#2023 fanfiction wrapped

[poussacha]

My 2023 Fanfiction Wrapped

Hi everyone! It's ya boi spreadsheets back with another fanfiction wrapped! This time I actually took the time to make it look really pretty (see: I half assed this in Google Slides for my discord server's swampmas wrapped event lmao).

Without further ado, here's what I read this year.

2023 Fanfiction Mini Guide

These are fics I rated 7/7 stars on my guide that I would FULLY recommend everyone read if you're into these fandoms or ships.

Stranger Things

Gen (Steve & Robin)

As He Sinks Just Like A Stone by saintmares | Rated T | 5k

The words "Steve Harrington is sooo strong" had always made Robin Buckley roll her eyes. After all, what did it matter if some stupid jock just so happened to use his muscles a bit more than other people? But when her life comes crashing down inside a secret underground Russian elevator, Robin finds a new appreciation for the strengths of Steve Harrington... at least until she has a startling realization about her best friend and his fleeting mortality as the Party patches up his demo-bat bites.

Steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Black Out Days (Fairground Nights) by OonionChiver | Rated E | 140k (background Ronance)

‘I think,’ Steve says slowly, reaches for Eddie’s abandoned, untouched beers. ‘You don’t know me very well.’

‘I don’t know you at all, man. I don’t really want to.’

Steve’s throat works. It’s subtle, but Eddie sees it. He hides it with a swig of beer, but when he sets it down, his smile isn’t quite so bright. Twice as sharp, though.

‘The self-centred asshole who can only be decent to a single human being, I get it. It works for you.’ Then he takes a thick, heavy breath. The alcohol is hitting him, Eddie can tell. ‘And I am being civil. I’m here, aren’t I? You have any idea how hard it is for me to be here?’

‘In a bar?’

Steve doesn’t answer.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Stomco (Star/Tom/Marco)

Monster Carvers by Raikim4Never | Not Rated | 70k (unfinished, but I think about it every day of my fucking life)

Fourteen years after Princess Star Butterfly is kidnapped from her cradle, a terrorist attack on The Underworld results in Prince Tom Lucitor being sent to stay on Earth. Meanwhile, the Monster Carvers plot to bring an end to all non-Mewmans, and Ludo learns of rumors that Tom was given the Butterfly wand for safekeeping…

High School Musical

Chyan (Chad/Ryan)

I Still Don't Dance by Rozavie | Rated G | 20k

Chad Danforth never thought that he would find himself here—washed up, past thirty, teaching at a high school, and divorced. Basically, everything in his life has gone up in flames. No longer being able to play his favorite sport, and coming off of an exhausting (although amicable) separation, Chad decides that it's time to focus on what he can control. Primarily, raising his daughter. As long as she's happy and healthy, Chad thinks that he can manage to be as well.

But when an old friend from high school stumbles back into his life, Chad's world gets just a little more interesting.

Boy Meets World

Cory/Shawn/Topanga

For a good time, call by feyrelay | Rated M | 3k

This headcanon lives rent-free in my head, constantly, and I was so disappointed in how GMW handled a lot of the adult relationships and stickier topics, that I just had to write this. It just might rot your teeth.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Zukka (Sokka/Zuko)

like the sun inside you by ofherlionheart | Rated M | 200k (Unfinished)

Sokka's expression is caught somewhere between determined and pissed off when he says, “I know you think this is your responsibility. But you’re not going to be alone in this. This is why we’re building you a council.”

“I know,” Zuko says.

“And the only way you’re going to die having done nothing but sit in meetings is if you let yourself do that. You’re not a bad leader if you take a break now and then.”

Zuko scowls. “What, so people can then say at least my father wasn’t lazy?”

Sokka tilts his head. “Don’t you think there’s a difference between laziness and, I don’t know, choosing life and happiness in spite of a terrible dad who tried to take both from you?”

----------

Zuko is sixteen years old when he’s handed a crown, a throne, and a hundred-year ancestral legacy of colonial imperialism. He’s not scared of the work; he’s scared of being consumed by the responsibilities and burdens he’s claimed. What Zuko doesn’t quite realize, yet, is that he’s not alone in this.

(do you take this jerk to be) your one and only by jatersade | Rated T | 55k

Under the leadership of Fire Lord Iroh, the Fire Nation has made every attempt to restore peace and make amends for the harm they inflicted during the Seventy-Year War. Their newest proposal is a literal proposal: a marriage to unite the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes.

The Fire Nation offers Prince Zuko’s hand.

The Water Tribes offer Princess Yue’s.

Sokka is apparently the only person in the world who has a problem with any of this.

Will We Last the Night by CSHfic | Rated T | 144k

Chief Arnook never assigns Sokka to protect Princess Yue, so he goes to fight the Fire Nation with the other men. When the moon dies, and the ocean spirit takes its revenge, Sokka is caught standing on the deck of a Fire Nation ship. Sokka should have drowned… and he would have drowned, if not for a certain Fire Nation raft fleeing the North Pole.

[An enemies-to-lovers season 2 rewrite, where Sokka is separated from the gaang during the Siege of the North, and travels the Earth Kingdom with Zuko instead].

War Crimes by Lovely_Elbow_Leech | Rated M | 90k (MAJOR CONTENT WARNING FOR SA, CHILD SA, TORTURE, MURDER, AND VIOLENCE - PLEASE READ THE TAGS AND CONTENT WARNINGS)

Book one ends with two major diffrences: 1. Sokka went on the mission with Hahn (it did not go well) 2. Zhao survives the North Pole and that proves unfortunate for everybody (except Zhao, obviously) 

Imprisoned on Zhao’s war ship, Sokka and Zuko have to work together to survive. They are not very enthusiastic about this prospect. 

And they argue. 

A lot. 

War games by Lovely_Elbow_Leech | Rated M | 428k (MAJOR CONTENT WARNING, TORTURE, VIOLENCE, MURDER - Unfinished)

After the events of War Crimes, Sokka and Zuko have escaped Zhao’s warship and are fleeing across the Earth Kingdom. As well as unfamiliar terrain, they have to navigate their shared trauma, work out where they fit into the war, and their place in each others lives.

Sokka is aware that being friends with the enemy is going to bring complications, but he probably should have guessed that being friends with Zuko in particular, was going to be a bit like dunking your head repeatedly into a bucket of angry Fire Ferrets.

Katara is also grappling with the confusion of befriending an enemy, something that doesn’t prove as difficult as she had expected with the bond of shared, furious grief bridging old wounds. (Learning a new way to look at her bending doesn't hurt either)

Azula, struggling with the Fire Lord’s mistrust, encounters a few nasty surprises and has to make some difficult decisions. Luckily, she is a great deal better at making sensible choices than her brother.

Her father may have made a slight tactical error.

In the Soft Light by CHSfic | Rated T | 84k

As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him.

or

Moon Spirit Sokka AU

These Things Written by Erisenyo | Rated E (Underage) | 222k

The letter was never supposed to be read, least of all by Sokka. But then, things happen every day that aren’t supposed to, in war.

Or,

On a particularly hopeless night, Zuko sends out a messenger hawk to nowhere. He didn’t realize that his messenger hawk is deeply committed to completing the job. And that Sokka happens to be traveling straight through nowhere, at the time.

These Things Known by Erisenyo | Rated E (Underage) | 400k (Third in series! There is a second one between These Things Written and These Things Known)

[Aang cuts him a quick, guilty look. “I didn’t mean to imply that you…”

Sokka raises his eyebrows. “That I…Focus on the present to the point of blindly committing to enormously questionable courses of action with significant long-term ramifications because they’re gratifying in the immediate moment, which is particularly concerning as our chief Maker of Plans?”

“Uh—That’s basically…Yeah.”]

Surrounded by danger and doubts, separated by war and one irrevocable decision—after the world of just-Sokka-and-Zuko crashes into the world of everything else, what comes next?

Or,

What happens when trusting someone suddenly means something far different out in the world than it did in the space of a Ba Sing Se teashop?

I'll Share the Moon, if You'll Share the Sun by anarchycox | Rated M | 400k

An alternate world where Iroh leads a coup against Ozai on the eclipse and wins the throne for Zuko. The southern water tribe hadn't sent men to fight in thirty years, instead protecting their home, laying traps, using guerilla tactics so the fire nation gave up fighting them.

Sokka and Katara found Aang, but being frozen in ice for a hundred years has ramifications and for almost four years the tribe focuses on healing the avatar.

Zuko is advised for continued peace to have an arranged marriage outside the fire nation. The best option is a the child of the chief of the southern tribe. Katara is in love with Aang and is heartbroken, but will do her duty for her people. Sokka finds a loophole that they can carefully and craftily exploit.

Aka they lie. They lie so hard and Sokka becomes the one betrothed to Fire Lord Zuko. He is sure there will be no consequences to the plan. Certainly not going to fall in love with the man he is lying to. At all. Nope indeedy, no love on the menu. Dang it.

Everything That I Am Not by Benedick | Rated T | 85k (Unfinished)

Sokka isn’t stupid. Not that his sister is, mind you (at least, he’d never call her that to her face now that she’s honed her waterbending), or any of the rest of Team Avatar, although sometimes it feels like he’s living in a different world from the rest of them — a world where running out of food means starving, and walking into a town full of firebenders with the Avatar in tow will get you killed, rather than help you free a beaten-down Earthbender colony.

Anyways.

Sokka isn’t stupid, which is why he laughs directly in Aunt Wu’s face when she tells him that he will marry the Fire Lord.

As always, if you're curious how I get my data or how to do this yourself, shoot me a DM or come bother me in my Discord Server (It's called The Swamp, we're all queer and neurodiverse with various interests and are currently having a pokemon themed Swampmas)

[tom-whore-dleston]

for the event how about snooze with steven grant <3333 they just fit so perfectly together !!

Snooze

Pairing: Steven Grant x f. reader

Word Count: 1.5k

This fic contains: fluff, neighbors to lovers, insomnia, meet cute scenario, confessions, kissing, corny play on lyrics of Snooze

Summary: You are the main constant that helps combat Steven’s insomnia. This night, things are a little bit different.

Notes: omg Sil you are so right about how Snooze is Steven-coded!! Thank you bb for the request and I hope you enjoy 🥰🫶🏽 Thank you to @potatothots for beta reading and sharing your insight 🩷

Spotify Wrapped 2023 challenge | send a request here

Steven glared at the blue squares of his Rubik's Cube. It had been the third time he solved the three dimensional puzzle since the moon illuminated the night sky. The toy tumbled into his lap as Steven’s groggy eyes flickered towards the shimmering sphere that tauntingly gazed back at him. 

The classical record that was meant to aid his sleep came to an end. Steven lost track of how many times he played that record. When his insomnia began many moons ago, the record did wonders for his sleep. Now, it basically is a broken record because of how often he played it at night.

Yet, there was one constant that always helped him fall asleep. And that was you.

You were new to the apartment complex and moved in right next to Steven. The way you both met was one for the books. Your flat mate was running late for work due to lack of sleep from the night before. He rushed out the door, struggling into his coat. Without realizing, his shoelaces dragged carelessly across the floor. Steven, as clumsy as he was, crashed into you carrying a box of clothes, and you both fell to the floor.

The British man’s eyes widened. “Oh my- I am terribly sorry! Are you alright?” His eyes widened even more after one glance upon your beauty.

You sat up chuckling, unaware of his gawking. “No need for apologies. I am perfectly fine.” Then, you noticed the items scattered on the floor.  “Although, I’m not too sure about the pile of clothes.” The man mirrored your movements as you crawled towards an article of clothing.

“Allow me to help you ma’am,” Steven began tossing shirts and sweaters into the box. As you reached for your favorite scarf, a strong hand slightly brushed against yours. You stared into each other's eyes, smiling softly. You could have sworn you saw a twinkle in his brown eyes.

“Oh heavens, I am late for work!” He checked the time on his watch and began to panic. “I missed my bus, too!”

“Perhaps I can take you to work?” You helped him to his feet, and your cheeks grew hot as he began to tower over you.

“Oh no, I-“

“It’s okay. I want to.” You paused. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” 

Steven unclenched his jaw and let out a quick laugh. “Thank you ma’am! I cannot thank you enough for your kindness.”

“It’s my pleasure…” your voice dropped upon realizing you didn’t know the name of the British man before you.

“Steven. Steven Grant.”

It was a typical late Saturday night when you arrived at your apartment complex. Your watch peeked through your cuffed long sleeve, catching a glimpse of the time. 

3:00. That was a record time for the latest you came home from a shift at the local bar. Your body, especially your legs, yearned to crash into the coziness of your bed and sleep until the sun was at its peak in the sky. As you approached the door to your apartment, you stopped in your tracks after meeting your neighbor’s hazy eyes.

“Steven?”

The gentleman in question half smiled. “Hello, darling.” 

“Rough night?” You interrogated knowingly. Steven nodded with closed eyes.

You fumbled your key into the lock for a moment before opening the door and stepping to the side. “C’mon in. I’ll make us some tea.”

Steven walked into your apartment and headed towards your couch, as he had done many nights before. He wrapped himself in the blanket you knitted yourself as you fixed a pot of tea. The blanket smelled like you, which always brought him a sense of comfort. A kind of comfort he couldn’t find in his own home. In fact, Steven couldn’t remember the last time he felt any sense of security before meeting you.

“You really fancy that blanket, huh?” You giggled, admiring how adorable he looked being swaddled in your own creation. The day you moved in, you decided to knit a blanket to combat your boredom. Once it was finished, you didn’t dare touch it as you were too afraid it would get ruined. The first night you welcomed Steven into your apartment, he was immediately fascinated with the blanket that he cozied onto your couch bundled in the blanket before falling into the best sleep he had in a while.

“I do, indeed. It helped me sleep when I had no other way of falling asleep.” Steven peered down at the wooly fabric, tracing over the patterns as if his next words were hidden between the stitches.

“Well, I’m happy to have helped you in a subliminal way.” The rest of your surroundings blurred as Steven became the focus of your gaze. Your heart skipped a beat as the dim light in your living room accented his structured face and wavy dark locks. Even with the blanket draped over his frame, his plain white t-shirt did little to hide his muscular arms and broad shoulders.

The abrupt screech of the kettle caused you to jolt and you quickly turned off the stove to avoid the sound reaching your other sleeping neighbors. After steeping chamomile bags in two separate cups, you joined Steven on the couch, leaving a respectful distance between the two of you. You handed him a mug and he gingerly peeled it from your grip. Your teeth gritted together as his soft fingers brushed against yours. Steven frowned, noticing your shift in demeanor.

“You cold, darling?” He shimmied out of the blanket, letting it fall to his waist.

“It’s okay, it’s no big deal-” Suddenly, Steven scooted next to you before throwing the blanket over both of your laps with one hand. It was the smoothest thing you had ever witnessed, you forgot how to breathe in that moment. 

“There we are. It wouldn’t be right of me to hog all of your blanket.” You couldn't help but laugh. Without further thought, you and Steven simultaneously sipped your cups of tea, the hot beverage instantly calming your mind and muscles. Steven hummed happily as the tea warmed his body. Yet, he was still wide awake.

The grandfather clock that stood strong in your living room ticked loudly to fill the silence of the room. It glared dauntingly into your and Steven’s souls as you drank your tea while avoiding each other’s gazes. The pendulum swung from side to side as if waiting for one of you to make a move. As Steven drank the last drop of tea, he was left with no other choice but to break the silence.

“You know something, love?” You suddenly became more interested in Steven as you set the mug on your coffee table. “Ever since I met you, things have changed.”

“I hope it’s a good kind of change.”

Steven peered down, smiling softly. “Yeah, it was. For starters, you have really helped me combat this insomnia. I couldn’t tell you about the last time I had a good night’s sleep.” Your lips curled into a dopey grin, and your skin grew hot. Yet neither the tea nor the blanket contributed to the warm feeling inside you. 

“Then, there is your kindness. No one has been as nice as you have been to me so it feels reassuring to know there’s still good people out there. You are also extremely bold. To move all the way from across the pond is…It’s brave. You’ve done all the things I’m scared to do.” He rambled on and on but one thing reeled in your attention. “To tell you the truth, I’m quite smitten with you, love.” 

“Steven…” You were at a loss for words. Your heart skipped a beat after learning he felt the same way about you. 

“Forgive me if I am too forward, but-”

“No, not at all. In fact, I feel the same way towards you.” Your hands met in the middle of the blanket, bringing you back to the moment your hands first touched outside your doors. This time, the spark between you two was much stronger.

“Can I kiss you, love?” 

“I thought you would never ask.”

Steven laughed before cupping your face with his large hands and pressing his lips against yours. The kiss was soft and sweet yet full of passion. It reminded you of a flame so bright you couldn’t help but reach out and touch it because you knew it wouldn’t hurt or scar you. Your lips molded together like a sculptor forming the greatest piece that’ll be admired for centuries to come. Time froze as your lips danced in unison and space ceased to exist around you and between you. 

Losing sleep was the last thing on Steven’s mind. For how could he lose when he was with you? Sleep will eventually find its way back to him. He couldn’t snooze and miss the moment of you and him in each other’s embrace.

Navigation | Fanfic Masterlist | Steven Grant Masterlist

header credit: @saradika | divider credit: @firefly-in-darkness

[myheartalivewrites]

(Some of) My favourite fics of 2023

2023! What a year, eh? Jesus fucking Christ.

There's no way I can start this list without making a huge caveat: unlike last year, I have NOT read all the RWRB fics that have come out in 2023, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. There's just been SO MUCH, and I have in no way kept up.

Anyway. These are my favourite things that I HAVE read. Rules (because who am I if not an extremely organised rule follower?): fic has to have been published in 2023; no more than one per author (some of you gave me real trouble here). Last year I only let myself put five fics on the list, this year I’ve been slightly more generous. Here we go:

muscle memory by @dumbpeachjuice: (E, ~30k) pining while fucking so good it makes me a little bit insane.

Going Platinum by @cricketnationrise: (E, ~20k) OMG the camboy!Alex AU I never knew I needed.

With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) by @kiwiana-writes: (E, ~65k) Shakespearean actors goodness!

Sweetheart Grips by @orestespdf: (E, ~13k) I am a little bit in love with trans Alex.

coyote ugly series (part 1 part 2) by @smc-27: (E, ~12k) *the rules are being bent, no one look over here. I'm already screaming at myself for not choosing the tennis AU or the stripper!Henry entry* Pining that's worth its weight in gold.

Taste the Way You Bleed by @cha-melodius: (T, ~4k) *again it pains me to not go with spy bois or cheesemonger Henry* The Halloween Huh! fic that nearly ended me in the best way. So funny I could scream.

The Edge of Glory by @historicallysam (T, ~10k) fantastic post-canon exploration of: what if Alex got asked to back into politics, after they've had a kid?

a rich and complex tapestry by @everwitch-magiks (E, ~9k) Henry hosts a radio show about sex and relationships, Alex fucks his way through his bisexual crisis. Delightful.

And of course I couldn’t leave out these babies I helped birth (gross, I beta read them):

Underground by @zwiazdziarka: (T, ~4k) If you love Labyrinth (and Henry in tights, which--who doesn't!) then I've got the fic for you!

why are you googling vampires? by @daisymae-12: (E, ~14k) vampire Henry goodness starring Twilight obsessed Alex

***

As for my favourite out of my own fics, I'm gonna go for an outlier: Down by the Water, I Saw You (E, ~63k). I love all my fics, and the numbers on some of the post-August 11 fics speak for themselves, but this one has my heart. The journey from sad/angry exes to trusting each other again and getting over all the past hurts; to being able to dig into their hearts and find that love that they'd both buried but never managed to get rid of. I wrote it because it was what I wanted to read and it still kills me. Of all my fics, it's the one I miss the most.

***

Thanks to all of you who've read my stuff, everyone who’s sent a nice comment or message my way; everyone who started reading RWRB fic this year, everyone who watched the film then found the book then turned to ao3 because they needed MORE. I know the feeling. What a ride it's been.

[evelinessa]

AO3 Wrapped 2023

I did this last year, but had shared on Twitter instead. Canva template was made by @/cassibee_ on Twitter. With a link for the template in this tweet, if you wanted to try it yourself.

Named fics for AO3 Wrapped 2023:

Mile(s) High Club - Narumitsu | Angst & Fluff & Smut *18+ NSFW*

Tasked with assisting Interpol in a dangerous mission, Miles boards a plane bound for Germany. Against Miles' wishes, Phoenix accompanies him. But before they reach their destination, they'll have to work through an unexpected situation they find themselves in—thirty-five thousand feet in the air.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not - Narumitsu | Fluff & Angst

As a child, Phoenix plays a game to determine if Edgeworth loves him back. Twenty years later, he plays once more.

After All This Time - Narumitsu | Angst

Miles Edgeworth knocks on Phoenix Wright's door, one year to the day he lost his badge.

To Propose (Un)traditionally - Narumitsu | Fluff & Humor

Phoenix learns of an old Edgeworth family tradition, wherein they always get married to someone they defended in court. Coincidently, Iris' prison release is drawing near. Phoenix knows exactly what he needs to do to resolve this issue.

All That Remains - Narumitsu | Angst *Major Character Death*

In the aftermath of The Time Loop Ritual, Miles is left to deal with everything that transpired.

Halloween Magic - Gen | Narumitsu | Fluff & Angst

Trucy is in her first semester of college. Living in a dorm several hours away from home—away from all her family and friends—she's finding it difficult to adjust. Even the approach of her favorite holiday, Halloween, isn't bringing her joy. Sensing the change in their daughter, Phoenix and Miles do what they can to lift her spirits.

Nothing too wild here, but as always, please check tags before reading! 🥰

[duskyashe]

CAMP NANO DAY 22

[First] [Previous] [Next] [AO3]

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Duke watched Phantom pace around the rooftop in growing bemusement. The kid was going over the notes he'd taken in his little pocket notebook over the course of his and Dick's Q&As with a rather deep furrow between his brows, muttering under his breath all the while. Duke chanced a glance at his oldest brother from where he sat as straight-backed as possible on his stool of shadows. Though Dick was fully masked and in character, Duke could read the older man like a book. His casual perch on top of the roof access shed held a shade of wariness and the set of his shoulders belayed his concern.

He fully understood, from what Steph and Jason had said, Phantom knew pretty much instantly exactly what both of them were as soon as he'd finished questioning them. He hadn't had to ask them more than ten questions total before he just knew. With Dick, however, he'd asked almost twenty five questions, and Duke was asked almost forty before Phantom had started up his pacing and muttering.

Right as Duke's anxiety started acting up, started whispering poisonous words about how he was a fake and a failure, that Phantom was going to declare him nothing more than a freakishly over powered meta and his family would turn him out on the streets over it, the kid abruptly stopped pacing and, without even looking up from his little notebook, asked the two of them, "So did you guys know you were both light deities before you came up here, or is that just a huge freaking coincidence? Because I've cross-checked the facts and crunched all the numbers, and you two are both minor deities of light, among other things."

Dick rolled his head dramatically to the side door a moment before asking in his raspy Raven voice, "Among other thingsssss?"

Phantom looked up from his notes with a blank startled look before understanding flashed across his expression. "Ahh, yes. Raven, you're a minor guardian trickster deity of light, your domains are pranks and tomfoolery, light, and protection. Signal, you're a minor guardian deity of light and shadows, your domains are both light and shadows, as well as protection. Basically, your domains are things that empower you and that you can manipulate and control with training. Eventually, you'll even be able to bless people within your clan's territory with any of your domains, such as blessing someone to find safety within the light of street lamps. Raven, as a trickster, you'll be drawn to areas and people full of mischief, and even feel the urge to start mischief, yourself," he explained. "As both of you are also guardians, you're inherently connected to the general wellbeing of the inhabitants of your territory. When someone is in danger within the city limits, you'll be able to tell. With practice, you'll even be able to hone in on the location."

=============‹«⟨·•★•·⟩»›=============

Cass watched from her spot draped across a crouching Tim's shoulders as Phantom gently smacked his forehead with his little notebook. He'd just finished questioning her and seemed to be having a small mental breakdown. She watched him for a little longer before softly whistling a question to her little brother in the family's secret conlang, Is he okay? Tim's chirped answer, I'm not sure, was followed by Phantom taking a deep breath and looking back up at them.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't expecting your clan to have so many minor deities in it. Ibis, you're definitely a kitsune, though I have no idea how many tails you have yet or what they can do, so we'll have to figure that out next time. BlackBat, you're a minor guardian deity of darkness and shadows, your domains are darkness, shadows, and protection. Like I told Raven and Signal, your domains are things that empower you. You and Signal share the domain of shadows, but as you also possess the domain of darkness itself, you'll be able to do things with shadows that he likely never will, no matter how much he trains his shadow domain," Phantom said before letting out a gust of breath and drawing his feet up to sit in midair. He ran a hand through his bright white hair, his entire frame screaming to her his astonishment and wariness. "Ancients, your clan is seriously OP. Batman is most likely a major deity since he has three minor deities under him, then there's the three of you minor deities. Condor's a Phoenix, Starling is a banshee, you're a kitsune with who knows how many tails, Ibis—" he pulled his hand from his hair and ran it down his face instead.

Tim and Cass glanced at each other at his words. Were clans... Not supposed to be like theirs? It felt entirely natural to her, especially since her family had started taking lessons from Phantom. She couldn't imagine her clan being anything other than exactly as it was.

Phantom must have caught the motion of their heads as he hurried to explain. "Most clans are made up of similar, if not the same, species. Your clan not only has a wider variety of species than normal, a lot of you are rare species that either have difficulties getting along with certain species also counted among your number, or aren't usually found in clans at all. Deities, major and minor, either form pantheons, which are different from clans, with other deities local to their territory or fiercely guard their territory from other deities and remain solo their entire existence. The fact that you have a deity in your clan, let alone three or more, is—is unheard of."

Tim froze in her grasp as he immediately began absorbing, analyzing, and extrapolating the new information they'd been given, but Cass barely noticed. No, what drew her attention more than the truly ground shaking information, was the beginnings of real, fragile hope began to show themselves in Phantom's body language. Where before, both the first time she met Phantom and just earlier that very night, he'd exhibited signs of relief and safety, this was perhaps the first time she'd seen him express hope. Cass wondered what he'd seen, what he'd experienced, that had led to him losing his hope in the first place, then she decided that, whatever it was, she wanted to punish the ones behind all of it for taking that hope away.

=============‹«⟨·•★•·⟩»›=============

AHHH I DID IT. I FINALLY FINISHED WRITING CHAPTER THREE. ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ This took forever, and I apologize for that. I had to start writing this chapter five different times before I finally figured out how the heck I even wanted to begin. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and all the lore drops. Cass's POV kinda got away from me and I'm not entirely sure where half the stuff I put in there came from, but it works! I hope y'all enjoyed it! I'm hoping to get back into the swing of writing and posting nearly every day for the rest of the month, but we'll just have to see, won't we (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ

[talesfrommedinastation]

2023: Writing, Art, and Medication

So, I need to preface this by admitting something.

January 2023 was when I started taking Wellbutrin. I have MDD and severe hypotension (low blood pressure).

Imagine rediscovering a favorite toy, game, or book that you've forgotten about. You find it, dust it off, and get lost in it again. And my, it is magical. You're so happy, you're giddy, you make up things to do to get further into it.

This isn't about me rediscovering fandom, or Star Wars. It's about re-discovering my emotions and my creativity. Because of medication.

I used to devour fantasy and sci-fi for fun. I wrote most of a series of silly novels in middle and high school. They were never published and put aside for academic or paid work. MDD crept up and strangled it, too.

Finally, I'm a working parent and spouse, and if it didn't have a spot on my CV or gave me money for completion, it wasn't going to get done.

Wellbutrin said fuck that noise, let's get CREATIVE. Let's have FUN FOR ONCE.

And low and behold, I start watching Star Wars cartoons with my youngest daughter in January 2023. She saw Tech on the screen with no helmet, screamed 'Dada!' and that's how I got yanked into The Bad Batch.

After watching two episodes with her, I wondered what it would be like if Tech met someone from The Expanse, maybe a female pilot. They'd chat, maybe hook up, and move on with their lives.

Wellbutrin also said fuck that noise, you wrote a dissertation and have multiple articles and short stories published, why not combine the two?

Wellbutrin also said you work in science communication, why not explore physics and biology from both angles?

And, while you're at it, why not have Tech and the Belter have a deeper relationship? What if they had a kid? What would happen to them, physically? Would the Empire view them as property? Would they be seen as a Belter? What are the cultural ramifications of this?

I didn't write an OC to fantasize about being with a fictional character: I wrote her, and even more OCs in the extended universe, to better understand both the worlds of The Expanse and Star Wars. It has been so, so, so fucking joyful to do so.

The longfic, which probably needs no introduction at this point, is Far Past the Ring. It was started in early February, began to be published in April, and finished in November. It is the length of a novel and thus, the most work came out of it. Most of my artwork is centered around it as well.

The art can be found here, but of all the pieces I myself have composed, I think the favorite is the one below. It was one of the first things I ever decided regarding their relationship...that something considered deviant, even on a natborn (receding hairline), is seen as personal, quirky, and wonderful.

[agaypanic]

My Fanfic Writing Wrapped 2023

Tumblr didn't do personal 2023 year in reviews, so I did it myself. Not sure if this is completely accurate bc I'm only human, but I tried lol

In 2023, I posted 119 fanfictions! 25 posts were headcanons, while the other 94 were fully written fics. I posted the most in November, with 20 fics and 5 headcanons.

My third most requested character was Malcolm Wilkerson (Malcolm in the Middle), with 10 fanfics and 2 headcanons. Second place is Benny Weir (My Babysitter's a Vampire), with 21 fanfics and 9 headcanons. First place (not surprised at all lol) is Reese Wilkerson (Malcolm in the Middle), with a whopping 24 fanfics and 8 headcanons!

My Top 5 Fanfictions of 2023

5. Summer Love (Benny Weir X Reader)

Summary: Benny’s friends don’t believe him when he tells them he has a girlfriend.

289 likes, 11 reblogs, 2 comments

4. Give You My Shoulder (Mike Schmidt X Reader)

Summary: It’s not uncommon for Mike to have a nightmare, mainly from reliving the trauma of his brother being taken. Luckily, he doesn’t sleep alone anymore.

296 likes, 7 reblogs

3. A Nudge (Benny Weir X Cupid!Reader)

Summary: As a descendant of Cupid, Y/n moved to Whitechapel to help people find and connect with their soulmates. The supernatural gang gets suspicious of the new girl. What happens when they catch her about to shoot a love arrow and Benny gets hit?

317 likes, 19 reblogs, 1 comment

2. Girl of My Dreams (Rory Keaner X Reader)

Summary: Rory Keaner was already heavily infatuated with Whitechapel’s pride and joy, Y/n L/n. But when he finds out she’s a nerd, he falls even harder for her.

379 likes, 17 reblogs, 2 comments

1. My Babysitter's a Vampire Simp Headcanons

Summary: Individual headcanons and scenarios of Benny Weir, Rory Keaner, and Ethan Morgan being a simp for you

439 likes, 11 reblogs, 2 comments

I hope that in 2024 I write more things (both fanfiction and original works) and I'm so grateful to all of you have been along for the ride! I love writing, no matter how bad the writer's block gets, and it means a lot that there are people out there who support what I do. And although it was a bit time consuming, this was really fun to make lol maybe I'll do it again next year :)

[eurydicees]

20? :)

uhhhh this one was a spotify wrapped prompt, um, last year. oops. anyways. i found this ask and started writing for it then i found this post by @osamusbigtits and then had to write about that. and long story short. have a fic.

tree rings & blood lines

summary: suna's sister comes to visit. they talk about the families they're born with, and the families they make. prompt: spotify wrapped #20, domestic bliss by glass animals; this post pairings: osamu miya/rintarou suna, suna & his sister words: 2375 warnings: child neglect, homophobia

When he was young, the first faces he looked for in the crowd after a game were his parents. Now, Suna barely thinks about them. Or, he thinks about them all of the time; he’s just given up expecting anything from them. Expecting them to show up. A younger him had been disappointed too many times. 

Now, after his games, he gets out of the locker room and makes a beeline for the Onigiri Miya food stand, where Osamu is finishing cleaning up and waiting for him. He leans on the counter of the food stand, on his toes and waiting for Osamu to notice him. 

“Samu. Samu. Samu. Osamu.” 

It takes a few tries before Osamu comes out of his own world enough to look up. He takes his earbuds out and stands up from where he had been crouched behind the stand, gathering up the leftover ingredients from the day. He smiles a little, his entire expression softening as he takes in the sight of Suna in front of him. “Rintarou, hey.” 

“Don’t I get a kiss for a good game?” Suna asks, leaning further forward. 

Osamu hums, pretending to consider it as he fiddles with one earbud in his hand. “You missed an important block in the third set, you know. Aran got a pretty impressive point.” 

Suna’s expression doesn’t change but for a slight curve to the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, but I got him back in the fourth set.” 

“Good you did, because I had money on you guys.” 

Suna raises his eyebrows. “Oh, so you’re betting now?” 

“Tsumu was being annoying,” Osamu tells him, as if that explains everything. To be fair, it kind of does, when it comes to him. 

Suna is about to make some retort, but he only gets as far as opening his mouth before there’s a tap on his shoulder and he flinches. He straightens up and then turns around, ready to sign something or give a reluctant hug and take a picture for an over enthusiastic fan, but then the face in front of him registers. Familiar. Family. 

“Tsugoku,” he says, staring. 

She’s grown up: from his baby sister to a young adult, from braces and pigtails and acne and oversized t-shirts to a bright, white-toothed smile and long black hair falling around her shoulders. She has the same tilt to her smile though, still slightly uneven with her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth. 

“Hey, Rintarou.” Her voice is softer than he remembers, but then again he hasn’t spoken to her much since he graduated Inarizaki and joined the pro league, drifting farther and farther from their family until he might as well not call their house in Aichi home anymore. Fuck, how long has it been? He’s not sure he wants the answer. “You played great.” 

“Thanks,” Suna says, still slightly bewildered by her presence. “What are you—are Mom and Dad?” 

She shakes her head. “Just me. Can we—can we get coffee or something?” 

Suna swallows. He loves his sister, he has always loved his sister; he wants nothing more than to get coffee with her and catch up after all these years. But it also hurts to look at her: the spitting image of their mother with her dark gray eyes and perfect posture and long, pale fingers tapping against the back of the opposite hand. She used to bite her nails; does she still do that, or did their parents carve that habit out of her like they did to him? 

“Yeah, sure,” he finally says, just as the silence begins to last too long and she shifts uncomfortably. He glances back at his boyfriend. “Osamu, you coming with?” 

Osamu looks between the two of them, a crease forming at his forehead. “I wouldn’t wanna intrude on a family—” 

“You’re my family too,” Suna cuts in. “You can come.” 

Tsugoku looks like she wants to argue, but Suna doesn’t want to do this by himself. It’s been so long since he’s let himself think of his family: of the cold quiet he had run from, of the constant disappointment he had borne the weight of, of the hurt and resentment they had put on him. 

He has always loved his sister, whatever his gripes with his parents are, but she is also a representation of everything that he did wrong. She is also everything that they have always wanted, and everything he can never be. So he wants to see her, yes, but he doesn’t know if he can do it without falling back into old habits, old patterns, old griefs. 

“Sure,” Osamu says slowly. “If you don’t mind, Tsugoku.” 

Tsugoku schools her face into something more passive, something that isn’t bothered by the intrusion at all. The image of neutrality. A perfect mirror of Suna’s resting expression. He loves that they still share this skill, this face, and he hates that they had to grow up knowing how to do it. “Of course, I don’t mind at all.” 

She looks like she wants to say something else, but holds her tongue. Another trait they have been well taught in how to do. Osamu fills the silence. “How does the café near our place sound? It has good cappuccinos, if you still like those, Tsugoku.” 

“I do,” she says, smiling a little. “I’m surprised you remember.” 

“He can remember anyone’s coffee order,” Suna says, rolling his eyes. “It’s his dumbest and only party trick.” 

“Asshole,” Osmau mutters, but it’s fond. “I’m finished cleaning up, if you two want to head out now.” 

Tsugoku nods, and motions for Suna to lead the way out of the stadium. They don’t get stopped by anyone on their way to Osamu’s car, which Suna is grateful for. It had been a home game, so he was able to catch a ride to the stadium with Osamu rather than taking the bus with the team. The drive home is short and the ride to the café is even shorter. 

It also feels impossibly long, though, because it’s dead silent the entire way. Suna has never minded quiet, but there’s something itchy about this silence, something uncomfortable about it that scratches at the back of his neck and urges him to say something, anything. He wants to talk to Tsugoku, wants to know all about her life now, wants to tell her about his. But he also doesn’t know where to start or what he’s allowed to share. What he’s allowed to have. 

Or, he doesn’t know how much of himself he is allowed to give her—or, how much of himself she is willing to take. When he had left their parents’ place to live in Hyogo and attend Inarizaki, he had left because there were greater opportunities for him at Inarizaki than anywhere closer to home. He had left because he had seen a way up and out and he had wanted to see what would happen with a leap of faith. 

Then he had stayed at Inarizaki because he realized that leaving was the best thing he had ever done. He stayed because he realized the way his parents made him feel about himself was unbearable. He stayed because he realized the way his parents treated him was putting him in a pressure cooker bound to explode one day if he hadn’t gotten out when he did. He stayed because he found a different family. 

Here is the thing about family that Suna has had to teach himself: you can be raised with and by blood relatives, but that doesn’t make them love you. They can provide for you, but that doesn’t mean they want you. This is something he learned early on and is also something he hopes Tsugoku will never learn. It is something he was beginning to think she would never understand—not with being as angry at him for leaving as she was—and he was grateful for that. 

But, sitting across from her in the café now, studying the now apparent bags under her eyes and the nervous tick of her fingers and the way her gaze flits around the room like she’s ready to run, it looks like he was wrong. It looks like she is learning this just as he did. 

“What’s wrong?” he finally asks, after a long few minutes of quiet. “Why are you here?” 

“Can’t I just want to see my brother play volleyball?” she asks, licking her lips. 

He shrugs, tapping his fingers against the paper cup of hot coffee. It’s too hot to drink but he’s tempted to sip at it anyway. “I mean, sure. But I don’t think that’s the case.” 

She swallows, dropping her gaze to the table. She watches his tapping fingers for a long moment, leaving Suna and Osamu to glance at each other, concerned. “I…I needed some…space. From Mom and Dad. And I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

“We’re always happy to see you,” Osamu tells her, and Suna nods in agreement. 

“Thank you,” Tsugoku says, bowing her head slightly. She takes a deep breath and glances up at Suna, then ducks her gaze down again. “I—how did they take it? Mom and Dad. When you, um. Came out to them.” 

Suna stiffens. “What?” 

Tsugoku doesn’t look at him. Just keeps staring at the table, at the way Suna clenches his hands around the cup of coffee. “Like, what did they do? Or, like, say?” 

“I don’t…” Suna trails off. He feels off-kilter, dizzy with the embarrassed rush of blood to his cheeks. Osamu puts a hand on his wrist, just a gentle weight, a reminder that he’s there. Suna exhales. “I never really sat them down and told them. I don’t actually know how much they…know. About that. I just started dating men when I moved out and let them come to their own conclusions about it.” 

“Oh.” Tsugoku doesn’t look any more comforted or at ease with that information. If anything, she looks more on edge, more wired and keyed up, ready to run. For a moment, it looks like she’s not going to say anything else. Then, in a rush, a flurry of confessions: “I was so mad at you, Rintarou, when you left. You just—you left and you got to go to Inarizaki and do whatever you wanted and not care. I was so mad. I hated that you got to do that, and I had to—had to be—” 

She cuts herself off and Suna swallows down a burning in his throat, in his lungs, in his heart. “You had to be everything I wasn’t.” 

“Rintarou—” 

“It’s okay,” Suna says quickly. “It’s—it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

Tsugoku takes a sip of her coffee and then flinches. It’s still too hot. She’s always been impatient, and it almost makes Suna smile. She sets down the coffee, moving her hands to her lap. Like this, she looks like their mother: sitting at the dinner table, fingers intertwined in her lap, head bowed, thanking their father for making the meal. Like this, she also looks so small. 

“I told them,” she murmurs. She exhales shakily. “I told them I’m a lesbian and they—” 

She cuts herself off. Doesn’t look up. Suna can hear Osamu’s breath catch in his throat. Osamu, whose family has always loved him so much, and so unconditionally. 

Osamu, whose parents told him that he would always be their son, that he would always be loved, that he would always have a home with them, that he would always have some place soft to land when he fell. Osmau, who brings Suna home for holidays and family reunions and who has never had to hear a single bad word about it. Osamu, who both understands, because he loves Suna and talks to him about everything, and who does not and cannot ever understand at all. 

Osamu, who is the light of Suna’s life anyways and always. He says, softly, not like he’s speaking to a broken thing but like he’s speaking to someone he loves, because this is Suna’s sister, at the end of the day, “If you need a place to stay, you’re welcome with us for as long as you need.” 

“I want to go home,” Tsugoku whispers. She finally looks up. “And—they didn’t kick me out, didn’t tell me not to come back, so I can go home, I can. But I just—the way they looked at me, Rintarou, like they weren’t even seeing me. Or like they were seeing something that couldn’t possibly be the same daughter they had yesterday. Like—like—like what I’ve done is unforgivable even though it was just my best friend and one stupid kiss. And I realized—it’s unfair, it’s stupid, because I’ve done everything right. And it’s still not enough.” 

“Yeah,” Suna says hoarsely, because there is no number of times he can say I’m sorry that will fix this. That will make any of this feel better. That will take away this feeling. Still, he has to say it. “Tsugoku, I’m so sorry.”

“Not your fault,” she tells him, finally looking up. “I get it now, I guess. That you had to leave. It just—I’ve missed you, Rintarou. I’ve missed you a lot.” 

Suna swallows. “I’ve missed you too. You can be with us for as long as you want.” He takes a shaky breath. It’s a stupid offer, and it’s bold and crazy and he hates the sound of it, but he says anyway, “And if you want me to come home with you, and argue with them for you, I can do that, too.” 

He doesn’t want to go back. He doesn’t want to face his parents, knowing that they’ve rejected Tsugoku like this, knowing that they’d probably do the same to him or worse. He doesn’t want to be back in that house, the one that holds so many bad memories. He doesn’t want to, and he would do it for her. For the baby sister he failed to protect. But he can try again now. He can—he will. 

She laughs a little. Soft and still sad, but it’s a laugh all the same. “Thank you.” 

“Course,” he says softly. “Anytime you need.”

[luminoustarlight]

okay so... this was a big writing year for me. i was really curious to see how many words i wrote and holy crap?? 90,745 is A LOT. the average word count in an adult book is 70,000 to 120,000 words. i wrote enough for a whole book!!

i started the year off in the stranger things fandom and wrote 26 pieces for eddie munson. my top fanfiction was The Box Set, a 1980s porn au. It was cross-posted on tumblr and ao3 and it is still currently up on ao3. i am so proud of that story. it is 33k words alone. i've never undertaken such a large project before and the reception towards it was so encouraging.

after taking a couple months off, i got back into writing for one anakin skywalker. i have a long history with this man/hayden christensen. i first fell for him in 2015 and his appearance in ahsoka 100% reinvigorated my love for him. he is so, so, so much fun to write. my current series, as fate would have it, is a dilf!anakin story and will be continued in the new year.

i can't wait to see what 2024 has in store for me and my writing. i'm so glad you're all along for this journey. thank you for liking, reblogging, leaving comments, and messaging me about my work. it fuels me as a writer!

[watchyourbuck]

Bro all of y’all posted like 50k words worth of fanfiction to ao3 and I’m over here w three one shots and a quarter of an AU like:

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up April 2024♡(੭ˊ͈ ꒵ˋ͈)੭*･:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Mirror Mirror by epiphany_dex

Harry’s new year starts with a bang when he encounters Draco Malfoy at the Ministry Ball. Rec Post

(Never) Let Me Go by maraudersaffair @maraudersaffair

Harry and Ginny are married, but she abandoned him for her Quidditch career overseas. He is lonely and desperate for love and very interested in sleeping with a man. Then, one night at a party, Draco Malfoy whispers in his ear: Do you want to leave with me? Harry knows he should say no, especially since a scandal would ruin his chance at becoming Head Auror, but Malfoy is entirely too fit to pass up the opportunity. Rec Post

Another Mind Game by May_May_0_0

Harry’s occlumency reveals his disturbing home life which sets off a chain reaction that cannot be undone. Snape finds himself begrudgingly caring about the bespectacled boy, Harry discovers what it’s like to have adults who care, and Hermione finds herself becoming an accidental crime lord. Draco Malfoy is very much along for the ride, in all senses of the word. Rec Post

Dragons Don’t Know Paradise by teacup_tai @teacup-tai

In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon. Rec Post

Stalking Harry by orphan_account

Harry Potter is the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding world. Draco Malfoy is a disgraced ex-Death Eater with emotional baggage and a bit of a crush. Rec Post

Through His Eyes (I Am Set Free) by Shewhxmustnxtbenamed @shewhomustnotbenamed

Harry and Draco have a telepathic connection that remains unexplained in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. Draco is assigned a mission by Voldemort to locate and capture the Boy Who Lived– the trouble is that they don’t know anything about him. While Draco struggles to gather information on this mysteriously absent hero, he and Harry start communicating again for the first time since they were kids. Harry continues life as normal until he discovers information which compels him to abandon his ordinary Muggle life with the endeavor to rescue and emancipate his only friend– even if that means bartering with his own life. Rec Post

A Private Reason for This by Femme (femmequixotic) @femmequixotic

When the wife of a star politician in the Scottish Ministry turns up dead just outside Hogsmeade, Draco Malfoy and his murder investigation team are called in from the Edinburgh Auror force to find her killer. What DCI Malfoy doesn’t expect, however, is to have an ex from two decades past end up in his murder room, endangering not only his case, but also his heart. Rec Post

Consequences of Redemption by ominousflags @ominousflags

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco–and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated. Rec Post

Double Trouble by multiverse_of_fanfic

Four years after the War, Draco is stuck in a dead-end job, paper-pushing his life away. Until one day, after a security breach in the Ministry, he receives an offer he can’t refuse. Thrown back into a world he thought he’d left behind, Draco must wrestle with his Death Eater past as well as his inconvenient — and forbidden — feelings for an annoyingly level-headed Harry Potter.

Will he manage to come out unscathed like he has most of his life, or will it all come crashing down? Rec Post

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well!(ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ━☆ﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･.*･｡ﾟ*:・ﾟ✧

Weapons of Massive Consumption by SanderVanSunshine @sandervansunshine

Eight years after the war, Harry Potter lives a life of hedonism: raging parties, huge impulse purchases, and seemingly no worries. But it's Draco Malfoy—former Death Eater, lover of blueberry muffins, and bane of coffee shop workers—who starts to wonder if it's all a front, if something's actually terribly wrong with him. Why else would Potter ask Draco, of all fucking people, to write his biography?

What We Left Behind by peachydreamxx @peachydreamxx

Harry's recovering from an injury. Malfoy's recovering from heartbreak. Beaten down and bruised, Harry takes up Malfoy's offer to stay at his secluded seaside cottage in Dorset. It'll be good to get away from it all. It's only for a few days, and it's only so he can heal. Nothing else. Digging up past feelings will only make matters worse, and besides, Malfoy doesn't feel the same way. Does he?

Take You Home by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill) @lqtraintracks

Everybody’s a little fucked up after the war, Draco especially. What starts as hate sex after a night out, eventually turns into something else, something more like comfort. And even though his friends all tell Harry he’s just being used, all Harry’s doing is making sure Draco gets home in one piece. He’s not falling helplessly in love.

Vipera Berus by Justlikewriting

Everything was fine. Draco resided at the Manor, made a decent living selling potions and most of his customers actually kept coming back despite his last name. Hence, Draco was fine. He really was. So what, if he was still waiting.

Title & Possession by Kbrick @kbrick

Harry Potter’s life is going well in the aftermath of the war. Sure, his house is dark and run-down and might hate him (while his house elf definitely hates him). But other than that, things are good. Except, yeah, okay, Hermione and Ron are no longer on speaking terms. Worse, they keep trying to get Harry to pick sides. But otherwise, Harry couldn’t be happier. Well. Except for the fact that Ginny is being super weird about their relationship and never wants to have sex or talk about the future. But other than that, Harry is perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch. At least, he is until Draco Malfoy sues him for ownership of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Then Harry really isn’t fine at all.

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡ I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I have! Happy reading, y’all! xoxo Carey  (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖

[ultrasulk]

shoutout to the fic i've been attempting to write on and off for months for partially contributing to making this my #1 song this year.

[reliablejoukido]

Zuzu's Year End Fanfiction Wrap-up Template - free to use

Hi pals! I've been looking for something like this for a while. I always see end of year art summaries and wish I could make something for fanfiction. So i did! Feel free to download the blank and sample images from tumblr, but they are also available in the Google Drive.

Google Drive link contains:

Blank PNG that you can edit in an image editor

Example text PNG that you see above, in case you want guidance on what it can look like

Editable PSD file for those who have Photoshop

An editable PDF form for those who don't have image editors or Photoshop (PLEASE see directions file on how to use the PDF)

Directions file

To save space and make it easier for tumblr, the image I made only has 3 months. Feel free to duplicate in order to make more months.

(Note on the "status" category: you can put anything you want here. Whether you edited, completed something, drafted half a chapter, published a chapter... this is left vague so you can put whatever you want here.)

You can find a more robust example here.

Credit is appreciated so that others can find and use this.

[cellythefloshie]

– ao3. ask & i’ll answer

–  for recs check out my bookshelf!

–  want to indulge in my oc related content?

–  join my taglist!

2023 was such an incredible year for me as a writer. I feel like I have been able to grow so much in this community! We have had so much to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who has read, liked, reblogged, and commented this year! I can't wait to see what we can create next year!

ALSO - if you happen to be interested in the statistical side of things, let me know! I have an entire excel sheet dedicated to tracking everything from my word counters to player, team and event break downs!

Tagging a few of you as a thank you for all your support and being such huge pieces of the community this year!❤️: @wyattjohnston @starshine-hockey-girl @senditcolton @hockeyboysimagines @callsign-denmark @snugglyducklingbrewhouse @hagelpoint-3821 @hischierdevils @laurenairay @swissboyhisch @claireelle18 @puckmaidens @comphy-and-cozy @equallyshaw @puckmaidens @stlbluesbrat21

[eurydicees]

The spotify wrapped prompt is such a fun idea!! My fav song on my playlist is #9, so that's the one I'll choose for you!

sorry for the delay--have a lil shiratorizawa/ushijima drabble :D

the strongest team in all the world

summary: shiratorizawa loses. there's no other way to put it. shiratorizawa loses. prompt: spotify wrapped #9, heartbreak feels so good by fall out boy pairings: wakatoshi ushijima & shiratorizawa volleyball club words: 955 warnings: none 

When you are eighteen, everything that hurts is its own little death. Every pain is like losing your own life, losing your heart, again and again and again. When you are eighteen, the world ends every time you close your eyes to let go of the tears. 

So Ushijima and Shiratorizawa lose to Karasuno, and he lies back on the court to stretch and, for just a moment, he closes his eyes. And the world ends. 

But: “Don’t you go slacking on me,” Tendou says. 

And then the world begins again. He opens his eyes.

I won’t, Ushijima thinks. He’s not sure if he says it out loud. It’s all still so surreal. They’re on the court floor, stretching, cooling down, and they’ve lost. It’s all over. 

He had trained for this game knowing—believing, being so sure—that they would win. They had all trained for this believing that. Maybe that had been their downfall: not considering anyone else in Miyagi a great enough threat to keep them from Nationals. 

Pride. Worthless fucking pride. 

A blink, and they’re done with stretches. A blink, and they’re getting on the bus. It was a good enough game to get on the bus. Not good enough to win. But enough to drive home rather than run there.

Ushijima and Tendou always sit together on the bus. The ride back from this game is no different. The difference comes with the silence. 

Usually, Tendou keeps up a steady chatter while they ride back. Goshiki rambles on about his favorite plays during the match and only a few of the benchwarmers listen, mostly other first years. Shirabu sleeps, and he always snores. Semi’s music, though he has headphones in, always bleeds out into the rest of the bus. Reon and Yamagata talk in low tones about things they could have done better. 

There are always layers upon layers of sound. There’s always something.

This bus ride is silent. No one talks. 

Tendou always sits at the window. He likes to count the green cars that pass by. Ushijima knows this, because last time that they beat Aoba Johsai, there were seven of them and that had been a record. Ushijima knows this, because he knows Tendou and his intricacies. Ushijima knows this, because he loves Tendou and his intricacies. 

Today, Tendou stares at his hands. He doesn’t point it out when a green Honda passes by. Ushijima nudges his shoulder, pointing. Tendou nods. Gives him a tight smile. 

A blink. The world ends. 

Then they’re back at Shiratorizawa, and the world begins again. It’s getting dark. The sun is red and hollow in the sky and the clouds hang like heavy pauses in a conversation about defeat and pride and strength. The earth is turning still. They lost, and the earth is turning still.

“Six in the morning tomorrow,” Coach Washijo says. “Third years’ presence is optional. But if you don’t come tomorrow, don’t bother coming again.” 

He turns around. Walks to the athletic offices. They all watch him go. They just stand in their little semicircle and watch as he walks away from them. He doesn’t look back once. 

There’s no sense of urgency to it. Instead, there’s a sense of emptiness. Of vast blank space in their lives. In their futures. All of the time that they had set aside for volleyball, for Nationals: just empty space. 

So they all stand there, in the setting sun, watching their coach turn away from them—the losing team—and walk away. He doesn’t even dismiss them as he usually does. He doesn’t say goodbye to the third years who may not show up again. He just leaves. Step by step by step, until he disappears behind a door. 

Ushijima could say something, now. But all his words have already been used. Besides, they all know that he’ll be at practice at 5:45am tomorrow. Coach Washijo probably knows, too. He knows that they’ll all still show up. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t look back. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to face them. 

After all, he, too, failed. He, too, lost this game. He, too, let go of something. 

So: a blink, and Ushijima is starting the long walk back to the dorms. The team follows him. Eyes on his back and he keeps walking.

Ushijima turns around only once. He turns around to look at his team: his beautiful, wonderful, crying, strong, prideful, defeated team; with the sunset behind them, filling in all the empty spots in the great big sky; with all the weight of loss and all the weight of the future on their shoulders.

Yeah. His beautiful, strong, defeated team. He loves them, the Shiratorizawa that lost to Karasuno. Whether or not they have lost. They are still his team. They will always be his team. 

And those who are left, those who come after him, those who continue, those first and second years, they will try again. And again. And again. They will fight again. They will honor what has come before and they will create something new. They will lose again. They will rise again. 

Take this loss and make it something greater, Ushijima thinks. 

When you are eighteen, every loss is the ending of the world. Then you blink, and time has passed. A new team arrives. A whistle is blown and a new game starts.

Ushijima takes a deep breath. Promises himself that he’ll come watch their games next year, just like surely some of them will come watch his. A tear falls over his cheek and over the curve of his lips and he doesn’t wipe it away. Just lets it fall. It’s only one tear. Only one apocalypse.

A blink. And the world begins again.

[im-immortal]

2023 Writing Wrap-Up

I'm a little late this time around since it's already 2024, but I haven't done a writing wrap-up since 2021 and I thought it would be fun to bring back!

So this year, I was on quite a roll for the first half of the year. And then July rolled around and I started slowing down until it came to a screeching halt. Not sure what happened. Maybe it's my ADHD and constantly shifting hyper-fixations to blame. But I gradually managed to come back around just in time to post something for Christmas, which I'm still working on finishing. However, my hiatus doesn't take away the pride I still have for what I was able to write during the year. And I look forward to writing more in 2024! So here's all I managed to finish/get a good start on and post during 2023.

A Kiss For A Drink: 6,740 words; one-shot I actually started writing this back in 2020 or 2021, intended to be posted on Valentine's Day. And then I got a point where I couldn't finish it and let it sit for about 2 years. I finally came back with some inspiration and motivation and finished it just in time to post for Valentine's Day 2023! I'm really happy with how it came out. It was a fun idea that turned into a fun fic with a few laughs included, even if it is one of my least-viewed fics lol I had fun writing it too, which is all that really matters!

Lunacy Fringe: 62,690 words; 8/8 chapters To say this fic suddenly came out of nowhere would be an understatement. I literally got inspired out of the blue while listening to an episode of the Therapy Gecko podcast and the next thing I knew, I was balls deep in a psychological thriller. I actually managed to write it in just over a month or so!! Which is really incredible for me, especially considering I didn't step away from it at all or lose inspiration before it was finished. I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I haven't really told anyone, but I am working on converting it into an original story and possibly self-publishing. It could end up being my very first original novel :) the feedback I got was far more positive than I'd expected, especially considering how I portrayed Beth. I'm overall so so happy with how it turned out!!

Longer Than A Heartbeat: 157,289 words; 29/29 chapters Now this... this fic is one of my proudest pieces by far. I'll never get over how happy I am with how it turned out, and how I was actually able to finish it. For the last few years, every time I rewatched "28 Days Later," I couldn't stop thinking about how it would make such a good Bethyl fic, and how I wanted to convert it into a Bethyl fic that included Rick and Judith. I finally did it!! Technically, I wrote it in 2022, but I didn't completely finish it and post it until 2023. When I say I write for myself... this fic really proves it, because I go back and read chapters from it all the time just because it's so fun and I love how I wrote it. I was also pleasantly surprised by the reception and how people who hadn't ever watched "28 Days Later" enjoyed it! Not to mention, @boltthrutheheart made some incredible custom manips for me that I can never get over!!

hot girl summer (playing by the rules); 167k+ words, 16/30 chapters Ah yes, here she is... the companion piece to the first 3 fics of "in for a penny, in for a pound" that I've been planning/contemplating ever since I did that first fic from Beth's POV for the series. I always wanted to show Beth's POV for all the major moments in the series, and then once I got started, I figured why not go all in and just do her POV for the entirety of the series thus far? It gives a little more insight into how she's feeling, why she does the things she does and says the things she says, and we also get to see exactly what she was doing all those times that Daryl couldn't help wondering about her (because I already knew in my head, but I thought it might be fun to share with everyone else). I also thought it would make the set-up for the next fic a little better, so we could try and understand Beth's motivations better and where she's at in her head. Of course, I got pretty into it and then hit a speed bump and then suddenly, lost all ability to write. It'll come back soon, though. I can't wait to finish this fic and move on to the next in the series, and eventually conclude Beth and Daryl's tumultuous journey in this fun little AU.

Small Miracles; 39k+ words, 6/10 chapters This is the fic that finally pushed me back into being able to write. I had no plans of writing for BHF 2023, and then I suddenly had this strike of inspiration for a very weird idea and decided to go with it and try and finish it in time to post for Christmas. I did manage to finish about 1/3rd of the fic in time, but I'm still writing it and haven't lost motivation yet, so that's a good sign! It's also just really fun and kind of cathartic to do a new exploration of Beth's journey through the eyes of an older Beth who survived Grady, with that fun little supernatural twist added to it. I can't wait to finish this one, because I've had a lot of fun writing it and really look forward to seeing what people think of her entire journey and the way it will conclude.

To everyone who's read my fics, left feedback, kudos, bookmarks, or even helped me bounce ideas off and come up with plans for fics... thank you so much! I appreciate everyone in this little fandom so, so much. Y'all mean the world to me, and I am so grateful that we have this wonderful community in our own little corner of the internet. Happy New Year to you all, and I hope 2024 brings you nothing but blessings!