like doing the Snowflake Challenge because it gives me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. I like the sense of community it gives me.

And I'm really looking forward to reading other people's entries and hopefully making a few new friends along the way.

Current Mood: happy

Non-Fiction:
Set at a School/University:
Wild Card:
Wild Card:
Set Somewhere You've Been:

Main Character Over the Age of 30:
No Sex/Romance:
Crime/Mystery:
Female Author:
First Person POV:

Set in a Country Other Than Your Own:
Historical (fiction or non-fiction):
Free Space:
Book Made into a Film or TV Series:
Over 300 Pages:

An Author's Debut/First Book:
Author You've Never Read Before:
Short Story/Novella:
From Your TBR:
YA/Children's:

Graphic Novel or Comic:
ebook/Audiobook:
Book Older Than You Are:
Humour:
Job/Profession in the Title:

Current Mood: excited

This year, I did a book bingo using a card from

kingstoken. I read 14 books out of my goal of 52, not exactly the worst it could be, though surely far from the best. Here's to a better reading year in 2026!

*fingers-crossed*

Hi there! Welcome to my 2026 TBR, aka my TBR list for

thestoryinside. Books read will be crossed out. Happy picking!

THRILLER
~~Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn~~ 3.5/5
Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Black

HORROR
The Institute by Stephen King
It by Stephen King
Slewfoot by Brom

SCIENCE FICTION

FANTASY

HISTORICAL FICTION
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

LGBT THEME

CONTEMPORARY
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

CLASSICS
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

NON-FICTION
~~Grief is for People by Sloane Crosley~~ 4.5/5
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik
Tarot and the Archetypal Journey by Sallie Nichols
The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Please Yourself by Emma Reed Turrell
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe
Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of ice covered tree branches and falling snowflakes on a blue background. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

Talk about an unexpected joyous moment you experienced last year.

I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about how the cat distribution system got me last year.

It was December when a cat arrived in our backyard. Young—older than a kitten but younger than what I would consider a "teenage" cat. I'll be honest—I wasn't looking for a cat; I didn't want a cat; we'd just lost a cat and honestly with everything going on we weren't looking forward to the additional responsibility. But we feed the cat and so it comes and goes, and eventually, it just stays in our backyard. By then I'm still indifferent. I feed the cat, but I don't feel for the cat, y'know?

So then we decide to take the cat to the vet, because if this cat isn't going anywhere, we need to get her spayed, we need to get her her shots. I manage to convince the cat to get inside our little cage with the help of some cat food, and we take her to the vet. She has her surgery and we buy her medicines and a little cat jacket that'll keep her from licking her stitches. Except her jacket is a little loose, so the next day, it falls off. And I'm thinking quick, and I dress her up again. And she just lets me.

And I just fall in love with this cat.

I give her her medicines and her vitamins all week and she just lets me. No scratching. No biting. No nothing. This is the calmest cat I've ever encountered. This cat is not a cat. She's just...intuitive and intelligent and so thankful to have a home. I've never seen a cat so grateful. Fast forward four months later and now the cat lives inside. She lets us carry her and cuddle her and there's never been an issue. She's just a happy go lucky cat that is friends with our dogs now, and likes to rub up against them when they come her way. She has this little spot in our kitchen where she likes to curl up and I often see her sleeping belly up, without a care in the world.

We even took holiday pictures together. So, there's that :D

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of skier kicking up snow on a snow white background. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

In your own space, create your own fandom challenge.

I'm challenging myself to pull up one scene from a few of my favorite fandoms as the One Perfect Scene to convince you to give this fandom a try. My only rules are: no context, no explanation, and the least amount of spoilers possible:

Abbott Elementary (TV Show) - scene

Emma. (Movie) - scene

Gilmore Girls (TV Show) - scene

Mad Men (TV Show) - scene

Agatha All Along (TV Show) - scene

Succession (TV Show) - scene

a white curve at the top, red below with sequin effect snowflake shapes text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in red thin marker pen font on the white curve

#12: Create a Rec Countdown.

I love making lists! So here are some fanvids, fics, movies, tv shows and books that currently occupy real estate in my mind;

Five fanvids

bucky barnes | lapse by vivelarevolution (Bucky Barnes, MCU)

Stranger Things || Shelter by Grable424 (Stranger Things)

Paul Atreides | forever may your reign by moonlightcake (Paul Atreides, Dune)

succession | tom wambsgans | pretty fly (for a white guy) by tomwambsgoose (Tom Wambsgans, Succession)

sally & don draper | cool about it by kindred spirit (Sally + Don Draper, Mad Men)

Four fics

like coarse-cut salt on the tongue— by greatunironic (Robin Buckley, Stranger Things)

One More Day by scribblemyname (Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, MCU)

Smashed Creatures by avocadomoon (Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas, Ready or Not)

Fuit Quondam by Selena (Connie Corleone Rizzi, The Godfather)

Three movies

Emma. (2020) - trailer

Fresh (2022) - trailer

Her (2013) - trailer

Two TV shows

Agatha All Along (2024) - trailer

Abbott Elementary (2021-present) - trailer

One book

Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn

#13: Interact with someone in fandom you haven't talked with before.

This challenge came at the right time. I'm checking this off my list now as I start replying to the comments I've received here and on AO3 since I've been away :D

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#10: In your own space, talk about one of your fandom firsts.

My first fandom fic exchange was Gen Freeform Exchange back in 2022. This was my first time writing for someone else and I was so excited to participate. This was also around the time I saw the Black Widow movies, so I ended up doing a Yelena Belova & Steve Rogers (MCU) fic where Yelena searches for Natasha post-blip, and finds Steve and the rest of team cap instead. The title is actually lyrics from Natasha's Lullaby from the Black Widow soundtrack. I really loved that soundtrack. And that movie. And that fic exchange.

#11: In your own space, share your love for a trope, a cliché, kink, motif, or theme.

I never say no to a good Only One Bed fic. I like that there's the comfort aspect of it in the "bed" part and the vulnerability and intimacy in the "only one" part. I also love that the trope itself is the perfect "cheat" in that it forces characters into close proximity and gives them the perfect situation to open up to each other and say things they wouldn't otherwise be able to say under different, day-time circumstances. But really, my favorite part of the Only One Bed trope is the build-up to the actually scene, because it requires some creativity that has to be both believable and justifiable to the situation at hand and every time the characters finally agree to share the bed, I squee!

an ice snowflake against a blue background text snowflake challenge near the top in blended text

In your own space, create a fanwork.

( I've been working on something, and here's the first part of it in ficlet form. )

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring an image of a coffee cup and saucer on a sheet with a blanket and baby’s breath and a layer of snowflakes. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for a beloved character, relationship or fandom.

Welcome to a few paragraphs of me absolutely going gaga over Agatha All Along.

First, let's get some of the technical details squared away. Yes, AAA is part of the MCU; no, you do not need to watch/know everything that came before the show to understand it. Honestly, the only show that is relevant to it is WandaVision, and while I don't necessarily view WandaVision as required watching, Agatha All Along is WandaVision's spiritual sequel, and a background definitely adds to the fun.

What is AAA about?

Agatha All Along catches up with the de-powered Agatha Harkness three years after the end of WandaVision. Magic-less Agatha has just broken out of the spell Wanda put her under and finds herself vulnerable to coming threats, ie. The Salem Seven. Her only chance at survival is to gather a coven of witches to walk the Witches' Road with her so she can get her magic back. The catch? The road is full of trials the coven must complete or else they die. Think high-stakes escape room games.

Who are the witches that make up Agatha's coven?

Here is where the fun lies. Personally, I loved that none of the members of the coven were suped-up witches. We have Jen, who is bound, leaving her just as magic-less as Agatha; Alice, who isn't that sure she believes in her magic or not; Lilia, who's been around for centuries but has also been a hermit for so long she's lost the connection to her magic; Mrs. Hart, not even a witch; Teen, who is a teen; and Rio, Agatha's ex, who might be scary or crazy or a little bit of both. This is definitely an Underdog team who has to learn to work with each other and to work around the amount of actual magic they have at a given time. There's a lot of creativity at play here when it comes to finding solutions, and less of the usual generic Marvel power blasts flying around.

Why should you give AAA a chance?

The MCU hasn't been this good in a while guys! And I say this as someone who loves the MCU. Because when the MCU is good, it's good. When it's story-focused and character-focused and less fight-focused, it's great! And this show is great. It's also just really, really entertaining TV. And the tunes are catchy as hell. There's an entire album's worth of versions of The Ballad of the Witches' Road floating around Spotify, and yes, we needed all of them.

a beach in winter with the sand covered in snow text snowflake challenge january 1 - 31 in cursive font colours blended with the skyline

In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a wishlist of sorts.

As someone who has been facing some writer's block lately, I'm wishing for prompts! Quotes, situations, anything that might get these gears turning again :D

I am also wishing for recs. I've been really into short stories lately and would like to know what your favorite short story is, or the title of a short story that has kept with you.

And fic recs! I am wishing for some fic recs for the MCU, Stranger Things, House and Gilmore Girls. I feel like I've just been reading the same 60-ish fics I've got bookmarked lol. It's time to read something new.

(Updated January 16, 2025: Just want to add that I'm so thankful for all the replies and I'm working through them slowly one-by-one! Thank you so much!!!)

Snowflake Challenge #6: Share your favorite piece of original canon.

I like to do something special every halloween for myself, and kept away from spoilers so that I could binge Agatha All Along on Oct 31st. I absolutely loved it! It was fun from beginning to end and definitely one of the most re-watchable MCU projects in years!

To be fair, I am biased towards the witchier side of the MCU, but even still, AAA really surprised me. For one, it was a show about magic where most, if not all of the coven couldn't do magic for one reason or another. And it made it so much more interesting to see how they made it past the trials using their creativity and wits.

The dialogue was very snappy, and not in the forced way that seems to be prevalent lately in the MCU. And the attention to detail, all those little bits that happen in the background that make the re-watch fun. As for the Lilia-centered episode, that was just good TV. Really good TV. I absolutely love that episode from beginning to end. Patti LuPone, ah! That delivery of "I loved being a witch" reached a part of my heart I didn't even know existed.

I also liked that the show had stakes. I feel that's been missing for a while now in the MCU, probably since Infinity War, and stakes are important. The heroes can't just win every time. And without a scratch at all. What's the point, really.

I also like that it was clear about the stakes. Nothing happened off-screen to make things ambiguous (DSMoM, I'm looking at you). Nothing was irritatingly confusing (Loki Season 2, I'm looking at you) and motivations were pretty clear. There were limits to what characters could do. Magic wasn't a one-stop solution at all, and using it came with a price.

And the chemistry. The chemistry made the show. So good. So very, very good.

Down, down, down the witches' road...

Snowflake Challenge #5: Talk about what has improved in your life thanks to fandom.

Short, but sweet.

2024 was a great example of how fandom has improved my life. I fell off the fandom edge of the world in favor of some IRL goals. I had this all or nothing mindset that pretty much governed my year. By the end, I realized I was being too strict and depriving myself of some essential joy. Writing became a terror and I could barely string together a couple of sentences without hating myself. I'm still getting back into the magic of it, into doing things because they make me happy rather than doing them because I think I have to otherwise I'll be sad.

And to be fair, some of my happiest moments last year were fandom-related. I've talked time and again about how returning to fandom feels like catching up with old friends, and that still holds true. There's a lot to look forward to fandom-wise in 2025. I'm happy to be here!

Over 300 Pages:
Wild Card:
Female Author:
Friendship:
Non-fiction:

Book in a Series:
Wild Card:
Sci-fi/Fantasy:
Banned Book:
Thriller/Suspense:

LGBTQ#:
YA/Children's:
Free Space:
Name in the Title:
Set Somewhere You've Been:

From your TBR:
ebook/Audiobook:
Anthology/Collection:
Movie/TV Tie-in:
Crime/Mystery:

Recommended:
Classic/Retelling:
Biography/Memoir:
With a Woman Protagonist:
Author You've Never Read Before:

Snowflake Challenge #4: Since this is the start of a new year, this challenge will be to set your own goals! Of course, we can all make large or ambitious goals, remember that small and/or short goals are also good!

[ ] Finish Snowflake Challenge 2025.

Last year, I only made it to Snowflake Challenge 4 before literally falling off dreamwidth for the better part of the year. So this year, I really hope I make it to the end!

[ ] Read 52 books.

Last year, I also wanted to read 52, and managed 36. So far, this year, I have read two. I also only recently got into audiobooks for the longer, harder reads, and it has really helped. Now when I'm doing chores, I listen to an audiobook. (Currently listening to Persuasion by Jane Austen).

[ ] Achieve my IRL and Fandom writing goals.

I recently got Scrivener for iOS after losing not one, but two fics last year to the void. I just have to learn how to use it lol.

[ ] Get back into yoga.

Slowly, but hopefully surely. I've been having some knee pain and I'm concerned about my mobility.

[ ] Organize my IRL space.

I want to make my space more comfortable. And I want to be more economical about my space.

[ ] Journal more consistently, common place more consistently.

Part of what I'm keeping track of are all the little things I use for body care and skin care. I love taking baths and getting all comfy, but I also want to keep track of how much stuff I'm using so none of it goes to waste and I don't end up buying items I already have.

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner with image of igloo and northern lights. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

Snowflake Challenge #3: In your own space, talk about a fannish opinion you hold that has changed over time.

So I grew up watching Gilmore Girls, and when Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life came out, I was so excited to see it. And like many, I was disappointed. To me it seemed that the characters I knew and loved were making decisions they would never have made given what I saw in the original run, and by the end of AYITL, they were far from where I'd expected them to be. None of it made any sense.

Since AYITL came out, this opinion of mine has changed twice.

The first time it changed I was in my late-20s and found myself as lost as Rory was in AYITL, both in my career and in my personal life. I was floating out to sea with nothing to grab a hold onto. Or so I thought. In truth, I just didn't see anything I believed was worth holding onto. I was determined to follow a certain path in life even though I wasn't (in retrospect) meant for it. And while I now believe I am where I should be, I also couldn't help but think at the time that oh, okay, Rory may not have ended up where I wanted her to be, but the situation itself isn't wasn't the crime I thought it was. It happens. Life happens.

The second time my opinion about AYITL changed was a few days ago. I have this Reddit post to thank for this new perspective. I don't want to post anything too spoilery here just in case, but I will say that once I stepped back and looked at AYITL as a study on grief and how it affects people, a lot of it started to make sense. And I grew to appreciate the series in this new light. I might even re-watch soon.

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Snowflake Challenge #2: In your own space, talk about your fannish origin story.

The original X-Men trilogy is my fandom origin story. I shipped Rogue and Pyro hard after watching X2, then read some fanfic online. After, I kind of fell away from fandom in general. Years later the MCU started, though I barely kept up with it. I watched The Avengers because everyone was watching it at the time and because I liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that was it.

Then—Elizabeth Olsen was cast as Wanda Maximoff and suddenly I had to see Avengers: Age of Ultron just because, which, as I'm typing this, makes me think my fandom days started when I was barely in grade school and addicted to Full House and the Olsen twins. This is starting to sound like Six Degrees of Fandom Separation, which makes me laugh, but it is what it is. Plus I like witchy fandom things.

So, okay, Wanda Maximoff the character is the reason I watch Captain America: Civil War. At this point in time, I have yet to see Captain America: Winter Soldier (yes, my viewing timeline was all over the place), so Civil War becomes my introduction to the character Bucky Barnes. And that short little scene, barely seconds, that took place within the airport battle, where Wanda saves Bucky from T'Challa...Okay. That was my second fandom awakening. I got crumbs—crumbs!—from the MCU, then went on AO3 and found that it was a rare pair. After devouring what was available, I started writing stuff too. And here we are.

IRL, after Civil War came Avengers: Infinity War, which really cemented me as an MCU fan. That film was an experience. I backtracked and watched everything that came before it, and I'm still here watching everything that's come out since. I like seeing where the characters currently are in their universe. I like that there are gaps between appearances where you can let your imagination play out.

Last year, I participated in book bingo (c/o

kingstoken) and joined

thestoryinside reading community. I read a total of 36 books, 16 books shy of my goal of 52. Still happy to have read so many great titles this year.

( Highlights and book bingo cards )

Snowflake Challenge promotional banner featuring feet in snuggly socks, a mug of hot chocolate, a notebook with 'dreams' written on the cover, and a guitar. Text: Snowflake Challenge January 1-31.

Snowflake Challenge #1: Update your fandom information.

Hello! Welcome to my little corner of DW where I post about my fic-writing, some IRL stuff, and keep up with my reading and writing challenges.

My main fandom is the MCU, specifically anything to do with the witchy-side of things, which has been super fun lately! I also like the Scream movies and Stranger Things and occasionally write about that too.

Other fannish interests: Gilmore Girls, Succession, House M.D., SNL. I have either GG or House playing on background at any time.

Some things I have been enjoying lately... Well, Jane Austen's works—my favorite book of hers so far is Emma, and I really enjoyed the 2020 film adaptation staring Anya Taylor-Joy, while the 2005 Pride and Prejudice adaptation has me in a chokehold and is my favorite film adaptation so far. I've also had Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club on replay. I heard it first in December and it is a bop!. Her NPR Tiny Desk Concert was great. I liked the Dune films directed by Denis Villenueve and will watch anything directed by him in general. Last year I finally saw Sicario and wow.

Fannish things I am looking forward to this year: a few film releases—Thunderbolts* in May, Ballerina in June. I found The Gorge interesting as well and I'm looking forward to watching Severance Season 2. The Agatha All Along tarot deck is slated for a July release and after that episode my interest is definitely piqued!

Hi there! Welcome to my 2025 TBR, aka my TBR list for

thestoryinside. Books read will be crossed out. Happy picking!

THRILLER
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
~~The God of the Woods by Liz Moore~~

HORROR
Slewfoot by Bron
The Book of X by Sarah Rose Etter
The Shining by Stephen King

SCIENCE FICTION
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

FANTASY
~~Lost Places by Sarah Pinsker~~
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

HISTORICAL FICTION
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

LGBT THEME
Nightshift by Kiare Ladner

CONTEMPORARY
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Outline by Rachel Cusk
Tenth of December by George Saunders
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

CLASSICS
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
~~Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen~~

NON-FICTION
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik
Tarot and the Archetypal Journey by Sallie Nichols
~~Playwriting: Structure, Character, How and What to Write by Stephen Jeffreys~~
From Under the Truck by Josh Brolin
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
Grief is for People by Sloan Crosley

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Can I Walk You Through a Hypothetical?

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