#bc this includes recs

[akai-anna]

Now for my dear DCMK exchange gift giver. I come with some fic recs and a couple of headcanons for our favourite certified lil guy.

A selection of personal fic recs of the platonic/familial/friendship kind (sprinkled with a bit of romance too). Please note that all these fics come back to one thing: Shinichi/Conan is involved, as he tends to be my main focus (also I'm a huge Found Family trope lover, as you might be able to tell from some of these recs). I also decided to forgo my soulmate AU recs, since it seems you likely know those! (Though, if you'd ever like more fic recs... just let me know. And I hope you'll find one or two on this list that you haven't yet read and you'll like!)

warm soup on a frigid night: Detective Boys centric, my heart melted gosh.

Once and For All: another Detective Boys centric fic, I'M SCREAMING thEY ARE SO PRECIOUS.

A Friend In Need: Kaitou KID centric, really love how organic this fic is, both from KID's and Shinichi's POV.

You Have an Hour: Sonoko's POV and an extremely funny and relatable fic.

You're okay, you're safe: oh, my beloved Sakura Trio, also from Sonoko's POV which I adore, and Sonoko's feelings in this... I feel her.

Switched: KID centric, FREAKING BODY SWAP, and so well written too, very fun read.

Guide you home: I love the Guide/Sentinel universe so much, this has romantic KaiAo, Heizuha, ShinRan, and lots of other platonic combinations, this is also a case fic and emotional.

Identity: One of my favourite scenarios, OCCHAN AND RAN BEING AWARE FROM THE BEGINNING, MY HEART-

Code Red: KOGOROU CENTRIC, let him shine!

The Cloning Secret: do you want to read something absolutely heart-wrenching, disturbing, yet absolutely brilliant? Go no further. We warned: this is a work in progress.

Misconceptions, Illusions, and Lies (and Other Forms of Fair Play): I absolutely adore this fic, the idea of Ran and KID working together, also bonus points for different POVs, also a work in progress.

Shenanigans in Beika: one of my ultimate favourite fic series, off all time, the interactions in this are just way too charming and precious and dear. Also a work in progress.

until the flowers bloom again: same author (yes, one of my favourite authors, sue me) as Shenanigans in Beika, involves the Detective Boys and ShinRan, and my heart just... gosh, this fic is so precious.

Hidden Epidemic: I love the first part the most, but this as a whole has a lot of headcanons incorporated into it that I love to bits. Lots of POV changes, and so many characters (Detective Boys, Heiji, Kazuha, KID, Ran and so on)

pet: super short, but also SUPER CUTE, absolutely in love with the idea of Ai having a cat. (one of my favourite authors for the fandom)

(the space between) where you smile and hide: one of the very few and precious Kazuha POV fics, especially her thinking about Shinichi. (also one of my favourite authors, and if you like one Hattori Heiji, I highly rec holly's other fics too)

Observations: my ultimate favourite fic involving Takagi Wataru, part of it is from his POV too, and it has so many great things about it. (VERMOUTH!!! Also Heiji and Satou working together! And most importantly: Takagi finally getting an answer to his Question.)

All Night Gang: I ADORE THIS FIC SO SO SO MUCH, THE FACT THAT KAZUHA AND RAN GET TO FINALLY KNOW. Also the adorable chatting in the first part. All the different POVs later on. And all the FEELINGS AND HEADCANONS AND THE THING THIS FIXES ABOUT CANON FOR ME. I'M so grateful for the existence of this fic.

Nothing To Lose: Detective Boys, PRECIOUS CHILDREN, they just miss their friend, this fic made me so emotional, dammit. SHINICHI YOU FCKIN IDIOT-

Family of the heart: God. This fic. THIS FIC. I LOVE PARENTAL MOURI KOGOROU WITH A PASSION.

never were and not anymore: this series? Damn. The shapeshifter concept in it is MARVELOUS AND MASTERFUL. The way it got merged into the universe, and how it changed events. Also THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS KILL ME in the best way.

Scion: I absolutely adore this author, and this is one of my ultimate favourite fics involving Shinichi and KID. The supernatural element is so exquisitely fitting into the universe, and how Shinichi's feelings are so complex, and the teamwork... just. Everything about this fic pulls at my heartstrings.

As for personal headcanons for Shinichi/Conan, here is a few:

Shinichi/Conan is neurodivergent as fck. I personally like to think he is on the autism spectrum, but I'm very flexible on the exact nature. One thing for sure: he is not neurotypical. At. All.

HE'S A CERTIFIED PENCIL BITER YOUR HONOUR!!! (IT'S NOT EVEN A HEADCANON AT THIS POINT- *GETS HIT*)

No one can tell me, No One, that after all these traumatic experiences this child doesn't experience panic attacks or PTSD.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE STOPPED PLAYING SOCCER, HE LOVES SOCCER!! (The kids are totally the reason he got more involved in soccer again, YOU HEAR ME-)

Shinichi keeping gloves on his person for Crime Scene Examination Purposes, At All Times.

Shinichi having his own shorthand, you cannot tell me he doesn't TAKE NOTES, he so totally WOULD. (HE HAS A NOTEBOOK ON HIM!!! AND SOMETHING TO WRITE WITH!!! OFC HE WOULD HAVE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO TAKE NOTES!!!)

Thank you for your attention, may you have a blessed day, darling!

[wickjump]

im gonna start posting fanfic recs btw whenever i find good ones. both here and my (awfully barren) 18+ account. because there are so many good fics out there with so few hits and fewer kudos and sometimes no comments period and it SUCKS because i REALLY LIKE THEM A LOT.. and i hope that by linking them here and yelling at everyone to COMMENT DAMMIT they might actually do it

seriously though any comment means a lot. most people who read a fic don’t even give a kudos. even if the fic wasn’t top tier, if you didn’t dislike it, hand over some kudos!! and if you liked it, comment!!!! even if the comment is one singular heart emoji it will be appreciated. if the comment just says “great fic!” the author will be happy. your comment doesn’t have to be this long winded gushing or analysis.

so many authors quit writing or lose motivation because the comments are few and far in between or just sometimes nonexistent. trust me when i say authors don’t care about how long or cool or smart sounding your comment is i promise!!!

i hope that mmmaybe recommending fics and telling people to comment might help fics i really like get more support maybe. and i, points at you reading this, hope that you will listen!!!at least a little….at least sum kudos….

[soracities]

hii words cannot describe how much i adore your blog!! i was wondering if you had any favorite arab poets whose works deeply moved you/whom you’d like to suggest? i would love the recommendations as an arab girl who’s trying to expose herself more to arab lit :) thank you!!

i do!!!! ngl i think i am always just reccing the same poets in different variations but i loved all of these, and hope you find some joy in them also (not all of them are works of poetry but all the authors themselves are poets) 🤍

Women of the Fertile Crescent: An Anthology of Modern Poetry by Arab Women

Paris, When It's Naked / Shifting the Silence / The Cost for Love We Are Not Willing to Pay (Etel Adnan)

Without an Alphabet, Without a Face (Saadi Yousef)

Pages of Day and Night (Adonis)

The War Works Hard / The Iraqi Nights (Dunya Mikhail)

A Red Cherry on a White-Tiled Floor / Barefoot Souls (Maram al-Masri)

The Neverfield (Nathalie Handal)

Miracle Maker: Selected Poems (Fadhil Al Azzawi)

Revolt Against the Sun (Nazik al-Malaika)

Flawed Landscape (Sharif S. Elmusa)

I'Jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody (Sinan Antoon)

Memory for Forgetfulness / Almond Blossoms and Beyond (Mahmoud Darwish--or anything by him, really)

additionally @barcarole has a lovely list of arabic poems here which i also hope you enjoy. also honourable mention to Badr Shakir al-Sayyab because by god what i wouldn't GIVE to finally have an English translation but for now am consoling myself with "Rain Song" and these two

[lambmotifz]

can you pls rec me some wincest feminization kink fics? thank u 🫶🫶

my forever-favorites!

it’s easy if you try [orphaned] (daddy kink, short but beautifully written)

i’ve built my life around you by kermiethefrog (pre-series, dark & angsty)

honeywater by weefaol (sam has a pussy and dean wants to fuck it.)

hell, michigan by weefaol (“not a girl, dean,” he growls, low and feral. “but you can fuck me like one.”)

love my way by shir_hashirim (dean’s mommy issues exploration fic ft. mommy!sam)

honeymoon [orphaned] (dean’s always wanted a wife. sam fits the bill perfectly.)

mommy dearest by tradwifesam (sam wants to play mommy and daddy. dean is into it. one of the hottest fics i’ve ever read, very in character + delicious dialogue)

[winteriron-trash]

rdj the (whitewashed) electric boogaloo

This is a reminder to everyone who's excited about RDJ's casting as Doctor Doom that this casting is whitewashing. Victor Von Doom is a Romani character and has been a Romani character since his introduction in the 1960s. (Fantastic Four Annual #2 [1964]) Not only that, but his Roma identity and the persecution he and his family faced due to it is integral to his character, it is what forms his identity. (Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker) Even if on the off chance this casting is meant to not be Victor but instead be some variant of Tony or whomever else becoming Doctor Doom, it is damaging to the character to rob him of that important cultural background. Doctor Doom does not exist without that history. Fans have been pushing hard to cast Doom as a Romani actor for years, especially since the MCU has whitewashed other Romani characters. (Wanda, Pietro, etc) This casting is not a celebration moment, it's fucking heartbreaking that the MCU repeatedly ignores the important and nuanced cultural backstories of characters.

I know I can't change anybody's mind on whether or not you want to be excited about RDJ's return to the MCU. But I do think at the very least you should be mad that the MCU is baiting us all and destroying nuanced and interesting characters for the sake of self-referential easter eggs and nostalgia bait. Because that's what it is. Feel how you'd like to feel about RDJ's return, but personally, this is soul-sucking. I had such a deep love for the MCU as a teenager, it was obviously something incredibly formative to me, especially Tony Stark. This isn't recreating what I fell in love with the MCU for. This is turning a well-planned and artistic storyline of adaptations into cheap cash grabs and fan service. Because, I think we're past the point of being able to call the MCU an adaptation of anything. They can use existing characters' names and powers, but to say they're being properly adapted is laughable.

This is not an adaptation of Doctor Doom. This is RDJ the Electric Boogaloo because Marvel's fear of losing the interest of dedicated MCU fans overrides their willingness to tell stories that are genuine to the characters. I don't know what there is to be excited about that. The MCU has lost its authenticity and aside from a few projects, feels heartless. Every movie is a copy of a copy. This announcement isn't something celebratory, it feels like a death knell of a cinematic universe that's so desperate to cling to relevancy it's resorting to nostalgia for a character/actor who hasn't even been dead for a decade. We're not getting anything new, we're just rinsing and repeating the same song and dance.

I get it. I love Tony Stark, his death destroyed me and I to this day, rue the ending he got in Endgame. It misunderstood his arc and it robbed him of a satisfying conclusion. But the solution to that isn't dragging the corpse out of the grave five years later to whitewash an existing character with rich and interesting nuance, just to forcibly tie his existence in the MCU to Tony. Whether he is a variant or not. Why would you want someone else's fave's legacy to be destroyed simply so your fave's legacy can go on? Hell, if we were really all so hellbent on the return of RDJ and/or Tony to the MCU, we have the multiverse for a reason. There were other ways to do it that didn't whitewash and ruin someone else. This just. Isn't something to be happy about.

[blossoms-phan]

will never pass up the opportunity, so! i am asking. what are your phanfic recommendations?

ask (honoured!) and you shall receive bestie! quick preface: i returned to the wonderful world of reading phanfic around the start of this year and have admittedly missed out on years of incredible work i am now catching up on! also in terms of what i read i generally lean towards current-era fics, canon compliant/fluff/smut- although i'm always taking recs from lovely moots/whoever, you may find this isn't the largest range (no aus/long chapter fics or whatever) but this is just a selection of what i've discovered/loved in the past few months and i hope to make more of these as i discover more writings!

shoutout to everyone on here for their recs, all the incredible fanfic writers and the peeps at @phanfictioncatalogue for their work and accessibility and being the reason i discovered so many new fics/tropes i now love <3 ok lets get into ittttttttt

"you look at my face a lot" by natigail: i credit this fic for getting me into reading phanfic again in 2024 <3 one of the first ones i read post-hiatus and i've returned to it countless times! it makes my heart jump, just so sweet and so them. the slittening(s) were such an iconic moment i can't believe it's been 6+ months since them but i love the little moments like dan describing phil's hair colour to a sephora worker, always wanting to know more about each other and the soft intimacy.

"the angel in the marble" by ivylakes: OHH MY GOODNESS this one is artttt. this one is my fave of the post-phlondeing fics i can just see and feel everything that happens, the loving, lazy intimacy, and following this week's t-shirt events it absolutely cements my HC that angel is a nickname for our philly. introspection, hair-kissing, body worship- i eat it up (im having a thing for mirrors in fics rn so there's also that)

"slumber party" by possumdnp: if i wasn't already clear reality-based fics really just do it for me and i love this one!! slumber party is one of my favourite recent-ish gaming vids and i just love the cozy comfort vibes of having a sleepover and getting a little flirty with your best friend/crush going on 15 years <3

"after the birthday stream" by trashcanfromgallifrey: the birthday stream ignited something in all of us but this is just such a perfect depiction of (possible) events after hehe. feels so them, just love the loving intimacy and shower activities and fluffy endings with cake <3 (shoutout hannah ily!!)

"lovers, keep on the road you're on" by possumdnp: another personal fave. japhan 2019 is EVERYTHING to me, this is so lovely and well-researched and i just go in between reading this and watching the stories from it when i want to cry and book a flight to tokyo

"welcome home! (never leave that long again)" by natigail: this one is just soooooo soft and sweet and fluffy. so heartwarming and one of the many wad reunion fics that has my heart <3

ok i'm going to end up including all 40+ of my bookmarks (not a lot. but working on it hehe) if i don't stop myself so as much as i could write paragraphs about all of these just know that my PPA test is positive and i was probably sweating/giggling/kicking my feet at all of these so here's a speedrun list of pure smut (sorry it's a lot of what i read lmao):

"juxtaposition", "slow down", "sensitive", "some kind of mood" and literally everything written by the force that is intoapuddle

"come light me up" by JudeAraya (perhap not pure smut but I loveeee the teasing and characterization in this so so dan ugh)

"appreciation" by Scuddleduck

"a little vitamin D" by Spring_Haze

"good for you, good for you" and "under my thumb" by dvp_95

"lucky" by iihappydaysii

i could keep going but for now i'm going to stop here! i'm sorry if this is messy i have no idea what i'm doing with linking and stuff but i hope this introduces at least one person to a new fic they end up loving! i lurked/read sooo many fics before finally creating an a03 account only a little over a month ago so i def might be missing some i've forgotten to go back and bookmark! shoutout to all of these writers (i could include multiple works from them all u ppl are amazing)- again i'm soo open to discovering more phanfic and want to expand my horizons, i've started to read some chaptered fics i didn't include on here but will reblog more current reads where i can! also if we're moots pls shamelessly promote your works i'd love to check them out! need to start commenting more too but ok ok wrapping it up

[disconnected-from-reality]

Fanfic rec: Bones B&B - 6x09 (Doctor in the Photo)

Have you ever had a phase in your fanfic reading journey when you are just fixated on a specific part/episode/scene, and you just want to read every single alternate outcome or fix-its the fanfics out there have there to offer?

Well, me too, and this is how this post has come to life! It's quite a shame there's not a lot of fanfics out there for this episode, so I tried to list the fics that could possibly scratch the itch. Haha!

Fanfics in this list are set either during or post Doctor in the Photo. You will be able to recognize on the very start of each fanfic. And as usual, all are complete with happy endings.

Enough about my ramblings. Have fun reading!

The Anthropologist in the Accident by Serendipity730 [Words: <32,019 | T: Suitable for teens] This is set before the final scenes of the Doctor in the Photo. What if Booth hadn't been there to rescue Bones from the car?

Secrets and Regrets by CJsMom [Words: <50,910 | T: Suitable for teens] Post Doctor in the Photo. Brennan doesn't confess to Booth, but tries to deal with her regrets on her own. Eventual B & B.

Try by MiseryMaker [Words: <29,774 | T: Suitable for teens] Post "Doctor in the Photo" fic. No matter how dark it gets and no matter how many times they screw it up, it's never too late. Not when two people are really in love.

Quicksand by MoreBonesPlz [Words: <46,783 | T: Suitable for teens] What if after the infamous B&B conversation in the truck during The Doctor in the Photo where Booth told Brennan she'd missed her chance, Brennan didn't acquiesce? What if once opened, she no longer found it possible to close the Pandora's box with respect to her feelings for Booth?

Change in the Story by TheZygomaticArch [Words: <79,749 | T: Suitable for teens] I didn't like how the relationship between B&B was handled after Doctor in the Photo- so here's is my alternative. I wanted more struggle and passion! And then what happens when they DO get together? Lots of love,conflict,&twists. Same crimes. New story.

Stars Above Our Heads by TempeJill [Words: <42,341 | T: Suitable for teens] Following the events of The Doctor in the Photo, Booth severely distances himself from Brennan, leaving her to feel lost and alone, without even the comfort of Angela or the other squints to help her through it all.

The Heart Won't Lie by razztaztic [Words: 16,531 | T: Suitable for teens | Also Available in Ao3 | Ao3 Account Required] My story for the 2012 Secret Santa Fanfic Exchange, organized by Biba79, which answers this prompt: "What if Booth hadn't been able to get to Brennan in time and she was hit by the car in 'Doctor in the Photo?"

You Look Like Yourself, But You're Somebody Else by cortexx [Words: 90,073 | Mature | Also Available in FFN] A different series of events that follow 6x09 - The Doctor in the Photo

The Prize in the Consolation by LJLanham [Words: <8,438 | T: Suitable for teens] Another follow-up to "The Doctor in the Photo." Will Booth and Brennan both come to their senses with a little help from Angela?

Let me know what you think of this list. I'd love to have some feedback! I'll be back with a new list soon, hopefully!

Looking for other fanfic recommendations? I might have something you're interested in, or if you have requests feel free to ask!

[dsntwrk]

help me i've gotten so deep into the steddie rabbit hole i haven't gotten this stuck on something since destiel

this really isn't good for my health

THESE ARE THE FICS THAT I SUBSCRIBED TO / LIKED READING (I'VE BASICALLY READ 1/5 WORTH OF STEDDIE FICS COMPARED TO DESTIEL FICS - I GOT INTO DESTIEL 4 YRS AGO, I ONLY STARTED READING STEDDIE FICS SOME TIME LAST MONTH WTF)

tbf, i have taken breaks from destiel to read other fandoms/fics so, ig the timing works out? if you think about it?

[four-eyed-floozy]

So I've been a horror rpg nerd for like YEARS and if you're new and want to get into it, it might be hard to know where to start (in light of my last post)

These are my general recommendations, I also recommend OFF and Ao Oni fangames as well. There's a lot of creativity in some of the fangames. This is BY FAR, not the definitive rpg horror game rec list, but I think I have most of the popular ones.

[yuwuta]

i have never done kinktober before bc it’s usually such a hellish time of year for me but i think i might actually have time for once omg………..

[necrotic-nephilim]

any recommendations for where to start reading for jean-paul valley and luke fox? i rlly wanna know more abt them but i have no idea which comics to read first

hello anon! i have a ton of recommendations, i love Jean-Paul and Luke and they're both great characters to get into! Luke is pretty easy to get into, but Jean-Paul can be a little complicated so I'll start with him.

Jean-Paul Valley

so i'm going to start with this: *do not* start with *anything* to do with the New-52 when it comes to Azrael. though there are some plots where he plays a significant role, he's butchered to the point he's just not the character you actually want to read. also don't start with Azrael (2009), that is not Jean-Paul, it's a different guy entirely. the recs i would give are

Batman: Sword of Azrael - this is Jean-Paul's introduction and backstory, i would consider it required reading. it's a great sorry and pretty short!

Batman: Knightfall - so. this is what Jean-Paul is iconically known for, the arc where Bane breaks Bruce's back and Bruce gives the mantle of Jean-Paul for a bit. and because of the nature of Jean-Paul's psyche, he goes off the rails and is a brutally violent Batman who has to be rid of the mantle. this is a *long* event. there's Knightfall, Knightsend, and Knightquest. and tbh this isn't really the baseline for Jean-Paul's personality, this is him at his worst and most fragmented. so, if you *want* to skip it for now and come back to it, you can. while it's important for his development, it's not really his baseline and if the big storyline daunts you, just skip it.

Azrael (1995) - (note: at issue #47, the title changes to Azrael: Agent of the Bat. it is still the same ongoing, just switch over to that title) this is his main comic run that went on for about 100 issues. it's very good. because he's a main Batfamily character, his comic will crossover into any big Batman event like No Man's Land or Contagion. you *can* read those events when you get to them, but they're not required if you'd just like to stick to him for now.

Azrael Plus the Question - this is a one shot and tbh, you don't have to read it, it's really not necessary. but, i'm a fan of the Question so, this is my self-indulgent rec. it's a fun short story and i wish we got more of these two <3

Sword of Azrael (2022) - (note: if you are reading this as single issues, you should read Sword of Azrael: Dark Knight of the Soul, the one shot that leads up to this. if you pick this up as a trade, that one shot will be included) by *far* my favorite Azrael story. this is *such* a good mini-series, i cannot recommend it enough. it's the modern era/timeline, but it very beautiful handles Azrael's history as Batman and all of his guilt and builds the the next steps for his character. i wish i could recommend this as #1, but you should at least read Batman: Sword of Azrael before this. but do read this, it's everything.

Luke Fox

Luke is introduced in the New-52 and is one of the highlights of that era. but it is the New-52, so some of it isn't the greatest. he does go on to feature in a lot of Rebirth stories as well. he does appear here and there in Batman: Eternal, but he tends to be a side character who doesn't get much focus, so you can read that if you'd like, but expect a more ensemble cast.

Batwing (2011) - start from issue #19, that is where Luke picks up the mantle up until the series ends at #34. it's his introduction and a great run for him. (note this series is collected as a trade under the name Batwing: Luke Fox)

Batgirl (2011) - he appears beginning from issue #43 and is mostly present up until the end of the run. i don't really love this run, i hate what it does with Barbara, but it is some essential reading for Luke.

Detective Comics by James Tynion IV - this is where we cross over into Rebirth territory, Luke is an important player during Vol 2: the Victim Syndicate, Vol 3: The League of Shadows, Vol 4: Deus Ex Machina, and Vol 7: Batmen Eternal. and!! during Tynion's run, Luke and Jean-Paul have *significant* interactions because both appear heavily. they end up pretty close to the point in the Rebirth era, Luke is one of the people Jean-Paul is closest to in the Batfam. Tynion's run is pretty good so i would honestly recommend reading the whole thing, but you can skip around to just the issues where Jean-Paul and/or Luke are important players.

there is obviously more for both of these characters if you want to do a completionist run and read *everything*, but these are the places that are either most important or easiest to start with. happy reading anon, i hope this helped!

[johnslittlespoon]

title tag game! ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

morninggg, creating a little tag game today <3

rules: write out any fic titles you have that are based off of lyrics, list what songs they're from, and tag some writers! :-) (if you don't have a lot of finished fics, you can include your wips, or if you have way too many to list out, pick your faves!) i'll start:

1. you're a dog (i'm your man) – 'i'm your man' by mitski 2. the fuse to my fire – 'bloom' by aidan bissett 3. four–by–four – '4x4' by dominic fike 4. breathe me in (exhale slow) – 'lucky strike' by troye sivan 5. i don't wanna be alone tonight – 'cross my heart' by marianas trench 6. you put your arms around me (and i'm home) – 'arms' by christina perri 7. i see you in the daytime (i hear you at night) – 'amen' by amber run 8. walking towards those green neon lights – 'delaware' by briston maroney [wip] 9. i let you win (i love to lose) – 'leaves' by joe p [wip]

tagging @air-exec, @triggerlil, @counting0nit, @hauntingcontradiction, @swifty-fox,

@bcolfanfic, @nicijones, @avonne-writes, @don-humes-tiny-shorts, and anyone else who wants to do this, i'm so keen to read everyone's lists! (+ apologies if you don't yoink lyrics for fic titles lol <3)

[hed-romancer]

Do you get have some camp camp fanfictions to recommend?

Yes!

Six String Hero by collarsandplaid and its sequel are very sweet stories about David teaching Max how to play an instrument at camp.

Comfort in Mundanity by fireflies_in_starryskies (v0yager2) is a really nice series of three one-shot slice of life fics about David and Max living together.

a tomorrow when we're not together by jatersade makes me cry every time I read it. David teaches Max how to make friendship bracelets before the end of summer. Even when you can't fix the situation, you can still let someone know that you care. (PS @jatersade also has a spectacular Miraculous Ladybug fic and a really amazing Avatar: the Last Airbender fic!)

camp campbell is the place for me and you by The_Escaped (@shitlinguistssay) is a set of two excellent one-shots where David and Max are trying to live together. (This author also has some absolutely glorious Owl House fics!!)

Comfort Food by Calaiti (@a-concert-just-for-me)is the only incomplete fic on this list, and the only fic that primarily focuses on Gwen. It's also uniquely amazing in the sense that it features Max having an older cousin (one of my favorite OCs in any fanfic ever) who is trying to get custody of Max (with Gwen and David's help). Not only is this OC, Avi, just a glorious character on his own, but he also allows the story to focus more on Max's culture and his connection to it, as well as allowing Gwen to get really into the logistics of supporting a kid without becoming a primary caregiver. (This author's Owl House Fic "I believe I must go out into the world again" killed me dead in the best way)

Reverse Dadvid: MAXDAD! by Kereea (@kereeachan) has the summary: "Stories from a universe where Max is the counselor and the David is the kid with crappy parents, with their personalities intact." If that interests you at all READ IT NOW.

[rollercoasterwords]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

aw cute! evil 2 make me choose a top 5 tho like making me choose favorites from amongst my children…i will do it anyway <3

1. the hand that feeds

canon-compliant dorlene <3 i feel like this fic will always be my #1 favorite bc i loved creating the characters & writing their story & especially their ending helped to really encapsulate like…my own philosophy towards life & death etc

2. alice, look at me

canon-compliant alicissa i love tragic lesbians…i just think this fic has some of my best writing tbh. v proud of the “this is how life is” paragraphs <3

3. the heart that bleeds

canon-compliant emmary…technically a companion piece 2 thtf. loved writing this so much loved making up a story & personality for emmeline love tragedy & gender fuckery & lesbian sex <3

4. heroes in the seaweed

canon-compliant marylene…are we sensing the pattern here…not quite as tragic as the others but i really enjoyed focusing on mary in this fic!! imagining the perspective of a muggleborn growing up in a world where she never fits in etc…contrasting her experience w lily’s…also had fun writing horny marlene lmao

5. nothing fades like the light

jegulus 1890s cowboy au this had 2 make the list i had so much fun writing it lmao. bit out of left field considering most of what i write is canon-compliant or canon-adjacent but this fic was kinda just me having fun!! wanted 2 write a historical au set in the western u.s. wanted 2 throw in religious cults also wanted 2 throw in zombies…et voila…

honorable mention: my kenstewy fic <3 i know she’s not the same fandom but i had soooo much fun writing the dialogue in this one…canon-compliant kenstewy oneshot…

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: many worlds, portal fantasy edition

A typical portal fantasy follows a human from our world who steps through a portal into a magical land (think of narnia). But there are many fun variations of this trope! Sometimes it's the magical people who come to our world; sometimes we get to follow people who have returned from their adventures and are seeking for new meaning; sometimes our world isn't involved at all. As might be assumed, most portal fantasies are fantasy stories, but some lean more toward magical realism, others toward sci-fi. It's a fun spectrum!

I'm separating portal fantasies from alternate timelines/parallel worlds type stories (which will get their own rec post soon-ish). I also generally do not include stories where the character travels to fairyland/land of the dead/etc as those feel like a genre of their own to me, but the lines between them sometimes blur and this is, obviously, a subjective list.

(Titles marked with * are my personal favorites)

Other book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding, really cool sci-fi worldbuilding, dark sapphic romances, mermaid books, vampire books

For more detailed info on the books, continue under the cut.

The Magicians (Magicians trilogy) by Lev Grossman*

You may not have heard of this book, but you have probably heard of the scyfy series of the same name that crashed and burned a few years ago. This is the book it’s based on (pros: it doesn’t end in the same way; cons: it doesn’t feature the juggernaut ship of the show in any major way). For the uninitiated: features what is essentially a (secret) magic university for tormented geniuses. When he finds magic isn't enough to grant him happiness, main character Quentin goes digging into the truth surrounding his favorite childhood books searching for meaning, and finds out that the magical other world they describe might not be so fictional after all.

Stray (Touchstone trilogy) by Andrea K. Höst*

Young adult told through diary entries. Including this as a portal fantasy is a bit of a stretch, but essentially: Cassandra unkowingly walks through a wormhole and lands herself on another planet, where she has to survive on her own until she is rescued. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a war between creatures from dreamlike other dimensions and the people who saved her. Skirts the line between scifi and fantasy (it has psychic space ninjas!), but generally feels mostly like sci-fi. Absolutely fantastic worldbuilding.

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan*

Young adult. Kids who can walk between our world and a magical one get recruited into a magical school that trains them either to be fighters or sort-of diplomats. Our lead decides that fighting is stupid and that he’s going to peacefully solve every conflict ever, all while being the most delightfully obnoxious little brat possible and getting incolved in the most bisexual love triangle imaginable. Very good, funny, and heart-felt coming of age story.

NPCs (Spells, Swords, & Stealth series) by Drew Hayes*

This one only counts as a portal fantasy on a technicality and on the fact that I love it and this is my list. Follows a group of DnD players whose characters immediately die, forcing them to make new characters, and, parallel to their adventures, a group of NPCs from the fantasy world who find themselves forced to take the place of a party of recently deceased adventurers. The two parties do cross path on occasion, but there aren't actually any portals involved as all characters (mostly) stay in their respective world. A fun and light-hearted adventure that turns a lot of the expected tropes of the genre and of character archetypes on their heads.

The Time of the Dark (The Darwath series) by Barbara Hambly

1982 classic. Medieval history student Gil and biker Rudy are complete strangers, but when they get mixed up with a wizard from another world the two must work together to survive and get back home. Fairly traditional fantasy with its fair share of issues, but! It has cool swordswomen, creepy lovecraftian monsters and also mammoths!

The Twelve Kingdoms by Fuyumi Ono*

Young adult, light novel. Yoko Nakajima is a regular high school student, or at least she was one until a strange man showed up in her school, swore allegiance to her and whisked her away to another world. As the two get separated, Yoko is stuck on her own in a strange world, hunted by humans and demons alike as she travels in search of a way home. Absolute high point of isekai literature, with an incredible main character and really cool and unique worldbuilding (also available as an anime, however I have yet to watch it and can't speak to its quality just yet).

Peter Darling by Austin Chant*

Novella. An older Peter Pan returns to Neverland after years spent in our world, only to find that everything is different. Before he knows it, he finds himself working with his lifelong enemy, Captain Hook. Very gay and very trans, with interesting takes on toxic masculinity. Made my heart ache in the best of ways.

A Curse so Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Young adult. A retelling of beauty and the beast, where 'beauty' is a girl brought in from our world to a fantastical one and the narrative focuses a lot on what actually happens to the kingdom when the royal family suddenly disappears, and whether it’s even possible to fall in love with someone you know is deliberately trying to seduce you to break a curse. This is part one of a trilogy, however I'm only really recommending the first book as the second did not work for me at all.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials trilogy) by Philip Pullman

Young adult/middle grade, fantasy but has a lot of sci-fi aspects as well. Already well-known and for good reason, the His Dark Materials trilogy starts as what seems a pretty typical fantasy with some cool unique aspects (everyone has a soul-bound animal only they can speak to as their best friend!), and soon veers into a truly one of a kind story. It has magical portals, it has strange worlds with equally strange inhuman creatures, it has physics, it has god murder, it has gay angels, it has tragedy, and it’s very much worth your time.

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children series) by Seanan McGuire*

A tumblr favorite, the Wayward Children novellas feature a school open to children who have returned from adventures in other realms and now have trouble adapting back to regular life. Some installments are set in our world, others follow children as they have their otherworldly adventures. The main characters vary between books, but are generally pretty diverse with among others asexual, trans, intersexual and sapphic leads. Both funny and dark, it takes a closer look at the trauma many endure growing up different.

Otherside Picnic (Otherside Picnic series) by Iori Miyazawa

Sapphic light novel with a surreal and episodic horror vibe. Following the directions of an urban legend, university student Sorawo finds her way to a reality populated by horrifying creatures from ghost stories and modern urban legends (of which I'm sure you'll recognize many). Here she teams up with fellow explorer Toriko, both to both find out more about this strange world and to help Toriko find a missing loved one. Also available as a manga and (one season of) an anime.

Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron

Young adult. Brody is dealing with a lot, but it all gets a little easier when he meets Nico, who shows him how to access Everland, a magical land where he feels less out of place. But when the doors to Everland start disappearing, Brody must choose which world is really home. I'd categorize this less as fantasy and more as coming of age with a fantasy slant. It's also very gay.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Surreal and fairy tale-esque, The Starless Sea is stories within a story, following graduate student Zachary as he finds a strange book which, in-between other tales, tells a story from his own childhood. Trying to find out how this came to be, Zachary gets involved with a pink-haired woman and a handsome man who are doing their utmost to protect a strange, otherworldly library available only through magical doors. It's a book hard to put in words, but which I once described as "romantic without being a romance while stile having a love story at it's core", and which can be summed up only as "an Experience". It's also quite gay!

The Memory Theater by Karin Tidbeck

Listen, there’s a whole bunch of Swedish portal fantasies I read growing up that I'm dying to include here, but I'm not because they’re not available in English. The Memory Theater however is available, and is very good. Two children who were stolen into an otherworldly realm that wants them dead fight return to earth, and are followed by one of their captors across universes. The story has the feel of a dark fairy tale, and their captors, while not fey, are very reminiscent of them.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow*

Historical young adult, more magical realism than fantasy. In the early 20th century, January is living under the care of her father's employer while he travels the world searching for valuables and secrets. But both her father and her caretaker are keeping something from her, something about her own family's history. When she one day stumbles upon a strange book, one that speaks of other worlds, she finally sets out to find the truth. However, there are those seeking to stop her and destroy the doors between worlds, no matter what.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher*

Horror rather than fantasy. After having divorced, Kara moves to stay with her uncle and help him run his museum of curiosities, until one day she discovers a hole in the wall of his house. The hole leads to a strange bunker, and beyond that, a dark and dangerous world beyond her understanding. In the company of a friend, she goes to explore this world, but quickly comes to regret her decision to do so.

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood*

The sort of portal fantasy you get when all the worlds connected by portals are fantasy worlds, and none of them are ours. The portals themselves become simply a part of the worldbuilding that the characters use to travel between fascinating places, and it's all really cool. It follows Csorwe (lesbian orc assassin whom I love), who grew up in a cult, indoctrinated as a child sacrifice to a god. But on the day she was meant to die, she instead chose to follow a powerful wizard and train to become his loyal servant and sword. Aside from being an excellent fantasy, it's also a close look at the hard path of unlearning indoctrination and the search for love and validation where you'll never find it, and learning to live for yourself.

Odin's Child (the Raven Rings trilogy) by Siri Pettersen

Norwegian (vaguely Norse mythology inspired) young adult. Fifteen-year-old Hirka grew up thinking she simply lost her tail to a wolf attack, but one day she finds out she never had one: she's an Odin's child, a human, sent from another world and rumored to spread rot and ruin wherever she goes. To keep her secret safe, she goes on the run, but there are forces hunting for her, wanting to use her in their war. This reads mostly as a fairly typical epic fantasy, with the portal aspect not playing a major role until the second book.

The Barbed Coil by J.V. Jones

1997 classic. Tessa is a young woman with little going for her, until she stumbles upon a strange ring that transports her to a magical and dangerous other land. Here she meets Ravis, a mercenary who takes it upon himself to protect her, and discover her own special abilities, which she must use against an evil king whose mind has been corrupted and taken over by his crown, the Barbed Coil.

Skeen's Leap (Skeen trilogy) by Jo Clayton

1986 classic. While most portal stories are fantasy, this one has a distinct sci-fi flavour. Skeen is master thief wanted in a myriad solar systems, until her spaceship gets stolen and she's stranded on a backwater planet. Here she hears rumors of ruins leading to a strange other land. Hoping for treasure enough to get her off-planet, Skeen goes in search of this place, but finds herself stuck and unable to get back. This one has a unique, almost stream of consciousness prose that takes a while getting used to, but rewards you with a one of a kind experience.

Inkheart (Inkworld trilogy) by Cornelia Funke

German middle grade/young adult, in which the fantastical other worlds are those told of in books. Young Meggie's father has the ability to, when he reads, bring things and people out of the books, or put other people into said books. However, once having done so, he knows of no way to put anyone back where they belong. Now, years after he accidentally brought the terrible villain Capricorn and his henchmen out of their book, he and his daughter must evade them at all costs or be forced to bring further horrors out of the page and into the world.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows

A teenage girl accidentally follows a worldwalker from her world to a magical realm on the brink of civil war. I believe this on has both a major polyamorous relationship and ace/aro characters?

The Sleeping Dragon (Guardians of the Flame series) by Joel Rosenberg

1983 classic. A group of college dnd players find themselves transported to the magical realm they previously thought just a game.

The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba

Webnovel. After having been transported to a magical world, Erin decides to, rather than become a warrior or a mage, start running an inn.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The Marked Girl by Lindsey Klingele, The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay, Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica, Spellsinger by Alan Dean Foster, The Shattered Gates by Ginn Hale, The Awakening by Nora Roberts, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

[usoppssketchbook]

Does anyone know of any “Usopp goes to Elbaf” fics? The only one I know of is Fable by SoCallMeLusopp. You would think they’d be more common since he’s been wanting to go there for like twenty years