A FIC IN TURMOIL CRIED OUT FOR A BETA

[whynot]

So hey! Could I possibly trouble anyone to betaread a Supernatural fic that looks like this: ETA: The positions have been filled!

Title: If Heaven Sent You Downstream // Against Such Mighty Dreams
Characters: Dean/Castiel, Sam
Rating: PG13
A/N: I started this because I wanted to write a Filipino folk tale into SPN, but then 5x04 reared its dystopian head and I had to go there too. It takes place after Castiel spirits Dean away from the motel, and before Dean meets up with Sam. The title is from [either Trail of Dead's "Will You Smile Again" or Duncan Sheik's "Orpheus", depending].
Summary: Half casefic and half 5x04 episode tag in which Dean 1) investigates some disappearances in the mountains, and 2) finds it difficult to leave the future behind.

It's got doppelgangers! It's got mindfuckery! It's got fight scenes! It's 11,000 words. It's got kissing!


There are a lot of cool Filipino monsters to choose from, depending on what kind of neurosis I'd want the story to explore. I'm happy with the folk tale I chose, but man, check out the sigbin, which walks backwards with its head lowered between its hind legs and kills little children during Holy Week for their hearts, which it uses to make amulets. As nightmare fuel-y as that sounds, it apparently looks like a little kangaroo. D'aww. UNTIL IT DRINKS YOUR BLOOD.

I'm also fascinated by the santelmo, which is a telephone-gaming of St. Elmo's Fire. Sometimes it's just random bursts of fire, but sometimes it's a human-shaped fire creature, and it's traditionally an omen of heavenly intervention. So I mean, what part of that can't be used for SPN Heaven/Hell fic, fo' shiz? I mean, the thing in 1x09 is basically a santelmo, amirite.

While researching my monster, I came across this article called The Balut* in a Superhero's Underpants about the Filipino presence in comics and it fills me with such gleeeee, because: "If the Americans have their 'Easter eggs', we Filipinos have our 'balut eggs'. 'Balut eggs' are those moments when Filipinos (or something Pinoy) suddenly pops up in foreign movies, TV shows, novels and comic books." AHAHAHA AWESOME. Then it lists and illustrates instances of PINOY POWER in comics, and granted it's not always perfect, but you know how in one of rawles's many posts about Uhura, she was talking about still having "OMG A BLACK GIRL ON TV!" reactions even now? That's how I feel, except times a million, because no one is Southeast Asian on TV. It's like, you got your East Asians, you got your South Asians, but apparently nothing exists between Australia and China?**


* For those not in the know, balut is fertilized duck egg i.e. there is already a fetus in the egg. You cook it and eat it! Personally, I don't think I would ever, ever eat one, but it's pretty popular in the Philippines, it's like street food. For some reason, Filipino-Americans FIXATE on it. Probably 'cos it's so crazy? I feel like every time I see something about about the Philippines made by Fil-Am, there is always ALWAYS Horrifying Balut Interlude time.

** Fo shiz, what is Asia? Why is it that Asian cultural societies in American colleges usually means East Asians, and like, the South Asians usually make their own cultural societies? Why are there no Arab or Uzbek peeps in the Asian cultural societies? ASIA?: the eternal question.

Comments

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Hired!

oops

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Blargh, your googlemail gave me a mailer-daemon. Which address?

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

ooooooh. You know I am all for this, and I could look at it, but I probably wouldn't be able to get it back to you until tomorrow night at the earliest, possibly more like Tuesday. If that's okay with you, send it over.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Sweeeeeet, thank you! Tuesday's fine, I need a breather from this thing anyway. Are you still with the yahoo address?

[serialkarma.livejournal.com]

ahaha, oh god no! Has it been that long? try my lj name @gmail instead.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

lol seriously. Did our fandoms cross post-X2? X2 came out like forever ago! OH SWEET MEMORIES of before X3 ever happened!

[zoeycleybourne.livejournal.com]

Just in general, if you ever need a beta I'd be glad to ♥

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

I've got two, so I'm covered for now. But thanks, I'll keep you in mind for the future! <3

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

It's 11,000 words.

I'm sorry, but it's late and I'm tired so my only possible reaction is AHAHAHAHA. hahaha!

I honestly don't know how you do it, but it's REALLY IMPRESSIVE. and I'd beta, but, uh, you have offers already and again with the tired and oh yeah papers due for school UH CRAP. also life being eaten by my imagination.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

THIS ISN'T FUNNY, BETSY, THE VOICE SAYS I'M ALMOST OUT OF MINUTES.

I honestly don't know how you do it
An astounding lack of priorities!

also life being eaten by my imagination.
Do iiiiiit, my life needs more Fred Bayer. \o/

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

I BET IT DOES, LASS, I BET IT DOES. *pats* don't listen to the voice, it doesn't know what it's talking about.

I find your lack of priorities ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. except for when it actually causes problems. <333

hahahaha, Fred is being adorable and flirting with Eddie right now, somewhere in the right corner next to John. >.< going craaaaazy!

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

WHAT WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT PROBLEMS WHERE. EVERYTHING IS FINE.

>___>

<___< I'm super, thanks for asking! lol Fredddd, is he smooth with the ladies?

[22by7.livejournal.com]

I am bouncing up and down. I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS FIC OF YOURS.

Yeah, so true. I haven't noticed 'South Asians' being included most of the time under 'Asian', either, it's usually very specific East Asian groups; as a South Asian if I just say 'Asian' apparently that's not specific enough.

OH ASIA!

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Aww yay, I hope it doesn't disappoint!

How useful is 'Asia' as a designation? That is one of my peeves. I feel like 'Asia' is just a way of saying "et cetera!" because Asia is so massive and diverse. People forget that the Middle East is technically ('technically'?) Asian, and what about Russia? Western Russia is European, but most of it is just like... cut off from that. Maps of Europe never include east or central Russia.

The most egregious usage of 'Asia!!1' I've seen recently is when the Republican campaign for US presidency had these shirts that said things like "Latinos for McCain!" or like "African-Americans for McCain!" AND THEN. They had: "Asians & Pacific Islanders for McCain!" So obviously and embarrassingly cribbing from the census ticky-boxes, ARE YOU TRYING TO WIN THESE PEOPLE'S VOTES OR WHAT, GEEZ.

[unoshot.livejournal.com]

Ahem.

WHY IS THIS FIC NOT POSTED ALREADY?!

*pant*

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

To build up anticipation!

[dhobikikutti]

You should cross-post/link this to intranationalities over on DW.
Also, for a large part of history, various parts of Asia were too busy fighting each other to unite in a continental identity sort of way.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, that comm! I forget to be involved in DW sometimes. Good idea though. I'll cobble together a more coherent post, I reckon. "What is ASIA?", indeed. Continental borders confuse me! And how do we account for the little Pacific islands?

Sooooo hey, what is your opinion: if an expat writes fic using the modified folklore of the host country where she grew up... how much of that is appropriation. And do you ever feel like you're appropriating your OWN culture sometimes?

[dhobikikutti]

The short answer to both questions is "Depends." The long answer is something I would rather elaborate on at the comm. :)

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

SIGH, D, IF YOU WANNA PLAY IT THAT WAY, I GUESS. ;)

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

fuck me, filipino monsters are fucking SERIOUSLY cool.

excusemewhileiappropriate.

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

...OMG the aswang "replace stolen cadavers with the trunk of a banana tree carved in the cadaver's likeness."

I am so creeped out by these, this is legendary

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

That is not even the worst (BEST?!) about aswang! Have you gotten to the part where they eat the fetus out of the woman's womb? THROUGH BETWEEN THE LEGS?

There's a lot of fetus-eating in Filipino folklore, I wonder why that is.

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

YES I DID. But man the banana tree carving is what will stay with me FOREVER. I can picture that thing just LYING THERE. OMG. These are the best fucking monsters ever.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Apparently there is a low-budget American horror flick (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111558/) about them! I am supercurious.

I love how the sigbin drinks your blood THROUGH YOUR SHADOW. What. And HOW ABOUT THAT MANANANGGAL, EH?

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh. I would be too scared. Like, reading about them gives me the almighty arghs. HAHAHA.

Manananfuckingfuckingomg.

[lexhibition.livejournal.com]

Because of where I'm from I always default to 'Indonesian' whenever something is described as 'Asian', and I spend a lot of time being confused by American media!

And man I want fic about the sigbin. It sounds adorable! I like to think it isn't actually PURE EVIL: it's just shy about its huge fucking ears, hence the hiding its head and all the shadow lurking and stuff!

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

I am Indonesian! I've only lived there for my first 6 years though, then I moved to the Philippines where I actually grew up. But yes, your country! Big Indonesian communities and such there, yes? Do they tend to concentrate in a particular area?

It's fascinating what Asian means in different countries. In the USA, it's definitely East Asian. In the UK, it's South Asian? And apparently in Australia it's Southeast Asian! Or at least Indo. A recently immigrated Italian friend in the US, he ticked "Latin American" when some application asked him for his race, because he figured, hey there is nothing more Latin than Italy, right? But he "should've" ticked White. Hmm.

Haha, the cutest evil creature to suck your blood THROUGH YOUR SHADOW.

Dean: D'aww! Look at iiiit. Can we keep it?
Cas: What did we say about adopting things that are cute but evil?
Dean & Cas: [Sidelong glances at Sam.]

[diskarte.livejournal.com]

OKAY HI haha i was randomly looking through your supernatural-tagged stuff on your lj AND THIS, AND SUPERNATURAL, AND MERLIN, AND REALLY, IT'S KIND OF COOL. hi. filipino stuff in a spn fic. mind freak. haha.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

HELLO. Merlin was primary fandom, but now it's between-seasons hiatus time and SPN is my rebound. Or that was the plan anyway, but now it's kind of starting to eat my brain. Mannnnn.

Dude, Southeast Asia has the illing monsters! There is a little part of me that is still waiting for like an aswang or a pontianak to show up as SPN's monster of the week. Like, what reason is there for my next fic to NOT be about Heaven sending santelmos after the Winchesters? I mean, aside from I actually have to finish my thesis at some point in this life.

[diskarte.livejournal.com]

same. haha. BUT SPN > MERLIN NOW, OKAY. the acting, ~special effects, and eye candy > merlin. forever. maybe.

i read this list at 3 in the morning and i couldn't sleep. (http://listverse.com/2009/11/20/top-10-scariest-filipino-monsters/) they should totally have a kapre or a white lady or something who randomly appears in the back seat of the impala. haha.

haha fail lol i just read the comment above mine. haha. i love finding fellow filipinos on LJ. hee.

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Haha, that is kind of how I'm feeling. I was crazy about Merlin but I just can't muster up the same level of interest now. UNLESS, it is in context of a fusion apparently? I started drafting an SPN/Merlin fusion on my DW (http://whynot.dreamwidth.org/14368.html) with Dean!Arthur and Sam!Morgana, but right now it feels too much like just an AU where Dean is randomly named Arthur and Sam is a girl who happens to be named Morgana. I dunno, maybe I'll feel differently when the third season starts.

That's a great list. Why is it that so many of the monsters in Filipino revolve around pregnant women and fetuses? And SPN had a white lady ghost-thing in the first season, no? Sometimes I wonder if there is any conceivable reason at all for the Winchesters to go to Manila because, idk, Megamall is haunted.

Meeeee tooooooo! \o/

[diskarte.livejournal.com]

hahahaha. i'll check it out later. :) &, maybe. but merlin is so blah for me atm. i think i'm going to have a spn marathon. i don't remember the white lady. :(

i have no idea. but the tiyanak scares the crap out of me. but i think the mananaggal is the one that takes the cake on scary shit. there was this urban legend of this mom telling her teenage daughter not to stay out at night with her boyfriend. then one night she's with her boyfriend & the boyfriend tries to rape her and she's like "SDKJFHSA SAKLOLO WAG PO AHDJHFSA" and then this WINGED THING come and beats the shit out of the boyfriend and the girl is just screaming & running for her fucking life and THE THING catches up to her & goes "sabi ko sayo diba, wag lumabas sa gabi." HADSFJKHSDFJKSHADK IT GIVES ME THE HEEBEE JEEBEES.

&, MEGAMALL IS KIND OF REALLY RETARDED i hate that place with a passion. there have been so many times when i was like "okay, i'll be in megamall A" and everyone else i'm supposed to meet is like "where the hell are you?" and i'm like "d'oh! i'm in megamall B! *runs to other side of mall that is probably 1 km away D8*"

[twoskeletons.livejournal.com]

Haha, no worries. Man, my Tagalog is shit, so like is that winged thing HER MOTHER? D:

AHAHAHA I get way more lost at Glorietta, the way it just clusters. At least Megamall is a straightforward block, though Glorietta does have the better shopping.