#I am not about to go through my 1000+ fics bookmarked

[valewritessss]

I need help finding a fic

A while ago I read a percabeth fic and it was a high school au where Percy was dared by Octavian and his friends to hook up with Annabeth and the fic was either 10 or 17 chapters long with a happy ending. Also it had bi Percy I think and Annabeth was a Taylor swift fan (might’ve been Speak Now specifically), and I suddenly remembered this fic and now I want to read it but I remember everything about it but its name.

[olderthannetfic]

I’ve decided it’s finally time to go through my Ao3 bookmarks and properly organise them, after a slew of fics have been deleted or added to private/secret collections. If (when) it happens again, I’d like to know what’s missing, and possibly figure out how to find it again from there. It’d also be handy to be able to sort through bookmarked fics by length, genre, overall vibes, and other things that might not be consistently tagged by different authors.

Unfortunately, I am not an organised person by nature, and am a bit worried about stepping on toes after seeing so much arguing over Rude Bookmarks. I also have a lot to get through, 1000+ at last count. Do you (or anyone reading this) have advice for efficient, comprehensive ways to tag/make notes on bookmarks? Are there established systems? Any specific tags that are handy to be able to filter for? What’s the common etiquette?

--

Many people add the fic's own header info: author name, title, etc. so they know what the bookmark was of.

[ilikelookingatthings]

I NEED TO SCREAM INTO THE VOID.

I am in a pickle of my own making! I have over 1000 tabs open on my computer because I kept opening new windows and forgetting the previous windows. Most of these tabs are fanfiction. My computer is slow as all get out because of all the tabs so I can't bounce between them to get to all the oneshots. There are so many that the windows don't show as pictures and the only way to scroll to tabs is to have all the tabs on the side instead of at the top.

So I've been meticulously going through each tab to try to finish a window to then start again in the next window.

But not ONLY are a majority of the tabs fanfictions...many are multi-chapter.

But my ONLY hobby right now(aside from making earrings out if beads so I can get rid of my beads) is writing comments on fanfictions....so my pace is slowed down EVEN MORE because I am SHIT at summarizing my thoughts in a short ans sweet manner!

I write my comments to process and get out every thought I can on the fanfiction currently in my sights so I won't be lingering on it for months mentally. The good, the bad, the 'this part doesn't make sense logically with what you set up but COULD WORK if you adjust this part a smidge so we can enjoy your brilliant lines over here', the ooooh my God I'm terrified I'm having so much fun reading this, amd of my God this is infuriating and I hate it but I live it write more!

My computer bounces between being able to spell properly and skipping letters and the spell check takes so long to do because I write so much!!! And then I need to check tone of my comment because what if I wrote out all my thoughts and didn't realize my love and appreciation didn't get through where people might take it as critique or hurtful because I didn't get my feeling across properly.

So I need to double check! Because I don't want to accidentally discourage someone who's fic I cared enough about to read through! I'll want more fanfics after all!!!

But I also need to get through the fanfics as quickly as possible and I write alot quickly and I need to get my thoughts out of my head as soon as possible so I can go to the next fanfiction!

But then I have such good taste and the writers are so great I get sucked in again! And if I'm not careful I'll write a comment for every chapter!!!

I spent TWO DAYS going through a 20 chapter fanfic! Just to delete ONE TAB! I can't even sort the tabs by oneshots! I have to go tab by tab in this window to get through the window or risk the computer rebooting and reopening or opening copys of windows!!!! And I can't pin point all the copy windows cuz some windows have fanfics from the other windows!

And then I thought! Hey no one really CARES if I comment right? I can just skip one or two! But not only does my brain say no! that fanfic didn't have any comments!!! which was a travesty because the fic was so good and needs to be appreciated! So I needed to write one! And THEN apparently people recognized that I commented on almost every fanfiction I've read and noticed I'm BACK because I took hiatus for so long due to lent! I don't eve have any writing of my own and somehow people noticed?

AND WRITERS apparently appreciate them so I get all warm and fuzzy! Whoch gives me energy to comment more!

But I still have a ridiculous amount of tabs and I made a deal with myself I can't scroll on tumblr or YouTube for too long on my phone until I get through ALL of them! Because that risks me making MORE comments because it's not just fanfictions I process that way!!!

There are tabs from at least 3 years ago!!!! And that's not even adressing when I AM done I plan on getting through my bookmarks because they are separate!!!! And how when I read a fic from one Fandom I get the erge to look for MORE!

I've got myself opening up new tabs at least 3 times! Luckily stopping myself from diving further in. Commenting on those fanfictions and closing the tabs quickly. But still!!!!

And that's not even adressing tge fanfic purges that happen so what if one of the five I was reading got taken down so I'll never know the ending? Or when my tabs refresh so the comment I spent 15 minutes writing disappeared!!!! I can type very quickly and my reading comprehension are high. I wrote past the archive comment limit within 2 minutes once so I thought this would be faster!

Am I my own worst enemy?! I can't just give up now! But there are so many!!!! And something tells me most won't be one shots! But even just the one shots can be worth multiple comments!

Its how I process! My sister can only take so much of ne talking at her about characters and Fandom she isn't in!!! And my prize at the end are more fanfictions I'm not letting myself read til I finish all of these!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Why do I DO this to myself!!!!!

[just-fandomthings]

21 for 21

In honor of my 21st birthday coming and passing, here are 21 of my favorite fanfics to ever exist (this is not an exhaustive list of my favorite works btw, there’s too many to list!):

Blackbonnet

Love & Metachrosis by multi_angxls

(My beloved Abby gifted this to me and it remains the very best ofmd fanfic to exist. I am only 3% biased in saying so, because it truly is a masterpiece.)

Frostiron

Blood on the Battlefield by STARSdidathing

(The angst in this one! I love me some good hurt!tony and the way this one utilizes that to bring maximum pain to Loki…ugh, it’s just so good. The best kind of angst in this one!)

Borrowed Heat by usedupshiver

(This is one of the very first frostiron fics I ever read, but this is the story that made me realize I had found a forever fandom in frostiron. It’s just everything.)

Entwined by STARSdidathing

(The feel-good story to end all feel-good stories, while also being enemies to friends to lovers. Incredible doesn’t begin to cover it.)

Fighting, Flyting, Flaunting, Flirting by Redring91

(I maintain this is the single best fanfiction I have ever read.)

Incarcerated by Shortsnout

(Something about this one just speaks to me. The subtleties, the emotions, the storyline…so. good!!! I’ve reread this one so many times I’ve lost count- I mean it. I’ve easily reread this over 50 times.)

Loki’s Song by NotEvenCloseToStraight

(I’m pretty sure this is the most beautiful thing I have ever read. Ever. It’s a masterclass.)

There All Along by STARSdidathing

(A/B/O is a trope I nearly never read because the dubious consent is something that triggers me to no end, but STARS creates an endlessly beautiful universe where a heat simply triggers an instinctive desire for closeness through cuddling. If it is possible for a story to be a safe space, this story is mine.).

The World At Your Fingertips by AMidnightDreary

(If I could only read five stories - no others - for the rest of my life, I’d choose this story as one of the five.)

Good Omens

So Still I Wait by HotCrossPigeon

(I read this one when I need the sort of pain that leaves you shaking. Mind-numbingly good.)

Spirk

Let’s Not Mind the Store After All by Reyka_Sivao

(This fanfic is the reason I created a folder titled “✨Best of the Best ✨” of fanfics bookmarked to read again. Truly, this is the best of the best.)

Some Kind of Love by WerewolvesAreReal

(This story just makes me feel at peace. It’s a feel-good read that soothes my soul and makes me feel warm.)

Stuckony

Cried For Love (Can’t Stand It) by Potrix

(This fanfic melts me. Every. Single. Damn. Time. It hits so hard and is just so well done!)

Small Time Boy by Just_Bill

(I love AUs like this so much, but this one is just supreme. It’s incredible in every way, 15/10. 150/10. It’s brilliant)

What Tony Stark Can’t Buy by ClarkeStetler and Goosenik

(*happy stims happy stims happy stims*)

Winteriron

1000 Paper Cranes to See You Kneel by Shi_Toyu

(When I say this one is a masterclass, I mean it. I really mean it. Emphasis on ‘mean it.’ It’s stellar.)

And Time Again by Amethystina

(This story hurts, but in the very best way possible. It is also like receiving a hug, at the same time. The very best!!)

One Winter Weather by ali_aliska

(The fluff!!! The sweetness and protectiveness and love present in every single action and conversation!! I love this one SO MUCH)

Paths Are Made by Walking by Potrix

(This one makes me grin stupidly at my phone while reading, which then makes my friends ask who I’m talking to, which then leads me to explain I’m talking to no one, I’m just reading the best fluff ever.)

Stronger by SkyShadow3246

(When I say this fanfic is devastating to read, I mean DEVASTATING. It aches, stings, and altogether wrecks me, but it also is a fanfic I revisit over and over again when I need to strong arm my way to the other side of what I’m going through.)

The Evidence by StrivingArtist

(This one just…hurts in a way that will always be deeply, deeply personal to me. The ache it leaves in my chest even days later will never not be powerful- the power of words right there. This is one of the best fanfics I’ve ever read, hands down.)

[cookii-moon]

Fic rec week catch up because I’m lateee

I’m sorrryefngfnegjef it was hard to think of fics because. I’m really bad at bookmarking. BUT!!! I went back. Through my entire history. And picked out all the fics I like. So now I can make a list !,, and also late by like 2 days sooo time to catch up!!!

Day 1 / July 16th: Canon and/or Lloyd

Pleasantly surprised by the amount of Lloyd content I have ready to go. Most of it is team focused with a Lloyd POV, so hope you don’t mind. I also have a few Lloyd fics I haven’t gotten to reading at all but do have bookmarked. So.

Guys. Guys you know this one. Come on guys. It’s like. An iconic movie verse fic series.

Buuuut if you by some miracle have not heard of it - Essentially, Garmadon, upon wishing on the mega weapon during season 2, ends up isekaing Show Lloyd to the movieverse and Movie Lloyd to the show verse. The respective ninja now have to work to return them to their home worlds, and maybe make some new friends and have a bit of an adventure in the process.

I’m not done with it but I am halfway through and the series is long, but a very fun read! Completed (though the series is still ongoing I believe?) and Canon divergent.

..can I rec a series? Yes? Ok.

A work in progress trilogy where Harumi is a ninja instead and Lloyd is a 1000 year old being causing quite a lot of trouble for the ninja, but finds himself cooperating when the Oni come for ninjago.

Very good and long read. Definitely a rec. Might make you cry. The first part is complete but the entire thing is incomplete. Canon divergent.

Lloyd centric platonic soulmates AU with a twist. Soul bonds can hear eachothers thoughts when completed. They’re so sure Lloyd is their missing link. Untiiiill his birthday rolls around. As Lloyd continued to go without a soul bond, he starts feeling more and more left out. It’s basically good old angst with a happy ending hehe. Incomplete and canon divergent.

a shortie but a goodie. Lloyd learns of all the ways his friends have control over their powers, and also the ways they don’t, and maybe gets something out of it. Complete. Canon compliant.

A two chapter short fic about some of the nifty little tricks Lloyd’s picked up from his childhood. A very cool premise and a fun little read!! Complete (I believe?) canon compliant.

A fun little fic where after the tornado of creation Lloyd is blasted into the past and now has to serve under his younger evil self to try and stop him from releasing the serpentine. Incomplete. Canon divergent.

I do have a feeew more but. This list is already long. So. Sorry that there’s not many canon based fics it’s just that the first prompts usually encompass fics that. Focus on the ninja. So it’s easier for me to order them based on ninja. Because unfortunately I mostly just read any fic tagged as Cole honestly.

Day 2 / July 17th: AU and/or Movieverse and/or Jay

Jay unfortunately falls under the what I like to call “I-have-lots-of-stuff-about-him-bookmarked-but-I-never-got-to-reading-them” effect. Aka the IHLOSAHBBINGTRT effect. BUT!! I have a precious few…

Without further ado!

first FFN fic rec! A story about Jay and Cole’s friendship over the years through Jays POV. It’s been a while since I read it but when I did I loved it so much.. you gotta read it for yourself… it’s beautiful and you will probably cry. Maybe. Happy cry or sad cry. Either or. Complete and Canon compliant.

Short fic about all the ways the ninja have adapted to being homeless from before being found by Wu, while Jay is trying desperately to understand why his friends are so strange sometimes. Complete and canon compliant.

Jay is horrible at Communicating: the fic. Misunderstandings spiral into other misunderstandings which results in Jay going rogue and on the run while the city needs him. If you don’t like screaming at characters through the screen over miscommunication, this fic might not be for you, but hey, it’s a good fic for what I remember. Incomplete.

Day 3 / July 18th: Angst and/or Kai

finally we’re in the present,,, oh my god… ok so. Uh. Unfortunately I do not have many Kai centric fics. Sadly.

so for the angst prompt, take this.

Multi chap unfinished lava fic. Most of it is alternating POVs but Kai is definitely there and it’s definitely angsty. Go. Cry. Be in pain. /j.

That’s all for today sadly,.. tomorrow is Cole… expect me to be there screaming :).

[pocketofpencils]

Questions for Writers

10000 years late! thank you @calunalilly for tagging me

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

a very modest 19 lol

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

163,620

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Last Tango in Halifax

Happy Valley

Collateral

1 Vigil fic lol

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1: The Equation of Mass. : Caroline/Jane christmas fic. My first ever loooooooong one.

2: I Want You To See Me: Caroline/Gillian. Glasses are annoying, lets kiss about it.

3: Welcome Home: Vigil fic lol First ever thing I published on the internet.. Only 412 o words, thought people would hate it but I still get kudos and bookmarks on it 3 years later lol

4: Brunhilde and the Bastard in the Barn: Catherine/Jane Current WIP/Pain in the arse lol. Getting ready to wrap it up :')

5: Pain and the Passing of time: Caroline/Gillian. First LTIH fic, in first person *gag*. Makes me cringe, but also surprises me that I wrote that!

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try really hard to! My inbox overwhelms me sometimes haha! But I appreciate and read every comment I get! So thank you to the like 2 people who are probably reading this haha.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It is yet to be written! But I do have a mildly angsty one in mind.. Not a not happy ending.. Just happyish lol

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Equation of Mass I guess. Most Fluffiest

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No! Thankfully. I only write there for fun. Any hate (that isn't warranted of course call me out if I fuck up) would probably make me stop posting haha.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes.. Im a much better smut reader than writer I can tell you that lmao.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I mean at this point I think we have just accepted Jane into the Happy Valley landscape, so much so that its sometimes hard to remember she's plucked straight (or gay ;)) from another show. So I guess almost all of my works are crossovers haha

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

lol hands off my garbage

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Ive had to explain words to my American friends.. does that count?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I just did my first colab with @calunalilly! I think were going for another..or 1000 <.< lol

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

All the pairings I write for are my faves. i also love Mirandy :')

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Lmao well anything Ive started I always have doubts I will complete. I am (very very slowly) writing my first book...and I have doubts but I am working through them!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I dont really know.. I think jokes? Funny is most important!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

lol Grammar, formatting, imposter syndrome, actually writing lol. All things that I am working on. I also need to plan better to stop writing plot holes lmao. remembering fic is just for fun!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Do what you want bro lol

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Published: Vigil.. I also wrote some unpublished Killing Eve and Doctor Who fics that will never see the light of day as I wrote them by hand (lol) and lost the notebook I wrote them in. So I hope who ever found that notebook enjoyed them lmaoooo

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

ahhhhhh I dont know. I think Year of the Dog was the first one I wrote and was like: "Ok I can do this writing thing".

Everyone I would tag, has already done it so... :)

[ao3fromthevault]

A big message and just my ramblings about writing Illicit Affairs as well as my gratitude for a huge milestone under the cut:

Hi all!

So, where do I even begin?

Illicit Affairs hit 1000 kudos on ao3, and I’m sitting here with my mouth wide open, not quite believing that people from all over the world actually sit there and read my stuff? And not just read but.. like it, add to the bookmarks, and some readers (I know that) recommend the story to their friends. Unbelievable. Wow. Grateful is an understatement.

Little did I know I would reach this milestone when I posted the first chapter, scared to death. (And still scared everytime I post a chapter!) Or when, deeply heartbroken, I was this 🤏 close to deleting the whole thing after receiving nothing but hate for the chapter I thought was my best. (I bet you know that story). But my friends, who knew I was writing Illicit Affairs and who are still supporting and rooting for me, told me to disable the comments and continue writing the fic the way I wanted to write it. And so I did, and here I am - still writing it.

Only recently I found happiness and joy in writing again. And I’m so proud of myself. I love my characters with all their imperfections and bad doings. I enjoy making these little moodboards, and go through my playlist to find a name for the next chapter. And I love it when I wake up and see a message here from one of my readers, since the tumblr askbox is the only place to leave feedback now. And I smile and squee when I get support, and it makes my heart flutter.

But at the same time I’m still vulnerable, still insecure, still doubting myself sometimes. Because no matter how many kudos or hits your story receives, no matter how much love and support you get, there will always be that one comment/remark/question that would make you regret you even started writing the story in the first place.

I said it already in the very beginning, and I’m gonna say it again - Illicit Affairs is an OOC story (out of character) and I’m aware of that, I’m aware that this is not really canon characters, and some actions are not what Jamie and Claire from the books-show would do. So what? :) Is it the only story in the fandom where the characters are not themselves and do the things you don’t expect them to do? Like, when they are teenagers, when Claire is never a doctor or Jamie’s parents are alive? 

I knew from day one that I wanted to write an unusual and unpredictable story, and I’m writing it. And judging by the amount of likes and hits, people are enjoying it? Like, still enjoying it.

I know, I’m aware of the fact that some may find this particular story triggering, that it may hit home or awaken the old wounds. And I’m sorry for that, it’s not and never has been my intention to hurt anybody with my fictional story. Because, believe it or not, this story is personal to me as well. But, the rules are simple here, and they never changed: don’t like - don't read.

I know that we as authors shouldn’t pay attention to hate. But it’s easier to say than to do. Because it hurts when you spend hours/days on a chapter, and you post it and then there’s a simple “I hate this storyline” or “Jamie/Claire/insert any other character name/ is horrible in this story,” etc that just kills all everything. Guys, it may surprise you, but this is not what an author expects to hear after working hard on a chapter, okay? ❤️

This may be a newsflash for you, but writing a fic is bloody difficult. Yes, it is difficult when you sit and write and rewrite sentences over and over for hours until you make them perfect, when you google phrases and grammar because English is not your first language, when you either have zero ideas in mind for weeks, or have 33 ideas that don’t correlate with each other.

It’s not easy. But we keep doing that. Why? Our fics are our babies, and we share them with you - readers. And even when it gets difficult, we take a break, and still write our stories. We love our babies, and we don’t drop our babies. Even sometimes when I’m not happy with a chapter, positive feedback from a friend or a random reader makes me think it was all worth it. 

I believe that this post is not only my way to express gratitude for 1k kudos (I never write for the numbers anyways, I’m still shocked), but also my way to address those people who leave hateful and judgmental comments. Please think twice or thrice before you say what you think you have all the rights to say. 

When I see fellow authors deal with negativity and hate, I can’t help but think why do these people who admire Outlander and its characters so much, and most likely admire the actors as well, learn absolutely nothing from them? Why do you spit and spread hate? Why do you make authors feel like shit? Why?

This is definitely something to think about.

As much as I don't want the story to end, I will have to. And once I post the last chapter (I feel like crying just thinking about it) I will enable the comments.

Congratulations, you are still reading this post. Thank you so much for your time.

And thank you for your support!

xoxo

[bluishorange]

fic recs week 31

whoops, I only read 8 this week. *gestures vaguely at the existential horror of being alive right now* but I’m still 69% done (nice), which is ahead of average.

this would be the worst project ever if I went for quantity over quality. a) what would be the point of that? and b) if I don’t like the prose of a work I become physically unable to continue reading it, no matter how short it is.

which is why it’s not that hard for me to get a list of recs out of the 8 I read this week!

angels don't sleep by ameira today I’ve been looking through the destiel fanfics as they roll in before we hit 100k. this one showed up and it’s so sweet. just 4k of dean and cas hanging out in the bunker passing time until they’re tired enough to sleep.

that much better by @deanspurpleflannel this one had me at, “'It’s impossible!' Cas says. ‘I love you, you don’t love me, that’s how it works!’“

Hidden Hours and Hotel Rooms by @darkshrimpemotions

Thirteen Years by @s11e17 “Sometimes— sometimes when you want something real bad, it’s hard to believe you can have it.”

Plain Language by @castielcommunism​ I waited until this one was finished to read it, and I’m glad I did because I don’t know if I could’ve handled waiting for each chapter. this is SO GOOD.

Repose by thalius Plain Language was so good I went through all @castielcommunism’s works, and remembered having read and liked this one. but I didn’t remember what happened, so I read it again, and liked it even more.

flecks of sun painted on the sea by @mishastits​

Binary Stars by fourdaysofrain

anywho I need to find some longer fics in my bookmarks to read. or if y’all have any to rec, I’d love to hear about em. again, I am not much of an AU fan except canon divergence.

speaking of longer fic, I’ve decided that if I reach 1000 before the end of the year, I’m going to read down to agincourt. I’ve seen some of my mutuals rave about it, but I’ve been hesitant due to my attention span issues. I’ll never know if I don’t try, though! I will almost certainly reach 1000 before the end of the year, so it’s almost guaranteed I’ll read it.

ok have a good week everyone! this is me right now:

[naturepointstheway]

Two Outer Wilds Fic Authors recommendations!

There are some absolutely stellar quality fanfictions in the Outer Wilds fandom on Archive of Our Own and one or two where it’s practically criminal how few kudoses/bookmarks they have (what is coming to this world smh). I would even say I have favourite authors among them as well, and there are fics there that Kelsey Beaucham (the writer for OW) would be proud of (if I were in their shoes!) Basically, if I had to choose someone to write the writing for the next OW thing (be it DLC or otherwise), these are the amazing human beings I’d pick. And yes, I am one of those who will gush in a manner that Cassava would find “gelatinous”. I don’t care. Because I am full of love for their writing.

Author Rec: BlackBlood1872

Normally I hesitate to read fics with second person points of views, BUT they do their fics with absolute finesse and flawlessness that it doesn’t matter. In a way it fits, because when one plays Outer Wilds, they are the character. What you experience in emotions is perfectly valid to project upon the Hatchling. It’s your experience and your game and no one else’s. All three of their fics on AO3′s OW section are absolutely worth it, especially,, ESPECIALLY “The Day Riebeck Forgot” (though not in 2nd pov) which warmed and broke (and then warmed and broke at least three times over) my heart from start to finish. Let’s say Riebeck finally gets to meet a Certain Friend on a Certain Moon and it’s as amazing, exhilarating, beautiful, and heart-breaking as you’d expect. If I were stranded on, like, Mars or something, and I could only have one fic with me from each of my fave fandoms, THIS would be my pick for OW. Honestly, for me, it’s hard to top “The Day Riebeck Forgot” and...I can only gush about it because I have no more words for how amazing it is. It’s a 12/10 rating for me. 

“Neither Benign nor Hostile” - based on a line from Gabbro about dying a few loops ago - is a small fic, one that can be read in the space of time it takes to roast a marshmallow over the campfire, but it smacks you in the feels (much harder than your average marshmallow) and leaves you reeling (at least it did for me.) The mark of a truly gifted and skilled writer is one who can effortlessly break a reader’s heart and tell a whole story in under 1000 words. It is a very maturely written fic, touching upon grief, loneliness, the deep need for the company of the only one other Traveler who knows about the loop, and it really changed my view on the game as well. 

“like the sun and moon, they end only to begin again” - in a similar vein to the previous fic, this explores the many ways you can die in the game, and how it affects the Hatchling and their relationships with life, death, other characters, and the universe. The dialogue is absolutely top notch as in their other fics, and flows with natural ease and symphony. Honestly, if Kelsey Beaucham asked me to pick someone to take over the writing for a DLC or whatever of OW, I’d pick this author, no hesitation. There are no waffles or fluff in their dialogue nor narration, whittled to the finest instrument of storytelling it can be. You get the sense of the Hatchling having had to grow up so fast and consider the preciousness and fragility of life while aware of being trapped in a time loop, especially considering it’s literally their first day of launch again and again, experiencing death so many times in various agonising ways that it has “become routine”. 

Author Rec: PartlyCloudySkies

‘monument’ - This exquisitely narrated piece with its flawless, natural, mature dialogue follows a conversation among the Nomai in the statue workshop, touching on science and art, and how they blend together. To Phlox, the creation of the statues wasn’t just a scientific endeavour, it was also an artistic, creative project that drew on a passion for the art. Daz provides an alluring contrast in their views as an engineer, where to them, it was all science and little to do with artistic endeavour, generating a deep conversation between the two characters. 

“You don’t suspend art, Daz. It happens.” 

The second chapter is enriched in the same finely-tuned narration and dialogue between Hornfels and Esker, touching on nostalgia for the old days, especially for when they used to all sit around the campfire and tell stories and play music. I also loved their discussion on past astronauts of the space programme, and their different personalities and approaches and views on space and spaceflight (yes, Slate, I’m looking at you). I love that Feldspar was essentially the Hermione of the group during Hornfels’ lectures, waking everyone up after they fell asleep. This is well worth a re-read (and another re-re-re-read...) 

‘orbits’ - Longfic oneshots, this one clocking just shy of 10K words, are my favourite things in fandoms and I always love getting stuck in one (and also writing them, depending on the fandom (read: Life is Strange), and when one is as well written as this, it’s perfect. This follows both Hatchling and Solanum on not just their inaugural journeys to space and the Quantum Moon, respectively, but also their character development through time. We see Solanum go from a little child scared of the Eye to one who is absolutely passionate about their coming of age pilgrimage. Each are imbued with individual personalities and views on the world and people around them, as well as insatiable desire for knowledge and exploration.  

[redsector-a]

AO3 Ask Game

I was tagged by @themarshalstale which, thank you so much! I feel like I always get missed on these (I know why, it’s been 84 years since I published anything but still). 1. How many works do you have on ao3?

46 it seems. Which...look I’m slow man so that’s not surprising. lol Also crippling depression does not make for much production, at least for me.

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

309662 according to the stats.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

So do I could only AO3 or in like life? lol I suppose it should only be on AO3 since this is an AO3 ask game. Hrm. Basically AO3 can be summed up as: Marvel (in several iterations - all Avengers related) Torchwood Highlander But isn’t it more fun to consider my entire fandom life, which, I’m sorry, I’m old so...yeah. Not all of this is was published and beyond that a lot is not available anymore...which is likely for the best. Highlander Star Wars Babylon 5 Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers Marvel (again, several iterations also of note Avengers and X-Men both count) Torchwood Star Trek LOTR Stargate (SG-1, SGA) Mortal Kombat I dabbled with the idea of Potter fic but never got past the ideas stage.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1: You rearrange me till I’m sane Clint finds himself spiraling into a deep depression after the Battle of New York...until the Winter Soldier ends up saving him and inadvertently giving him a new purpose – to save the man that the Soldier had once been – Bucky Barnes. Not one to be outdone, the Soldier decides that his new mission is to ensure that Clint remains alive himself. Protecting a blonde man with a self-destructive streak is somehow very familiar to him. Through the back and forth of who is saving whom they cross the country and learn more about themselves and each other – and perhaps find a reason for living. 2: Five Dates Bucky Didn’t Realize He Was on And the One He Planned Himself To say that Bucky was surprised when Clint kissed him was an understatement. But it was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he learned they'd been dating for months without him realizing it.Clint gets whisked away for a mission before they have time to talk and Bucky is left to figure things out on his own - hindsight being 20/20 he can't help but wonder how he missed things the first go around.

3: Puck Luck Bucky Barnes is used to the ups and downs of an NHL season. He's used to the unpredictability of the game, knows that bounces don't always go your way, but that doesn't make a broken hand in the final third of the season any easier to deal with. Especially not when he ends up with an impromptu roommate/personal assistant in the form of one Clint Barton - his agent, Natalia Romanova's (rather attractive) friend he hadn't known existed before his injury.

It's just for six to eight weeks - what could possibly happen in that span of time?

4: Loose Lips Launch Ships

Based on the following prompt: “We go to school together and I think you’re cute and apparently you’re also the pizza delivery guy and my little sibling opened the door screaming hey sibling! you know that kid you’re in love with? you really weren’t kidding when you said his jawline could cut steel holy shit-” Bucky is the pizza delivery guy. Clint's younger (foster) brother has a big mouth.

5: Indelible Bucky Barnes has a pretty decent life – a good job, good friends, a cat that adores him - but something is missing. He’s always found body art to be beautiful and inspiring, and on a whim (and with the hope that maybe he can find what he’s missing) he decides to take the plunge and get a tattoo. That's how he meets Clint Barton. Clint's talented and compassionate and there is an instant spark between the two of them. It's not long before Bucky finds himself wondering and wanting more from the relationship despite the ghosts of the past that crop back up. Because Clint makes him feel normal in a way he truly hasn't for years...

(this was pre-Alpine so I was totally chuffed when canon confirmed Bucky’s status as a crazy cat lady (affectionate).

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

I really really really want to do it but I often times don’t end up doing it. There are a few reasons. First, I am akwward AF and bad at interaction adn I feel like just saying thank you would be...not enough? Second - I often times tend to like...turtle (aka retreat into myself) when life gets Too Hard/Busy which happens a lot to me (sigh) and then I miss the vague window in my mind in which it would be okay to respond and then it’s even more weird. I do love and cherish all of them. Like there was one months ago that made me go “hmm...I didn’t think I was going to do a sequel to that fic (You rearrange me till I’m sane), timestamp glimpses sure but a sequel hadn’t come to mind” but then the comment made me think! So...who knows? lol Anyway, I literally have been rereading some in an effort to try and get myself going again. Know that if you have commented, I love you.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

At the moment? Probably: Look at you look at me Bucky's in love with Clint - problem is he's really not supposed to be. For Winterhawk Week 2019 - Forbidden Love (I really don’t want to give away the spin in the fic but...if you’re familiar with the Secret Avengers Vol 2 run circa 2013ish (aka when SHIELD initially ‘took control of the team’) that’s a bit of a hint as to the spin). Were it done, Torch Song would be up there. ;) Torch Song Clint is sent back in time, via an alien device, to 1938. While he tries to figure out how to get back home, he takes up singing and entertaining to make ends meet and does his best to not disrupt the timeline.Then he meets a 21 year old Bucky Barnes. --- A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Does *wanting* to write crossovers count? lol I want, so badly, to do more crossovers and fusions (which...are kinda deeper versions of crossovers in a way). The only one I do have posted is a crossover between Highlander and Torchwood -

The Immortal Mr. Jones A series of vignettes (some long, some short) in the life of the newly immortal Ianto Jones. My most ambitions project that I have been working on since late 2011/early 2012 is a fusion of the Avengers with Stephen King’s the Stand. I will get that done at some point *shakes fist*  The Stand, for those who don’t know it, is an epic 1000+ page novel about a flu epidemic (I know) that wipes out over 99% of the population and then two figures representing Good and Evil pull the survivors in two directions for a showdown. So basically it’s a non-powered modern AU set in that universe. It’s a passion and comfort project. lol

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. Well, minor bitching back when I was in a prior fandom because I tagged a pairing in a fic but it was pre-slash and not labeled as pre-slash. I got hate on...I think it was Torch Song? And I’ve gotten hate on tumblr re me and my fic in general as well. Fandom! *jazz hands* Oh! And I’ve also been hit by those reviewers within Winterhawk (among general Clint pairings actually) who like rate you on either number scales or the “meh” scale. Which isn’t hate exactly but...it’s passive aggressive bullshit because I can’t believe none of them realize at this point that the authors can see their bookmarks - you know?

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. Do I write it well? I have no idea. lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of. Well...there was, I think, one of those reposting sites that had a few fics on it but I don’t think it was being passed off as someone else’s? I can’t quite recall. It’s why I have a note on AO3 about reposting my work anyway.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not entirely, but sort of. Let me explain - I am part of a PBEM game; which for those unfamiliar since it’s a term that was most heavily in use 15-20 years ago, in which you basically do a round robin type writing thing but rather than everyone writing the same characters you write your own characters and you play off what other people have done. Another way of looking at it is  it’s basically DnD without dice and written down rather than done out loud. You also don’t have to all be around at the same time. It’s a lot of fun and yes I have been in it for 20 years even though there aren’t many of us left but they are some of my dearest friends and fabulous writers. Wins all around.  One of the other writers and I have actually toyed with the idea of doing a co-written fic actually, mostly because we work super well together and keep getting ideas for things but can’t really do them as rpgs since the pbem style isn’t used much anymore.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Winterhawk probably. Though, let’s be real - Han & Leia are epic and amazing as are John & Delenn (from Babylon 5).

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Does wanting to expand The Black Stallion books as a wee child count? lol Not much of that was written save for world building ideas but there was a great oral tradition of telling stories to my friends. Otherwise...maybe a tie between Star Wars and Highlander. Star Wars was a love since I was super young but the writing bug didn’t hit me until around the same time Highlander was a thing as well.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? You rearrange me till I’m sane for sure. Though Torch Song, if it were finished, would be tied I imagine (I suck at picking favorites). Honorable mention to Puck Luck and Indelible. Tagging: I have seen this like a million times (okay 5) so I feel like everyone has been tagged already that I know. But...I guess... @vexbatch @crazycatt71 @heartonfirewrites and @disruptedvice sorry if anyone has been tagged before.

[mercurygray]

The Big BOB OFC Data Dive

When I first joined this fandom in April, it was the middle of a pandemic and all I wanted was a big wish-fulfillment project to work on - and I was surprised to find that, for a 20 year old fandom, Band of Brothers is still going strong, and, perhaps more surprisingly, is representing very well for one of my favorite fandom tropes - the original female character.

After several discussions about overused tropes and pet peeves, and because I am simply odd like this, I wanted to go back through fic to see if there were any patterns over time over a) what professions OFCs are placed in in fic and b) which BoB guys get more OFC attention.

In order to answer this question, I went to two major, cross-fandom archives (AO3 and FF.net) manually scraped data, stuck it in a spreadsheet and played with it a little bit. (Pivot tables; they’re great.) I was going to try and make a graph, but this was already starting to take a little longer than I had anticipated, so I’m going to summarize in words for brevity.

I recognize this is a very small subset of a small fandom. I acknowledge my research method is faulty and would not hold up to peer review. I know that there is a lot more of what I would call 'ephemeral' on platforms like Tumblr that's been excluded from the basis of this survey.

Why not Wattpad, Merc? I chose not to survey Wattpad only because I'm unfamiliar with the platform, and because its search and indexing features make it unfriendly to the manual data collection I was using. Furthermore, as a mixed-use space, I feel the conventions vary strongly from the other two archive spaces represented in the data.

Owing to changes in tagging systems, system purges, and fandom migrations to other platforms, this may be an incomplete dataset, but  still serves to take a look at trends over time. I joked to a friend that this project started feeling a little bit like fandom archeology, going through strata of accepted norms.

AO3 Data:

2020 was the BoB Year of the OFC. In 2020 alone, 35 separate authors updated OFC fics on AO3, compared with 9 the year previous.

I trust myself to have pretty good OFCdar - as in, to be able to watch a show and know who's more likely to show up in these types of fics. When I first watched BoB ten years ago, my money was on Joe Liebgott and Lewis Nixon - and I wasn't wrong. These two have a very strong presence in the AO3 data, followed very quickly by Ron Speirs and Eugene Roe, although Don Malarkey also makes a very strong showing as well.

Lewis Nixon fans are in for the long haul. Nixon was more likely to have multi-part collections or multichapter fics dedicated to him.

There was a strong lull in OFC fandom activity in 2018 - prior to this, many OFC fics were routinely pulling 18-20 kudos. After 2018, the average drops to 10, with some outliers.

FF.net

I was surprised to find that FF.net is still a going concern for a subset of BoB fans; 17 OFC stories were published to the platform in 2020, with minimal duplication in the AO3 set. 

The oldest fic in this set is from 2005, compared with 2011 in the AO3 data. The FF.net stories have a tendency to be longer, multipart fics, written over much longer periods of time. Their summaries tend to fit the legacy format for describing OCs - "[Name] is a [occupation] whose [reason for joining up] will [change her life/finally let her fall in love.]" 

These stories ALSO have a tendency towards what I would call 'heritage tropes' - story ideas that I read a lot of in my early days as a fanfiction author but which I don't see too often in fics now.  There are 5 OCs in this dataset in time-travel fics, but there's also a couple that are magically related to a canon character, and, very interesting to me, there are also three stories where the character joins the company as a DISGUISED woman, a heritage trope if ever there was one. (Thank you, Mr. Shakespeare.)

FF.net OCs are much more likely to fit expected fandom norms in terms of their occupations; the majority are female paratroopers, nurses, or medics. The top romantic interests in this dataset? Richard Winters, Joe Liebgott, and Ronald Speirs, with Don Malarkey and Doc Roe rounding out the top five. BUT I noticed another pattern; when sorted over time, there are bands where multiple authors in the fandom are all writing for the same paraguy - and that that guy changes over time, while the authors remain the same. (You’re writing about Luz? We’re ALL writing about Luz.)

Another interesting trend in this data is the appearance of several authors who are writing what appear to be the forerunners of the now-ubiquitous tumblr reader-insert fic. These are stories in shorter, 1000-2000 word formats, unconnected to other works in a series with an unnamed protagonist whose occupation isn't mentioned in the story description.  They occur in the dataset in blocks by the same author, with three or four stories clumped around the same publish date, and their sole reason for existing seems to be to express or receive romantic interest from/in a paraguy, not tell a particular woman's story.

Takeaways:

Named But Not Appearing In Canon characters, Reader Inserts, and Original Characters are three distinct categories of fic with different target audiences. None of them are 'wrong' in any way, but I feel each should be tagged differently. Kitty Grogan, for instance, is named in the show but never appears, and while we have to speculate on what she's actually like, she's different than the characters we created out of thin air and should be tagged accordingly.

I know several fics being written by acquaintances of mine don't appear in this survey because, while the ship is tagged, they're not tagged as 'Original Female Character (s)' and several Reader Inserts found their way into the dataset because they're tagged incorrectly. (You all should FIX THIS.)

On AO3, fics with more comments were also more likely to have more bookmarks. Since comments are an entry point to beginning a relationship with the work's author, authors who engage in the comments seem to be more likely to have the type of followers who bookmark and return to a work. These works also tend to be longer, supporting the idea that continued engagement with authors over time is a good way to encourage them to keep creating.

[bubblesthemonsterartist]

*cracks knuckles* Clearly I’m going straight for the Blackout. 

ENJOY, FRIENDS. FOR YOU, I THROW IT UNDER THE CUT

Under 1000 Words

take my burdens (and bury them deep) by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M Nothing makes me happier than a fic of my favorite BroTP, especially when Obi is offering to disappear Kiki’s dirty dealings. Content warning for attempted sexual assault and Obi doing what he does best: getting rid of the body.

A Fic That Got You Involved In Fandom

Seven Suitors for Shirayuki by @sabraeal​ Rated T Look. You all are just going to have to accept that there is a certain generation of this fandom that was dragged in, kicking and screaming, by this fic. I wanted to diversify by saying something else managed it, but no. It was the fact that this story was stuck on chapter five for MONTHS that made me vibrate until my own fic fell out. XD

Made You Laugh Out Loud

An Extra Rise Before Dawn by @sabraeal​ Rated G I don’t often worry that I am going to pee from laughing so hard when I’m reading something, but this one definitely does. In one spot in particular. You might be able to guess it. It is simultaneously an incredible sweet and incredibly funny fic that hits all the right notes for me.

Favorite Trope Reversal

Fussing with Firedrakes by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T 1) Dragons. 2) Damsel in distress is no damsel and she is NOT in distress thank you very much 3) Kiki is a DRAGON 4) Obi is cursed, and 5) DID I MENTION D R A G O N S ???

Fic That Made You Friends With the Author

The Wide Florida Bay by @sabraeal​ Rated E I had to think about this because while I read Seven Suitors first, this was the series that made me start sending anons and eventually made me join tumblr where I proceeded to endlessly play the ‘what if’ game with Jen. CLEARLY this is where our friendship was forged.

Action-Packed Fight Scene

Agent, Parts I, II, and III by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated T Like Jen, I was positively torn, because both Andi and Sarah do fight scenes SO WELL, but Agent ultimately won out because there is just something so delightful about Shirayuki flailing and clinging to Obi like a cat that doesn’t want to go in the bath while arrows zip all around them

Edit: Screw it, I’m reccing them both

Republic of Tanbarun by @claudeng80​ Rated T An action adventure series where romance is involved but is by no means the focus. Zen and Obi adventures abound. Politics galore. And some masterfully done slow-motion to quick motion fight scenes that I L O V E D

Gen Fic

Fugue in Three by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G Ryuu casually destroys Obi and Shirayuki by breathing as they count down the days until he comes of age. Technically this fic has a romantic pairing, but it is by no means the focus of this fic. If you don’t agree, you are welcome to meet me under the Big Oak between the hours of 12 and 4 for a duel.

Missing Scene

Like Brothers Do by @claudeng80​ Rated G Obi is clearly Kiki’s annoying big brother and handles Mitsuhide’s rejection in the best way he knows how. Also read: Mitsuhide gets what’s coming to him. (ง'̀-'́)ง

Canon Divergent

We work at the mall by @kaedix​ Rated T With how many AUs we got floating around this fandom, I was hard pressed to choose a favorite. But there is just something so sweet and wholesome and American teenager about this. It just latches onto you and never lets go. (Also the gang all work at my favorite places in the mall when I was growing up. What’s not to love?)

Steamiest Kiss

Were Hearts Not An Unknown Country by @sabraeal​ Rated T LOOK. SOMEONE was going to have to go dig this out of the rubble of her compilation fics and it might as well be me. Also the birthplace of the much loved AnS fandom practice of solstice kissing.

Contains Your Favorite Headcanon

The road to Clarines is Gravel by @codango​ Rated E Not the focus of the fic as a whole, but like, Torou and Obi are siblings. GALAXY MIND EXPLOSION. I mean, I loved that so much that I wrote a pre-canon fic of this fic. Additional note totally not related to the bingo square: I will ALWAYS be here for positive sex worker representation in fics. Fair warning, though, this is the most unfair AU in existence because the brain screams that it SHOULDN’T WORK and yet by some sort of writerly sorcery, it DOES. PLEASE READ IT IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY.

Wept Real Tears

let it make you by @thelionshymnal​ Rated M It’s not every day that someone manages to write a fic that makes me stare numbly at the very first line for a solid 15 minutes, big fat tears rolling down my cheeks, but Hymn did it. And then she somehow managed to kiss it better. All in 1100 words.

Free Space

AnS Role Swap AU by @owlsshadows​ Rated M This series has it all. Shirayuki as an assassin. Obi as both a royal bastard and a pharmacist. A mysterious meeting out in the woods where it makes you question whether Nanaki and Obi are two different people or the same. Also Zen having some very conflicted feelings regarding his royal authority and how he can choose to handle rejection.

Edit: Since I’ve already doubled up once, let me double up again, I have so much love to give and not enough space to give it!

Blizzard by @nebluus​ Rated T This is one of the earliest fics I read in this fandom and it remains to date one of my absolute favorites. Obi gets hurt protecting his Miss and a blizzard rolls in. Thankfully they find a cabin where Obi, who is definitely on his death bed if no one finds them and SOON, proceeds to still fuss over his Miss. Best scene: When he warms her hands with his. Also the second chapter is all sorts of delightful domesticity I IMPLORE you to please read it and soon.

Favorite Fan-Made OC

All Pain Will Turn to Medicine by @sabraeal​ Rated M All y’all should’ve seen these coming from ten miles out. I fucking LOVE Herr Anda, the cantankerous little bastard. And Jen knows this because she designed him specifically with me in mind. Academic catnap >:|

AU That Made You Find the Source Material

All Knotted Up by @sabraeal​ Rated G Admittedly, there are a great many AUs out there that made me look up the source material, but this Tangled AU is the most recent because I finally got on Disney+. And yes, Mitsuhide is the horse. Ryuu may be Pascal a little bit, but Mitsuhide. He’s The Horse. XD

First AnS Fic You Read

Loyalty by Evelyn Fiedler Rated K+ (which is basically G on AO3) My one and only ff.net rec from my earliest days in the fandom when I was combing for absolutely any content I could find, begging the fandom to help me decide if I was down for Obiyuki and all that it implied and this author most assuredly delivered.

Favorite Minor Character

Undertow by @jhalya​ Rated E The fic itself is a space odyssey of sorts. One mission among many where humanity attempts to colonize Mars. However the real selling point here, if you didn’t know, is Lord Seiran. He is a delightfully eccentric billionaire who clearly always wanted a large family, judging from how easily he fills out the adoption paperwork.

WIP

Caulk dirty to me by @leewritingrecs​ Rated E Have I mentioned I love the sex worker trope? I. Love. The. Sex. Worker. Trope. Also Obi is clearly divine at all of his jobs. Shirayuki already got to experience his skills at one of them. I wait with BAITED BREATH for her to experience the other :3

Canon Compliant

Thicker than Blood by @infinitelystrangemachinex​ Rated G In the aftermath of the death of King Kain, Izana and Zen must decide on which path they will take moving forward. Amazing fic. Unfinished, but a wonderful look into the dynamics between the Wisteria brothers and their absent mother.

One-Shot

Worth his Weight in Rice by @claudeng80​ Rated T AU set in an Edo-adjacent Period where a disease has wiped killed off a significant portion of the male population. Resulting societal shifts occur. If you go into the comments, I have a couple of pages worth of reasons why I love this AU, but what I appreciate even more is how you have an absolutely perfect oneshot in this fic. It is a well-translated universe where we get a delightful clear, beginning, middle, and end, all in 5k. NOT an easy feat. Please enjoy.

Rare Pair

the fog pushing through my mind by @thelionshymnal​ Rated E Obi/Yuzuri, friends with benefits. Two pining idiots with some sore feelings decide to get stoned and take comfort in another warm body for the night. I just really enjoyed the casual intimacy of the encounter and how this is clearly neither of their first experiences with a one night stand. Neither of them are going to make it weird in the morning, they just need to take the edge off, ya know? Additional bonus for Obi being ready to stab the dumbasses who made Yuzuri feel like she was a weirdo in her past.

AU You Took a Chance On (And Now Love)

Lightning in a Bottle by @jhalya​ Rated M I mean, if Jules is gonna play dirty by making Obi the hot fish man running around without his shirt on 99% of the time, then of COURSE I’m going to enjoy Deep Blue Sea. It’s, like, one of my favorite movies now.

Favorite Trope

Moonshine Phantom by @leewritingrecs​ Rated T We got a murder muffin who ALSO used to be a sex worker? Sign me the fuck up, I am 1000% here for this. Also all the showgirls who clearly love their coworker and only want him and his adorable wife to have the best. They may have never heard of her before, but she looks sweet, and they all have a silent agreement between them that if she breaks his heart, they’ll cut her.

Fic That Gave You a New OTP

What the Heart Wants by @sabraeal​ Rated G Haruto/Mukaze. An attempted kidnapping and subsequent rescue makes Zen and Shirayuki painfully aware that their parents have had, at some point in their lives, sex. Izana may not be happy about someone banging his mom, but is HE rather pleased at having a new sister. >:3c

Pre-Canon

The Wolf in the Woods by @krispy-kream​ (YES I STILL HAVE THIS BOOKMARKED) Rated G Everyone knows that I have very delicate food feels and this ALMOST went under the Wept Real Tears category, but I like to spread out the crying as much as possible XD Shirayuki finds a boy at the edge of the wood and decides he needs something to eat. Filed under: Guaranteed to wreck me in 500 words or less.

[alexseanchai]

Fanfic 2020 in Review

I got tagged by @kasienda @noirshitsuji and @marvelousmsmol and I am tagging whoever wants to play!

1) List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

*filters own works to complete and updated in 2020*

1 - 20 of 57 Works by AlexSeanchai

nope. *adds filter to include only works of at least 1000 words*

unless otherwise indicated, these are all Miraculous Ladybug:

“don’t bake it lying down”, post-reveal Marichat vs Felix Graham de Vanily

“veracity”, canon divergence from “Ladybug” featuring Mister Bug and Verity Queen (so also Marichat, I guess)

“(no request is too extreme, if) your heart is in your dream”, in which Hawkmoth wins, for the thirty seconds or so before Emilie saves Ladybug and Chat Noir’s lives

“tell me you love me and make me believe it”, in which trans girl Chatonne Noire ropes Ladybug into helping plan her civilian self’s escape slash social transition

“kingmaker, oathbreaker”, in which Hawkmoth wins and Emilie watches her son remove himself from the family

“stay and let me watch you break it down” (Twelve Dancing Princesses), a modern setting

“set a course for winds of fortune”, in which trans girl Chatonne Noire has already escaped and Gabriel and Nathalie are trying to bring Gabriel’s son home

“we ground love in a hopeless place”, in which post-reveal Marinette’s attempt to remain resolutely not in love with her partner dissolves like sugar in coffee when they start a pun war

“ring the bells that still can ring”, in which Alya is deeply confused about why Adrien and Marinette are planning a wedding when last night both were single

“burning wishes at both ends (the cold wind and long loud wail remix)”, in which Gabriel made a monkey’s paw wish and Emilie makes another

“words cannot espresso”, in which Marinette’s OC roommate is justifiably worried for Marinette’s safety, and meanwhile Adrien takes care of Marinette

“the compromise of truth” (the chronologically second-earliest part posted to date of nine lives, snake’s eyes), in which Adrien tells his friends how he won some freedom and respect from his father

“At The Present Time”, the Ladrien/Ladynoir marriage proposal follow-up to @art-deco-shrimp‘s  “Your Presents Required”

“j'ai rêvé (so I don't have to dream alone)”, in which the events of canon must just have been a series of dream sequences, Marinette and Adrien both think, until they both arrive at Chloe’s Halloween masquerade dressed as themselves from the dreams

2) Number of words written:

ahahaha no. I am not counting all my scattered fic drafts and trying to figure out what I did and didn’t write in 2020. I refuse.

AO3 says I posted 162K in 2020. it is counting all of keeps you guessing (like any real love), which (a) I started posting in 2019 (b) is co-written by @galahadwilder​; it is counting all of my meta snippets collection, much of which was written in 2019; it is counting the Vimeo passwords for my vids. but I probably cleared 150K by a safe margin.

3) Your most popular fic:

“veracity” has a four-digit kudos count, wow, when’d that happen? this is also the 2020 work with the most hits and the most bookmarks, but “tell me you love me” has four-thirds as many comments as its nearest competitor.

4) Your personal fav:

“cannot break us, not with a thousand swords”, no question about it. this is the one in which Ladybug proposes marriage to Chat Noir via Princess Bride meme on Tumblr. (if you intend to download the work or otherwise to consume it with creator style off, you want the accessible version instead of the primary version.)

5) Your fav scene:

aaaaaaaaa

—okay so this is cheating and I know it, since Uncertain Humors (the one where Marinette/Adrien is both Orpheus/Eurydice and Theseus/Ariadne) is nowhere near finished, never mind posted (maybe I'll get “Sanguine” done to post on my birthday?)

but it is still my favorite of the year. as you might guess from that description of the story, this scene has content notes for character death:

Hell is a maze. Marinette walks.

This acrid passage has little to see but damp stone, seeming blood-stained in the dim carmine light. At about the height of her heart, the faintly glowing thread cuts through the not-clammy air; it ought to be pulsing at the same rate as the heart it's bound to. She might be able to see her own reflection if she looked down at the open sewage pipe, or at one of the puddles that now and again she splashes through, dampening the canvas of her shoes. She might see reflected what's behind her.

She remembers Mme. Mendeleiev lecturing on human physiology. In healthy humans old enough to have learned how, urination is a voluntary action: one may not know which muscles one tenses and relaxes in order to do so, and probably isn't paying attention to those details when one is doing, but one has conscious control over whether one does. Usually. Stress and anxiety mean some people are unable to relax the relevant sphincter muscle and others are unable to stop themselves. It's voluntary for cats, too: it's one way they mark their territories. Cat-boys have other ways.

There is a moment in every human life when all one's muscles relax at once. Some Parisians have had several such moments.

The thread is braided with itself around her left fourth finger, rows of tiny red half-hitch knots, and falls loosely over the back of her hand to loop twice around her wrist. She holds it wrapped between the fingers of her right hand to keep it at a constant tension, as though knitting with this insubstantial thread, so fragile for something two (two dozen, two million) lives hang from—too thin to sew with, no thicker than one strand of his hair. As she walks, she winds it around and around and around her wrist.

Between her ring finger and her right hand, it loops twice.

Marinette's shoe lands in a puddle she didn't see. The rainwater splashes soundlessly onto her bare ankle and on the stone.

(With cat-like tread, upon our prey we steal— It's a very loud song.)

She walks on.

6) A fic or scene that challenged you:

where the firelight fades, no contest. this is the second story I’ve ever been able to stick with more than a couple hundred words past the 20K mark, but it’s easily the twentieth novel-length I’ve begun. (though also, you know that kedreeva post? well, 90K later, I’m less than 15K from completing this 10K fic! I think.) and I have been learning so much about long-form fiction.

there has also been a lot of weeping and tearing my hair. case in point: I just trashed the chapter 15 draft because I figured out the reason it wasn’t going anywhere! I can probably keep the first few hundred words of that draft without any editing, and another few hundred with some revision...

7) A line of writing you’re proud of:

from “j'ai rêvé (so I don't have to dream alone)”:

Everything about their partnership is fragments of sentences in the dream diary Adrien writes in ultraviolet pen. Disjointed flickers of thought even when examined under the black light he hides in the snack cabinet under packets of Super Yoyo sandwich cookies and bags of cheesy Monster Munch potato chips and boxes of petit écolier butter cookies (chocolat noir)—none of which explains the gym-socks smell. All fleeting incoherent flashes, invisible between the mundane lines of La Modification shelved at his bedside between Leroux and Dumas. None of it is solid. Adrien has more proof his room's haunted.

okay let me break this down for you!

* Adrien started a dream diary to make sense of the memories

* in invisible ink, in a book that (according to Wikipedia) is thematically appropriate and won’t (if Gabriel sees it) look like anything other than Adrien developing an interest in French literature

* shelved between Phantom of the Opera and The Three Musketeers

* look I didn’t come up with the name “black light”

* or “chocolat noir” for what English speakers call “dark chocolate”, or “petit écolier” (that is, “little schoolboy”) for that sort of butter cookie

* also not my fault that “chocolat noir” sounds remarkably like “Chat Noir”, which, attentive readers may have noticed, is not a name that appears in the story after the header and before Miraculous Cure

* I found the website of a store in Boston, Massachusetts that caters to French expats, and the yo-yo cookies and the monster chips were right there in the photos, y’all

* the snack stash and the black light live in the cabinet where, in canon, the Camembert lives; yes, that cheese smells in the real world like gym socks

* this story’s akuma was not able to affect anything but squishy human memory: nobody affected remembers anything about Ladybug or Chat Noir or Hawkmoth, not in any solid way, not even when they read news articles about the subject, and this includes Marinette and Adrien not being able to see or hear or remember their own kwamis—but you know what Adrien’s Insta post about his poltergeist and Adrien’s Insta post with the floating sock don’t show and don’t explicitly refer to?

* I love this paragraph so much (my housemates may have been lovingly mocking me over it)

8) A comment that touched you:

there are people (y’all know who you are) who said y’all are studying my style. I ded of blush.

9) Something that inspired your writing:

by volume of fic drafts that can be blamed on any particular person, the winner is probably @norakwami​

10) Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

so that longest-story-ever-written record I set in 2007 with the 89.5K story that, till where the firelight fades, was the only story I’d gotten much past 20K?

I broke that fucking record!

and then I deleted the draft of firelight chapter 15 😭

11) Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

I’m starting work on a fantasy novel, a Sleeping Beauty retelling in which I explore (among other things) the economic consequences of the king’s ordering all the spinning wheels burned, and I want to make significant progress on that. and I want to not make my hands any worse; I kind of need those!

(breaking news alert: bodies fucking suck. so does giving yourself repetitive stress injuries in doing one and a half to two people’s worth of work for an organization that was never ever going to pay you more than one person’s worth of pay.)

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hey steph! how long would you say you spent on sorting out fic recs and tagging them and all that stuff? just curious because i really wanna start a fic rec blog too

Hey Nonny!

UGGGHHHH Tumblr deleted my entire response, so I’m going to just jot out what I remember.

Depending upon how long you’re willing to spend, a LONG time. You guys have NO idea how much work it is, and how much off-tumblr time I spend doing it. When I keep saying “it’s a full time job” it really is. The blogging you guys actually see takes about 2 hours, from filing my blog to answering a few asks here and there, but the rest is ALL filing my fics and creating lists. 

Now, mine is “perfected to my liking” after two years of trial and error and headaches, but yeah, if you’re serious about becoming strictly a fic rec blog, prepare to put in a lot of time and effort. BUT to be fair, I’m ridiculous in my sorting and organizing... I have a weird OCD thing where I need stuff sorted in a certain way, and it takes longer than it probably should. But it works for me and it has become very streamlined now that almost all of my Ao3 bookmarks are finally sorted. In the beginning, when I decided I would start reccing fics, it was only meant to be a here and there thing, but then people kept coming to me more and more and that’s when I decided I needed to keep an offline list. So here’s some tips from me to you:

Keep offline lists. Tumblr fucks up enough that you WILL lose interest in redoing a big 50-fic list if tumblr decides that nope, today I don’t feel like posting your file because you didn’t refresh your page BEFORE typing it out.

Going along with the above, keep an offline masterlist of your read-and-tagged fics. All the recs I give you guys? They’re all on one of three list masterlists I have offline: GO Recs, FFNet Recs, and Ao3 Recs. This will be SO much easier for searching for topics when making new lists.

Do the lists WAY ahead of time. This has given me back many-a-Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights because I prep my lists ahead of time.

Develop the “public” system of filing for your things, and use that for your Masterlist, so you don’t have to redo it every time (so like don’t have just Ficname by author if that’s not what you want to do for your recs). For example, my system is this, emphasis included: Fic Name by Author (Rating, wordcount, Chapter count || WIP/AU if applicable || PODFIC LINK if applicable || list of personal and/or author tags here, even if they spoil the story; i’ve found some people with triggers appreciate that I tag EVERYTHING I find in the stories) – Author’s description or personal description if there isn’t one. Series link if it’s part of one. This way, all I have to do is copy-paste it into new documents for each list, and then copy-paste the whole list into the Tumblr doc. 

Also, re: the above, do the layout in Tumblr if you’re doing a Tumblr rec blog. It keeps the formatting consistent and I don’t have to fix it between Ao3 and FFnet if I just copy-paste everything into a blank Tumblr doc, and then copy paste THAT onto the masterlist. Trust me on this one. 

Draft everything. This goes along with all the above. I always “start” a list and put a big header so that I can find it in my drafts (that’s why they have the big bold H1 headers on them) and then hit “draft”. Then keep a list of your drafted fics in your preferred method of organization. I keep everything in Text Edit RTF files. I believe Alexx told me once she did spreadsheets. Either way, develop a system BEFORE jumping into this thing, because you will EASILY get overwhelmed if you aren’t used to high-stress levels.

Tag fics as you read them. Trust me on this one. Because it will save you MONTHS of re-reading every single bookmark so you can properly file fics. I do this on my Notes App with the story title, and then all the tags I know are popular requests or are for lists I know Nonnies have asked for.

Keep CONSISTENT in your tags. Don’t tag one thing O!verse but another Omegaverse. I had to redo a lot of my older tags because CMD+F was pointless on a document I purposely made to streamline the process.

USE Ao3′s TAGGING FEATURE for your bookmarks. Just make sure that if any of your tags are spoilerific, make sure you keep the rec private.

File EVERYTHING as soon as you bookmark it. It will save you a LOT of hours of going through all your recent bookmarks to file them. 

That said, HAVE A FILING SYSTEM if you’re keeping everything offline. Keep separate documents for each list... Trust me on this. I used to just have one document each for Fluff fics, for example, and put subheaders in them, and it just got messy and annoying as my fic reccing became more common and plentiful. Instead, have a nice list like this, for instance:

The grey dots next to some of them are old filing methods that I need to fix and pull out. Also, as you can see, every time I finish a list, I file it into Posted and start a new list appended with a Pt number. It just keeps the system moving smoothly. I also have a system for the coloured dots; Grey is Old and refile, Orange is drafted on Tumblr, and Orange and Green means it’s drafted and ready-to-post.

I also have an offline “drafted posts document”:

That also has a system as you can see, but it keeps me knowing what I’ve already got drafted on Tumblr if I forget to tag the files with the colour dots.

It looks tedious and complicated, but I promise you, it’s really simple once you’re familiar with my method. Which is why I’m saying, you need to develop this kind of system REALLY early rather than 2 years later like I did. This drafted posts list is only recent as of... February I believe is when I started it.

Hmmm. Ah, yeah, so you can see it’s a lot of work, and this is why I absolutely dislike HateAnons negatively criticizing my lists, because it IS a lot of MY free time, between 8 and 48 hours a week. But if you truly enjoy sorting and organizing like I do, it’s a bit easier to cope with. So, yeah, whenever I tell you guys “I need some time away” this is why, and usually I switch to playing video games or doing art, both of which I miss doing on the weekends. I’m trying to keep the Tumblr stuff to mostly Weeknights these days, so that it’s an extension of my day job. Funny how I have less free time working at home than I did when I wasn’t; because I feel obligated to always be on my computer now, and I hate that. Like right now, I just bought 2 new games to play and I haven’t tried them yet because I’m always working both day-job stuff AND Tumblr stuff on weekends. 

So yes, that’s another tip: Don’t let it consume you, and set a schedule. Don’t feel obligated to answer every request. When I am tired and I just genuinely don’t have the energy to dig through 1000+ fics to find 2 or three for an obscure ask, I usually make it an interactive ask – not only does it encourage community involvement and a sense of belonging for everyone, but I also discover new fics to read too! I am IMMENSELY proud and happy that my fic lists have essentially become “fic exchange” grounds. Before it was only on one or two lists, some timid new authors added their fics to my big lists, but now, since people SEE that I add their fics hidden in the notes to the main post, now everyone is happy to share their faves on the main lists AS WELL AS the smaller single asks. I like to think of myself of a “curator of happy things” so that’s what I like to do with these. 

That said, you have to also decide if you’re going to be this interactive as well. Because that adds an ADDITIONAL hour or so as you make a separate “MFL” document and file those too. It’s time consuming, but totally worth it because if I’ve read the fic, all I have to do to that post in my MFL list is add my tags and file that block of text :)

I hope I helped you out a bit, Nonny, and I hope you guys enjoyed seeing a bit of my process. If I can get OBS to work on my laptop, maybe I’ll do a short video so you guys can see me doing it live. 

Anyway, sorry this got long. :P

[another-miracle]

Under 1000 Words

Fic by @claudeng80​ [Rating: No Rating]

For how short it is, you’d be surprised how much pain it invokes, gosh. The sadder single Dad!Obi AU, but with so much love for Shirayuki still!

A Fic That Got You Invested in Fandom

An Economy of Suffering by @sabraeal​, @bubblesthemonsterartist​, and me! [Rating: T]

I remember never intending to contribute / participate in this fandom at the early stages, but I stumbled upon the then-series (now first 2 chapters of this fic) for this idea, and I was like, omg I’m so gonna write an angsty Obi continuation of this. It was only after I’d posted it that I realized I just kick-slammed the door into the playground of the biggest writers in the fandom??? HAHA Jen and Joanna graciously let me play though, and in the end, it is the fic it is today. 

Made You Laugh Out Loud

Dessert & Reward by @sabraeal​ [Rating: T]

I L I VE for Obi being totally out of his element and being pushed around by his butler and his housekeeping staff. It’s absolutely adorable. And I giggle-snorted at how completely intimidated by Kiki he is, and how Yori finally could gain the upper-hand with Kiki around. Love it! (also there’s lots of pining and omg it’s the best

Action-packed Fight Scene

Love and Other Monstrosities by @vivianvivi1​ [Rating: T]

Referring to Chapter 2 of this fic, and not exactly a fight scene, but definitely action-packed as the gang fight for the survival of Obi’s sanity. I remember bookmarking this fic early on when it was still a one-shot (to my delight, the author added a first chapter!). The angst hurts so good and my heart just pulls for Obi and Shirayuki in this fic.

Canon Divergent

I am become death by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: M]

Oooohhhh boy. Absolute poetry. I completely fell in love with this fic when it came out. I remember it being such a foreign way of narrating that was so very intriguing - that made me both uncomfortable yet glued to the words. I remember also being delighted that a second chapter was added! Amazing amazing work.

Steamiest Kiss

Rarely Pure and Never Simple by @sabraeal​ [Rating: E]

This is probably the 1000th time this fic is gonna get recc-ed under this category *side-eyes Jen* but the category speaks for itself!! Other than that, the continuation is absolutely adorable as Shirayuki continues to explore her sexuality as well as her future alongside Obi, who is strung along like a lovesick puppy (despite having admittedly more experience than she does). Beautiful.

Wept Real Tears

Ever After by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: E]

What’s more heartbreaking than everything you’ve been working for in canon to fall apart post-canon? Especially at the cost of your beloved friendships. Astounding AU-building of what happens when you trap a brilliant mind in a role not meant for her. Also, I will never not cry at the idea of Obi falling out of the habit of ‘returning home’ then realizing he has home to return to with Shirayuki.

Favourite Fan-made OC

Bob & Gayle from Wide Florida Bay by @sabraeal​ [Rating: E]

 Look. I know nothing about American culture - let alone idk Southern(?) American culture. But seeing Obi being parented by these two is crazy and something I never knew I needed. They’re absolutely adorable (and *spoilers!* I love that it’s while meeting them that Shirayuki realizes she loves Obi) Adorable!

First AnS fic you read

If You Want Him, You’re Going to Have to Fight Me by @bubblesthemonsterartist​ [Rating: G]

I can’t be 100% sure this was my first AnS fic (it could have been something of Jen’s as well), but this was definitely one that left the biggest impression on me early on. I’m such a sucker for Hurt/Comfort fics and there’s just something about a person finding comfort and safety in the arms of another, and being able to fall asleep from that. Absolutely lovely. 

Favourite Minor Character

Haki from Seven Suitors for Shirayuki by @sabraeal​

Man, I never thought that I would love a character who is barely shown in the manga (maybe like, 5 panels at most?) Loved her snark and the unexpected camaraderie she found with Obi. I loved how Jen has written her to not only support the main pairing, but to really be a source of comfort and a force of sorts to help them see not just the good in each other, but in themselves. Solid character creation. So good.

WIP

Saint Elmo’s Fire by @infinitelystrangemachinex​

Wow, this fic just broke my heart. Though sad that it’s a WIP, but it also has a bittersweet sense of completion to it. Obi’s POV is truly heartbreaking and to see him try so hard to help his Miss survive, when in the end, she was doing the same for him at her own expense - ugh *chef’s kiss* Absolutely absolutely breathtaking.

Canon Compliant

Fugue in Three by @infinitelystrangemachinex​

This fic must have been (as it should) recommended a hundred times over at this point because it’s SO. DAMN. GOOD. Gosh. The feels you get from this fic. I remember describing it to the author once as “tearing skin from bone” - it just gets beneath your skin and into your flesh, and you definitely feel like a different person after reading it. One of the pillars of the AnS fic archive imo. A must-read.

Oneshot

Fussing with Firedrakes by @leewritingrecs​

This is buried in one of her one-shot series, and it is indeed a treasure to be found! (do read her other fics too, they are gold) A very cute AU, with an interesting twist. Kiki and Obi as dragons!!! What could be better! Very cute.

AU you took a chance on (and loved)

Shift by @xaphrin​

A modern AU - much like Jen’s WFB - I never liked modern AUs until I joined the AnS fandom. It never seemed like people could do it right in other fandoms, but gosh darn it this fandom has an absolute talent for it. Shift in particular is really cute and lovely, with angst sprinkled here and there. It isn’t complete from what I remember, but still lovely to read through. (hi xaph!)

Favourite trope

A Dress for Shirayuki by @traditional-with-a-twist

So a super super guilty pleasure of mine is reading when dudes are completely awe-struck by their love interests in beautiful dresses / an outfit they don’t usually wear (or their own clothes idk; i just like it when they’re awe-struck). Gosh this fic. I remember reading it and just sitting there staring into space thinking about what I’ve done to deserve to read this. I love it, and it comes with a underlying layer of angst too which is - ugh, perfect. So so good.

[ad1thi]

6, 7, 9? I'm curious!

6. Name three stories you found easy to write.

I’m picking from my ao3 just because I really don’t want to be going through my tumblr writing tag, but probably:

1. the things we tell ourselves in the dark - this entire fic was written, edited and posted within the span of an hour because i wrote it literally the minute i finished this emh episode. it was my first stevetony fic in a while, and im really happy w the reception i got

2. in sickness and in health - similar to the things we tell ourselves in the dark, i wrote this immediately after i finished this h50 episode and the entire thing was written in one sitting. it was actually initially only supposed to be on tumblr, but it became so much longer than i thought it would be, and im super proud of it

3. (a currently unpublished samtony fic that is approx 5k and i wrote the entire thing today sitting in starbucks and im super proud of it and i’ll link it here when it’s published!!)

7. Name three stories you found difficult to write.

In no particular order:

1. just friends (?):  i was never expecting to finish this fic. like ever. i’d even taken it down from ao3 because i just never saw myself finishing it. it’s actually still wild to me that this fic is finished. ive been writing fic since i was 13, and this is my first completed multi-chapter. how wild is that.

2. 1000 lives (for you): my worst fear when writing multi-chapter fics is that i’ll lose steam or lose my initial train of thought, and i think both my betas @omg-just-peachy and @redsridinghood can attest to how much work i put into this fic, and how careful i was that everything fell into place and i tied everything up properly. the final chapter went through three (??) revisions before we were all completely happy, and just because im so unaccustomed to long fics and tend to prefer small drabbles within 1000 words, this was a big challenge for me.

3. one kiss (is all it takes): i think if i had a fic that “defined me”, it would be my greek gods AU, and i had SO many plans for this that i felt super bad when i lost all interest in this. of all my fics, this is probably one of the very few fics that i wrote for my readers rather than myself, because i had literally no interest in this AU but i felt like i owed some sort of closure for the people who’d been reading this from the start. the AU only three instalments long, and this particular instalment is only like 2k - but im not exaggerating when i said it took me a whole ass year to write that 2k. another testament to why multi-chaptered fics of any kind terrify me

9. What do your fic bookmarks say about you? 

(eyes my 2186 bookmarks surreptitiously) that it is a damn miracle i am managing to complete law school with the grades that i have because i spend way too much time on ao3. and that my 13-year old self who swore by canon ships and hated any other type of pairing would not recognise me at all (and also that i probably should’ve realised i was queer SO MUCH sooner with the amount i project on my comfort characters)

fanfiction asks