star-gazing-knight

[star-gazing-knight]

Wish I Knew (You Wanted Me) Linear reading order (chronological) | [table of contents]

On ao3 the series is already ordered chronolocially, for the most part. But this one is a little more thorough.

I'm going to be throwing not only fic titles at you, but chapter numbers too. This reading order will take you through this narrative from beginning to end, as smoothly as possible.

or thats the goal, anyway.

I'll be updating this as we upload more chapters, meaning this post is a WIP. There are arc descriptions and more detailed chapter orders under the cut, but here's the Bare Bones if you don’t want spoilers:

Prologue:

Why Don't You (Say So) Trade My Tomorrows (For Our Yesterday)

Part One:

Dancing (With Another Man) [ch 1-7] Hold On (To Me) [ch 1-4] D(WAM) [ch 8-10] It Started (With A Whisper) D(WAM) [ch 11-12] HO(TM) [ch 5] D(WAM) [ch 13-22] D(WAM) [ch 23-25] | HO(TM) [ch 6+7] D(WAM) [ch 26-31] D(WAM) [ch 32-38] | HO(TM) [ch 8-12] HO(TM) [ch 13-18] D(WAM) [ch 39-41] D(WAM) [ch 42-44] | HO(TM) [ch 19-22] D(WAM) [ch 45-48] HO(TM) [ch 23-25]

welcome beneath the cut! get comfy, and let me be weird for a bit. This is going to be made up of blurbs about what these different mini ‘arcs’ of the story focus on — as well as trying to lay out chapter by chapter reading orders to the best of my abilities.

And hey! if you (dear reader) have any reading order thoughts of your own, shoot me a comment or a DM

now, lets get into it:

PROLOGUE: Why Don't You (Say So) Trade My Tomorrows (For Our Yesterday)

These two act as a sort of backstory. It gives you a base understanding of what Dick's relationships with Wally and Roy were like, which leads us into

PART ONE: Dancing (With Another Man) [ch 1-7]

this arc sets up the larger conflict of the story, focusing on Dick, Wally, and Roy's reactions to it.

Hold On (To Me) [ch 1-4]

sets up timkon side plot, and shows how the core four are dealing with the main conflict

D(WAM) [ch 8-10] It Started (With A Whisper) D(WAM) [ch 11+12] HO(TM) [ch 5] D(WAM) [ch 13-22]

this seventeen chapter block kicks off the courtship arc which makes up the bulk of the part one plot — tensions are running high, and Dick has big decisions to make.

D(WAM) [ch 23-25] | HO(TM) [ch 6+7]

these two sections show the same events. And there's two potential ways to read them depending on the kind of reading experience you're looking for. Dick's storyline: -> 23, 6, 24, 25, 7 Tim's storyline: -> 6, 24, 25, 7 (+ 23 (optional)) Technically, Dick's story line would be the truly chronological one. You have all the information as soon as it's available to you. Tim's story line, however, makes this chain of events more of a mystery. You still find everything out, there's just more suspense beforehand. chapter 23 (Roy pov) & 7 (Tim pov) cover a lot of the same ground, which is why it would be optional to read 23 after having already read 7. But personally I think there is still something to gained from experiencing the appeal first hand along with Tim's second hand pov. Whether you read both is entirely up to you. Is this convoluted and possibly unnecessary? Yeah, probably, but hey! Have you ever been reading a comic and then had to chase down a tie in issue from another run just to understand what the fuck was happening? Think of it like that. This is superhero comic fanfic, after all.

D(WAM) [ch 26-31]

we'll call this the aftermath. You could read this as is, and it will make sense — in rereading this story in its entirety for this post, however, I've realized there is another potential reading order. 27 (Steph pov) leads directly in from HO(TM) ch 7 so, you could read this arc like this: HO(TM) 7 -> D(WAM) 27, 26, 28-31. Doing this is not necessary to enjoy or understand the story. Technically, it is the more chronological way to read these chapters, but don't worry to hard about this one.

D(WAM) [ch 32-38] | HO(TM) [ch 8-12]

These also happen at the same time, but are completely different scenes. Reading the section from one fic, then reading the section from the next would work perfectly fine. But, lining things up with the stories timeline the 'correct' chronological order is this: -> 32, 8-10, 33-38, 11+12

HO(TM) [ch 13-18]

i call this arc 'the boys are pouting.' basically the whole time Tim and Kon are dealing with their shit(tm), Wally and Dick are being very gay off panel. Dont worry though! we'll get back to them shortly. You could read this arc exactly as it's posted (it alternates between Tim's pov & Kon's) but they are full side plots on their own, so you could read them like this: Tim -> 13, 15, 18 Kon -> 14, 16, 17 This is me being nit-picky at this point, but I'm just writing this all down for the sake of having it all written down.

D(WAM) [ch 39-41]

See! What'd i tell ya

D(WAM) [ch 42-44] | HO(TM) [ch 19-22]

timkon real, not clickbait (42 | 19), (43 | 20), (44 | 21), 22

D(WAM) [ch 45-48] HO(TM) [ch 23-25]

and that is the conclusion to Part One

[star-gazing-knight]

mfers will say "im against book banning in schools and libraries!" and then turn around and say ao3 needs to be censored

[star-gazing-knight]

Hello!

Welcome to Fab Five Week 2025! A 6 day long event centered around DC's Fab Five. (Dick Grayson, Wally West, Garth, Donna Troy, and Roy Harper.)

We're so happy to see the enthusiasm the interest poll had!

The posting period will be February 3rd - February 8th/9th.

In the meantime, check out our Rules and FAQ!

Prompt Submissions will be opening on October 7th and closing on October 21st which you will be able to find here. The link will be nonfunctional until the form opens up at 12am PST on the 7th. If you have any problems with the form once it's open, feel free to reach out!

The ask box is open if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. 💛

And don't worry, this blog won't be dead in the meantime. We have some things planned. ;)

[star-gazing-knight]

YAYYYY I CAN FINALLY TALK ABT THESE!!!

Star and i started playing with the idea of the gallery opening for (WIK)YWM back in october and we got lost in the weeds thinking abt what the waynes would wear to an event like this.

It was so much fun to mess around with more fashion oriented illustration since thats not normally my wheelhouse but i had so much fun

Now, i will be the first to admit that Tim’s outfit is fucking goofy, but that was entirely the point.

The thought was that Yes, he is technically the host, and this is Technically a high society event, but Tim’s a lil shit stirrer and i think he’d get a kick out of seeing all these stuffy 1%ers huffing and puffing abt his outfit choices

plus i felt like it matched the theme of the gallery. Paying homage not just to Mapplethorpes Photography, but his impact as well

jacket | pants | top | belt | boots

Dicks was SOOOOO fun to design

he’s like a barbie doll to me idk what else to say

we took inspiration from a bunch of actual Oscar De La Renta pieces when trying to figure dicks garment out (star’s the one who suggested i look at their catalogue when we were brainstorming, everyone say thank you star!) but i knew what i wanted to put him in as soon as we chose mapplethorpe as the focus of the gallery

(i didnt end up drawing wally’s </3 i really wanted to, but i no longer have the free time to. maybe one day. we’ll see)

inspo | inspo | inspo

Bruce’s was a Fucking Challenge let me tell you

and im going to be honest, i dont know a damn thing about menswear other than the fact that 9/10 its boring as hell. I just wanted it to be fun and funky.

And yeah, okay maybe this isnt the kind of thing that bruce would typically wear, but i feel like him putting this much effort into dressing on theme for tims event is just a nice little “im proud of you” moment, even if he cant use his words to say it.

i did not look at other suits for inspo other than to figure out how the fuck to draw a tux jacket. so no inspo pics for this one, srry.

alright, thats all for now. Its late and i just wanna post this chapter

[star-gazing-knight]

I love how people are like Jason Todd was a demon child and all the other robins were angels compared to him like lmao robin!Jason was a fucking delight what do you mean

Dick showed up at the manor with a blue stuffed animal elephant and the rage of 100 men and the only thing thats changed is that the elephant is grey now

Tim showed up with blackmail on the fucking Batman and bullied him into accepting him as robin

Damian popped up on the doorstep holding a fucking katanna

Meanwhile robin!jason was jumping from building to building squealing robin magic! and would spontaneously hug Batman. he loved reading shakepeare knowledge and literally screamed golly jee willickers as the highest curse word in his vocabulary.

Robin!Jason was a goddamned fucking delight and all the other ones were the little demon children lmaooo

[star-gazing-knight]

Seven years after, I see you again 😚

[star-gazing-knight]

Brainstorming

So I have IDEAS for a Lilac Sweet Sequel that won't leave my brain. I've thought about writing them, but I need someone to bounce ideas off of. Any takers?

[star-gazing-knight]

Im just feeling a certain way rn

[star-gazing-knight]

Nonlinear (published order)

This one is pretty straight forward. It does not tell the story 'in order' necessarily, but it does tell the story in the order we wrote it.

I don't think reading this story from its 'beginning' in this way is required for the story to be enjoyed, there's not one 'correct' way to read it, but if you wanted to read it this way, its an option.

Dancing With (Another Man) Hold On (To Me) Run Away (Take My Hand)

These three sort of work as the primary trilogy. they make up the meat of the story thus far, and could honestly be read excluding the extraneous fics without much trouble.

but the side fics contain all sorts of goodies too

Why Don't You (Say So) It Started (With a Whisper) Trade My Tomorrows (For Your Yesterdays)

These serve to flesh out the main story more, and give context to the relationships that we see in motion during it. WDY(SS) & TMT(FOY) can both be read on their own without any knowledge of the larger story, but IS(WAW) deals with events directly related to D(WAM).

Just some things to keep in mind when approaching the auxiliary fics.

[star-gazing-knight]

Linear (chronological): [table of contents]

On ao3 the series is already ordered chronolocially, for the most part. But this one is a little more involved.

I'm going to be throwing not only fic titles at you, but chapter numbers too. This reading order will take you through this narrative from beginning to end, as smoothly as possible.

or thats the goal, anyway.

I'll be updating this as we upload more chapters, meaning this post is a WIP until i say otherwise. There are arc descriptions and more thorough chapter orders under the cut, but here's the Bare Bones if you don’t want spoilers:

Prologue:

Why Don't You (Say So) Trade My Tomorrows (For Our Yesterday)

Part One:

Dancing (With Another Man) [ch 1-7] Hold On (To Me) [ch 1-4] D(WAM) [ch 8-11] It Started (With A Whisper) D(WAM) [ch 12-13] HO(TM) [ch 5] D(WAM) [ch 14-22] D(WAM) [ch 23-25] | HO(TM) [ch 6+7] D(WAM) [ch 26-31] D(WAM) [ch 32-38] | HO(TM) [ch 8-12] HO(TM) [ch 13-18] D(WAM) [ch 39-41] D(WAM) [ch 42-44] | HO(TM) [ch 19-22] D(WAM) [ch 45-48] HO(TM) [ch 23-25]

Part Two:

Run Away (Take My Hand) [ch 1-11] RA(TMH) [ch 12- ] | HO(TM) [ch 26- ]

welcome beneath the cut! get comfy, and let me be weird for a bit.

Why Don't You (Say So) Trade My Tomorrows (For Our Yesterday)

These two act as a sort of prologue. It gives you a base understanding of what Dick's relationships with Wally and Roy were like, which leads us into

Dancing (With Another Man) [ch 1-7]

this arc sets up the larger conflict of the story, focusing on Dick, Wally, and Roy's reactions to it.

Hold On (To Me) [ch 1-4]

sets up timkon side plot, and shows how the core four are dealing with the main conflict

D(WAM) [ch 8-11] It Started (With A Whisper) D(WAM) [ch 12-13] HO(TM) [ch 5] D(WAM) [ch 14-22]

this section is the proposal arc. which ends with the news that Dick rejected Roys appeal.

D(WAM) [ch 23-25] | HO(TM) [ch 6+7]

these two sections show the same events. You can choose how you'd like to read them. I could think of so many different ways to order this, but that seems like a discussion for another time

D(WAM) [ch 26-31]

we'll call this the aftermath

D(WAM) [ch 32-38] | HO(TM) [ch 8-12]

These also happen at the same time, but are completely different scenes. You could read them separately, or you could try this order -> 32, 8, 33, 34, 9, 35-38, 10-12 i think thats as close as im going to get rn

HO(TM) [ch 13-18]

i call this arc 'the boys are pouting' basically the whole time Tim and Kon are dealing with their shit, Wally and Dick are being gay, but dont worry we'll get back to them shortly.

D(WAM) [ch 39-41]

see! What'd i tell ya

D(WAM) [ch 42-44] | HO(TM) [ch 19-22]

timkon real, not clickbait (42 | 19), (43 | 20), (44 | 21), 22

D(WAM) [ch 45-48] HO(TM) [ch 23-25]

and that is the conclusion to Part One

Run Away (Take My Hand) [ch 1-11]

Establishes the new norm for titans tower & the older boys, but just as quickly flips everything on its head

RA(TMH) [ch 12- ] | HO(TM) [ch 26- ]

these scenes run parallel, but are not directly affecting each other.

[star-gazing-knight]

Another WIK(WYM) poll woooo!

Star and I were talking about doing something fun for you guys for the winter holidays in the form of uploading one of the sidefics we've had sitting in our drafts.

we couldn’t decide which one though, so we thought we’d leave that up to y’all. Soooo:

Both of these are things that we will be posting eventually regardless, but we thought we’d give y’all some say in which one we focus on first (:

[star-gazing-knight]

Spank Bank [table of contents]

wanted to put all the horny in one place ;)

BIRDFLASH: d(wam)3 | d(wam)37+38 | d(wam)45

DICKROY d(wam)10 | d(wam)23 | d(wam)25

I'll add more to this as more sex scenes are added

[star-gazing-knight]

✨ Writing slowly does not make your a bad writer.

✨ Needing to do a lot of editing on your writing does not make you a bad writer.

✨ People expressing dislike of the themes and ideas in your writing does not make you a bad writer.

✨ Writing about ideas that have been written about before does not make you a bad writer.

✨ It's okay to take it slow. It's okay to need to edit a lot. It's okay if some people don't like your themes or ideas. It's okay if your work is not completely "original"-- no one's is.

✨ Don't let yourself or other people discourage you from writing.

✨ Don't give up on your writing!

[star-gazing-knight]

If you are hesitant to comment on AO3 because it's just fanfic and it probably doesn't matter to the writers, know that I got a one word comment ("Beautiful") on a fic nobody ever has bothered reading before and it made my night. Merry Christmas to me! Seriously, though, comments feel so good to writers! Please feed us! We're hungry!

[star-gazing-knight]

fanfic writers, here’s a friendly reminder that you are not less of a writer if you haven’t posted anything in years, you are not less of a writer if your works aren’t as popular as other writers’, you are not less of a writer if some trolls left you rude comments (they either just want your attention or are simply intimidated/threatened by your talent), you are not less of a writer if you write short one-shots instead of a 100k novel-length fanfic, you are not less of a writer if you’re not satisfied with your writing (I promise you it’s so much better than you think, you should be proud of yourself), you are not less of a writer if you’re not comfortable posting any of your works at all.

you are always as valid as any other fellow writers out there.

another reminder: fanfic writing is not a competition, and it’s not a job. don’t put so much pressure on yourself. always remember, the point of writing fanfictions is that we get to have fun, escape reality into the world we create in which we can write anything we want.

it stops being a getaway and a safe place the second we treat writing fanfic as a job or a competition. no, you’re not writing for anybody. you’re writing for you. this world you create is just you and your blorbos. have fun. it’s your getaway.

[star-gazing-knight]

writers whenever they’re starting a new fic: I have these ✨ vibes ✨ now I’ll have to build an entire plot and write an entire fic about those vibes

[star-gazing-knight]

♡ I hope 2024 brings every fanfic writer lots of juicy, spicy, angsty, whumpy, crazy, delicious ideas and motivation. may words flow smoothly through your mind and may you find pure joy and satisfaction in your writing. you will do great. I am rooting for you.