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

[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.

[zoeycleybourne.livejournal.com]

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

[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.

[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!

[unoshot.livejournal.com]

Ahem.

WHY IS THIS FIC NOT POSTED ALREADY?!

*pant*

[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.

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

fuck me, filipino monsters are fucking SERIOUSLY cool.

excusemewhileiappropriate.

[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!

[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.