#a collection of unfinished blurbs

[hana-no-seiiki]

TETHERED HEARTS : PROMOTIONAL BLURB

You were just another editor.

Another face in the front row. Another name on a list. Until his eyes found you.

They said he never designed for anyone twice.

That each piece was a once-in-a-lifetime creation—too personal, too perfect to replicate.

So why does he keep sending you things?

A dress that hugs like a second skin.

A coat stitched with your initials on the lining.

A scarf that matches the color of your eyes—down to the exact shade.

You try to be polite. Professional.

But then come the handwritten notes. The invitations with no RSVP. The locked door behind you when you visit his studio and the way he says your name like it’s already part of his next collection.

“Don’t worry,” he murmurs, brushing fabric against your throat.

“I’ve waited so long to find the one the thread chose for me. I won’t let anyone—especially you—pull away now.”

You were supposed to be covering his new line.

You didn’t know you were the line.

ARTWORK UNFINISHED. THIS WHOLE THING IS SO RUSHED NGL LOL-

So if you hadn’t seen the other blurb, @sophiethewitch1 , @deer-fic-fics and i (collectively called Coven of the Weave) are working on a yandere game called Tethered Hearts!

I’m so excited to tell you guys more about it! Will post more on our dear Lian soon. Hope you look forward to his appearance along with another special character im just aAAAAA about.

okay signing out

©️ hana.no.seiiki - yun | 2025

[pranabefall]

✸ — MISC NOTICE. ; minors dni. sentinel ! jing yuan x guide reader. a silly blurb for the most part. follows guideverse au concepts and such. yandere warning, i plan on expanding this into a proper oneshot soon enough XD. not edited!!!

it's your boss who issues the final warning after the third turn down. he'd given you a stern talking to, another chance and that repeated statement wedged into your head with corporate manuals and the like.

he's important, he tells you furiously. you can't just turn away from him when he comes to you...and he asks for you specifically. specifically, because he plays games you can't quite understand and inlays his conversations with double meanings and jokes you catch him chuckling over.

you don't know if you want to laugh or cry at the ridicule, at his persistence. but you kept quiet and collected your dues, silently letting yourself into his home after he summons you again.

your coworkers tell you you're thinking too much. the general is a kind man. the twisted do not hand feed finches and let cats nap on their knee. and yet you doubt. you doubt, doubt, keep doubting like it's the air you breathe, like every flex to his arm and every shift of his body is a trap.

( the general is a kind man. yet he does not feel any safer.

most sentinels, to you do not. )

one of his retainers points you to the gardens, and you find him seated beneath tree-cover, mulling over an unfinished chess game and the lack of an opponent. you don't think you could slip away at this point. you don't think you should.

his shoulders are hunched and his cheeks sallow, but he still holds that cheeky light in his eyes. annoyingly handsome. cloyingly so, in ways that make your stomach turn. and those eyes meet yours, and that smile filters through. you freeze and tell yourself not to run.

( that's not hunger you see there, you tell yourself. it's not. )

"good morning." he greets, patting the space beside him. "it's been quite some time, yes?"

you swallow. "yes." you nod, taking your seat just a little ways off. jing yuan looks amused. "it's best we get this session over with. i hope you don't mind general."

his eyelids droop and a languid tremor starts up in the depth of his chest. "mh. you're in that much of a hurry?" he half teases, holding his hand out. "i'd hoped you'd stay for some tea. it's a new brew master du has taken a liking to."

"i'm afraid i cannot linger." you repeat, a little firmer this time. you reach into that plunging darkness, tugging away the corruption that clings to his being with the finesse of threading a needle. guiding was almost second nature at this point, a mindless thing, a near instinct. and jing yuan had much to undo and unravel and pull out.

jing yuan exhales. it's long, deep, relieved almost, scraping to the borders of euphoric. you keep tugging. he lets himself pull into you, his warmth grazing against the apple of your cheek.

"it's taking longer than it should." you choke.

"is it?"

you try not to let the fear in. "sorry." you whisper. it's always like this. jing yuan's unsaid insistence, the desperation buzzing beneath his skin, the almost touches.

it's taking longer to unwind the wringing tendril, nick away at the emptiness and fill it up with something.

he has your left hand press up into his cheek. you want to snatch it back. the corruption comes undone easier though, so you let it stay there, let him touch you a little more than he should. jing yuan seems satisfied with this.

"much better, right?" he chuckles. the pads of his fingers press just above your pulse, taking in the quick paced beat. jing yuan stares long and hard at you.

you still want to run.

"you could say that..." you shove that urge back, lock it away, tell it it's not welcome. better this than feeling those hands elsewhere. the crawling terror may persist, but jing yuan wouldn't hurt you that way.

( "stay a little longer." he mumbles into your palm. "you seem so tired. did you have another long day?" )

...you hope he won't.

[snowangeldotmp3]

fragments

a collection of various snippets and blurbs

hello! i come bearing gifts. or, well, one gift with many different things in it. im publishing all of the snippets/blurbs/otherwise unfinished fics or ideas into one compiled fic on ao3 for easier access and, since tumblrs search function is bust, an easier way for me to keep up with them as well.

im still updating them as i work through all of them, but you can read the first two snippets here

[consistentsquash]

Hp Rec Fest 2023 Recs by Squash

AO3 collection for the recs I made during this fest!

The fest mods deserve everything <3

Rec masterlist - links are for my rec blurbs.

31. A fav among favs: Almagest by eldritcher (2018). Harry/Voldemort

30. A precanon fic: The Unspoken and the Unsent by hollycomb (2013). Dumbledore/Elphias Doge

29. A postcanon fic: Candles Lit Against the Dark by perverse_idyll (2023). McGonagall/Grubbly-Plank

28. An underrated fic: A Cliff in July by Miss M. (2013) Millicent/Marietta.

27. A Muggle AU: Commonplace Magic by Acid, Sinick (2010). Snarry

26. A fic with an ending you can't stop thinking about: In Infinite Remorse of the Soul by perverse_idyll (2011). Snarry, Snape/Dumbledore.

25. A fic rated T: On Wednesday by Tryfanstone (2006). Snarry

24. A holiday fic: 10 Snarry Holiday fics.

23. A soulmate fic: Inch by Inch We Crawled Toward Each Other by Chatter (2017). Fleur/Hermione

22. An unfinished fic: The J. Alfred Prufrock Arc by vain (2003). Snarry.

21. A thought provoking fic: Brown Sugar by eldritcher (2018). Voldemort/Tom Riddle (Diary).

20. A G Rated fic: The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife by eldritcher (2021). Snape/Giant Squid.

19. Hottest smut fic: Both Sides Now by Predatrix (2006). Snarry.

18. A fairytale fic: The Lost World (short version) by perverse_idyll (2013), Snarry + Omphale by eldritcher (2015), Harry/Voldemort

17. A fic that made you cry: 10 Snarry fics to make you cry

16. A fic that made you laugh: 10 Snarry fics to make you laugh

15. Most recent bookmark: De Aegypto by squibstress (2023). Minerva/Rolanda

14. A fav series: Pandemic by eldritcher (2021) Harry/Voldemort

13. A fic over 100K words: Catullus 16 by eldritcher (2014) Harry/Voldemort

12. A WIP: Year of the Thestral by perverse_idyll (2022) Snagonagall, McGonagall/Hooch

11. A dark fic: King of Fat by rinsbane (2006) Snarry

10. A fest fic: A Matter of Time by danpuff (2022). Snarry

9. A rarepair fic: Extraordinary Lengths by MaxWrite (2009). Percy/Barty Crouch Jr.

8. A canon divergence fic: When the Rose and the Fire Are One by perverse_idyll (2010). Snarry

7. A canon compliant fic: Storytelling by kellychambliss (2010). Hermione/Minerva McGonagall

6. An unreliable narrator fic: Remember Me to Cheetham Hill by Delphi (2021). Snape/Filch

5. A non AO3 fic: Down the Rabbit Hole by RaeWhit (2008). Snarry

4. Fic + art: PS, I love you by mywitch and groot (2022). Snape/Hermione

3. A podfic: [Podfic of] Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do by wilfriede (2023). Minerva McGonagall/Rolanda Hooch + [Podfic of] Plenitude by wilfriede (2023). Amelia Bones/Hermione

2. A comfort fic: Epic of the Forgotten by eldritcher (2017). Viktor Krum/Voldemort + Sexing the Pumpkin by ratherbrightred (2007). Snape/Sirius Black

1 . A fav fic under 5000 words: Corresponding with Snape by asnowyowl (2010). Snarry

[p-artsypants]

Blurb #65

I'm going to try to share 70 blurbs from my WIPs and unfinished fics to celebrate reaching 70 posted fics! To help with this endeavor, please feel free to send me a word or a fandom you know I write for, and I'll share the blurb. IDK if I'll get 70 prompts, but let's try it! Send as many as you want!

“But Daaaaaaaad-uh!” Stacy whined. “I don’t want to babysit Ice-Boy!” 

Hiccup decided that was a bad time to enter the living room. He halted, making eye-contact with John, before attempting to slink out. 

“Hiccup,” John beckoned him over. “Stacy’s going out bowling with some friends, I think this will be a great experience for you!” 

“Bowling?” Hiccup tilted his head. 

Stacy crossed her arms and sighed. “He doesn’t even know what it is…” 

“It’s a game,” John explained. “Very easy, I think you’ll like it!” 

Hiccup could see the sheer distaste on Stacy’s face and couldn’t help but think this would make her resent him. Especially if this became a ritual. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t…” he began. 

But John stayed firm. “You should. You need to have exposure to the modern world in a more chaotic setting. This place is loud, and has a lot of people. Just take your notebook, and if you get overwhelmed, just sit back and observe.” 

A bell rang within the house. 

“Ugh, that’s Jenny,” Stacy sighed. “Cmon Ice Boy, get your notebook.” 

“You’ll let me come?” 

“Begrudgingly, yeah,” she shrugged. “Meet us in the driveway.” 

“Yes! One second!” Hiccup hurried back to the garage to collect his sketchbook and then came around the house, where a white car sat waiting. 

Stacy opened the back seat, and climbed inside. “Come on, hurry up!” She called to him. 

Hiccup slid in and closed the door, like he had so many times now, and put the seatbelt on. 

“Who’s this?” An unfamiliar brunette woman asked from the driver’s seat. 

Another teenage girl, Stacy’s age, sat in the passenger’s. “Oh! Is this the Viking you were telling me about? The one your dad unfroze?” 

“That’s him. Dad wants him to come along and learn about bowling or whatever.” She turned to Hiccup and said, “Hiccup, this is my best friend, Jenny, and her mom Carol.” 

Ugh, another ‘J’ name. Hiccup could see these ladies didn’t have ear pieces like he and Stacy, so he’d have to use his fairly poor English to communicate, or rely on Stacy to translate, but he didn’t think that was fair to her. 

“H-hello Carol and Yenny, my name is Hiccup,” he stuttered out, surprising Stacy. 

The women in the front smiled at him broadly, amused by his accent. “Yenny?” 

“He has a hard time with ‘J’s.” 

“Makes sense,” said Carol. “What with the Scandinavian names like ‘Johan’ and ‘Jorgen.’”

“Thank you,” he added. “For…car?” He gestured around. 

“For the ride? You’re welcome.” She moved a stick on the vehicle and pulled away from the house.

[thepixelelf]

ursa's golden child masterlist 🍓

fan faves: 🍓 personal faves: 💕

all reader characters are gender neutral unless specified

multi

Been There, Done That (social media au) - suspended indefinitely 💕🍓

Introducing Been There, Done That, a collection of 10 terribly overused clichés featuring Golden Child! Each of the connected mini-series highlights a different cliché and a different main character to endure every cringey second.

MISSION: Aether Rising (ra pam pam dystopia au) - unfinished

No air to breathe. No hope to spare. When only the rich and powerful hold the key to salvation, just how far are the people of what was once earth willing to go?

Volleyball AU Collection w/ Lina @blossom-hwa 💕🍓💕

Oh, Golden Day

Wanna Make Out?

daeyeol

Please Linger 💕

In a world where a soulmate’s touch can heal any wound, Daeyeol knows his own soulmate can only heal so much.

Blurbs:

[plunge it deep] 💕 [here, kitty kitty] [solve me] ⤷[solve me, before] [speaker with the dead]

sungyoon

Blurbs:

[brand new gravity] [save me, save you] (title swap game with @weuschoiceheart​) 💕 [subjectification] 💕 [feel my rhythm]  [a melody for you, who are hiding in the dark] (title swap game with @camellia-bee​)  [sooo, what did I miss?] 💕

jangjun

Blurbs:

[softer spike] [proper proposal] [the antithesis of tranquility] 💕 [patching up] 

youngtaek

Blurbs:

[things we know] [meet the magic]  [unsweet treats] 

seungmin

Blurbs:

[meet me beneath the waves] 💕 [find me] [dress and decorum] [the colour of enthusiasm and nature]  [not to me]

jaehyun

Blurbs:

[no need] [fan the fire] [head, meet wall]

jibeom

Blurbs:

[tell it to the moon] [take your second left at] [target practice] 💕 ⤷[target aquired] [the night has just begun] 💕🍓 [on this morning] [love you like] [one step, two steps] (title swap game with @blossom-hwa) [the colour of timeless elegance]

donghyun

Hold Me; Heal Me 💕

In a world where a soulmate’s touch can heal any wound, you would think you’d have no worries. But after your soulmate told you he didn’t want to be exactly that, you set your heart aside. It shouldn’t matter anyways, you reasoned. What need does a vigilante have of soulmates? Part two: Find Me; Fear Me

Blurbs:

[sweet typos] [liquid sunlight] 💕 [electronic network love]

joochan

Blurbs:

[stranger in blue] [dream walker] [troubled waters]  [the colour of happiness and energy] 

Bomin

Rookie Moves

On his first ever mission, Bomin decides to play hero.

Blurbs:

[not for tomorrow] [warm welcome] 🍓 [what could’ve been a nightmare] [the colour of courage and roses] 

main masterlist

[aldrendaux]

I've been going through the fanfics in the fandom I recently got obsessed with results page by results page, reading the ones with summaries that appeal to me.

Basically, I've filtered out the ships/age rating/categories I'm not interested in, filtered in my favorite character, and as I've worked my way into fanfics past (the ones that haven't updated since 2021 or earlier), I've filtered out unfinished fics so that I don't get invested in too many abandoned works as there's no accounting for incomplete series or fics the were purposefully abandoned (sometimes I can't help myself in spite of the oftentimes giant "DISCONTINUED" or "PERMANENT hiatus" emblazoned in the summary if the story's blurb is interesting enough).

I've found some real gems as I've gone back through the years of this fandom's fanfics, I'm currently working through fics from 2012/11, and I'm on the 242nd page of 278 pages of results for the filters I've set, and that's just for Ao3!

FF.net is a bit more difficult to go through with its more imprecise filters and the app doesn't let me start from the earliest (my preferred method of fic combing on that site), only the latest, so I've somewhat given up on FF.net's collection, since the site became so clunky to use.

Go read an old fic.

There’s such recency bias in fandom. As an author you post something, get a few reactions, and then it goes off into the bin. As a reader you check the tags, see what’s new, and move on. But a lot of old stuff is really good. It’s just sitting there, gathering dust, waiting for someone to take a peek.

So go on. Treat yourself.

Read an old fic.

[spiralinginafield]

Intro:

I am Fields, or that’s how I prefer to end my thoughts., or blurbs at the beginning of poems.

I mostly write poetry, but every now and then I do something different.

I listen to music much of the time, as it gets me in that reflective mood, as well as being a part of my synesthesia that I’m trying to explore.

But otherwise I tend to be a bit more abstract, or as I’ve been telling some, temporally loose.

I go by He/Him or They/Them, jury’s still out on that one.

I sometimes touch more sensitive topics, but I will bang my head into my Psych books to make sure I’m approaching it with care. As well as to put that hole in my wallet to use.

Trivia:

1. I tend to have an odd pattern when I write, so some errors may slip through no matter how I read them. (Grammar has never been my strong suit).

2. I try to have a theme for my collections, or at least a shared pool of themes.

3. I’ve been writing poetry for about seven years, since the beginning of high school years. Sometimes I wonder if I was on something, then I’d remember exactly. Memory is too good, gets in the way most of the time.

4. I can be irregular in posts, or just laser focused, kind of the bread and butter of special interests and what not. It waxes and wanes.

5. I love world building, sometimes a poem ends up as world building or lore for my other projects. This leads to series I forgot I’ve written(As I look over at the unfinished project from 2020).

[ldportfo]

Starting this just so I have a place I can collect my various work from junior college up to my current independent work, will be updated as projects are worked on. Most of the early posts are art projects from various courses throughout college, most animations throughout college will be rough and/or unfinished. Posts will be accompanied by a short blurb providing context for the piece in question.

[harleyacoincidence]

Hi! Im trying to collect information from writeblrs about the stories everyone writes. That includes you! Yay!

If you dont mind, can you share wips, characters, blurbs, funfacts? Go nuts, im here to listen!

I apologize for not getting back to you for a little while. It took me some time to type all of this out and make sure it was somewhat concise.

Fun Facts About the Author:

I’ve been writing/telling stories for as long as I can remember.

I was obsessed with reading until I was about thirteen, when I began to get more serious about creative writing.

The franchises and books that were partial to me when I was a kid have influenced all my works, whether accidentally or on purpose. This means that if we’ve ever had a fandom in common, you will most likely know due to the way I write or the events that take place/characters I have in my works. While I’ve never directly copied a character from an existing work into one of my original ones, I tend to take a trait that I liked from the original character and tweak it, using said trait as a base for one of my characters.

Alright, onto the meat of this post. Get some popcorn and a drink, we’re going to be here for a while.

WIPS I Am Currently Editing/Working On:

The WIP With No Name

Love Corrupts Fresh Lilies

The Devoted Musician

These do not include completed WIPs, deleted WIPs, forgotten WIPs (rest in peace to those ones) or WIPs that were not originally created by me. You will not find any WIPs that someone else made the idea for that I assisted with here, as they are not my WIPs. Keep scrolling if you would like a short and mostly spoiler-free explanation of each.

Still here? Great! Welcome to the abominable mess that is my head.

The WIP With No Name

I started this WIP all the way back in high school. It’s certainly not my best work, but I was proud of it at the time.

I’ve since updated it to fit the times (and another WIP I helped with at one point), but it’s still not perfect and most likely never will be.

It has three instalments, the last of which is still unfinished. I am unsure where to take the plot, but I’m quite close to figuring it out. After I’ve officially finished all three instalments, I plan to rework it.

The cast for this series is quite large, which is one of the problems, as I cannot develop all the characters in it properly for the length that fits it best.

This series is about a young girl who finds herself to be the outcast in many places outside of school. She’s adopted and doesn’t have the best relationship with her parents (especially her father). Her cousin is jealous of her ability to summon demons better than she can. The whole demon-summoning thing starts the protagonist down a long and dark path, getting more corrupt with every being she hosts.

I do not associate any songs with this WIP.

Out of Context Blurbs:

“You thinking about your parents again?” he asked, not letting go.

            “Yeah…”

            “Don’t worry. I know it’s hard.”

            “I know I’m adopted, but…does that really make me unwanted? Why do they never seem to have time for me? Am I that bad? Do they just want to use me for insurance or something? Did I do something?”

            “Henriette!”

“Sydney, don’t tell me what to do! I’m just sharing my ideas. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a free country, right?”

            “Who taught you that phrase? You’re eight!”

            “You, dingus. Remember?”

            “Oh yeah. Sorry.”

“You’re going to kill me anyway. I might as well stall you for as long as I can before you kill everyone else I know too. You’re making things easier by using weapons, you know. Are they just for show, or are you more human than demon? Something seems off about you. Are you sure Henriette’s not the one in control? Besides, what’s up with these weapons? None of them make any sense to be together, unless you’re actually just somebody who runs tabletop RPGs. I mean, that’s cool with me, I did that once. Actually, it would explain a lot of things about you. You seem like the type of guy to railroad your players though, and I don’t respect that. Do you run tabletop RPGs? You should. You could, like, give your players a better experience by, like, actually showing them the areas they’re in and the monsters they’re fighting. I think it would be good for you,” Elliot babbled, not entirely sure of what he was saying anymore.

“What-”

“Yeah, if you want help getting players or setting up a story or something, I’m your guy! I’ve done this stuff before, so I can give you some help or advice, whatever you need. Don’t hesitate to ask!” Elliot grinned, inching past Hadeon and slowly backing into the hallway. Hadeon watched him as he walked by, a puzzled expression on his face.

“I-”

“WELL IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU, BYEEEEE!” Elliot shrieked as he sprinted down the hall, through the first room, and out the metal door, dropping the whip as he ran.

Love Corrupts Fresh Lilies

In other words, the “Look Ma, the WIP with a title!” one.

While there is a title, it’s only a working one. It always seemed a bit long, but it’s the one on my list that fits the story best.

I started this WIP a few years ago (can’t recall how many as of now) as a collection of poems.

I’ve been slowly turning the list of poems into a novel, and hopefully it’ll be better than my last WIP. If it’s not, I’ll throw my microwave out my window. (I won’t actually do that, I just want a WIP that’s not entirely trash. I desperately need to improve my writing skills.)

This WIP is similar to the last in terms of the protagonist and their development, but the plot is completely different. The protagonist is almost entirely forsaken by members of society and has an awful relationship with her cousin. However, instead of bringing beings from other worlds into hers, she falls into another dimension, one full of different deities. She finds love there and is slowly corrupted to her lover’s liking. How charming!

Some songs I associate with this WIP include Sway With Me by Saweetie & GALXARA, Me and the Devil by Soap&Skin, and Feed the Machine by Poor Man’s Poison.

Out of Context Blurbs:

It stung as it hit my skin. It stung even more as I felt the object reposition itself and pump my veins full of the substance I wasn’t allowed to see. I could imagine it being somewhat viscous, like thinned paint. I didn’t know what colour it was, but I thought of it as something dark and dreary, like old mauve or hunter green. Maybe even a deep plum or navy. No, navy was too unnatural. What’s navy coloured other than a boring prep school’s uniform?

I found everything I loved in that aroma. Roses. Pine trees. Tomatoes. Old books. Sawdust. Smoked gouda.

The Devoted Musician

Oh boy, this is always either the WIP I have to do the most explaining for or the one I explain the least about, for the same reason.

This WIP is one that I’ve worked on consistently for seven years. Well, I’ve worked on three of the characters for eight, but not the actual story.

This WIP is the closest to completion and takes the form of an analog horror series. A partner and I (who has asked to remain anonymous on Tumblr) are working on producing it together, though the original story is mine.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but the first instalment is up on YouTube, and for its purpose, it looks great.

This WIP follows my foolproof formula of “idiot does something stupid and pays the price for it, as does everyone else”.

There isn’t much else I can share about this WIP, as I don’t want to spoil too much (in other words, I actually am posting this entire one).

The main song I associate with this WIP is Who Is She? by I Monster.

In terms of my characters, see A Comprehensive Guide to My OCs - A Masterlist

[skuhy]

kiribaku fic recommendations

-a (too long) collection of my all-time favourite kiribaku fanfics! :) (available on ao3!!)

-Artificial Affection by KiriBakuHappiness

chapters: 1/??

(unfinished)

Hello Bakugou-san, welcome to Karbon Copy!

Your new personal AI wellness companion is only [1 day old] but it’s already capable of changing your life. Kiri-bot will help you become a better you, and provide you with the support that you need whenever you need it most. Have you got goosebumps yet? We do too! Follow the personalized link to get started!

Katsuki stared at the generic, copy-paste, IOS-riddled template. He continued to flick his pen around restlessly between his calloused fingers while he read that carefully crafted marketing blurb over and over again before he finally straightened up in his seat and flipped open the cover of his brand new composition notebook.

Well… better get this shit over with.

-- OR --

After being forced to take a leave of absence from his research program at the Musutafu Artificial Intelligence Agency, AI-software engineer Bakugou Katsuki decides to bring his work home with him.

-Why Is Everything So Weird With the Lights Off? by KiriBakuHappiness (yes, again)

chapters: 1/1

Kirishima’s never really considered what Bakugou would be like when he was drunk and he’s kind of curious to find out but also a little apprehensive. This was still Lord Explosion Murder he was dealing with, after all.

Bakugou stops in the middle of the room, taking in all of the posters on the walls and eyeing suspiciously at the punching bag as if he’s never seen one before in his life. He sways a little before he frowns and squints dangerously. Kirishima tenses in preparation for some snarky remark about his inability to decorate, but all that comes out of Bakugou’s slurred mouth is, “This isn’t my fucking room.”

Wow, okay, maybe he’s a lot more drunk than Kirishima first thought.

--OR--

Kirishima can't imagine who would be trying to talk to him so late on a school night, but when he opens the door and finds Bakugou Katsuki drunk, he can't just turn him away, right? What kind of a friend would he be if he did that?

-Roses are red and they taste like shit by Unbreakable_Red_Riot

chapters: 6/6

Katsuki was really fucking sick of the smell of flowers.

-I wasn't looking for love (but then there you were) by dragontrappedinhumanskin

chapters: 1/1

Bakugo always fucking hated riding the subway every week, its crowded, loud and he's tired, but then he starts seeing the same redhead every time.

-- Katsuki blinked in disbelief. What the shit, he’s asking to play rock, paper, scissors. Is he fucking five years old? Who can be this stupid?! And he took his hand off the handle, does he want to fall?

Katsuki glared at him, but the redhead just smiled, and his eyes glint with a challenge, and before Katsuki can really think it through he’s taking his free hand and making a fist in front of himself.

The redhead’s smile turned less challenging and more cheerful, and Katsuki decided that this might not be that bad. He’s going to fucking crush him at rock, paper, scissors, even if it’s a stupid game.

-My Baby (Literally) by dragontrappedinhumanskin (yep, again)

chapters: 1/1

Bakugo gets turned into his five year old self.

__ He finally notices the blond fluffy hair, and with that anger, and the lack of Bakugo even though he’d been running errands with Aizawa as a chaperone. . . No fucking way.

-hummingbird boy by gumrude and liliumm

chapters: 1/1

Bakugou has dimples.

They’re not noticeable. Not by much, not with the way he scowls to hide them. But Kirishima still catches them, the first time he makes Bakugou crack a grin after he trips and fails a new stunt on his skateboard.

When Kirishima sees it—it’s a tiny dip in his cheeks, and one under his chin. They’re out in the sun, and small shadows tuck into his dimples charmingly. He’s grinning wide, boyish and rude and unhinged. He’s laughing, too, and the sound is brash.

Or; Kirishima learning what it really means to yearn.

-president of the krbk club by hiuythn

chapters: 1/1

Izuku watches, in a disbelieving and horrified sort of fascination, as Kirishima and Bakugou fall in love.

-disarm me by hiuythn (YES, again)

chapters: 2/2

Bakugou’s hands are made for winning.

They’re made to reach for victory, to grab what they want and refuse to let go.

Bakugou’s hands are not made for holding. They’re not made to cradle, or to help. His hands are calloused and rough. They are not meant to cherish, to be gentle, to be safe.

When he’s not using them to blast his opponents to dust, he keeps them sheathed in his pockets like the weapons they are. A gesture of goodwill—a handshake, from him, would be deadly. His hands are deadly.

And that’s how he likes it.

That is, until Kirishima.

-i can be needy (way too damn needy) by hiuythn (AND again)

chapters: 1/1

Standing on your own for so long has its drawbacks. Bakugou learns.

-ORBIT by hiuythn (...i like hiuythn)

chapters: 4/4

Bakugou is hit with a quirk that throws him through space and time—only to end up at Kirishima’s side every time.

-help me get out of my head by popcap

chapters: 1/1

“Don’t let go."

"Deal."

-to bury my love by armadil_Lo

chapters: 1/1

Bakugou Katsuki has been in love with Kirishima Eijirou for six years. And today, Kirishima is marrying somebody else.

-every little bit (helps the fire burn) by mintandmarmalade

chapters: 1/2

(unfinished)

Force is all Katsuki’s ever known. He’s never stopped fighting, and he has no intention of changing that now. It’s worked for him so far.

But the new guy lifts a rough, bandaged hand out of his pocket before answering; his eyes are bright, like he’s thrilled to get to take the mic. “Hey! I’m Kirishima,” he says, then locks eyes with Katsuki before flashing a grin full of huge, shark-like teeth. “Nice t’meet you guys!”

Oh, no.

There’s no fucking way this is happening.

Katsuki has spent his whole life trying to prove himself by beating down everyone who doubts him, whether they think he’s weak or because his bullshit Goddess of a mom won’t stop flinging love interests his way. That was the plan for his sixth summer at Camp Half Blood - never show weakness, even if the new Ares kid with the unwavering smile isn’t deterred by his walls.

Honestly, it's not going great.

-it's really good to hear your voice by mintandmarmalade (again)

chapters: 1/1

Kirishima Eijirou is happy - twenty-five years old, a rising pro hero, and living with his childhood best friend and long-term boyfriend, he has everything he could ask for. He’s happy. He has to be. This must be all he’s ever wanted.

Late one night, Eijirou gets a phone call from the one person who makes him wonder.

[ievaxol]

MUNK'S (simple) CRASH COURSE TO BOOKMARKS ON AO3

So, a recent discussion alerted me to the fact that not everyone knows that you can bookmark on ao3 or how, so here’s another ao3 crash course for this useful function!

Picture this; you’ve read a fantastic story and you want to save it somehow so you can revisit it over and over. Alternately, you are reading an unfinished fic and (like me) despise emails and would like a way other than subscribing to check on those sweet WIPs. That’s where bookmarks come in!

(i browsed ao3 in light mode for this. appreciate this sacrifice)

Self-explanatory perhaps, but clicking the bookmarks button at the bottom of a fic brings up this menu:

This is where the fun begins (now this is bookmarking!)

The notes section is where you can write a little blurb to yourself about the fic. Want to jot down your thoughts? Want to make a note of it being unfinished so you remember to revisit? This is where that can be done.

Underneath that comes your tags — extremely useful once your bookmarks hit the 100+ amount! You can tag it with fandoms, tropes, anything that’ll help you sort those bookmarks out. Simply type up a tag and either press enter or comma once you're done and watch that beautiful sorting system take shape.

Unfinished, hurt/comfort, oneshot,fandom Y — for example.

For the sake of simplicity I’ll be skipping the add to collections, since that’s not often done and most authors have toggled so that they have to give permission for the work to be collected, whereas bookmarks can be done on all fics.

The last toggle is one of the most important features of bookmarks! If you click Private Bookmark, it’ll be hidden on your profile and while the author can see the number of bookmarks in their stats, they won’t actually be able to see who has bookmarked if it's marked private. This also hides your commentary in the notes as well as your tags.

If you instead toggle Rec or simply none of those boxes at all, then the author as well as anyone visiting your profile will see it listed among your bookmarks. While I’m not here to decide for you what the right etiquette is when it comes to criticism in bookmarks, adding ratings for yourself or such things — keep that in mind. Be kind and remember, authors are people who do this for the love the given fandom.

Rec marks the bookmark with a heart in your profile and shows it off as a work you recommend to everyone.

Once you’re done with as much or little customization as you like, we hit create!

yippeeeee

Within a few minutes it’ll appear on your profile.

(nice)

Here you’ll find a full list of all your bookmarks, both private and public and recommended. 

Screenshotted from ao3’s own symbols key, this is an easy way to determine if your bookmark is public or not.

Once in your bookmark list you can use the search as you would when looking for other ao3 fics (i’ve made a crash course to searching here) and you can even include or exclude your own tags, making it easy to find and check on those unfinished fics, or perhaps locate that hurt/comfort you read ages back and vaguely remember bookmarking… It’s a brilliant way to sort fics you’ve read and enjoyed, as well as keep little notes about how the fic made you feel, the thoughts on the new chapters — the sky’s your limit!

If you discover that guilty pleasure fic you don’t want everyone else to know you read and enjoyed is public on your profile, then simply hit the edit and mark the bookmark as private. You can also add/delete tags, update your notes and so on.

Hopefully this enlightened you somewhat on the bookmarks function, happy reading!

[p-artsypants]

Blurb #53

I'm going to try to share 70 blurbs from my WIPs and unfinished fics to celebrate reaching 70 posted fics! To help with this endeavor, please feel free to send me a word or a fandom you know I write for, and I'll share the blurb. IDK if I'll get 70 prompts, but let's try it! Send as many as you want!

Astrid dressed and emerged from her house. Now she could see the dragons in the firelight. More encouraging, she could see her fellow Vikings waving eels around more than swords. 

She ran down to the supply warehouse to collect an eel for her own, only once there, she was disappointed to find they were all gone, taken by vikings one step ahead of her. 

Well, maybe there were some at the docks!  

A flaming Nightmare screamed over her head, colliding manically into the warehouse, and predictably igniting it. The Nightmare shook off its collision and flew off. 

“Come on, man,” Astrid chastised the beast, long after it was gone. At that point, she began the water brigade, grabbing a bucket and getting to work putting out fires. That’s what she was supposed to do, anyways. What all the teens her age were supposed to do. Anyone that hadn’t passed dragon training was on water duty. 

She held the bucket in her off hand, because with her right, she still couldn’t form a fist to hold the handle. 

A grim reminder of what was lost. 

But it didn’t matter. She had Stormfly now, and soon, Stormfly would be living among them. Stormfly, Toothless, Cloudjumper, and Valka. They could all have a home in the village. 

Once three houses were out, Astrid could see a lot of the dragons retreating. The raid was coming to its close, with a lot more smoke and fire in the air than ever before. Astrid decided it was time to get Stormfly and rendezvous with Hiccup, even if he had never asked for it. 

“Astrid! Lass!” Phlegma ran towards her, just as she was turning towards the woods. “Your house is on fire!” 

“Oh come on!” Astrid threw her arms up in defeat, and went to go get the bucket again.

[salparadiselost]

WIP Game!

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips. (You can make your own post or reblog this one!)  I have deemed that this isn’t just for writing either. Sketch titles? Comics? Dnd campaigns? If you have an unfinished project, it counts!!

Thank you for the tag @starsonthewalls!

I feel like my draft titles are pretty boring, but here's a collection of them. In this list, I'm including stories that haven't been posted so these aren't currently my ao3 wips.

Demon - Clark & Bruce

Babysitter

Tim being Bored

Collar Shifter Jube

Cold Tim

Another Drabble

SuperBat Vamps

Tim Blob x Sadness

Night of the Museum AU

Medieval Demon Things

The Need to Knead

Voicemail

Airport 07/28

ABO Mob Boss Thing

Ship of Theseus

dream a little dream of me

the past still has teeth

The Flight of Flamebird

So yeah! These are my currently working wips of ideas that aren't already posted on ao3. Shoot me an ask if you want a snippet or a blurb.

Tagging: @swordkallya @jube514 @kgraces @bunnvoid

[bereft-of-frogs]

1 5 12 17 24 for the book asks

1. How many books did you read this year?

54!

Which is not the same number as Storygraph because some of them were French translations that weren’t in Storygraph and I was too lazy to add them manually.

5. What genre did you read the most of?

Storygraph says Fantasy! (34). Which is interesting because I would have guessed Science Fiction (apparently only 21), but I think probably because the line can be so blurry. And reviewing my own list, yeah I did read a lot of Fantasy.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

The two that were kind of disappointing were Force Collector by Kevin Shinick (in my Star Wars reading phase, it just didn’t quite live up to my expectations for the blurb) and Vita Nostra by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko (which was just...weird? I think in a different mood I might have liked it better, but it was...super weird. Very meta. Still not sure what happened in the end.)

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap, mostly because I usually have middling expectations for any collection of short stories, most of the time some of the stories are really good and others are sort of meh, but this collection was consistently so good.

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

I have a DNF sticky note in my planner, but it’s mostly TV shows. With books I feel like...I still have hope that I’ll finish them someday, so I have a few ‘unfinished’ that I might eventually finish. There’s only one book on it that I’ve given up on, which was The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz. I’d borrowed it from a friend and had to give it back and...hm how do I say this nicely? It was...dragging. Like I probably would have lied to myself about maybe finishing it one day if I hadn’t had to return it, but...I probably wasn’t going to.* I put more under the cut, the spoilers are vague but in case someone wants to read it/loved it and doesn’t want to read me harping on it, you can avoid.

[end of year book asks - ask away!]

*Honestly, and I hope this doesn’t get taken the wrong way, but it was the kind of book that rather favored...wokeness over real character development or plot? Like it was very consciously signalling how much representation and how aware of progressive positions in a way that bogged down the actual storyline and sort of killed my actual engagement in it. The part I stopped at was when the time traveler goes back to 1910s Chicago and the plot grinds to a halt so that the main character can complain about white feminism and show how progressive these side characters were and it just got to this sort of ridiculous point where I was like....hey it’s been 30 pages, what’s going on with the actual plot? Like they were trying to make it this high-stakes plot about time travel and timeline wars and connect it to this horrible thing that happened in the past...but then we have to take a break to be like ‘oh look how consciously progressive this is, please clap.’

Just my opinion, might be an unpopular one, but eh.

[consistentsquash]

10 HP Slash Fic Recs with Rare Pair Longreads

Happy Hump Day!

Reccing rare pair longreads is hard! There aren't that many to begin with.  I really struggled with this list.

Selection Criteria

Less than 50 completed fics in English on AO3 as of January 2021 where this is the main pairing. In most cases there's less than 20 completed fics on AO3.

Fics are in the 35000-100000 words length range.  

No Harry centric fics. There are plenty of Harry centric rec lists out there. This list focuses on other characters.

Majority are intro friendly fics. No mpreg, A/B/O fics.  There is one noncon fic in this list.

YMMV

Because getting rare pairs to work is hard, authors will use some writing choices to make the relationship happen. Whether that's going to work for you will depend on your tastes.

I highlighted the YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) parts in the blurbs. This is not concrit about the writing itself. It's just YMMV on reading tastes.

Like any rec list this is subjective based on my reading. The ordering is by the year of posting.

AO3 Collection for the list

  A Matter of Trust: First Things First, Severus/Kingsley by kaiz, Josan, 2004

Sirius Black and the Land-In-Between, Sirius/Draco by Titti, 2004.

The Fields of St. Herve , Remus/Draco by Arsenic, 2006

The Glass Onion, Lee/George by mapleandmahogany, 2007

Extraordinary Lengths, Percy/Barty Jr. by MaxWrite, 2009

If These Walls Could Talk*, Albus Severus/Draco by calrissian18, 2013

Fantastic Beasts, Severus/Kettleburn by Delphi, 2013

Honey Trap, Moody/Draco by FanboyPhaedrus, 2016

Bright be the light of thy soul, Albus/Tom Riddle by eldritcher, 2017

Play Me Like A Love Song , Minerva/Wilhemina by bergatroll, owlpostart, writcraft, 2019

A Matter of Trust: First Things First

by kaiz and Josan (2004)

Genre - falling in love, wartime, hurt/comfort

Length - 85000 words

Pairing - Severus/Kingsley

How rare is the pair? - 33 completed English works with this as the main pairing and  > 1000 words on AO3.

Blurb - Longread of Kingsley taking care of Snape. As a spy, Snape is undergoing a lot of pressure and torture during the war. The Order, Ministry and Dumbledore aren't supportive. Kingsley becomes Snape's champion. But Kingsley is also a double agent for a French organization. He convinces Snape to become a tripe agent. Gradual relationship progress.  The writing is good. The fic has a good plot and executes it nicely.

YMMV - There's Dumbledore bashing and Order bashing going on here. How Kingsley is written to be good at Voodoo type magic can feel like stereotyping a PoC.  It's definitely not the intent. It can just come across that way. Keep in mind the fic is from 2004. The characterizations can be black and white. Snape's character will appeal a lot if you like a softer version of him with a more powerful boyfriend.  The pacing can be up and down. The trope of the world being an unfair place to Snape and needing a powerful boyfriend to protect him is definitely popular. Whether you like it or not will depend on your tastes.

Reread -  I haven't gone back to reread it. Some of the points in the YMMV section didn't work for me.

Rec note -  Fate is a Four Letter Word by Philo has a lot of similar vibes if you wanted more longreads with this pairing.

 Sirius Black and the Land-In-Between

by Titti (2004)

Genre - Falling in love, light read, happy ending.

Length - 51000 words

Pairing - Sirius/Draco

How rare is the pair? - 43 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.

Blurb - I really love the concept of this fic. Sirius is sent back from the Veil because he has unfinished business. He is a ghost. But not really. Narcissa and Draco find him. Draco is helping him. At the same time, Draco is also trying to save Lucius from getting the Dementor's Kiss execution.  Draco is really mature here. Sirius is more immature. I liked that dynamic. The remaining Blacks reconcile.  Lucius is saved. Sirius gets back into his body. It's a sweet and fluffy fic with an unique plot.

YMMV  - Draco and Sirius are cousins. This can be a problem for some readers. The characterizations can sometimes feel flat. The writing can use some editing and pacing work. The ending can feel rushed. It's crossgen slash which can be a problem for some readers.

Reread - I haven't gone back to reread it.  Some of the points in the YMMV section didn't work for me.

 The Fields of St. Herve  

by Arsenic (2006)

Genre - Romance, Mourning, Roommates to Lovers, Happy ending

Length - 32000 words

Pairing - Remus/Draco

How rare is the pair? - 45 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.

Blurb - An incredible, incredible fic! It's probably the one Draco fic I can nonstop recommend. The characterizations, the writing, the pacing, the emotional connect! It's just brilliant. Draco is a werewolf because of Greyback. He lost his parents and Severus in the war. It takes him a long time to get back to living. Really, really poignant and sharp writing. His friendships, him trying to live without taking charity, his commitment to honoring the sacrifices Severus made for him. His struggle to fit in. He's really an outsider. Not just because of the werewolf part.  Not a word out of place!

YMMV  - The fic is incredibly strong on Draco's characterization. Pretty intense read. It's got the trope of two werewolves getting into a relationship.It's crossgen slash which can be a problem for some readers.

Rec note - This is one of the best Draco fanfics I have read, if not the best. I am pretty lukewarm about Draco fanfics in general unless it's written by an author whose fics I already like. This one was such an incredible surprise.

Reread - I  read this fic multiple times. I wasn't fully sold on the relationship. But it's a Draco centric story. The pairing only comes in at the end of the fic.  Easily a 5/5.

 The Glass Onion  

by mapleandmahogany (2007)

Genre - Romance, Flangst, Post-war, happy ending

Pairing -  Lee Jordan/George Weasley

Length - 47000 words

How rare is the pair? - 40ish completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.

Blurb - This is a solid fic. Because it was an exported fic from another archive it doesn't get discovered much. George is visiting Lee in the hospital. Lee is there because of a Death Eater attack. During this time George discovers his attraction. It takes them pining, misunderstandings and flangst before things work out. It's a sweet fic.

It wasn’t the same as loving a brother; or his left foot. But George felt love.

YMMV - The internalized homophobia George has can be a problem for some readers. This fic is going to be an easier read if you already  ship these characters because the characterizations are based in canon and fanon.

Reread - I haven't gone back to reread it. The pairing and the plot didn't get me invested. My bias is for older characters and for more intense reads. So this is definitely not going to be the case for others.  

Rec note - If you like the pairing check out Lost in Reality by seedee.

 Extraordinary Lengths  

by MaxWrite (2009)

Genre - noncon, rape, mind control, tragedy, darkfic, read the tags on AO3

How rare is the pair? - 3 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.

Pairing - Percy/Barty Jr.

Length - 46000 words

Blurb -  Straight up psychological horror darkfic. Definitely read the AO3 tags. The fic has a lot going for it. The characterizations are really sharp. The writing is on point. The premise is unique.

Percy's characterization here is one of the best takes on him I have read in fanfics. He's Crouch's assistant going to his boss's home for errands. Barty Jr. has started to throw off the Imperius. Barty Jr. is completely unhinged. Barty Sr. is a horrible character. He's trying to keep his son happy by using blackmail on Percy.

Percy's situation is completely heartbreaking. But he's ambitious and he keeps thinking the horrifying tragedy is going to have some upside for him.  Horror as a genre is really hard to get right in a fic. This fic does it brilliantly. Barty Jr. will give you Stephen King fic vibes. It's suspenseful, creepy and brutal. The pacing is gripping. Percy gets out. But at what cost?

YMMV - Trigger heavy. It can feel like the noncon part isn't really necessary repeatedly to show the horror.

Reread - It is a really solid fic. I would have read it again if the graphic noncon wasn't such a big part of the fic.

 If These Walls Could Talk*  

by calrissian18  (2013)

Genre - Ghost, Pining, bittersweet ending

Pairing - Albus Severus/Draco

Length - 42000 words

How rare is the pair? - 156 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3. I messed up with the rare pair criteria < 50 works on this one. Sorry!  If you have a suggestion for a completed rarepair long read meeting the criteria tell me in the comments! I can switch this out.

Blurb - A unique premise and executed brilliantly. Draco and the Malfoys were burned to death in their Manor when Draco was nineteen. Years later, Albus Severus gets the Ministry Demolition job to take the Manor down. This is the job of his lifetime. A Blue Unicorn job. Everybody knows how the magic of the Manor is hard to take down. He comes to the manor to find Draco existing there as a conduit for the Manor's magic. It's complicated to explain. But Albus Severus finds out a lot of secrets. The ending is sad. But it's a fitting ending for the fic.  Solid writing and brilliant plot like all the other fics from this author.

YMMV - The author has a really strong sentient Manor as Draco framing. Whether you like this will depend on reader tastes. The ending can feel rushed. The fic has an alternate ending which is more of a happy ending. Depends on your tastes which ending you like.  I personally felt the first ending fits the fic more.

Reread - I love fics where one MC of the pairing is a ghost or a portrait. This particular pairing didn't get me invested. The OCs didn't really land for me. But I love the plot. I'll be reading it again at some point.

Rec note - calrissian18 is the author I rec when somebody wants to start getting into rare pairs. They have a great collection of intro friendly rare pair fics featuring characters a lot of us like. Intro friendly doesn't mean light reading! Their fics get plenty intense and have a lot of bittersweet endings. The author's fics really shine in the <30000 words range.    

 Fantastic Beasts    

by Delphi (2013)

Genre - Coworkers to friends to lovers, drama, romance, hurt/comfort, character study

Pairing - Severus Snape/Silvanus Kettleburn

Length - 36000 words

How rare is the pair? - 13 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3. Every fic belongs to this series. As rare as it gets!

Blurb - A beautiful boy to man fic with love, tragedy and everything else.

Who is Silvanus Kettleburn? This was my first question. 36000 words later, he was a three-dimensional flesh and blood character for me. One of the reasons I love rare pairs is because they usually do a full characterization compared to bigger ships where fics can assume some knowledge of the character from canon or Fanon. Delphi is an author who's got me invested in characters that I didn't think about before. Aberforth. Filch. Silvanus Kettleburn. Delphi's brilliance at characterization shines here in Kettleburn's character development. Absolutely amazing work.

Delphi's Snape is ugly and beautiful at the same time. Snape returning to Hogwarts to teach is one of my favorite eras. I blame this fic for that. His imposter syndrome. How much of an outsider he must be given his age and his past. He's a total jittery mess here. Kettleburn's confidence and playfulness is a complete contrast.

>"A Hagrid Hire. You've done something terrible and Albus has all the dirt on you, so he's hired you on for sub-standard pay for his own secretive purposes." > > Kettleburn smiled amiably, as if it were a joke, and Severus attempted to mirror it. He could not actually feel his face. > > "I don't suppose," Kettleburn said, "you're going to confide in me as to which it is." > > Severus swallowed, or tried to. His mouth was very dry. "Who's to say that I haven't caught out Professor Dumbledore in something equally terrible and blackmailed him into providing me with three meals and a pension?" > > "Ah." Kettleburn's smiled widened, and he tilted his head up, looking at Severus for a moment too long. "Then you would be a very interesting man to get to know."

Albus Dumbledore's characterization is fascinating and brilliant. It's not for everybody. I personally like a softer take on him. But this take on his character is so perfect for the fic to show Snape's vulnerabilities. The courage it took Snape to come to Dumbledore and how judged and unworthy he feels is so vivid in their dynamic. This Snape is full of emotions. He's complex, vulnerable and an absolutely lovable mess. His insecurity is so intense here.  

YMMV - Some readers can find the age gap problematic. Some readers can find it hard to get invested in Silvanus Kettleburn. The fic does a great job of making him come alive. But it can be tough for readers new to rare pairs to try this as an intro fic.  Delphi's fics can be tough to read in the beginning if your reader flow state is used to our fandom's more common writing styles. The writing voice is intimate and unique.

Most of the reads in our fandom are heavier on adventure, angst and drama. Delphi's fics including this one can feel unusual if that's what you are used to. The formula is definitely different. Nothing is trying to happen, if that's the right way to describe it. Like calrissian18 and eldritcher whose fics I also recced in this list, this is a case of either the writing will work for you and you'll become a lifelong believer or you'll find it hard to read. Delphi's writing voice isn't really meant to make it easier for the reader. It forces engagement and immersion. This isn't a casual read.

The fic is crossgen slash which can be a problem for some readers. The series is marked incomplete. But it feels like it's in a good ending point when you read it.

Reread - I  read this fic multiple times. It's layered. Each reread brings up something new I didn't notice before.

Rec note -  One of the best, if not the best, rare pair longread < 50K I have read in our fandom. This is a good intro fic for Delphi's works. The fic I usually recommend as an intro is Goat Song which has more in common with the writing styles in our fandom. Aberforth/Severus. I recced it on A-Z intense reads. If you liked this one try Gossamer which is a brilliant Albus/Severus fic. Actually try anything really from the author's works!

 Honey Trap

by FanboyPhaedrus (2016)

Genre - Enemies to lovers, Romance, Wartime, Hurt/comfort, Happy ending

Pairing - Moody/Draco

Length - 80000 words

How rare is the pair? - 3 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3. Rare!

Blurb - This author writes a great introverted and self-aware Draco. He's got his insecurities. He's strong in his own way. He's three-dimensional here. Don't underestimate the fic just because of the rare pair. It has some really strong character moments for Draco. The fic sets up the premise and executes the plot nicely. Pretty unique fic. Definitely an unicorn!

YMMV - The age gap can be a problem for some readers. The pacing can be up and down. Some readers are going to want tighter editing. Draco's characterization is really strong. It can make Moody's character feel  flat.

Reread - I haven't gone back to reread it.  Some of the points in the YMMV section didn't work for me.

Rec note - The author has more Draco-centric rare pair fics! Try them out if you liked this one.

 Bright be the light of thy soul  

by eldritcher (2017)

Genre - Falling in love, Pining, Angst, War, Power dynamics, Sacrifice, hopeful ending.  

Pairing - Albus/Tom Riddle

Length - 75000 words

How rare is the pair? - 16 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.  

Blurb- A brilliant love story with realism and grit. Incredible characterization work to show Dumbledore's fear of getting too close to anybody and how he's driven by love.

How do you write an impossible pairing without going into slavery/rape/abuse/soulmates gone wrong with tragedy/OOC/AUs? This is prime bashing territory.  There are so many ways this pairing can go wrong. I can't imagine how hard it must be to write a fic like this. This is one of the best things I love about rare pairs. The best rare pair fics change things just enough to make the impossible possible.

Albus Dumbledore can be a polarizing character. Right now it's trendy in many fanfics to make him a villain. This fic has a beautiful take on Albus Dumbledore. His characterization is flawed, loving and nuanced. Vibes of Winston Churchill from The Darkest Hour. If you are a pure slash reader, the detour of Tom's marriage can make you impatient. It's definitely necessary for Tom's character development. He's obsessive and paranoid. But he's got a small number of people he cares about. The canon divergence caused by Tom's marriage in this fic makes the impossible possible.

The fic can get dark and uncomfortably intense sometimes. They both face their greatest fears. Albus faces loss when he finally begins to open up. Tom faces codependency when he finally begins to trust. They are really a mess. But it's a beautiful mess with a lot of complicated feelings that just makes them click.

> Most populist movements did not last. They could not, due to the very social forces that had birthed them. A desire to level soon turns into a desire to bring down. Those motivated by the idea of justice soon turn to vengeance. The lines are blurred, until Robespierre’s reign of terror claims him too. I believed in democracy, mind you. I did not believe it could be executed amongst our kind, imperfect as we were in our illiteracy, in our inability to reason, and in our innate biases.

Dumbledore's denial, courage and intelligence are so well done in this fic! A rare fic that handles both a heavy plot complexity with a lot of relationship and characterization complexity.

It takes them years to get on the same page. It's when they are both caught in the whirlwind of a Me Too movement affecting Minerva that they finally start trying. Things don't get easy after that. A great take on sacrifice with a really neat use of the Resurrection Stone. Albus Dumbledore Faces His Fears is a good subtitle for this fic.

There's a lot of control on pacing which can make it feel as if we share the character's experience of time progression.

YMMV - The fic can be tough to read in the beginning if your reader flow state is used to our fandom's more common writing styles. Eldritcher's writing voice is immersive and unique. The first-person POV gets shit on a lot in today's trends. This fic uses first-person POV brilliantly. But it can feel intense and unusual you are not used to reading layered fics like this. The writing style is heavily on the show side of show and tell. It's definitely not casual reading.

It's crossgen slash which can be a problem for some readers. A lot of readers today don't really read this kind of Albus characterization since they are more used to fics where he is villainized.

Reread - I  read this fic multiple times. It's layered. Each reread brings up something new I didn't notice before.

Rec note - One of the best, if not the best, rare pair longread > 50K I have read in our fandom. This is a good intro fic for getting started with eldritcher's works. It doesn't feel as intense and tight as their other longfics. Definitely on the gentler side compared to their usual style. If you liked this one, try their other Dumbledore/Voldemort fic Almagest, which I recced before on the 21 years list.

 Play Me Like A Love Song  

bergatroll, owlpostart, writcraft  (2019)

Genre - Queer Themes, Coming Out, Activism, Hurt/Comfort, Happy ending

Pairing - Wilhemina/Minerva

Length - 68000 words

How rare is the pair? - 14 completed English works with this as the main pairing and > 1000 words on AO3.  

Blurb - Really strong femslash fic with literally all the queer themes you can possibly want. Coming out. Activism. Gender fluid characters. Queer culture over five decades. Great characterizations. Great flow of time over Minerva's life and how it connects to Little Compton Street. I really loved that The Street itself is a character here.

Little Compton Street lacks the seriousness of Diagon Alley, its streets alive with laughter and a palpable sense of community. It’s as though all of the best people on Diagon Alley have come here: the musicians, the dancers, the artists.

YMMV - Some readers may not like how much of the fic is about queer themes. Depends on how much non-shipping plot you like in a slash fic.  The pacing can feel up and down sometimes.

Reread - It was an engaging read. But I haven't gone back to reread it. I felt like I wanted it to go deep in the characterizations more. At the same time I really liked the broader world building, the themed art and playlists here. This is subjective. I just personally like sharper character work and relationship progression compared to world building in fanfics.

Rec note - Checkout more femslash on HP WLW BigBang 2019

 other rec lists

21 slash recs from 21 years (2001 to 2021)

A-Z recs for unforgettable, delicious, intense reads

Grindeldore recs

10 slash recs for 10 Albus pairings.

10 fic recs with Trans characters

10 fic recs with Crossdressing