#at first i was thinking this mara fic would have to be an au of an au

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Weekly Recap | October 1st-13th 2024

Hope all my fellow Canadians had a good long weekend! Had a week from hell last week so I didn't have time to put up the rec, and it's even a bit late for today, but I did it!

If you know anyone who's not tagged, please don't hesitate to tag them in the comments!

Complete

Siri, Call... by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Sickfic | 1,5K | General): Buck is sick and needs to call for help.

for thy true-love take by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (Outsider POV, Established buddie | 2K | Teen): OR: Chimney Han and the ethics of slipping your coworkers love potions

watch out, you might get what you're after by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Getting Together | 2K | Mature): Buck unintentionally woos Eddie. And then has a hell of a time processing the way he feels about that.

i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this) by bellabrady (Getting Together | 2K | Not Rated): Or: How Buck and Eddie's first kiss leads to someone calling the police on them.

Put To Good Use by kittyeddie (PWP, BDSM | 3K | Explicit): Or, Buck and Eddie finally have a kid-free day at home, and take advantage of every second of it

At First Scent by Inell/ @inell (Urban Fantasy AU | 4K | Teen): When Buck visits Maddie, he meets Chris, a magic user needing his sister’s help learning how to use his powers. He also meets Eddie, Christopher’s dad, and feels a connection that he’s only ever dreamed of finding.

Bears, and Foxes, and a Three-Legged Bobcat by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Pre-Buddie, First Date | 4K | General): Buck and Eddie go on a non-date date to a wildlife park. Cuteness ensues.

Just Right by Inell/ @inell (Future fic, Getting Together | 4K | Teen): After getting injured on a call, Buck wakes up the next morning and tries to piece together what happened, accidentally changing his relationship with Eddie in the process.

to adam, from your ribs by justhockey (S8, Getting Together | 4K | General): And the thing is, Buck is so good at being alone; he’s been doing it almost his whole life. But when he’s reminded of the way love tastes, drizzled like honey on your tongue - the way it feels, like the warm glow of sunlight on your skin. That is when he truly aches. Not the breaking, because he’s done that a thousand times over. It’s the knowing that really does him in. The having, for just a little while, before it’s snatched away so quickly he can still feel the burn on his fingertips from trying to hold on.

Hall Pass by Inell/ @inell (Post-S7, Getting Together | 5K | Teen): After Buck and Eddie take Jee and Mara trick or treating, Chim and Maddie play a trick of their own to help Buck finally make a move on Eddie.

it's leading me on, every time we touch by lightyears (Post-S6, Getting Together | 5K | Explicit): Eddie doesn’t think anything of it when he reaches across the table to pile some pasta onto his plate, says, “Just my back. It’s been giving me a bit of trouble.” “You’re hurt, Eddie?” Bobby asks him, and Eddie’s sure that his intention isn’t to capture the rest of the team’s attention, but by way of being Captain, it happens anyway. “I promise, Cap. I’m good. But if it helps, I can go speak with a doctor, make sure nothing else is going on.” Chim chirps up: “A physio probably makes more sense than a doctor.” “Or an occupational therapist,” Ravi suggests, and Eddie’s sure it’s to stave off a Chim-Hen showdown. “Even a massage therapist would probably help.” And then Maddie says, “Buck used to be a massage therapist” and everyone goes quiet, heads all swinging in Buck’s direction.

sweet sunbursts of flesh pink magic by Underhung_Aura/ @eddiebabygirldiaz (Canon Divergent, Witch Buck, Sex Pollen | 5K | Explicit): Buck’s magic has always been a bit volatile. Jittery. Fluctuating. A touch reckless. Messy and bright and loud. Maddie says that a person’s magic is supposed to match the person themselves, that the form it takes isn’t happenstance or random, that it’s a reflection of your purest self, an extension of your soul that you can manipulate. Safe to say, Buck’s never cared for that assessment. or, buck has magic and eddie gets doused with sex pollen

Happy Accident by Inell/ @inell (Post-S8E01: Buzzkill, Friends to Fiances | 6K | Teen): When Buck gets some good news, he accidentally kisses Eddie, which leads to a conversation that changes their relationship.

Kissing On The Corner, Wait For Just A Minute by fruitsdoesnotknow/ @tayf-ghost (Secret Relationship | 6K | Teen): Buck and Eddie think they're so smooth. They're cool, calm, collected. Normal, in fact. Just two normal best friends. Nothing to see here. Nobody is convinced.

Does it bite at your edges? by noxeratum (Infidelity, Post-S7, Getting Together | 6K | Explicit): Eddie Diaz is so repressed that he thinks his jealousy is bigotry and feels bad about it.

Talk Dirty to Me by ameliahart (Post-S7, FWB | 6K | Explicit): In which Buck has recently ended things with Tommy, Eddie wants to explore his sexuality, and they decide to start sleeping together. As friends, of course.

Through the Looking Glass by jukoist/ @beforejuko (Post-S8E01: Buzzkill, Getting Together | 6K | General): Buck likes Tommy. He does! And he definitely isn't in love with Eddie. He's just... worried. Because Eddie keeps vanishing on Sundays, leaving Buck with the boyfriend he definitely likes as much as he should. Everything is fine. Or, a post 8x01 coda.

Basics, Understanding Basics by fruitsdoesnotknow/ @tayf-ghost (Post-S7, Getting Together | 7K | Teen): Chris gets sick, loses part of his memory, and reassures Eddie and Buck they can still kiss in front of him. That's really thoughtful of him, except for the fact that Eddie and Buck aren't dating.

🔥All The Things You Want From Me by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi (Post-S7, Getting Together | 7K | Teen): “Can I ask you something?” Eddie shrugs. “Sure.” Tommy looks nervous, unsure. Tommy never looks nervous, or unsure. “Do you think Evan would move in with me if I asked him?” (Or the one where Eddie feels Buck slipping through his fingers and can’t let him go, so he tells him not to move in with Tommy and blows everything apart.)

My Carpet’s Got Crop Circles by fruitsdoesnotknow/ @tayf-ghost (Eddie & Karen, Getting Together | 9K | Teen): Or, five times Karen tries to use wine nights to get Eddie and Buck together, and the one time she didn't need to.

🔥Late Fines by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Librarian!Buck | 12K | Teen): Buck is a children's librarian at the branch closest to Eddie's house. When he gets himself involved in the lives of a cute kid and his handsome single dad, he gets a glimpse of what he wants in life. It might just take a few years to get it.

Eddie Diaz VS The Buck's Boyfriend Agenda by songbvrd/ @songbvrd (Post-S7, BuckTommy Break-Up | 23K | Mature): Eddie starts gathering information about why no one trusts Tommy. As he grows to hate their relationship more, he learns more about himself and what he wants.

🔥 ice cream before dinner by cloudydaisies (Post-S7, Getting Together | 58K | Teen): or, gerrard messes with the team's schedules and eddie 'i just drove my son to flee the state' diaz is the only option to watch mara and jee-yun after school on tuesdays, which, shouldn't be a problem at all, right?

🔥 Any Other Way by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, S2 | 102K | Mature): In a switcheroo alternate universe, Buck spends young adulthood in the military, while Eddie, who has no idea Christopher exists, spends his twenties messing around, finally enjoying freedom away from his family’s expectations. When they both end up in Los Angeles, at the 118, some things are different, and others will be the same in any universe.

WIP

Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 5/? | 32K | Explicit): In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path.

🔥 go and kill, go and die by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Zombie Apocalypse AU | 9/14 | 40K | Mature): The 118 are a group of survivors in a small California town in the wake of a zombie apocalypse. For months they've been isolated and safe. But the arrival of some new players, the search for some missing loved ones, will shake everything up and put their little team in jeopardy.

Podfic

[Podfic] déjà vu by NC Pods (N0Connections)/ @n0connections // fic by peaktotheocean/ @peaktotheocean (S7E07: Ghost of a Second Chance | 10-20min | General): It is completely possible that Buck put too much thought into buying his couch. But Eddie can’t think of anyone else in his life who would buy a couch just so his kid would be comfortable.

🔥 [Podfic] With a Little Help From my Friends by MeggieJolly/ @meggiejolly // fic  by extasiswings/ @extasiswings (Post-S3, Feelings Realization | 10-20min | Teen): “You know…several of us parents get together once, maybe twice a month or so. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like. I can add you to the email chain.” Not for the first time that day, Eddie’s surprised. It’s not that he’s opposed, more that the invitation is unexpected. He’s not particularly social—when he is it’s with the team or with Buck or with his family, all of them in each other’s houses, in each other’s lives both at work and away from it. Outside of them… It occurs to him that he’s never really known how to make friends. [Or: Eddie makes friends outside of work and realizes that Buck might not, in fact, be just a friend]

🔥 as lucky as us [Podfic] by blackglass/ @blackestglass // fic by hammersmiths/ @henswilsons (Ravi POV, S7 | 20-30min | General): One of the first things Ravi learned when joining the 118 was to, under no circumstances, think too hard about Buck and Eddie’s relationship. But brother, they could try make his job easier. “I mean, I get it,” Buck’s saying, overhead, and Ravi’s knee-deep in literal human crap and even he can smell that shit from a mile away. “You and Tommy have a lot in common.” or, Ravi continually suffers as a third-wheel.

🔥 [podfic] baby, can i hold you? by All_I_Ask/ @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove // fic by fleetinghearts / @shitouttabuck (pre-Buddie, angst/comfort | 30-45min | Teen): Eddie’s eyes are squeezed shut, and Buck feels something inside him crack when this helpless, devastated sob wracks his body, eyelashes clumped with tears he’s not letting fall. “What do you need?” Buck asks again. “What can I do?” Eddie makes a frustrated noise. “I don’t know. I don’t know why this won’t stop.” or, eddie panics. buck holds him.

🔥 Heart, I Implore You [Podfic] by ReformedTsunderePodfics (ReformedTsundere)/ @film-in-my-soul // fic by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Vampire Eddie, PWP | 45-60min | Explicit): When Buck finds out his best friend isn't exactly human, he volunteers to help keep Eddie from dying. It's definitely just to keep Eddie from dying. No other reason. None whatsoever.

Re-Read

Down to the Bones of Me by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi (Post-S7E10: All Fall Down | 5K | Teen): The morning after Christopher leaves Eddie gets in his truck and drives. Buck lets him go, and Eddie fights to come back for both of them.

[narachilde]

a midnight stroll.

(gentle!blade x gender neutral reader)

scenario: your late night walks with blade were always a way for you to be there for him. tonight, you decide to take it further.

tags: fluff? it’s got kind of angsty vibes but it’s fluff.. slowburn-esque. not proofread. gentle blade, blade is healing, you help blade heal. au where he can actually walk around on the xianzhou without getting arrested immediately.

words: 1.1k

notes: this is entirely self indulgent i thought of this while walking around as him on the luofu pls dont be mad if you don’t hc blade as a gentle person i just want to hold his hand.. anyway you have a calming effect on his mara here and you want him to trust you more. also i just wrote this really quickly so sorry if it isn’t literary excellence. enjoy!

edit: i was really surprised with how many people liked this so i went ahead and wrote kind of a follow up fic that could be considered a pt 2! feel free to check it out if you like my take on gentle blade i’m really happy so many of you liked this :)

it was difficult to find a quiet place on the luofu. different kinds of people were always wandering around wherever you went, which posed a challenge for your attempts to try to get blade to go out more.

it had been a while since you were first able to help quell the mara within him. it still acted up every now and then, of course. after all, mara never truly goes away, and his case was particularly special. but you could calm him down from time to time and keep him somewhat sane while it threatened to push him over the edge, which was enough for him to allow you to stay around.

it was your idea to take him out more, but he was still pretty resistant to it. he wasn’t a people person, and the xianzhou reminded him of a past he wasn’t supposed to linger too much on. but you knew that keeping him cooped up until you departed for your next stop was unreasonable, so little by little you tried to get him out of his comfort zone.

it was an absolute no when the sun was out. too many people passing by, too much worry that he’d be recognized even though nobody was actively looking for him. more than anything else, he didn’t like how the mara threatened to show itself on the xianzhou. at night he could restrain himself better. but in the day, surrounded by all those people in a place so bittersweet? he would rather not test himself in such a way.

so you only went out with him in the late hours of midnight, when the streets were finally quieter and the only company he could keep was you (and the occasional stranger). the stores were all closed by now, the only illumination on your path being the warm glow of the street lanterns, and the rare food stall that had yet to close up.

this night was particularly empty. the soft tap tap of your footsteps played in your ears as the two of you took your usual route around the exalting sanctum. after your first time taking him out, he always walked a bit ahead of you. despite his claims of discomfort in these surroundings, he was rather at ease with taking the lead on your walks. perhaps it was the same sense of familiarity that he complained about giving him this confidence. or maybe it was just that he also recognized the intimacy of your late night walks, but was unwilling to confront it. whatever it was, you had no qualms with staying two paces behind him. this distance was kept at all times. if you stopped, so did he- but two steps ahead, of course. he would turn to watch you with soft but guarded eyes until you continued your walk.

the two of you had an understanding like this. blade was never the talkative type, so you largely depended on intuition to understand what he was thinking. you knew he was growing more comfortable with your presence. on a good day, you’d even go as far as to say he enjoyed it. as long as you were patient, you were sure you could become someone he was more open to relying on.

blade came to a stop before one of the streams the two of you liked to walk along. you stopped as well (two steps behind, as always). the atmosphere by the stream was always serene. you watched him take in the sounds- the frogs croaking by the lilies, the crickets chirping around you, the reassuring sound of the water making its way downstream. blade always stopped here. you knew the gentle sounds brought him peace.

he didn’t turn around this time. tonight he was contemplative of something you could only guess the reason for. he got like this from time to time. you knew he wasn’t too fond of living inside his mind- too many bad memories. whatever he was contemplating, you wished he would voice it for once. you understood that it would take him a long time to open up, and yet there was still that yearning for his trust. if only you could better convey your emotions to him.

you took a step forward. honestly, you hadn’t even realized you had done it until you noticed his demeanor shift ever so slightly. he tensed up in a way that told you he was receiving your actions with hesitance, as he usually did. you stopped yourself, one pace behind. but you didn’t move back. likewise, he didn’t move away. a sign of acceptance. you took it in stride.

he relaxed again soon after. you sensed he had convinced himself that the one step was alright. it was a great milestone for you, though. even if he hadn’t acknowledged it yet, a closer distance like this meant he was becoming more comfortable. maybe he really was coming to terms with the idea of having someone to trust on levels beyond that of business. you allowed yourself a small smile with this development.

but to truly get him to trust you, you had to go further. maybe tonight wasn’t a night of silent understanding, but rather of gentle action. more than anything else, you wanted blade to really understand you were there for him. so as he stared off towards the stream, you did something neither of you could have anticipated.

you held his hand.

or you tried to, at least. as your hand came down to hold his, he stiffened once more. almost instinctively, he began to pull away. physical contact, beyond that of the violence he had wreaked, was something he hadn’t allowed himself in a long time. and yet, he didn’t pull away completely. a part of him lingered, the warmth of your hand like a newfound comfort to him. one too gentle for him to accept.

but you were there, and you weren’t going to be the one to pull away first. you needed him to know that you were there for him. and for once, he found that he couldn’t say no to your gentle offer. his hand slipped back into yours.

neither of you said a word. blade continued to watch the water, leaving you to feel content with the progress you made. when he was finally satisfied he turned towards you, silently confirming you were ready to go, as he always did. his hand didn’t leave yours when he continued on the route you always took.

and you followed him, half a step behind.

[kalak]

Luke/mara fic rec list

These are some of the best mara/luke fics I've read - feel free to add more in rb/comments!

Repair by BananasAreForParties - Graphic Depictions of violence, fluff and angst, whump. 20k complete. Mara Jade came to Aran to trade. She acquires nutcakes, Imperials, and one Luke Skywalker, condition: damaged. Hurt/Comfort fic.

Reccer's note: Their awkward but geniune flirting in this is so cute

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, You Aren’t Even Stuck In Your Tower by PrinceJakeFireCake - fluff, secret identity, 6k complete. Mara Jade, an ex-spy for the dragon, Emperor Palpatine, now a knight of Princess Leia Organa, is on a mission to rescue the princess’ twin brother from the tower he was locked in.

A.K.A.

Someone had to write Luke as Rapunzel and I am someone

Limpet AU series by frodogenic - humor, family fluff, 89k complete. Newly returned from the Unknown Regions with Darth Vader, Admiral Piett doesn't expect much of a welcome from the New Republic. And not in a million lifetimes would he have predicted that their very first guest would be Luke Skywalker. After all, Skywalker and Vader are still mortal enemies...right?

Reccer's Note: this series is so good, like, insanely good. I keep rereading it.

Take My Breath Away by atamascolily - hanahaki disease, 1k complete. Luke collapses during a sparring session, coughing up blood--and flowers? A concerned Mara drags him to Cilghal for medical treatment, but the answers aren't what either of them expected.

Catch and Release by frangipani - rated E, sexual experimentation, 10k complete. So let me get this straight," Mara says."You decided that to entertain yourself while I'm offplanet you're going to get licensed to pilot a Mon Cal cruiser?"

He frowns. "You say it like it’s ridiculous.”

"Those ships aren't even made for human pilo--" She narrows her eyes. "Oh no, it's the challenge thing, isn’t it?"

Or the one where Luke and Mara try to bang while keeping Luke's pulse within a specific range. Absolutely 0 science knowledge went into this. Consider yourself warned.

Who Needs a Cover Anyway? by JediDryad - misunderstandings, jealousy, 1k complete. Against his better judgment, Luke agrees to act as "Jedi Ambassador" on a mission with Mara and Lando. Will he be able to keep his feelings to himself or will observing their relationship be too much?

Miscommunications by JediDryad - misunderstandings, 849 words complete. Luke sends Mara a nervous rambling message inviting her for a visit. What she receives is something quite different.

Family Planning for the Force-Sensitive by beautifultoastdream - domestic, fluff, 13k complete. Two years after Exar Kun is defeated, Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker are married. Mara is uneasily settling into life as a Jedi trainee and as the New Republic's representative to the Smugglers' Alliance. But when Karrde's vornskrs have a strange reaction to her during a routine meeting, Mara learns that something else is about to happen ... And it scares her more than C'baoth.

Slight AU from Star Wars Legends, fluff and angst.

The Trouble with Bootie Comms by frangipani - 3k complete. "I have an issue with my apartment right now," Luke said. Mara was pretty sure why.

Luminous Creatures by celinamarniss - daemons, action/adventure, enemies to friends to lovers, 30k complete. Mara has never been prouder when Asyr settles early. He shifts into the form of a night felinx when Mara is thirteen, a whole year early. It’s a good body for stealth, her trainers tell her, and praise them for it.

Luke is the last of his friends to have his dæmon settle. Speculation drifts through his childhood. What sort of animal do you think your dæmon will choose? asked by adults with indulgent smiles and between children as their dæmons flit from form to from in impromptu races across the desert sand.

Strange Bedfellows series by celinamarniss - action/adventure, humor, light angst, 37k complete.

Reccer's Note: this series has a very domestic couple feel to it and I love that.

Under the cover of Darkness by randomlyimagine - time travel, fix-it, 57k complete...ish. (there's a sequel that is tbc.) Being pulled back through in time, getting to see the Old Jedi Order, Ben, even Anakin Skywalker, before he Fell…it was an opportunity Luke had never dreamed he’d have.

If only he and Mara hadn’t been pulled back in the middle of a mission where they were undercover as Sith.

slipping into the ground or into your arms by BananasAreForParties - rated E. Fluff and angst, mutual pining, implied/referenced child abuse, 41k complete. More than colleagues. Less than friends. Better than acquaintances. They remain in balance. The Command, the dark whisper, slumbers and Mara has no desire to poke a sleeping rancor. To dance with Skywalker. . .could it ever be worth the risk?

Mara and Luke succumb to the gradual formation of their Force bond through an activity far more pleasing than fighting for their lives.

the history books forgot about us by celinamarniss - happy AU, 2k complete. Jedi apprentice Asha is sent on a quest to find the legendary Luke Skywalker. She thought he was a myth!

better tell 'em while they're here by philthestone - 4k complete. Jacen discovers a Fish in the new fountain just outside of the Old Palace's reception hall, which obviously means that the Imps are planning to take over the galaxy. Jaina thinks that everything would be alright if only Nik could remember where he put his pants.

And of course, Uncle Luke's getting married today.

(AU for the EU)

Reccer's note: recommend reading the whole series. This fic has such a human warm fuzziness to it.

Boundaries series by frangipani - rated E, smut, 106k complete. A year after the events of the Last Command, Mara is still in Coruscant attempting to fulfill her Smuggler's Alliance duties while continuing her Jedi training. Former Emperor's Hand, turned smuggler, government liaison, and Jedi apprentice...she's long known that the only way things work in the new life she's made for herself is through clearly delineated boundaries.

It's really too bad Luke Skywalker unwittingly keeps taking them apart.

The Son of Suns trilogy by blank101 (link to each installment: Into the Storm, in shadows and darkness, at the Brink of the dawn and the darkness) - graphic depictions of torture, psychological torture, sith!Luke. 721k complete. Darth Vader captures the passengers of the Millennium Falcon after their attempted escape at Cloud City, sure that Luke will convert to his cause and aid him in overthrowing the Emperor. When his plan is rebuffed he falls back on more desperate measures and hands his son over to Palpatine, who begins to systematically take apart Luke’s life to create a new Sith, turning him against his allies, his father and his beliefs with devastating consequences for both the Empire and the Alliance, as events cascade beyond anyone's control.

This is a completed trilogy, featuring Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Palpatine, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Mara Jade, Mon Mothma, and Crix Madine.

Reccer's note: I really love this one - both for the sith!Luke portrayal, and the conflicts luke and Mara go through.

Drive You Mild by obaona - sith!Luke, drama/romance, 70k complete. How do two powerful, individualistic people who were formerly enemies unite? Emperor Luke Skywalker, meet Jedi Knight Mara Jade.

Misc - archive sites/author recommendations

Mara and luke archives

Utopicworld.net

LiveJournal community

Jedimordsith, frangipani, JediDryad, celinamarniss, BananasAreForParties, and evilmouse are all great writers and you should check them out!

[ohmeadows]

ooh for the ask game: 5 and 12 (for your ruanliu fic? i just love this fic so damn much, i need to know everything about it)

What fic surprised you with how much interaction it got this past year?

unsurprisingly, i was not at all prepared for the amount of interaction you and me are a twisted fantasy got, for better or worse. i wrote it for two people in about 48hrs and didn't think much else of it at the time. the tag enemies to milkies, added as a silly little joke, took on a life of its own for a while there.

(apparently i also wrote most of it while in the university library? just right there in public? ok.)

i got a lot of nice dms, some really icky ones, some people behaved really weirdly around me for quite some time, it wasn't the best introduction to a fandom but i went thru it and now i'm just writing what interests me. i haven't re-read it once since i posted it, so readers probably know it better than i do by now.

What inspired the dew of dying stars?

lots of little things, amongst them a throwaway thought at the end of september of "two frosty women mmm kiss". that was it. and then i wanted to know, well, how could i make that work? under what circumstances could their paths cross? it wasn't as hard as i thought it'd be. ruan mei's writing in simuni was honestly stellar, precise and interesting: did you know she has a manual for dealing with people? that was probably the first hook: what would jingliu had given to have a manual for how to connect with and live with others? with baiheng?

a common theory before ruan mei's full lore was revealed was that she was from the xianzhou cangcheng due to her association with plum blossoms and xianzhou-like style; and though her lore hints at another planet I still like to think she at the very least spent some formative time there. this also served as an exploration point of shared trauma, what it did to them, what those plum blossoms growing out of jingliu means to them both... though now that we know ruan mei nurtured a planet it'd be interesting to see someone do ruanliu au where ruan mei reveals she nurtured the planet that devoured the cangcheng.

ever since reading jeff vandermeer's 2014 novel Annihilation (and later, watching the alex garland movie version) i have been obsessed with the potential of floral and plant body horror, but struggling to find an outlet for those ideas. instead, i let them fester for years until hsr introduced mara: an entire civilization blessed/cursed with the looming disaster of what awaits them as they grow older. delicious.

during the fall of 2023, some friends were reading a lover's discourse: fragments by barthes and sharing quotes and reflections on the daily, which informed the inclusion of baiheng's presence; I find it nigh impossible to write about jingliu without at least brushing against baiheng and the wound she represents in jingliu's psyche.

these two points served as the strongest sources of inspiration, while for ruan mei, i ended up doing a lot of research into plant biology and systematics, as well as slowly and patiently layering an extrapolation who she was from simuni lore available to us at the time. in the end, i only had to do minimal edits as her lore was revealed, which is honestly a credit to hsr's thorough writing in simuni. i spent a lot of weekends in the library flipping through plant books to gather vocabulary and further extrapolate on it.

[astudyinimagination]

Okay, okay, so what I'm hoping in the future is to return to my Star Wars AUs, and these are all going to take a lot of planning, but I'd like to continue them and actually finish them. Because, looking back at them, there's some good stuff in there! I want these finished just for me! :D

But if you guys want them, too, here's what I hope to get back to:

Legacy of Thrawn: AU to the Hand of Thrawn duology, wherein Thrawn's clone wakes up before Luke and Mara can kill him, and convinces them to let him help them restore order to the galaxy. This one is VERY old — I dropped it in 2010 and never finished it. It's so old that I am a significantly different person with significantly better writing skills, and I have a desperate need not just to finish the thing but rewrite it. I just... I know so much more than I did when I was twenty. xD

The Gentleness That Comes not from the Absence of Violence: My "Padmé Lives" AU. Padmé survives childbirth and takes her twins, Obi-Wan, and several of her handmaidens with her into hiding. This was my last NaNoWriMo project, and I think it's one of the best things I've ever written. The story isn't just about how Padmé's survival changes events, but how she copes with everything that's happened to her. She and Obi-Wan and the handmaidens... and eventually Ahsoka. (It was also written before the Padmé novels, so it's not rooted in the novels E.K. Johnston wrote, with all due respect to her.)

The Hermit and the Orphan: The "Obi-Wan adopts Mara" AU. Nine-year-old Mara Jade discovers that her beloved Emperor murdered her parents, and runs away... and right into Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. They proceed to adopt each other, and Mara becomes best friends with Biggs Darklighter and Luke Skywalker.

Where Light Can Be: The "Mara joins the Rebellion" AU. Same starting point, different age — Mara makes her life-changing discovery a year after the destruction of the first Death Star, and defects to the Rebellion. She ends up joining Rogue Squadron, and joins Luke on his quest to learn more about the Jedi, hoping to learn how to use her abilities in ways that don't remind her of Palpatine. Of course, she and Luke fall in love, which will have a significant impact on the aftermath of Bespin...

Star-Crossed: The hardest of all of these. Sherlock Holmes in the Star Wars universe fusion. What do an orphan-turned-Jedi, a Chiss healer, a Queen, and a Senator-turned-Chancellor have in common? Oh, that they're a private consulting detective, a former army doctor, the doctor's wife, and a mathematics professor in another universe...

Unnamed Leia time-travel AU: Double Agent Vader AU, never started. Sometime before the Battle of Hoth, Leia falls back in time to the Clone Wars, to meet General Kenobi and his former apprentice who seems eerily familiar. When she finally meets Padmé Amidala, the mysteries of her biological family and her mentor Ekkreth finally start to fall into place. Permission to write the AU given by Fialleril years ago, and I had forgotten that until recently! And now that I have some pieces of the story in my head, I am not letting this one go again!

So that's... it, I'm pretty sure. That's the stuff that I've started, mostly within the past decade, that I really want to continue. And I'm hoping to have time this coming winter to do it. (I have... other commitments plus family stuff that is definitely going to keep me from fic writing until then.)

But in the meantime, if you want to come chat with me about stuff, ask me questions... I would be so happy to talk about all the ideas I've got that are hopefully going to all make it onto AO3 someday!

[tippenfunkaport]

SPOP Horse / Riding School / Equestrian School AU

For the prompt I Just Want Them To Be Happy 😭

The Horse / Riding School / Equestrian School AU (that you will notice was a choice you could vote for as something I might post for the anniversary so if this sounds interesting, the power to read it is in your hands) has a real name but I'm not going to share it until the fic is ready to post. But the entire idea behind it was literally that I wanted something less epic and meticulously plotted like most of my fics and just show the gang hanging out and having fun.

I've been talking about doing some kind of ongoing, Never Really Ends, chill and episodic modern AU for a while and friends kept suggesting I do a coffee shop AU but the thing is… I am not really a coffee shop girl so i think I would struggle to come up with enough to happen in that. But you know a place I have spent WAY too much time of my life? The local horse barn. I actually worked as a groom, rode and taught at a local riding school for years and then it hit me that I could totally use this. Especially because the 80s She-Ra canon has SO MANY canonical horses for me to use!

Some random things about this AU (set in the last year of hs and we'd probably eventually go into college)….

Adora is trying to raise enough money to buy the horse she's renting (Swift Wind) while her parents think riding is a distraction from getting into college. Yes, I finally get to write the rest of Adora's family wooo!

Glimmer is Adora's best friend (my first fic ever where Glimmer and Adora just get to HANG OUT and BE BUDDIES i am so EXCITED) trying to figure out the mystery of a horse at the stable whose boarder seems to have abandoned him.

Mermista, Perfuma, and Frosta all ride at the stable with Glimmer and Adora that Mara owns. Sea Hawk is a cringe glam rocker at a dive bar we'll meet later.

Catra is trying to get a riding scholarship to college even though she hates the stuffy show scene and would much rather just be goofing around with her rescue horse, Melog.

Scorpia and her moms live next door to Catra, who lives with her temporary guardian Hordak (yeah, neither of them are real happy about that arrangement) and his partner Entrapta. Emily is a sassy motorcycle and Darla is a classic car she's restoring.

George and Lance are basically American Pickers But Gay, traveling around for antiques and collectibles they can resell in their store (where Catra works part time)

and what's going on with Bow is A MYSTERY cackles evilly

Anyway, everyone's going to be in this, ensemble fun, endgame every canon couple. Now the biggest challenge is that I need to try to resist the urge to plot the heck out of it like I do everything and just kind of go with the flow and pants it so it stays fun!

[genericswordsmaiden]

summer reading/writing/arting tag

Tagged by @inkysqueed (thank you so much, fellow Jumpluff and Oblivion enjoyer!)

1) Describe one creative WIP you plan on working on over the summer.

Of course, even though I have many ideas in mind (a one piece/crossover fic, an oblivion fanfic and a story about an AU me and my friend @zombinafonfrankenstein came up with) I'm going to continue writing Dark! I'm giving it my all because my goal is to publish it and see it on shelves!!! But for now the english version is available on ao3 (it is updated a bit irregularly because of life and other stuff, but some friends said that it's good nonetheless)

A description of it? Magic amnesiac guy and friends travel across the Afterlife to retrieve books and save the universe from some kind of eldritch creature. It sounds like pure crack and in some way it is. It's also brutal.

2) Recommend a book!

Oh, this is a tough one! But if y'all haven't done it yet, go read The Book Thief. That story changed my life, and it made me cry so much. I loved Liesel and Max's friendship, and also Rudy... He was best boy. And Hans deserves the title of best father ever. Oh god I'm crying again, it's been years since I last read it and it's still a fresh wound! A masterpiece.

3) Recommend a fic!

Another tough one, since there's so many fics I'd like to share! I can't name less than five though, because I absolutely adore them and I wish people of the respective fandoms would read them. Sorry.

Honor bound by penwarrior11 (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) (this one is part of a series and it is the first fic of it. It follows the story of the game alright, but I love the scenes with Mara and Martin, and also Baurus. A precious little gem.)

Everything by nonman (Half Life: Alyx) (this one began in 2021 and proceeded slowly, as of now I'm waiting for the last chapter but guys, it is great! It gives continuation of the cliffhanger at the end of HL:A and it is written masterfully)

No more dreaming of the dead by @mina-murray-harker (Re-Animator 1985) (I love the style of this one, safe and disturbing and full of movie and music references. I think the Re-Animator fandom would love it to bits just as yours truly does)

Candlelight by @clichejoe (Encanto) (this is still my comfort fic and it is very beautiful, colorful - and the main character is the most lovable oddball researcher ever)

The fear of the ocean by FishingLure (JoJo's bizarre adventure) (this one emotionally scarred me - it's been two years and I still haven't recovered)

4) Recommend music!

Pat Metheny Group's discography. But also Seventeen's discography... No, I have to choose a single song. I must choose a single song or else I'll be here all night! Alright, here we go: Haru No Maboroshi by Superfly. It sounds like a sunset. I used to listen to it when I ended uni lessons late in the afternoon, it gives me a comforting feeling and restores my spirit a bit.

5) Share one piece of advice!

Hmmm, I'd say to never forget yourself. Other people may leave, but yourself is the only one who will never leave you. Some people might see this as insensitive wording, but I truly mean this with all my heart. There's time to be spent in introspection, there's love to be found in ourselves, for ourselves. There's a certain kind of healing that can only occur when you are with yourself. Also, to everyone reading this, regardless of shape color gender and preferences regarding tea - tell people who are dear to you how much you love them and hug them. Spread good stuff, hugs are the best drug - and they're free!!

Tagging @koumeowkami and @stardusteyes and also the other beautiful people I already tagged are totally free to copy this and post their own answers!

[crabs-with-sticks]

Fic Wrap-Up Meme: 2024

(repurposing an old tag game to yap about fics, and i encourage anyone else who wants to do the same!)

FANDOMS - Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate 3

3 FANFICS WITH THE MOST KUDOS IN 2024 -

I'm almost certainly known for my Dragon Age stuff here- but my BG3 stuff is my most popular stuff in terms of like hits n kudos actually!

The Annual Blackstaff Academy Ball (Gale/Tav, BG3)

Since recovering from the orb and the parasites, Gale has put back on some of his weight, no longer having his life force and magic consumed. Ever the perfectionist though, he worries that it will be seen as a sign of his flaws, rather than as recovery. The Annual Blackstaff Academy Ball has arrived. It will be the first time that Gale and his partner Slate will be out in society together, so the fear of judgement from his old peers and life abounds.

Crude Imitations of Barriers (Gale/Tav, BG3)

Having heard what has been asked of Gale by his goddess, Slate goes to check on him, and they both have to cross the barriers they have constructed to face the difficult questions. What are they? And what can they allow themselves do next?

An Unwilling Apotheosis (Solas/Lavellan, Dragon Age Inquisition)

“Everybody around me just looks at me like I’m some kind of saviour. The Great and Mighty Herald of Andraste, here to save us all.” “The weight of duty is heavy indeed. Those weaker than you would have bowed under its pressure already.” She bit her lip, keeping her eyes fixed on the ceiling, “I just wish I didn’t have to.”

FAVOURITE OPENING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

Follow My Voice

Ghilara Lavellan stared blankly out from the camp which was filled mostly with the desperate and only partially of the dying.

FAVOURITE CLOSING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

Giant Spiders and Pastries

“Fuck that pastry was good,” exclaimed the warden, to nobody in particular.

Idk why but this one just brings me a lot of joy. Morrigan baring her heart out while Mara is just like 'well, theres at least 5 weirder things I've experienced in the last day, just let me enjoy my croissant that I'm pretending isn't slightly mouldy"

FAVOURITE QUOTE FROM A FIC IN 2024

Follow My Voice (Chap. 12) Dragon Age Inquisition

His whole body shuddered, and if either felt the other’s tears on their skin they would simply have said it was just the river water drying.

The whole chapter this is from was very challenging to write, as there are just so many emotions (it was the emotional climax of the whole thing), but they had to be conveyed in as little dialogue as possible. In the end I think there was like... 6? dialogue lines in the chapter??

FIC I’M MOST PROUD OF IN 2024 -

Follow My Voice for SURE- I even wrote a really sappy and emotional authors note (you can find it here) at the end ahaha (which I don't actually know if anybody got to lol). But basically, the gist was, I've had a lot of untreated mental health problems for over a decade, and I cam out of postgrad even worse. Even just a year ago I would have laughed if you told me I was going to write a 50k story!

The lil dragon age writing community here has been so amazing and sweet and welcoming, and y'all have done wonders for my mental health xx

NEW THINGS I HAVE TRIED IN 2024 -

Ummm, to be honest fic writing in general is still pretty new to me! I restarted writing in 2023 after not having done anything since I was a cringy 13 year old haha. But this year I've moved beyond just doing oneshots and into some much longer projects- plus baby's first fandom events! Follow My Voice is one I've finished (47k!!) and I'm working on two ongoing longfics- The End and The Beginning (solavellan fix it fic) and Small Tyrannies (Felassan/Lavellan/Solas ancient AU) :D

GOALS FOR 2025 -

Going to keep chugging along on my two ongoing longfics, and hopefully maybe finish them??

I also want to do some work on some of my non fanfic book ideas, now that I've been proving to myself for a year that actually I can still write (still got it baby!)

[littleladymab]

Hi! I've just read the snippet from your Ezra/Luke/Mara fantasy AU on Ao3 and I'm super intrigued!

Don't know much about Mara (or Legends for that matter) but it's super compelling so far! Love the way you describe all their magic, lightsabers being summoned energy weapons sound so cool! I know that Ezra's magic is teleportation (love the detail about the hyperspace eyes btw!), and Luke was using Runes I think? What's Mara's magic like?

I magic something rather rare in your universe? I think it's implied in your fic that the Empire is hunting magic users? (But I could be wrong!)

Anyway, just wanted to drop by and say I loved your writing! No pressure to answer if any of these questions are spoilers or silly! (Also Ezra/Luke/Mara is very big brained)

HELLO OMG THANK YOU!!!

So like real quick Mara 101 just in case is her first appearance is in the original Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire etc) and she had served as the Hand of the Emperor, which was he would send her out on super special secret missions and she would spy or assassinate etc. Not as a sith or dark jedi apprentice (legends is RIDDLED with dark jedi) even though she is force sensitive. She only uses it to like, tap briefly into the precog senses and reflexes. After the emperor is killed, she does keep hearing him in her head and he's like "man you know who I hate? Luke Skywalker. You should kill that guy". And she also hates Luke because he killed the emperor and so she makes it her life mission now to kill him but, well, we've all seen how well that goes LOL

I keep some of the same concept here in that she is working for the Emperor (in this setting it's ticked back a few years to be during rebels era) and she's tasked to go hunt down Luke. A huge "with us or against us" in that Jedi/magic users have to keep their abilities secret still and they're hunted down -- and any magic users the Empire catches they'll study the abilities of in order to find a way to turn it back on other magic users. Mara existed as a super elite commando type of person who HAD magic but was never taught how to use it beyond the bare-bones senses it gave her. Anything to give her an edge in fighting against other magic users.

Luke, for his part, spent most of his youth with Obi-Wan who taught him enough to defend himself if needed but still made sure the bulk of his magic was kept secret (Leia is here, but she's got a WHOLE other story). Ezra's teleportation is my fun little wink and nod to him getting yeeted into hyperspace and then also just his interactions with the Interdictors in Rebels (and that scene where he's talking to the purgill for the first time and he gets those hyperspace eyes? LOVE it)

All magic users are able to do a lot of the same basic stuff -- shields, wards, heighten their senses and reflexes, etc. They can also physically manifest it as a lightsaber. But then sometimes you'll get super special abilities (Ezra's transportation). Luke specializes in protective spaces as he started to learn how to use his as a weapon later (after he and Ezra started traveling together) and it doesn't come as naturally to him as it does Ezra (and Mara).

Mara's magic is still primarily geared towards being offensive, but Luke helps her a lot in getting a solid foundation of the basics, and Ezra spars with her to get her used to using an energy weapon/lightsaber instead of an actual metal blade which she used to use.

Thank you so much again for reading and come to ask me about it!!!

If you ever do want a great intro to Legends (and Mara) I highly recommend the Heir to the Empire trilogy! Timmy Z, the author that you are!! I love the way he writes Luke and it's really influenced how I approach Luke as well. (Also Thrawn's there!)

[shrinkthisviolet]

1, 5, 8, & 15

1. Have you pulled inspiration from media sources other than the property your fic is related to (a plot point from a TV show that has nothing to do with the characters/setting of the fic, a line from a book, etc.)? If so, for which story? Why did you find that media source compelling?

When it comes to general trends, I tend to pull from Star Wars and Ace Attorney (mostly the themes for the latter, not so much storylines). Mostly because that’s just the media that sticks with me the most. Even from LOTR sometimes, although it’s been a while since I’ve seen those movies. In terms of specifics:

To write Morgan & Jesse, I pull from Parent Trap, specifically Hallie and Annie’s dynamic! Which is hardly a secret, given that the two sets of twins share a birthday 😅 granted, Morgan & Jesse DO get along at first until the Zoom thing happens, but…honestly, I think they’d rub each other the wrong way regardless. Meeting your doppelgänger from another Earth doesn’t come without ~some~ insecurity…

To write Barry & Morgan, I draw…well aside from my own experiences (with my dad mostly, as I am the oldest sibling), I draw from other brother-sister relationships that I love! Especially from Justin & Alex in WOWP (the movies specifically—I know in the show they tend to have a bunch of ups and downs, and Barry & Morgan are a bit more steady aside from their rough patch in s1…and in s3). Also, as weird as it sounds, from Zuko & Izumi a little bit too 😅 at least regarding the protectiveness aspect, not so much the father-daughter aspect (Barry isn't Morgan's dad, he's her older brother, even if those two positions sometimes overlap in some situations...even if Barry at times feels like he's doing things for Morgan as her brother that Eowells ought to have done as her father).

Also, I haven’t written s3 yet, but I’m gonna draw quite a bit from Star Wars 👀 not gonna say how or why, because that’ll give too much away, but you’ll know it when you read it.

For Lucy & Astra, I pull from female friendships I've seen in multiple places...Astra even has a little Mara Jade in her with her quick wit and sarcasm.

(Also ofc for some storylines in my Morgan AU, I’m pulling from the comics, but like. Ofc I am, that’s the source material even beyond the show, and as we get more and more divergent, it's a nice way to validate myself and the changes I'll be making 😅 because some of them are gonna be major)

5. Is there a tiny detail in one of your fics that you feel goes tragically unnoticed?

I’ve answered here, but here’s another:

In Chapter 10 of i still love you (i promise), I incorporated that bit about how when Eowells takes off his glasses, he's speaking with complete honesty, or something close to it (a Tom Cavanagh quote if I'm not mistaken):

“Yes, well…when I was growing up, that is what I was taught.” He sighed, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how much of what I was taught is really true. But…I suppose I can’t help it. Right or wrong…I can’t bring myself to regret anything I do for you.” He lifted his steely gaze to meet hers, and…maybe it was her imagination, but he seemed to be challenging her. It was almost…almost as though he knew— No. He couldn’t. He hadn’t come to see Ronnie and Stein off—there was no way he knew— “Anyway,” he interrupted, “I’ve taken too much of your time, I fear. Remind me when your acceptances are coming in?”

He's speaking with an intense honesty here, essentially saying he doesn't regret what he did (people caught that latter part, but him taking off the glasses is me accentuating that “hey, he really, really means it”)...and also hinting that he knows about something else. Something that Morgan clocks but tries to deny (and continues to deny, otherwise she would've brought it up to Barry and Iris at the end). Hmm but what could that possibly be?

8. Is there a story idea you have that you would love if it could appear fully realized but that you do not think you’ll ever write yourself?

So I’ve read that Iris was apparently supposed to be a criminal psychologist in the original pilot of the Flash? And now I need a fic of that so badly (preferably with Westallen endgame, but Westhawne would be sweet too). Whether she ends up a reporter by the end or not, doesn’t matter—I just wanna see Iris using a loophole (“you said I couldn’t be a cop, you never said I couldn’t be a criminal psychologist”) to work in the CCPD, and her and Barry teaming up for cases.

Could even be a great way to show how she and Barry approach things differently — have them on the same case, and Barry is very logical/clinical while Iris is more empathetic/big-picture.

Ooh and Iris figuring out Barry’s secret because “Barry. What kind of idiot do you take me for. I work right alongside you, we’ve worked cases together—do you honestly think I wouldn’t notice when your habits changed, when you ducked out of work, when you ducked out of meetings with me?”

AND and Iris figuring out Eowells’s secret that way too, because she knows how criminals think and Eowells is fitting that profile very well as time goes on. Barry won’t hear of it. They argue, day in and day out—that’s what their tension throughout the season is about, not Barry and Joe lying to Iris.

Iris & Joe teaming up to investigate Eowells too 👀 as Joe has come to see Iris as a professional equal much earlier and now treats her as such

Like!! The potential!! I don’t know enough about criminal psychology to write this (and I don’t have the brainspace to devote to researching it fully) but I’d be so down to read a fic like this.

15. Is there any genre, trope, or style that you find particularly challenging to write? Do you enjoy the challenge or prefer to avoid it?

Misunderstandings, simply because of how much I usually dislike the trope 😅 it can be useful if done properly…but it’s not always done properly. Sometimes it’s a very basic misunderstanding that has no reason to stretch on for as long as it does, because it would really take one conversation that only plot contrivance is preventing.

To some degree, I felt like I was falling a little into that trap by the end of i still love you (i promise) and that was a challenge (a welcome one, though) 😅 to most, Barry probably appears very stupid, much like the version of the trope I despise. Which is fair! But hopefully when I finish his POV fic, it’ll become a little more clear what he’s thinking. In any case, it’s definitely a learning experience for me as a writer, and that’s always a welcome thing.

fanfic ask game!

[authortobenamedlater]

3, 7, 8, and 16 for whichever AU you want to talk about most.

(Grr argh starting all over after Tumblr ate my post.)

This got LONG and took most of the day to write. Splitting between MRR and MWAS because I can’t choose 😂 and they are my only active AUs right now.

AU fanfic asks

3. Did anything inspire this au?

MRR: I made a comment like “LOL Mando and Bo-Katan are gonna have to get political married next season” and Mr said “You should write that.”

MWAS: Mr would say our home life 🤣 which is true to an extent. But the whole AU itself? I can’t point to anything besides a general “Oh please can ONE PERSON in this messed-up universe find some happiness?”

7. What ships are canon in this au?

MRR: DinBo, Luke/Mara, Karga/unnamed OC wife, Han/Leia. Han/Leia won’t make any huge appearances, I don’t think. There is room for expansion down the line.

MWAS: Tom/Chyler is it for now. However, there will at some point be mention of Chyler’s brother/his wife and the ops officer who has a thing for Sarah Palmer 😜 I haven’t put too much thought into those yet.

I guess Audrey/Jim counts? Even though Jim (Tom’s dad) is dead, he gets talked about enough I’ll include this as a ship. Same for Chyler’s parents.

Oh! Edward Buck/Veronica Dare, since I mentioned them once. Maybe they’ll be back?

8. What platonic relationships are important in this au?

MRR: Luke and Mara + Din and Bo-Katan. At some point Din and Luke look at each other and sigh “redheads.”

Grogu and everyone.

Cara + Din and Bo-Katan. Cara convinces Bo to give Din a shot, not knowing it’s going to turn into a royal marriage.

Bo-Katan and Satine. Satine is dead but Bo-Katan thinks about her a lot, and feels tremendous guilt for the rift in their relationship.

Din and his parents. Have not done anything here but want to explore this in the future. I have many headcanons about the elder Djarins.

I’m sure there are others, but those are the big ones I can think of.

MWAS: Palmer + Tom and Chyler. Palmer spends most of her time making sure Chyler still has a husband at the end of the day.

Roland and everyone. The little orange bastard (affectionate or derogatory, depends on the day) sees all and hears all.

Audrey + Tom and Chyler. Chyler REALLY pushes Tom to mend his relationship with Audrey.

Grayson and family + Tom and Chyler. Chyler’s brother has a wife and kids, no names as of now.

All the Circinius survivors: Don’t know how or when but they all get together sometime.

Master Chief + Tom and Chyler: It’s not exactly a “relationship” cause, well, it’s Chief. But Chief knows about Tom and Chyler (he finds out in a fic I’ll write eventually) and knowing two of the kids he rescued on his first major deployment found some measure of peace with each other kinda blows his mind a little. It means a lot to him, and they mean a lot to him, but, as I said, it’s Chief 😂 relationships aren’t his thing unless you’re a fellow S-II or Cortana.

16. Are there any ocs in this fic?

MRR: Thus far baby Satine is the only one I’ve introduced. However, there will be others as opportunities arise.

MWAS: The only one I’ve used so far is Jim Lasky, and as we’ve established he’s dead. I’m going to have to make A LOT of OCs because we don’t meet any of the Infinity command/senior staff besides Lasky and Palmer. This is something of a daunting task if I’m being real.

[fialleril]

valkirinii replied to your post “snippet from a DAV Mara fic”

DA VADER IS BATMAN you are so right. Just like Batman with his angry kids with painful pasts, he has all sorts of good advice he didn't follow in the past, and that ENDING THOUGH. NOBODY TAUGHT ME. THAT IS ... ugh. I love it. It's so bard-tale classic and true and misleading at the same time, you keep on with your Odysseus self Mara. (And for the whiners, here's an AU take on Mara, you're welcome. The non-whiners like me can immediately adopt another Vader apprentice and all agree that Kadee is completely right and also amazing. All three of them are my favorite characters in that scene, I love the Force-sensitive perspectives on DA Vader where they realize so much and then rationalize themselves away from understanding the information they’ve picked up.

He’s so Batman: like he doesn’t even really mean to go adopting all of these kids, it just kind of...happens? Because they are scared but also fiercely determined and they’re in over their heads and trapped in horrifying circumstances and it’s not like he thinks he’d be a good dad, at all, hell he doesn’t even deserve to try his hand at dadding and he damn well knows it, but apparently the universe didn’t get that memo because these kids need somebody and it looks like it’s gonna be him?

And then he’s still just out there doing his double agent thing like, “I am the night and I work alone.” Please ignore the two Force sensitive girls who are absolutely not in any way his apprentices, and the overprotective medical droid who travels with him everywhere, and the literal army of free droids whose network is slowly but surely spreading throughout the galaxy.

Yes, he definitely works alone.

[turtle-ly]

Do you have any recs for ongoing catradora fics?

asdfghjkl yes? i was about to ask you why would you want them but then i remember other ppl are not cursed like me, since one: most rec'd ongoing fics i've seen are never completed, and two: i think im cursed. My subscriptions page is a place where fics went in and almost never make it out 😔 thus i've become a lil wary of them and also less likely to subscribe even when im following it. But bc i love y'all, im gonna put a * after fics i think have little chance of updating, read them at your own risk <3

1. (an example of) the perfect candidate(*) by brightbolt, imperfectlyctor, i've read about 3 or 4 magicatra fics and most of them are oneshot, but this one is just SO promising. the sword chose catra but when had life really chosen her? shera abilities dont come easily and catra has to struggle with that. meanwhile, horde!adora has her own set of traumas and problems.

2. A Blinding Embrace(*) by Mshpiece, Tl;dr Adora's so emotionally gay she habitually turns into She-Ra when her canonical gf Catra kisses her, let's ride the hype of post s5 fluff fics babes

3. a white blank page (to write our happy ending)(*) by scarletite, hnnng im a whore for these canon divergence, catra and adora ran away from the horde on their own and got adopted by george&lance and then all of etheria, tbh it hasnt got to the etheria bit but man if this isnt my greatest hc. #LetThemHaveAFoundFamily2k21, i think about this at least thrice a month

4. a white veil occasion by aswellingstorm, technically it only has one more chapter but bc i love it and i want y'all to have nice things, read it. catra and adora meet again after being separated in the orphanage, in this one catra is basically adopted by mara&light hope (damn have i told you how much i like this hc) and is so emotionally mature, i am so proud of her <3

5. all my glory days are yours(*) by rosebudryot, author!adora and actress!catra, adora's novel got adapted to a movie and catra's the main actor :) they dont have a we-know-eachother backstory in it but im thrilled to watch this relationship grows

6. and i bloom right into you by yangaf, yea y'all know this one, famous soccer player adora and sorority catra, they met by being thirsty for eachother at uni

7. be unbroken or be brave again by RestlessWanderings, beast island au my beloved, scorpia has reasons to believe hordak killed catra and starts a resistance (homegirl i love you), and oh the grief, the all consuming grief of her and adora and everyone catra thought would never care, and the rage, how adora vows to kill hordak with her bare hands not in the name of etheria nor the rebellion (familiar? and thats before s3 even came out) i reread the whole fic to hype for the new chapter back in august and now im insane for it again

8. crowded table by themoonsneverseenmebefore, how gay are you on a scale of 1 to fixing up a house with your ex gf who you’re still in love with :)c pwease author there's only one more chapter left i believe in u, they both inherited Razz's house and are having a grand time <3

9. fickle game by emollience, friends with benefits but there's so much feelings bc how could they not? girls can you please have a clear and straightforward conversation, it's been 9 chapter

10. Knocked Flat by Levellsof, catra loses her memory in battle, she wakes up in brightmoon and they have to navigate their relationship while catra goes on treatment, does she want to remember and should she?

11. laughing till our ribs get tough (that will never be enough) by the wanderer (a_sentimental_man), Catra and Adora are soulmates who can share their thoughts and feelings with each other. It goes as well as can be expected

12. Let Forever Mean Forever (Work) by fruitsandpeachies, the second part of a series!, i love the first part where they got stuck in razz's house 1000 years in the past, and now they are back in brightmoon, a world where they can start again, no matter how rocky it might be (im not telling more bc spoilers but you should read the 1st part first!)

13. my immortal by lunchables, adora is the last chance of saving eternia, a closed off kingdom that's on the brink of extinction, and catra seems to be a ghost tied to her to the confusion of both

14. peripheries by ethiobird, catradora through other character POV, very interesting and sort of a character study in each chapter

15. pure and high affection by tox09, hehe princess and knight au go brrrr, catra's the princess and they are so gay, that's it

16. Protecting Hope by stealyourfood, gods and goddesses! damn catra looks like the only one normal in here, or does she?

17. somebody to love by chasingcrowns, i am. waiting for it to complete before continue reading okay. but i was interested since chapter 1 and you should too

20. Sound of Silence by BrightYellowBumblebee, She-ra but featuring deaf!Adora (with a She-ra caveat) and supportive!Catra and also supportive!everyone except for SW >:(

21. sweet to tongue and sound to eye by advancingambition, barking and growling and hollering, this brand of 'post s5 and adora is def not human' is MY jam. The First Ones were fair folk, and Adora is no exception, catra's still smitten tho

22. Take Me Into Your Wild Heart by V3NU5_R0S3, Catra had run away from the Horde, leaving Adora behind. The Whispering Woods guide her to the library, where she's adopted into George & Lance's family (g&l my beloveds). she and adora meet again after 5 years and im Waiting for it

23. the ghost of you by emollience, yes, another canon divergence. Adora stays with Light Hope after s1e11. years later, she goes out and is prepared , which means how could she not become someone entirely different? this is a rewrite of an old fic and i can smell from here how angstier it's gonna be

24. till our lonely limbs collide by driluth, i think there's something between me and cd fics, probably lust. A canon divergent AU where Adora chooses to stay in the portal and Angella lets her.

25. for Having Wept in the Darkness, a series by Lycaonpictus77, canon divergence, ...i have no excuse for this. things could have gone as it had been post s2 but BAM, time travel catra says no and decides catradora should be gay much sooner, adora still hasnt got the hint :/ girl why

Anyway y'all should combine brainwave and send telepathic wave that makes authors update with me :) pwease dont let my bad karma got in the way of this

[starlighthan]

RETURNING TO BALETE [TEASER]

pairings: non-idol!seungmin and gender-neutral!reader

genre: dark fantasy, crime, action, fluff, angst, enemies to friends to lovers, trese au, philippine folklore/mythology

warnings: mentions of death

teaser word count: 1k words

synopsis: kim seungmin, one of the affiliates of captain lee, is a detective who deals with crimes related to the supernatural. when he was contacted to go to balete drive for a very mysterious case, he encountered somebody he never wished to see ever again.

date of release: tba

note: hi! this is my trese au with seungmin :DD this one's my own version of the intersection of balete and 13th street which can be seen in both comics and netflix series! and of course, i'll add up my own scenes as well <33 i hope you'll enjoy this one for now while i work on the actual fic.

© starlighthan - all rights reserved. please do not copy, translate, modify, repost, or claim as yours.

*i do not own the trese comics/series.*

“Is it true that Mara Dela Cruz died way back?” Minho crosses his arms on his chest, leaning back to his car. “If this is true, you know even at least a little about what this means, right?”

Seungmin slowly nods. His father knew about the existence of a White Lady around this area. Nobody knew the name, but he guessed that was it. “Sadly, I still do not know how this happened. The process to kill the ghost must be very intricate and hard to trace.”

“Will we ever get to somewhere after this incident?”

“Of course, Captain Lee, no worries. I still have my ways, whether the crime is easy or hard to study.” Seungmin steps back, lifting the police tape. The first thing he noticed was the large circle around the victim, looking like chalk.

Coincidentally, it reminded him of his childhood. A childhood with someone he chose not thinking. He would not go back to that. It hurt him too much to go back to; it is not worth it.

Gently feeling the powder on the cement, it does feel like chalk. But obviously, this is not just some ordinary chalk. The powder-like substance did not even smell like it, which is weird. One thing for Seungmin is sure that whatever is around on the crusty body of Mara Dela Cruz is not just simple chalk, it's something else more complicated than that.

An unfamiliar voice echoes behind him. “Taste it.”

Sharply turning his head back, the familiar person in front of him immediately gave him a reality check. Irritation pricked at him—why would you appear in front of him nonchalantly as if you did nothing almost ten years ago? Did you forget that you left him without any word to him or his tribe? Is that you?

“How about you taste this?”

Being shocked was an understatement for you. You were stunned by how those five words were like fire, painfully scorching. Surprising in a middle of an investigation seems like a bad idea. Maybe Seungmin is not in the mood right now. These cases, after all, are the worst when you want to have peace of mind. Or did this man forget about you already? Hopefully not?

You fear that there is more to the fury transparent on his face.

Kneeling on the ground, you keep your distance apart from the detective, pulling up the sleeve on your right arm. Doing what Seungmin did earlier, you get a pinch of the chalk and smell it. Quickly licking the powder on your finger, a pang of saltiness goes through your nerves, making you shake your head with a face of disgust.

“Very salty, definitely not those chemicals in chalks," you rub away the remaining powder on your finger. "Might as well ask Nuno about this. Whatever this powder might be is hard to get."

The powder is not actually salt. This powder is as refined as baby powder. Whoever crushed this to the smallest particles must have done a lot of work to get into this texture. And you know that salt is not the best ingredient to kill the already dead. Even if you have your references for substances, you are not sure which of them is the one right in front of you. 

Seungmin interrupts your thoughts with a smirk, "You still remember Nuno, eh?"

Not look back at him—you still head on the ground. Eyes are moving from the circle and the body, and a shiver comes up to your spine. What happened to Mara looks like somebody sucked the remaining soul out of her.

"Of course, I still find Nuno when I am here," you brush the hair out of your face. Placing your hands on your knees, you pushed yourself up on your feet. 

Realizing that you need the powder with you to show to Nuno, you try to get back down on the cement, "Oh, why did I take off that powder! I still need that to show to Nuno—"

"I'll take care of that," Seungmin steps forward, rolling his eyes and holding your arm tightly. "You might drop them. I will find Nuno myself.”

Scoffing, you gracefully enough remove the hand on your arm. Glaring at the dark figure under the streetlight for a second, you seriously wondered how this guy became cold and rude after your unprompted leave from the province. Maybe that is why he is like this—and you will take the blame for that.

But his manners for simply being a decent human being—

“I asked permission from Captain Lee to join the investigations for this, and he was okay with it. I will also be helping in finding answers to this. I want to investigate this case as well.”

You are proud enough to hold your composure and stay calm about this. Every second with this guy makes you want to burst and call it a night. But you badly wanted to deal with this case. 

The White Lady was also a significant part of your life growing up. Stories shared by your own family and almost every single person you know. Balete Drive is in your hometown, and this is your chance to visit here without anybody scaring you about it. You were so ready to find the White Lady and have a decent conversation without any bad intentions, but fate gave you the worst timing. You were the only one who had the guts to go to this street.

You have already stepped foot in Quezon City for the first time after so many years. You are seriously not going to waste this opportunity, especially when you see the one you are looking for dead and gone.

“Now, if you will excuse me,” you went back down to take a pinch of the powder, “I’ll also ask Nuno about this and hopefully finish this mystery. Good night.”

[miekasa]

mie!! since u write such beautiful gorgeous astounding breathtaking life-changing tearjerking fics, do YOU have any good fic recs that you personally love 🤔

I do! I have a whole blog of wonderful fics I’ve read (tho I desperately need to update it/reblog the ones in my drafts and tag them) @ackermeun for more if you want because there are many lovely, talented writers; but I’ll list a few of my faves for Levi and Eren below 😌😌

Levi

kiss me more by @vennilavee

Now, I could recommend you anything and everything by Saran and I have no doubt that you would love all of it. There’s not a single thing in her masterlist that I dislike, she even made me okay with the idea of pegging Levi bye. The entire tbah universe (specifically parental moments one) has a special place in my heart, but recently the perpendicular world has been on my mind, and might be coming for number one. Either way, you’re gonna love it. She writes Levi in his slightly bitchy, kinda needy, implicitly affectionate, true to nature form, and I am so grateful for it. Also, Saran is a comedian. 

silver soul by @oi-levi (now posting from @bibblelevi)

I suck at keeping up with series, and, so, naturally, I’m terribly behind on this one, but I’m gonna go ahead and rec the whole thing to you anyway, because I have no doubt that the other chapters are just as great the two I’ve read so far. The way she writes Levi... when I tell you I could wrap myself up in a blanket and binge this whole series, and her entire masterlist, and be very content I mean it; her writing feels warm, that’s the only way I can explain it. 

the art of tea composition by @karikarasuno

I don’t remember how or when I found this fic exactly, probably just scrolling through the tag, but I love it. Domestic fluff with Levi, allowing me to pretend I’m a morning person, and just the right kind of smut to go with it. Simple and very, very effective. I’ve reread it a few times by now, no shame.

where you’re meant to be by @deludedimagines

After you read this, I also suggest just going after the whole masterlist. I cannot express how grateful I am to have found this blog PLEASE. Her characterization of Levi is perfect, and something about her prose feels very clean and simple, but elevated and layered at the same time. This one-shot in particular is one of my favorite canonverse pieces, I’m a sucker for a classic injured lover trope. 

the ones who matter most by @deludedimagines

Yeah... this shouldn’t be a surprise. Fantastic writing, fluff in canonverse has a special place in my heart because I think it can be really hard to pull off well; it’s difficult to balance a sense of softness within the aot universe for the obvious reasons, and getting Levi’s caring nature right can be (unfortunately) so hard to find. Good thing people like Sorcha are here. Enjoy more fluff. Also this fic is particularly fantastic to me not just because of the injured lover trope, but because the 104th babies pay a visit and you all know how much I love a good glimpse of reluctant adoptive dad Levi hehe

bullet by @jean-does-not-have-a-horseface

If you can’t tell by now, I love canonverse fluff, tho this fic isn’t fluff in the traditional sense, but I think that makes it all the much better. Perfect depiction of real life shit that would go down in the aot world paired with Levi’s need to protect his s/o. It’s fantastic. 

the knife by @therealvalkyrie

I didn’t mean to turn this into Mie’s Favorite Canon Fics Showcase, but here we are anyway. As much as I love a good injured lover trope (and this does have that hehe), I love a good kickass reader insert, too. Shoutout to Valkyrie for included both in this fic, and Levi being proud of his s/o... well you can imagine how much I liked that bye

dante’s inferno by @alrightberries

College au + roommates au with Levi... that should be enough for you to read this lmfao, no but actually it’s adorable. Not to mention friends to lovers... if you know me you know how I feel about that, I’ll gobble up every f2l fic until I’m dead and gone. Not to mention there’s a cat and Levi won’t admit he likes it, or he’s jealous of it. Simply cannot go wrong here. 

waves know shores by @onwiings

Bro I don’t even like the idea of public sex and I’m not even a fan of water like that but this fic has me wrapped around it’s pinky lmfaoooo. Some of the best Levi smut I’ve read and you already know how I feel when Levi and reader have cute interactions with the 104th in fics. Really it’s checking every item on my list. 

Eren

speed racer by @emeren

I’m pretty sure I found this fic during my midterms last semester, and when I tell you I’m so grateful for it lmaooo. It’s really just a good au, I think it fits Eren (honestly barking at just the concept) and the writing brings it all to life. 

under the moonlight by @murmikaa

I’d have to be dumb not to recommend this to you. I love reading longer fics, and if you do, then this will 100% satisfy you. The whole story is great and immersive, not just between Eren and the reader; their relationships with the other characters are really what makes this special imo. There’s also beach sex, so. Obviously it’s good. 

untitled.avi by @puredivinity (now @celestidarling)

Naur you must of thought wrong if you thought at least one of Mara’s fics wouldn’t be here. I’m obsessed, I think I’ve read it three times minimum. I read all her Eren fics, and you should too. She writes him in such a dreamy way, almost like he’s right there and too good to be true that you must be hallucinating. Immaculate. 

midnight snacks by @writertitan

Dumb, college-typical antics and fluff with Eren... obviously you know I’m about that. The whole concept is so mundane, but so cute, you can’t help but fall for it because it could be so real!! I love that kinda stuff hehe 

i’m your satellite by @ackerfics

Comparing hand sizes with Eren!! YEAAAAH!! No, okay, but I read the summary and was ready to dive in because... size kink go crazy, but when I tell you I was so blown away to find out that it was not only from Eren’s pov, but that he was being a complete simp and down terrible the whole time. Normalize boyfriends being completely fucking in love with their gfs that simple shit like the size of their hand makes them wanna simp even harder!!!!

eren as an ass man by @hznji

I’m dying on the hill that Eren is an ass guy and you should too because it’s the objective truth. Fluff, Eren being a complete dog as per usual, Eren’s being touchy (I will also die on the hill that he’s touchy as fuck and has no concept of personal space) and just in genral snarky but cute banter. Gotta love that. 

Jean

tears over beers by @appplepii

When I tell you this is my favorite Jean fic, I mean it. Friends to lovers with hopelessly pining Jean + oblivious reader = everything I could have asked for in a fic, AND it’s from Jean’s pov too!!! INCREDIBLE!!! The pining made me yearn, and the smut was so well done, too. 

this drabble by @arlerted

Whatever, whatever, WHATEVER!!! I DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!!! Cal is right, don’t do drugs but... this mf... this imagine.... has been burned into my mind since the first time I fucking read it bye. Callie also writes a bunch of filthy (affectionate <3) fics and drabbles and lewds and you should read them, preferably when you’re alone and with the lights off. 

[pepperf]

For the fic asks: 1, 4 for your Community/Stargate crossover and/or your t100/Stargate crossover, 5 for your Lila/Rincón fic, and (even though I think I know the answer to this one) 28 in honor of your awesome post about beta readers. 😁

1: What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Oh god…well, okay: for Stargate, I would say the original storage closet fic, Out Go The Lights, in which I managed some Sam/Jack angst, a lot of romance, some bickering with Daniel for good measure. And the sequel, Actions Speak Louder, because that's Jack POV and he was always my favourite to write, and I still think it's hilarious.

For Community, I might send people to When A Resistible Force Meets A Movable Object, which is a) one of my favourite fic titles that I've come up with (at least partly bc it's all my own work and NOT a song lyric for once), and b) a pretty good summation of what I wrote for Community, namely lots and lots of scenes of Jeff and Annie kissing and being neurotic, along with some messing with the order so it's not a linear story, because Community was great for doing some more out-there stuff.

And for Umbrella Academy, I'd say the Walmart Batman series (Wicked Games / My Girl Is A Heartbreak / Aren't We A Pair?). Because that's like, your basic AU, right? Canon divergence, Diego and Lila bouncing around Dallas in 1963, being knockoff Batman and Catwoman and enjoying their exciting little rivalry…and then I did some sexy whump of Diego, and some hurt/comfort, some more mild relationship turmoil and budget superheroing, and then, as has become fairly typical of my writing of these two, vaguely kinky sexytimes. All that, and a cuddly toy. XD

4: What detail in Tentacle Creatures From Another Dimension are you really proud of?

I picked the Community/Stargate crossover, because I love that one! I was particularly please with the order that they start seeing the alien bugs – Pierce from the day before, he's just seeing bugs and has come to school anyhow because he doesn't give a flying fuck; then Britta, because she's a flake and has canonically turned up to college high on peyote at least once, so no one believes her; then Jeff, who categorically refuses to admit that he's seeing anything until he absolutely has to; then Abed, at which point it becomes a credible threat bc he's the most factual; then Shirley and Annie bc Abed decided to use them as his test subjects, without their knowledge; and lastly Troy bc he didn't want to miss out!

5: What do you wish someone would ask you about Shelter from the Storm? Answer it now!

Oh crivens…okay, I'd love to talk more about some of the details of Rincón's background, because I did SO MUCH research, you guyz. So like ��� that was the name they gave him in the movie, and generally it's a surname rather than a first name, so I went with that idea – and the gang he's in (the real-life Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13) is Salvadoran, so I decided his family were from there. And I read up about the history of the gang, and how it actually evolved in LA in the 80s (stellar work, Regan), initially to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs before becoming a more regular criminal enterprise. Then in the 90s, when gang members were being deported to El Salvador, they took the opportunity given by the country's shaky state (just coming to the end of a 12-year civil war) to infiltrate and establish themselves.

And I thought how easy it must have been—between government death squads taking out guerrillas and anyone suspected of supporting them, and then the gangs moving in and starting up industrial-strength criminal activity—for ordinary families to just fall between the wheels of one or the other. And just…the fucking tragedy of it, and the inescapability, when it's your home—how many people must have been affected so terribly in one way or another, not because they've chosen it but simply because the fight is happening all around them. And this is how you end up with young people joining gangs, because these situations offer them no good choices, and at least that's the one with familiar faces, right?

I also found a sweet little town, in the back end of beyond, and had a virtual walk through the streets thanks to Google Earth, and came across a little gallery called El Rincón del Arte (The Art Corner), and thought, you know, if my family name was Rincón, I might use that as a pun if I was setting up a business. :)

28: Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

XD Well if you don't know this, I don't know who would! Yes, for the last, oh gosh…since whenever you started beta-reading my Community fic, which was pretty early on? I've almost always had someone read them first – you for the Community and Stargate fics, and then Lochrann as well, for the Umbrella Academy ones. And it is the BEST. Not just for the feedback and corrections – which are always appreciated, of course! – but because it's so great to have those detailed conversations about a story, I love the collaborative feel of it, it gives so much more depth to a story when it's not just coming from me, but from someone else feeding ideas into it, or pushing me to think more about some aspect or other, or just being as enthusiastic as I am about a ship, and helping me to keep that energy going to get it done. It's no coincidence that my most productive fandoms (Stargate, Community, Umbrella Academy) are all once where I've had the joy of doing that.

Thank you!!!

questions here