#but the fanfic is written by me so i guess this is self promotion

[c4sen]

tw: blood (not graphic)

"Don't be disgusting."

a doodle from the short fic i published at 3:13 in the morning because i am ill and i miss writing about these losers (yes, i do write!)

if you check it out, please read the tags. it might be triggering to some people. oh, and if you did read it, LET ME KNOW!

[olderthannetfic]

I found myself rereading an old discussion about AO3 commenting culture (ye olde "Authors aren't owed comments" vs. "Readers aren't owed fic either" wank). And you know, it strikes me that a lot of the drama in such discussions is rooted in the fact that people only ever seem to engage with the worst things the opposite side says. And of course that leads to miscommunication, because the extremes are not generally applicable to most people.

Like, for instance. Someone going "I comment so regularly I practically gave myself burn-out commenting". Authors complaining about people who act entitled to stories aren't talking about you, I promise. They're talking about people who genuinely can't be bothered or go on flippant "Why don't you just write for yourself?" rants, while still enjoying other people's work. Ditto on the other side: people get offended at being called entitled authors, but odds are good the person isn't referring to you, who would simply like to not shout into the void, odds are good they're referring to the asshole authors they've met who'd throw hissy hits over comments that weren't phrased exactly to their liking, because yes, people like that do exist so it's simply flat out wrong to say "Just comment, authors are always happy to see comments, no matter how short! :)"

Also, a particular comment jumped out at me:

"It's not a consumer's job to compliment a promote an artist's work"

I generally agree that acting like people are owed comments is useless and stupid, but if I had to pick a phrasing that sums up my misgivings about common commenting culture, it's this. So many people seem to act like authors are getting a paycheck for this and don't need any additional motivator.

The other thing that bugs me is when people talk about all the reasons they don't comment (low spoons, anxiety, tired, etc.), but ignore the fact that authors have to deal with all of the above, too. And not just in fanfic. It seems any time there's any kind of social conflict being discussed (like, say, replying to a friend's messages in a vaguely timely manner) a ton of people will trot out excuses for why they can't do [insert what's generally seen as the vaguely courteous thing to do], but inadvertently act like that makes them special and like they're the only ones who have these legitimately valid excuses.

This started in one place and led to another, sorry. I guess I'm just frustrated with the Tumblr mental health culture of "I have a semi-specific reason I struggle with this so I'm not even going to try". I think people overcompensate too much for "Just don't be disabled!"-style ableism and swing too hard in the embraced helplessness direction.

Back to fanfic, every time I see the "I can't do it because of X" thing in the context of commenting, I can't help but think of how many authors also deal with depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, low spoons, etc. and how easy it would have been for them to give up, but they got through it and posted the fanfic anyway, and how often they're then met with silence because the prevailing attitude among their audience is e.g. "I read this before bed and was too sleepy to comment, and too forgetful to comment the next day". I think about some of the fic I've written, often fic written when I maybe should have been doing something else, or fic written at the cost of sleep, or hyperfixating at my keyboard for six hours instead of going for a nice hike with my family, and it's hard not to get a little bitter, you know? Talking about legitimate reasons for why commenting is hard just so often comes across as "You're free to make sacrifices to write the stuff I read, but I won't make any"

I also feel a bit bitter that it's impossible to even discuss these things in a vacuum without someone going "Discussions like this are why I've stopped commenting", as someone inevitably will in the notes of this post. "Just shut up and make your Content(TM) and don't complain about anything", is what it feels like.

--

The entire phrasing of reward and owing is stupid.

The reality is that lots of people won't produce work unless they feel like someone cares. No amount of moralizing or excuses will change that.

It's also the reality that posting to the masses on AO3 or tumblr will result in maybe one like or other interaction per hundred hits if you're really, really lucky. The rate has never been much better than that, and it never will be. It's often very much worse.

If one personally wants to encourage people, sure, go out and do that, but any call to action that ignores the above two realities is like fighting the tide.

I do think "It's not my job to promote you" typically comes up in the context of meltdowns about letting artists "languish in your likes" instead of being reblogged onto your actual blog and/or contexts where the artist/author/etc. is selling their work.

Here's the thing: people who never comment do not count.

They think they're part of a community. They're not. If you don't participate, you're a ghost.

When some author moves to a more enclosed space, a lot of people who saw themselves as part of something are suddenly left out in the cold, wondering why. But the fact is, if you don't pay the entry fee of socializing with others, you're nobody to them.

The entitled randos don't matter. If they bug you enough, take your toys and retreat to a discord with your friends.

[keroppri]

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 ❤

ahh wickermayne!! thank you so much! ☺️🫶

i actually have exactly five published nh fics at the moment so i guess i'll promote them in the order they were first uploaded :D!!

1. A Summer's Delight

my first ever fanfic that let me express my adoration for both hinata and naruto~ the beach will forever remind me of this sweet summer love fanfic ;u; it was so much fun to write such absolute fluff 😚💖 embarrassingly sweet in the best way💕💕💕 i miss this story so much, i have nothing else to add to it but almost wish i did!! 🥺

2. Bunny and Fox

a story celebrating hinata and my first canon compliant story❤️ i'm actually nervous writing canon compliant anything in fear of getting details wrong but i do hope to write more of them soon!! i just gotta brush up on my naruto lore knowledge lol

3. thus a silenced memory

oHhhh baby, my biggest passion project to date all bcuz of my love for Jane Austen and Persuasion, and boy! how much i've learned and keep learning with this one!! it's been a surreal one to write and far more complicated than i was expecting at first so at times.. i'm struggling creatively but i have so much more to go and it's so exciting that there's so much to share!!! ch. 17 is in steady progress but i'm learning to take my time and be kinder to myself so it'll be up when it's up❤️

4. Omurice of Love

silly premise for a nh valentine's day fic, all inspired by my crazy coworkers and their thoughts on asking ur partner to be your Valentine lol another canon compliant fic! and writing pregnant Hinata was so sweet🥺 i actually... had a fic idea for mother's day but i haven't visited it since but i hope to soon����

5. Welcome Home, Master!

my entry for NH month prompt: maid cafe ! i would have dug into it a bit more if i didn't write it so last minute but for what it is, it was really fun~ maid!Hinata was so embarrassingly awesome to write lol i loved every second of making her act that way hehe 😚🩷

welp, looking at this list means i gotta write more!!

i've been considering writing for another beloved fandom of mine so i'm excited about where that will take me when i find the chance to do so 🥰

thank you again for this!! :^)

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

fic in review 2023 :)

this old tag game used to go around every year but no one's tagged me the past few years so i just. Tag My Self . because it is FUN ! it's the Shamelessly Promote Your Work game and it's fun looking at all the stats and reviewing your year in writing. it's the most indulgent tag game ever come join me

tagging: WHOEVER WANTS TO DO IT! YAY! TAG ME! 🎉but also specifically (no pressure! i will not be offended if you ignore, this is A Lot): @mvshortcut @fade-in-the-dark @altschmerzes @writer-and-thrasher @kar-krashew :)

i'm applying this to "trentcrimminallybeautiful" specifically, not the other fics on my ao3. ...mostly.

Total Number of Completed Stories:

total posted, complete or not: 40 works on ao3, but of those 40, four are collective works, so if we count each chapter/snippet as its own "completed stories", that's... 74, wow.

however, as for "complete"... not counting those snippet collections, 33. if i count the snippets i consider somewhat "complete"... probably around 57? some of them are hard to determine if they feel "complete" or not, hence why they're in snippets collection jail in the first place.

Total Word Count: according to ao3′s word count, 277,118, which is counting my works for other fandoms but is not counting the squillion wips i have unposted on ao3.

Fandoms Written In: Ted Lasso, mostly. But also The Mysterious Benedict Society. Also a Professor Layton fic.

Looking back did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expect: More! Trent really grabbed my brain. Spinning him.

What’s your own favorite story of the year, personally?:

UhhhHHHH. I'm bad at choices so here's several:

"trick & treat" and "off the record" for some overly self indulgent smut. and also the deeply embarrassing venom au oneshot

"being right" and this fic about trent being sick

superhero au oneshot, "second impressions", and a fmk oneshot for sillies, "high noon over richmond" or this time travel snippet...

Did you take any writing risks this year?: Hmm well I'd call That Goddamn Venom AU a Fucking Risk, as well as the My God What's This? Catboy Smut Oneshot With The Steel Chair

but honestly there were several fics i was unsure about, which got a variety of responses i think, although none atrociously bad

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?: So many WIPs I want to like. actually write.

Best story of the year: Well, that's not favorite (my favorite) or most popular (everyone else's favorite) so is that supposed to mean objectively the best? Because I still am bad at judging this. At a guess, the aforementioned superhero au, one of those indulgent smut fics, or possibly this deeply stupid crack fic about rupert mannion sucking in bed. Or "ink sunset". NO WAIT. IT'S MATTERS OF THE HEART of course it is

Most popular story of the year: hm. WELL. im only doing ones on this account bc i can’t be bothered to pull up the other ones tbh but

By kudos: "Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth" with 1004

By subscriptions: "sweeter than heaven (hotter than hell)" with 70

By comment threads: if we're counting snippet collections, first goes to the first snippet collection with 130 and then the second one with 124. if we're not, then it's "Rupert Mannion Is Batman (He Isn't)" with 78. (although "Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth" is at 77--close!)

By bookmarks: "Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth" with 294

By hits: "Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth" with 5324

So overall, probably "Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth"/ By far. Wow.

Most personal story of the year: Probably I WANTED TO BE LOVED SO DESPERATELY / THAT MY FINGERS SHOOK WITH IT or lost sight of (who you are). Wait, no. matters of the heart.

Funniest story of the year: Oh I have so many fucking crack fics. Perhaps one of my many stupid time travel aus, or painting the town richmond blue, or Rupert Mannion Is Batman (He Isn't)? Or that aforementioned stupid fmk oneshot.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Hmmm, lost sight of (who you are), wayward thoughts, and being right.

Most fun story to write: I think i have the most fun with crack and smut--not that I don't love angst, because I do, but crack is just bouncing whatever I think will be funniest and flying by the seat of my pants, and if I manage to write and post smut, it is always extremely indulgent. Can't think of any in these particular genres I haven't already mentioned.

Story with the sexiest moment: Definitely "trick & treat" or "off the record".

Sweetest story of the year: Perhaps "helpless in a game of kisses" or this meet-cute? I also quite enjoyed the ending of "the dregs at the bottom of the glass".

“Holy crap that’s wrong even for you!” story: I'm gonna take this to mean angsty instead of scandalous, and say maybe the first chapter of "make a mess of you"?

Hardest story to write: matters of the heart and its sequel has been fucking me up. Also see lost sight of (who you are).

Biggest disappointment: Some fics I really like didn't do so well, but then, a lot of them did, so I try not to dwell on it

Biggest surprise: Was really nervous about a few oneshots I really liked and worked hard on (particularly "matters of the heart" and some of that stupidly indulgent smut) but they got a pretty good reception! Also see: just how bad Trent Crimm has invaded my brain <3

[secriden]

I'm the anon who shamelessly promoted JoongDunk before. More lore for you because I just had to after reading your latest post.

Joong is what happens when an avid fanboy becomes a celebrity. He is absolutely unhinged and very deep into fandom culture. My man has not only read fanfics about his own ship, he has also written fics and posted them on his main multiple times. His favorite genre seems to be vampire + mafia with happy endings and nc scenes. Seriously, Joong is more delusional than the entire fandom combined and we all love him for that.

Dunk is a wild card, you never know what you will get from him. He is definitely unhinged as well, he just hides it well. Since Joong is the king of delulu, fans are usually unperturbed by his antics because that is what we expect of him. It's when Dunk decides to go crazy that the fandom collectively loses their mind.

If you want daily doses of unhinged entertainment, I would definitely recommend you follow both on social media. They post regularly, be it about work or their daily life. It's always a great time and the visuals are great too.

excuse me very much what do you MEAN joong writes fanfic about his own ship and posts it ON MAIN!?!? WHAT?? you can't... you can't just drop this on me i'm shaking-- hE WRITES VAMPIRE+MAFIA AU *SCREAMS* i mean at least its happy ending. T u T

(whispers) is it any good?? XD

that's insane tho... that's... i don't know what to do with this information. Its now just sitting, untethered to reality inside my brain. where would i even file this?? WTF?? this is making me jump through some weird mental exercises to wonder if a celebrity writes and posts fic about themselves as themselves in an au, does it make it RPF or Self-Insert??? Alternate Universe fic?? some weird amalgamation the above? o3o

but i gotta respect it too: i feel like when someone who was active in fandom becomes famous (usually authors who get published) they try to erase their fandom history/roots (partly because its part of what they monetise, I guess?), but this almost.... feral embracing of it?? LOVE. IT. <3

*cackles* yeah i can see how dunk would be the one to watch out for. it seems much more rare although i did see an extended cut of both of them insisting that its normal to call your friends "babyyyyy" (complete with whiny tone) and even when joong eventually caved and got embarrassed, dunk was still insisting that it was perfectly normal. like. sir. no. you're not fooling anyone, but also you're clearly doing this on purpose. xD

wait whats the most unhinged thing dunk's done??

hahah i don't have any socials because i refuse to give my data for free to our unwanted tech overlords, so currently tumblr is all i have. does the stuff from twitter not reach here? the fortpeat fandom has thus far been great about migrating stuff there so i haven't felt the need. >w<

[fannish-karmiya]

Sarah Z's newest video at first seems like a really weird deep dive into a strange corner of the internet (which it is), but I was really shocked and impressed by how relevant it all is. A major theme is that if we did successfully create sentient chatbots, our relationships would be very disturbing based on how inherently controlling they are (in the West people always seem to talk about evil AI overlords, and not the risk of humans creating sentient beings and treating them like slaves).

But then the video also discussed the current issues of 'weblining', whereby payment processors and advertisers exert pressure on websites to stop featuring sexual content (such as what happened with tumblr no longer allowing any nsfw content and banning sex workers from using the site). That really hit home, because at some point, to my surprise, this also began to affect me.

Given the vagaries of social media (my posts average about 6 likes), I don't know that anyone will see this anyway, so I'm probably talking to an empty room. But I wrote a novel in the past year (the same genre as I write fanfic in, Chinese fantasy), and have little idea of what to do with it. I considered webnovel publishing formats and sites like Tapas which have sections for light novels, but guess what? They all ban sexual content, and have ToS which in vague terms ban any 'promotion of sex work', which is written vaguely enough that it could probably be applied to any novels or comics which depict sex work, too.

I don't have the clout to advertise and promote a self-published work, clearly, but even if I wanted to bare my soul all over again and try it, I can't, because there are no platforms I can find which would allow me to post my novel without drastically self-censoring it first (for example, i would have to literally cut out the second chapter).

We tend to think of censorship in terms of governments banning books, but the commercial nature of web publishing means that governments don't even need to get involved. If no platforms will host your content, then you've been effectively censored all the same.

[yourlocaldisneyvillain]

(Not hate) okay so about that one controversial fic. I’m not gonna say anything bad about but I’m actually just genuinely curious why you decided to write something like that? Considering that there’s way less controversial things to write about, why did you decide to write that?

i think i answered something similar a while ago, but it got lost on my blog bc i am incapable of tagging things properly lol i can never find anything

i am a person that likes to be challenged. i like taking an unusual or controversial concept and exploring it (one of the reasons i invented and did kink!week, where i challenged myself to write abt unusual/odd/misunderstood kinks and tried to make it genuinely hot, even if i personally wasn't necessarily into it). truth is, i got bored with the fanfic community and the type of content that was preferred, and i was honestly bored with it for a while before writing this fic. no hate to fandom writers -- i think there is a place and an audience for everyone, but i craved a different type of content, both to read and to write. i felt like i was expected to throw out fics that are basically all a variation on the same concept, and i felt i'd go nuts if i read one more larissa x teacher!reader self-insert fic. i felt like the content was just used for self-insert gratification and porn with little to no plot or actual character exploration/development. and honestly, nothing wrong with that, but i was hungry for stories with substance, or even slightly more imaginative smut, if we're talking smut (and let's be real this is a very horny fandom lol).

so one morning i was scrolling through the Webbed Site, as one does, and i stumbled upon a larissa x wednesday fic by a person whose username i honestly don't even remember, but they were not a popular or a known creator. and i was like, what the hell, let's see if this is cringe and if it is i can be Outraged with my wife later. and while Some of it was cringe, i felt like there was actual substance to the story and that their dynamic made sense, even if there were bits that i disliked and the grammar was very poor. and i was like, wow, that actually felt refreshing to read, even with its many flaws. at least it was original.

so i started to wonder -> under which circumstances would these two characters actually make sense? how do i create a world in which that relationship would work? i love to challenge myself as a writer, and i thought about it until i came up with a narrative that could support my idea!

i am honestly surprised by how many people are appalled by the concept of ageing up a character? that has been around for as long as fandom exists. i didn't think it would be *that* controversial, and if you read my story i honestly don't think there is anything Outrageous in it. in fact, i think it's much, much tamer than MANY popular fandom works. i expected some backlash bc people are generally close-minded online and have very Specific ideas abt what is Moral and what is Not, but i didn't expect people to go *this* nuts lol. i am better prepared for next time, i guess

and even if my work was like. Immoral and Horrible, it's fiction. if you don't like it, don't read it. i feel we encounter a genuine problem when people try to control and police other people and the type of content that gets written and posted -- a lot like young people trying to erase "problematic tags" from ao3. i am not saying certain things aren't problematic, but there is a distinction to be made between fiction and real life. people are allowed to write about whatever they want to write about, and it doesn't make them criminals, murderers, pedophiles, or morally corrupt and evil.

i honestly think most people who have accused me of promoting pedophilia wouldn't recognise sexual abuse if it was happening before their eyes irl lol. and besides, i never said oh go fuck your former teacher, that's a great idea!!! (i know fandom people who have bragged abt doing that though lol) i have simply written a story about two characters that are both consenting adults, and you can take it or leave it.

i am, in fact, writing a new fic that does deal with pedophilia, ephebophilia to be precise with my terminology, sexual assault and cycles of abuse -- how and why they happen and whether they can be broken and how. it's a very personal story and i pull a lot from my own life experience with sexual abuse as a minor. it's, obviously, not a romance or a ship story, but it *is* set in the wednesday universe -- and i am SURE i will get another bout of "kill yourself" messages, to which i say, i don't give a shit. i think people who send that type of shit are sad and deranged -- and tbh, you can send me those day in and day out and i would still i post whatever the fuck i wanted. i got angry with all the ignorance and hate that i witnessed after i published "particular" and i now feel the need to write what people think they witnessed in my story.

all that being said, i am also a person that likes to poke at the status quo. my answer to "why" is "why not?" so you can take that as you will. i am not harming anybody and i don't see why i should be apologetic about writing a fic that i wanted to write.

i appreciate you asking a genuine question and not hiding behind anon! this is my genuine answer, and i hope it's somewhat satisfying -- if not, that's too bad bc it's the only one i've got.

[machihunnicutt]

30, 37 for fic ask meme!!

TY LIVV :) !

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

i have a hard time with this and i think the solution is just to write it as quickly as possible and try not to think too much! fanfic is fun bc it gives you a starting point to expand on and explore…i think you just have to go for it and embrace the vulnerability of writing something out of the box :) i’ve been experimenting with writing more explicit scenes, that’s never been my strong suit but like…fic is a space for play and for discovery. i’m working on like, not counting myself out i guess? and trusting the process! and putting shame in its place!

this is a very vague answer i’m sorry. i think i just mean “write it scared” !

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

SURE !!! it’s this one. i don’t write a lot of rare pairs but rin/machi really speaks to me and i think i was really ambitious with the the plot while maintaining good pacing (another allison-ism is constantly worrying about pacing whoops). also i wrote it for me, y’know? i did not expect wide readership. all the stuff i wrote for fruits basket is really special to me bc it’s a series i loved in middle school (and read fic for back then!) and then returned to as an adult with a new understanding of and connection to. and i mean…like machi is tattooed on my arm, obviously I’m deeply committed to her (even if fb was not lmao). here’s a snippet:

It was a dark room, not depicted overhead as the last map, but as if the viewer were sitting with their back against the wall. There were no windows, and everything was bathed in purple and blue shadow, like a bruise. It was a claustrophobic painting. It was a haunting painting. It reminded Machi of broken and bloody things.

“I suppose you don’t want to talk about this one either?” Machi said.

“It speaks for itself,” Rin said, half-snarl, half crack in her voice.

“I think it’s powerful,” Machi said.

Rin hesitated. “I keep getting drawn back. No matter how far I get from that place and those people. And it’s not all bad. Haru…well, it’s not important. Sometimes I feel like I’m the last person left who wants to talk about the way it was,” she said.

Machi caught her breath.

She thought of the first nights alone in her old apartment. Every sound in the building spooked her and she didn’t talk to anyone. She bought all her food at stores with self-checkouts and mumbled when she was called on in class. She didn’t realize how lonely it all was until her vocal chords were constricting. That’s what Rin’s art reminded her of: someplace where loneliness was heavy like a blanket, and so encompassing you forgot it was there.

“Why did you want to go to art school?” Machi said. It was her most daring question of the night, and sounded almost mean.

“Why did you want to move in here?” Rin said.

“I thought it would be good for me,” Machi said.

Rin gestured down to the canvases.

“Yeah,” she said. “I thought this would be good for me too.”

[astrobei]

7, 14, 17, and 9* *twisting this slightly: what fic of yours, or more specifically, which scene of yours would you most like to see acted out by the cast on screen. (doesn't have to be canon compliant or account for ages etc etc)

hiiiii ella !!

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

LMAO ok uhhhhhh i don’t remember exactly but it was in eighth grade and i was going through my mortal instruments phase and i vaguely remember it was for alec/magnus with simon/izzy as a side pair and i have no recollection of the plot except that it was a medieval au and izzy and alec were peasants selling their wares at the market or something. god this is so embarrassing don’t look at me it’s hard enough for me to perceive my writing from like 3 years ago 🤢🤮

9. ooooh ok ok interesting take !! my first instinct was to say the prom scene from all this time just bc i’d looooove to see the party in their dresses and suits and slow dancing and having a good time like a snow ball parallel it’s just so self indulgent (my entire reason for writing it) and i would love to see it on screen !! also the halloween fic again because it’s so self indulgent and something that’s like. not even in the scope of the show and would have Zero reason to be included bc it’s so random but i will be promoting my byler hanleia agenda until my dying breath and i would give an arm and a leg to see this on screen

14. what’s your worst writing habit?

uhhh ok i gave one answer for this but i definitely have many Worst Writing Habits so . i would say that i have this mindset that everything i write has to top the previous thing i’ve written even though 1. that’s ridiculous and no it does not and 2. comparing a self indulgent quick fluff fic to a plot-based fic i spend weeks on is like apples and oranges or whatever and just is not practical and doesn’t make sense ?? anyways i think there’s this whole thing of when ur writing u just have to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece and u have to be constantly outdoing urself and i get very caught up in that and in my own head sometimes and i have to be like suni !! ur doing this for fun !! this is not a chore !! so. that probably made Zero sense but i hope u enjoyed my stream of consciousness sjdjwjfndn

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

i also just answered this one but i will offer u another line i really like !! from a fic that’s Not not all the prayers because u are an insane crazy person and i know u annotated the whole thing like a FREAK which still amazes me every time i think about it but. i like this one from i might be hoping about this:

i guess this is technically two lines but. they go together so. yea !! (also whenever i reread this fic i literally go “omfg when did i write that” bc i swear i was in some sort of fugue state the entire time i was working on this i don’t remember coming up with ANY of this)

[passionpluto]

Presenting: The Big Four Preservation Project (AKA Operation: Release the Vickles-Shaye Cut)!

What if the first four Altador Cup MVPs were all part of a secret society, and the only one who knew was Tandrak Shaye? That's the question Jair Tollet finds herself asking when her team captain uncovers a sabotage scheme targeting the Altador Cups's high scorers and asks her for help. All Jair really wants to do is lay low and train her new apprentice Scout, but when an old frenemy from her Team Maraqua days is linked to the sabotages, Jair finds herself pulled ever deeper into the mystery...especially once the saboteurs begin to target Scout for her own burgeoning abilities...

The Big Four Saga was an unreleased Altador Cup 'verse written from 2010-11 for the Neopian Times. It was extensively advertised on Neopets forums, mainly Jellyneo Forums. Two stories (Jair's backstory Jumper and the intro short story Big Four Minus One) from it were eventually published, but its main series The Vickles-Shaye Battles was never released because, even after massive edits, it was continually rejected by the NT. It has only ever been read in its entirety by one person, a suburban father from Kansas City...until now.

Okay, so I wanted to do the crazy Defunctland-style narration for at least one paragraph to make this sound more important than it is, but putting that aside, I asked you all if you wanted to read my old AC fanfics in their uncut, ninth-grade glory, and boy did you guys deliver! I'd been thinking about doing this for some time since I'll be switching computers soon for the first time in a long time and wanted a way to preserve these silly things that still have a place in my heart, but wasn't sure if I should do it publicly or just add them to my Google Docs and call it a day. Due to extensive work writing and marketing my current WIP Premiere Nebula to publishers, I knew I wouldn't have time to fully remaster the Big Four Saga, but figured I'd leave it mostly as-is (more on that later) so readers could see the progress I've made in 13 years. I'd like to think I've grown a lot since then!

But point is, thanks to all your morbid curiosity (that you may end up regretting later), the full Big Four Saga is coming to AO3, alongside Paging Doctor Sparkle and the rest of If You Give a Little Love from FiMFiction. This will include both published stories and the full, unpublished Vickles-Shaye Battles 10-part series. Finally, someone other than my dad is going to see these! Maybe the people who actually waited for this on JNF will stumble on it and finally get to read it!

To finish this little self-promotion segment, I'd like to preface the release with one thing: this is a finished series that I'm releasing purely so I can have someplace online to preserve it. The Big Four Saga ended over a decade ago, and I have since moved onto other projects, one of which actually exists because of the Big Four Saga! You see, after Vickles-Shaye, I had intended on writing a sequel series called Valkaine, which was permanently cancelled due to continued rejection by the NT and me realizing the planned genre shift from a sports story to a magical girl-inspired sci-fi was a bit too jarring. If the concept for Valkaine sounds familiar to some of you, that's because it was the basis for Premiere Nebula! So hopefully, you'll all get to read some form of Valkaine someday, or at least a spiritual successor to it.

This brings me to the one change I will be making to the Big Four Saga before publishing it: Scout's name has been changed. The story explains that she was named for a central figure in the Resistance, but in the original version, her name was Valka. This change comes entirely because the name of the magical girl rebel leader in Premiere Nebula is, you guessed it, also Valka. They were actually the same character for a really long time, but as I developed PN!Valka, she got further and further from the original Valka concept that I thought "why not just name OG Valka something else?" So PN!Valka stays Valka while BF!Valka became Scout, purely to avoid future confusion between the characters should Premiere Nebula ever be published. But for those of you who follow PN, it might still be cool for you to know that Scout was the proto-Valka. :)

[reesesfastbreak]

Finally have enough out to do this! The self fic rec thing. I was tagged by @ronanceisintheair

most popular

funny enough my most popular fic is the first one i published when i returned to writing fanfiction. it's my first fanfic as an adult and my first published smut. it's the idea i so desperately wanted to see that made me finally decide "fine, guess i'll do it myself."

1. i got to purge my urges (shame, shame,shame)

chapters: 1/ word count: 1515 words/ kudos: 96

Eleanor watches THAT video

simply a solo masturbation e fic with tie in to movie plot.

hidden gems

honestly i cannot plug either of my hidden gems without also plugging the main series fic holes in my false confidence (baby, we're a mess) the series is about gabbi and eleanor navigating and exploring poly dynamics for the first time. the two hidden gems are tie ins to this "do a polycule" series

the first hidden gem i want to promote is a smut fic that is just two expanded upon scenes from chapter 4 of holes. it is the two threesomes alluded to in this chapter written out fully and in detail. lots of self reflection, showing how the different dynamics play out, and just feelings. porn with feelings. Gabbi's point of view.

2. wanna help my worlds collide?

chapters: 2/ word count: 7141 words

gabbi had joked about the orgy starting at sundown when she flirted with eleanor at max's party. but it was a joke. now they're both learning how to navigate sex when more than two people are involved (and the feelings that come with it).

and the second hidden gem boarders on crack. but it's taken seriously and has heart. an alternative pov as well as missing scenes from the chapter where Carissa and Gabbi get high off of edibles and then bake cookies. Carissa's POV. feeling realizations of her own and Gabbi's via Russ.

3. gotta do the cooking by the book (it's all a little hazy)

chapters: 1/ word count: 816 words

A look into how Carissa interpreted the first time her and Gabbi ate weed brownies together. When she tells Russ about it, he gives her shit.

Thanks for the tag, friend!

To keep in the spirit, anyone who would like to promote their own writhing should. Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this and want to do it.

RULES: promote your most popular fic and two hidden gems

[benis-chillin]

My Sonic stories(2021 and 2022)

And now, to wrap this all up, the stories that made up these posts!

Now, admitably, this is entirely self-indulgant, since barely anybody reads these stories to begin with, but hey, even if they're not well-loved babies, they're still MY babies, and I'm proud of them, damnit!

So, going in canonical order, let's start with...

3 Tales of the Chaotix-The Great Train Conspiracy

Timeline place: After Sonic Adventure(duh)

Just a story made to fill up the first slot in my micro-anthology. Despite the 3 chapter format being, well, 3 chapters, I actually had a hard time filling this slot up...Until I decided to throw shit at the metaphorical wall, and came up with an insane ninja plot thread. Sure, before then, we had jokes I loved, like Espio and Vector getting caught up in the detective stuff, while Charmy just points out the obvious computer, but the story was shaping up to be incredibly dull before I threw the ninjas into the mix, and now it's one of my favorite pieces that I've written. Heck, I had to rush it a bit to have it out in September, since I needed the Werehog story to be out in October becasue spooky month, so the fact that it's as good to my eye as it is, quite frankly, is a miracle.

3 Tales of the Chaotix-Werehog Hunting

Timeline place: During Sonic Unleashed(loosely)

This story was inspired a bit by Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps. Basically, if you've hung around Sonic Twitter for about 5 minutes, you may have noticed the constant demand for a Sonic Unleashed PC port(btw, why isn't Colors Ultimate on Steam yet, Sega?)that has not happened yet. So, when Sega put out these shorts to promote their latest re-release, featuring a character that wasn't there canonically before this point, in a manner that REALLY stretches things, I started thinking of what they might do with Sonic Unleashed, leading me to guess at Team Chaotix showing up. From there, the story took shape, and was more than ready within a couple of days.

And now to the OC shit.

Then and Now-A Wolf's Remembrance

Timeline place:Before Prototypes

Yeah, a more recent work is the earliest canonical stuff involving my characters. And that's not counting all of the flashbacks, of course.

I think the story mostly speaks for itself, of a guy mourning the lost love of his life, while still cherishing what he has now. To be honest, what mainly formed the story was the idea that Jack didn't particularly like coffee, but that his dislike of it was actually what made him fond of it. Before then, this anthology was just gonna be two separate short stories for Cyber and Raccoon, with Those who left us behind serving as Jack's focus story. But of course, I think giving him this was much better of a choice, as it gives me a short, no commitment selection of stories I can point to for anyone curious about these characters.

Prototypes

Timeline place: Between Issues 36 and 37 of IDW Sonic

So...This is the big one.

Now, it should be noted that a general rule about fanfiction and continuity is that your work is always more or less an AU, no matter what you do. Most people take this as an opportunity to just add whatever they want into their fanfics, continuity be damned. However, I am, as the kids say, built different, and find this approach to be lazy unless you're doing like, a full-on reboot of your own making, from the ground up. The Archie Sonic reboot is a good counter to my argument in terms of mainstream works, as that world is familiar enough to the games to be recognizable, but considerably more people have heard of the Archie reboot vs Sonally fanfic #1,233,455,005. People need a solid jumping-on point for a continuity like that, and the sad fact about text-based fanfic is that you're rarely gonna get an audience like the Archie Reboot got, no matter how hard you try. Thus, my approach is very similar to that of the actual IDW writers: Take the main continuity, and build straight off from that, explaining characterization and continuity flubs in ways that won't interfere with the narrative of the next mainline game, or in my case, the IDW comics.

However, one neat thing is that we do have some unintentional continuity on both ends. You see, a throwaway interaction in Prototypes goes like this:

"I suppose we could've missed something while going through those old labs after the war...Knuckles wasn't the best at organizing things that didn't involve fighting." Sonic said, scratching his chin. "Yeah, and the transition to MY leadership wasn't the cleanest." Amy added. "I'll have to organize with Jewel later to see what else we might have missed."

And then, in IDW #37, we get this line from Amy:

Obviously, this line was more written in relation to Jewel's slight freakout at the end of the Metal Virus arc when everyone was fighting that Eggman robot, but still, pretty neat how that ended up lining up, huh?

So anyway, this story was written because I was fairly fresh off of playing Forces at the time, and I was depressed because I couldn't mow my lawn due to all of the rain we were experiencing at the time. That is literally the reason why I started writing fanfic.

The story took form very quickly, all things considered. One version of the story had Jack mostly as he is now, but Cyber was more of an object in the story, sadly. The idea was that Cyber's parts weren't very well implemented, so Jack would've gone to Eggman to try and save her life, to which he's like, "Sure, just kill Sonic first, BITCH!" Obviously, Sonic would befriend him, Tails would save Cyber, and the two would've ridden off into the sunset, two OCs never to be seen again. I rejected that idea within a day or two, and once Raccoon was conceived of, the story became what it is today, the start of a series.

The story was still a lot more rushed than it should've been, barely having any time in the editing phase, and staler ideas like setting it in the Mystic Jungle from Forces could've been weeded out, but as a first work, it isn't TOO bad, I guess.

Then and Now-A Bear's Musings

Timeline place: Before Family Reunion.

Poor Raccoon doesn't get a lot of chances for meaningful character work. The reason is twofold, since on one hand, he's a less verbal character, and on the other, he's rarely the focus of stories. He's like a big dog in many ways, meant to be more cute than anything, but I still wanted(and do want)to get into his perspective on life, which is another thing that I think this story speaks for itself on. The two main things of note is that Raccoon doesn't know what meat is actually made of(and whenever he does find out, I personally think he'll become a vegetarian. Just fits the character's perspective), and that his flashback chapter, along with Cyber's, was originally created for Those who left us behind, but was cut for flow. Jack's flashback chapter is the only one originally created for that story.

3 Tales of the Chaotix-Family Reunion

Timeline place: Sometime before Issue 41 of IDW Sonic, which leaves the Chaotix free to be in this story before their appearance in Zeti Hunt.

Actually the first one written for this collection of stories, since I was still on my high from Prototypes. It became more of a thing once the Werehog story got conceived, and well, the story more or less wrote itself from there. Interestingly, despite having such a big old OC-focused story, 3 Tales actually did fairly well when I released the AO3 version, and I wouldn't mind making a sequel someday to capitalize on that.

Only other thing of note is that I did make a reference Avatar for Angie when I wrote this. Here's that pic for posterity.

Reflections

Timeline place: During Zeti Hunt(if we fudge it)

Seems to me like Shadow would've been involved in the Zeti situation somehow, since that is a pretty major fight, so it's weird that he wasn't. Nor were Rouge and Omega. So, through some retroactive continuity(for both this bit of IDW fanon, and for me as a writer, because I did NOT write this story with that intention), we'll say that Team Dark were busy in the East River Forest for this mission, and just kinda missed all of that. Plus, it leaves time for Sonic to show up at the end, since the Zeti are launched back towards the Lost Hex in the early evening, and the ending of Reflections is basically in the middle of the night. Sure, Sonic went off to try and find Belle, but the Chaotix seemed to handle that pretty quickly, and the Restoration surely had SOME time to get some volunteers together for a rescue. The Zeti didn't actually DO that much damage, is all I'm saying.

Anyway, the idea behind this story is fairly simple: I like Shadow, love Shadow Androids, and I like my OCs. It's a recipe made in heaven.

Or hell, depending on who you ask.

Some ideas were there from the start, like Cyber being a Shadow fangirl, Omega's line about Raccoon "getting it," the base being aquatic themed, the basics. As mentioned back in Cyber's post, the base being underwater would've led to her saving Shadow from drowning after the water started pouring in at the end, leading to her nearly drowning and having those backplates used to manually expel the water from her lungs since I don't think she can really cough. However, I felt that the two teams interacted well enough without that, and the Wisps getting involved made that rescue unnecessary anyway. Still would've been cool, though.

This story has also started a slight running gag I'm putting in where any story I write involving Shadow has 1 usage of "Damn" in it. Because I unironically like that game. Don't think anyone noticed, though.

UPDATE: 6/18/23 Well, the 2023 revision is now out, which was made primarily because of the Eggperial City arc in the IDW comics contradicting my story entirely. Now, it would’ve been easy to just IGNORE this arc and say my work was in a universe basically identical to IDW except for that one detail...But I view that idea as lazy, and the story needed a few fixes to Shadow’s characterization in hindsight anyway, so I just took the opportunity to revise both it and Prototypes to better fit with both the continuity, and with how I write now.

Now, it’s been changed so that the Shadow Androids encountered in this story are a rogue off-shoot from Eggman’s efforts, so I’m free to do whatever I want with the concept. Which should be fun.

Crawl Walk or Run.

Timeline placement: Sometime before issues 45-47

There's a gap between here and Zeti Hunt. We're gonna use it.

This story came from me wanting a new Riders game, and naturally having fun just conceiving ideas for such a project. From that point on, it was just a matter of re-engineering those ideas into a story. I think the Avatar feature from Forces would do great for a Riders game, so I made the Avatar a human and developed Lucy from it. Her thing about being rejected from Extreme Gear tournaments for her species was not only to try and make sure she didn't fall into Mary Sue territory, but was also a meta joke about the series' attitude towards humans up to when it was written...Though that one Tailstube episode coming out before publishing hurt that point a bit. I also really deliberated whether or not she'd win or not, but I decided to do that by the end since she's a one-off. Happy endings and all that. Her race is also purposefully ambiguous.

King Dodon Pa's involvement came from the game idea, too, since he was created for racing storylines, and it gave Sonic and co. an in for this race, given the charity premise of their involvement. This also gave me the ability to use Glamor Chao, an OC I made back in 2020 which is a combination of Bruce Campbell's role in the 2002 Spider-man movie, his sarcastic tutorials in the Raimi games, and of course, OmoChao. I envisioned him as the next model in the OmoChao line, a sort of mean version of the concept.

(BTW, the OCs from this story are free to be used if you want)

Shadow, Rouge, and Omega's plot came from the idea of the game having a sort of open world to get missions from, with various storylines you could do for the assorted Sega characters alongside the main one. I just chose to focus on the Omega romance plot because I like Team Dark.

And of course, Little Planet and the Time Eater being our sort of "final boss" for this story are the final notes from the game concept, as I think those would be good decisions to end the game on.

TL/DR: Sega, hire this man! I need the money, and a new Sonic Riders game!

Those who left us behind.

Timeline place: ambiguous, since no canon characters appear besides that warden guy, but we'll say it happens sometime before the dead space we call issues 45-47, just so we can maintain the forward momentum. Cyber didn't go on the camping trip because...She was busy? Idk.

Ah, my neglected baby. I always knew my OCs couldn't get by purely by crossing over with canon Sonic characters, but nobody is in the market for purely OCs outside of artwork, so I knew this one was gonna take a hit. Still though, of all the Wolf 6 works, this one is probably my favorite, since I tried to handle slightly more complicated character work like the reason behind Jack's refusal to boot Edge off of Wolf 6, trying to make sure Spike didn't come off as a complete jackass just because she's a bit rougher, properly establishing WHY Edge belongs in prison, and of course, Jack accepting that he gave Edge too many chances...While also making the wrong decision at the end. A decision that I'm sure will haunt him moving forward. However, in order to do character work, you need to accept that your characters won't have all of the information that you do, and thus, they must make logical decisions based on what they know, which is what happened here.

I'm gonna stop talking about it here, because I want you to actually read this one. 

GO! It's a good read! Benis approves of his own work for once, damn.

Then and Now-A Canary's Day Out.

Timeline place: After Those who left us behind.

As stated before, her origin was originally written for TWLUB as an ending for that story, but got booted here when editing happened. The actual main story is based off of two things: Firstly, I had an idea for a "girl's night out" kind of story with Amy and the rest of the female canon and IDW crew meeting her and hanging out while having a night on the town. This is where ideas like the hat-stealing kid and the Karen came from. I made the decision to reduce it to a character piece on Cyber with a guest appearance by Amy pretty quickly, though, since I'm a proud kissless virgin, AND the owner of a below-average penis, so I try to be aware of the "men writing women" trope. Would still like to write a Cyber and Spike focused story someday, though.

Anyway, the second inspiration is...A bit more shameful. Over the past two-three years, I have been coming to terms with a great amount of anxiety I have, mainly in unwelcoming social situations. So, when I decided to try and switch plasma donation centers to save on gas due to being deferred a lot at the time(I was getting the hang of making sure my vitals are in check), I went to a Grifols that was PACKED, and while trying to get into a spot to stand and wait, this one woman, in a tone probably far harsher than she meant, was like, "COULD YOU NOT STAND SO CLOSE TO ME!?"

Like, I had barely even shifted close to her, but she came at me like that. Combine that with the overall unwelcoming atmosphere of the people, and the fact that my local Grifols looks like a supervillain lab from every 90's action movie, and you have a recipe for pure anxiety. I tried to tough it out for an hour, but ultimately, I had to dip out and just try to get into a rhythm at CSL(which is a LOT more welcoming).

But yeah, that experience in severe self-consciousness got me off my butt on writing the story, since I knew Cyber would be going through some of the same stuff I was trying to calm down from. In that way, writing helps above all else for me, so long as I have my research in order.

So, in summary, read my shit, fuck Grifols plasma, and hopefully in this new year, I can talk about some non-Sonic fics. Maybe my seasonal Batman Beyond reboot will finally get finished and release? Maybe I'll finally do some Power Rangers, or that Scott the Woz and Scooby-Doo crossover I wanna do? Idk, guess we'll see.

Anyway, thanks for enduring all of this. Here's the masterlist post for all the links you could possibly want:

https://www.tumblr.com/benis-chillin/706450181935218688/sonic-the-hedgehog-fanfiction-link-masterlist?source=share

[sillyincantations]

One time when I was in late middle school, my mother mortified me utterly by saying the words "yeah, I know you like Snape."

At the time, a girl at school had made me what was essentially a shrine (Snrine?) in a three ring binder with scotch tape-laminated sheets of standard office paper, upon which my excellent friend had printed fanart, screencaps, and promotional photos of movie!Snape. (You guys remember those really early promo photos? Where Alan Rickman is standing in like a totally white studio in a doorway for some reason?) I had kept this thing (I thought) closely guarded either in my room or my backpack but I guess at some point my mom found it.

For YEARS I have remembered this small moment of my mom being like "yeah I know ur weird in this very specific way. You have been seen and known" from only my perspective, which was basically "I would rather chew glass than admit to my mother that I like a boy in my class and now she knows I like Snape so I think I'd better skip the glass and go straight to hemlock." But today for the first time it dawned on me how TRULY bizarre that must have been from her perspective. She's like looking for a homework assignment or something. Or maybe she's just snooping through my shit idk. And out of nowhere--BLAM--she finds a tenderly made and obviously loved stalker's dossier on a fictional character who is not only comparatively much older but also like, canonically an asshole? And this was WAY before Deathly Hallows. This predated even Half Blood Prince so at this point Snape is known to be a former spy, but he's spent the majority of the series being a mean teacher with a hygiene issue. And I imagined I was my mom. And like...what goes through her mind? What does she think as she locates where I have written our initials in glitter gel pen? What maternal agonies is she experiencing when she notes where I have tucked loose pages of painfully romantic and firmly sexless self-insert fanfic?

I ran away from this interaction immediately and we literally never spoke about it again. It's many years later. My taste in fanfic has ah...matured. The handsome and gentle Alan Rickman has passed. It's possible that I might be brave enough to ask my mom about this event, which now seems funny all these years later.

Growing up is wild. I still love you, Snape.

[sammygender]

i wish there was. idk. a real way to put writing online. like novels and stuff. snippets of writing. like people make webcomics all the time and simple games are relatively easy to learn to code and create and if you can draw its so accessible to make a story online but i cant draw nearly well enough & writing is my medium, full on stories are my medium. theres sites for webcomics & artists and they gain followings on tumblr etc, game devs can put stuff on itch.io and people will play the games, they can make their way into a subculture’s mainstream consciousness w/out professional marketing…… but for writers who just Write like. what am i meant to do there’s no platform for this!! no community built around it. no one promotes people’s indie half-finished novels they host on their own website & i guess maybe that’s because people find reading thousands of words harder than webcomics which play w a visual medium or playing games but it still sucks. my writing is good my dialogue can stick with people. but i have no way to share it :/ the traditional publishing route of totally finished novels works for me for some of my stuff, but sometimes i just like writing… scenes!!! like when artists do webcomics - idk why is doing that but exclusively w words just Not A Thing so much

like idk webcomics are such a cool medium party because of the accessibility most of them are just produced by random creatives online and obviously such a product of the internet age. a webcomic is the ideal format for me but i cant draw well enough & what’s more, i don’t think i’d ENJOY drawing that much and that constantly. it’d just frustrate me and take years to learn to that ability. i want to put my writing & dialogue online and have people interact!!! more than that, i want to read other peoples little stories and oc writings and dialogue snippets & have them stick with me!! …but people tend to only read published books. & even if they read self-published works they’re always finished, there isn’t the same room there is when making a webcomic. & fanfiction is the only form of this i can think of but that’s FANFIC about characters - why r we so resistant to original stories being told in that same format & sticking w us? i’ve written so much i have entire stories and arcs that i think people could really like but theres no real way for me to share it. maybe i should start my own site

[keirmoonrock]

10 limited-edition facts about the one, the only, the enigmatic…

✨ keirmoonrock ✨

for today’s Death Note meetup!

1. I have an actual, irl twin who also writes Death Note fanfic… and we edit each other’s work XD

2. Keir is actually my middle name! (not… legally, because trans problems lol) That said, as dope as a surname like Moonrock would be, it is completely fictional :(

3. I’ve been a vegetarian since November of 2020

4. This is actually my first account on anything except ao3 ever? So I really don’t know much about etiquette or anything... but I’m really just here to mess around.

5. My favorite character in Death Note is… *drumroll* Mikami! He’s followed pretty closely by Higuchi (yeah i know it’s weird) and Takada, I guess? She and Misa both had so much potential if the writers didn’t make their entire characters the epitome of misogyny… but Mikami’s backstory always made so much sense to me. He’s one of the few characters that we see reach the point they come to, and I love that.

6. My favorite ships are a bit unorthodox, I guess? I don’t really ship LawLight… though It is pretty cute, and I don’t think Matt and Mello were explored enough for me to feel anything about them (but I do like it). So what I do ship is (lol I’m gonna get roasted) Light x Misa, at least during the Yotsuba Arc… I thought they were cute. And MikaLight, though I’m well aware their dynamic was messed the f up. Also Kiyeru (Mikami x Takada) but not really in the canon?? If they would have interacted more, I would have loved it. But I think they’d be good for each other haha.

7. I don’t really post super polished art because a) I’m too broke + lazy to learn to do digital art and b) I don’t really think it needs to be good to be put out there. I post my art so that maybe a couple people see it and like it, and that’s enough for me. (also to shamelessly self promote my fanfic lol)

8. I am the proud owner of three guinea pigs, who I would lay down my entire life for. They’re the best pet in every measurable category.

9. I have a notorious fear of heights, especially tall bridges over large bodies of water.

10. I can play the most useless instrument of all time: the viola. Imagine a violin but slightly larger, deeper, and 90% of the music written for it is a single pitch written for eighth notes that go on for two pages straight.

[greenninjagal-blog]

You said dlamp was one of your favorites! Maybe we can get some good fanfics of that!? 🥰😍😂🤩

Ah, you anons, always knowing exactly what I want to read. 

Plea for my new self - Vampire Virgil becomes the sugar daddy to three broke college students and his ex lover (who is also a vampire). Also Roman will do whatever it takes to get Virgil just to bite him please, and Patton’s thoughts are the least innocent thing about him.

Incredible Cosmic Power - Virgil does his best to not become an anime protagonist but still ends up awakening three genies and being dragged on a quest.

To Tie a Knot - Ethel’s soulstring gets cut before he ever meets the one he’s destined to be with and second chances aren’t supposed to happen but he can’t think of what else it could mean when he wakes up with four new strings wrapped around his fingers.

Sketches Of A Soul - Patton usually draws on himself to hide his urges to self harm but when his soulmates can now see everything he draws on himself....well things get a little dicey. If telling the truth isn’t an option, what other choice is there?

True Loves’ Kiss - Virgil is cursed and his boyfriends keep him company while they try to lift the spell.

The four times Roman fell in love and the one time everybody fell in love with him. - Roman falls in love, again and again, and again, and again.

Four Human-Eating Monsters and An Apathetic Florist - Virgil’s soulmates eat people.

A Snake’s Skin - Janus can fluster his boyfriends by merely showing a tiny bit of skin and he takes full of advantage of that.

My Memories Came Back In the Form of Someone Else - Patton, a well known adventurer, sometimes gets flashes of memories from someone else, but they’ve lead him to his best friends and his current adventuring team. However when they get a new quest from a strange old man those memories become a bit....harder to ignore.

Until the Day it Becomes a Pumpkin - Anime style After School Clubs au where Logan and Dee are pining after Virgil, Virgil is in love with Patton, Patton only has eyes for Roman, and Roman only wants Dee. Remus owns the one braincell and he uses to chaotically.

Mother Hen - Dee takes care of the others and they take care of him.

Branching Out - Stardew Valley au where Roman moves into the abandoned house his grandfather left him and everyone in town seems hellbent on befriending him.

to love a liar (i'll see you in my dreams) - Dee tells lies and grows up believing that no one can love a snake, not even the other animals in his dreams. Remus says “fuck that noise”. 

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Put on Your Pants - Remus meets all of Roman’s soulmates first despite everything Roman does to prevent that.

Touchdown! - Dee shoots his shot with the four most popular guys in his year at the football game.

My Soulmate, My Slave - Prince Logan and his lover Dee have been looking for their soulmates for a long time. Luckily the newest palace slave seems to have something familiar on his chest.

Touch Me Gently - Roman’s never been afraid of his soulmates, despite the concerning placements of all his soulmarks. 

Destined - Dee hasn’t met his soulmates and has no plan on ever doing so. The universe says “fuck that” and gives him another soulmate bound that is....much harder to ignore.

A Plus One - When Dee gets invited to an office party and asks his friends all separately to be his plus one, he doesn’t expect them all to say yes and he most definitely can’t pick three to say no to.

The Tradition of Happiness - Virgil had been so scared to go on his Ad Aetatem, but now he finds himself wondering if he even wants to go back.

Seven kinds of flowers under his pillow (four kinds of flowers in his lungs) - Dee puts flowers under his pillow hoping it will make his crushes fall in love with him but instead he gets flowers in his lungs.

It’s Always Been This Way (Hasn’t It?) - A shameless self promotion on my part: a hogwarts au where Dee is a deatheater (probably), Virgil gets caught in a lie, Patton forgot he has depression but not how much a certain Slytherin means to him, Roman will do whatever it takes to protect his family, and Logan doesn’t know if he can trust himself. And everything is made more complicated by a time turner and an unbreakable vow.

Blessed Warmth - Dee goes out for a heated blanket and goes home with a soulmate. (And then passes out)

Little Words - The only things it took for Virgil to actually meet his soulmates was a crash and a few words written on his left hand.

got no strings - Dee cannot see soulstrings but that does not stop him from conning every person stupid enough to thing he can. This includes his roommate (whom he most definitely isn’t pinning for) and his roommate’s new trio of crushes (whom he also isn’t pining for). 

Together - To be fair, they did ask Deceit if he wanted to join them. But....Deceit just doesn’t like sex like they do.

Freeze Your Brain - Local idiots huddle for warmth

The Vampire Hunting Vampire - Virgil doesn’t mind being held captive and forced to help his handlers catch other Vampires, but he does mind the incessant hunger for blood that means he’s constantly at risk for tearing out  Patton’s throat. (Why can’t his dumb partners see how dangerous he is?)

Glitter into Gold - Roman’s prank misses Virgil and hits Logan and they’re all gay.

Warmth in the Storm - Virgil introduces his boyfriends to his son.

hands to yourself (or not, preferably) - Roman has a thing about touching. (He really likes it)

Last To Know - Doing things out of order seems to the the only way they know how to do things. Aka: They move into together, get married, and then Logan gets around to talking about feelings.

Deceit v. Touch Starvation - Take a guess.

Taken - Deceit is kidnapped by the Dragon Witch and he doesn’t think anyone is coming to save him.

Colors of the Heart - You can’t see certain colors until you see your soulmate cry and well...Solace (deceit) is pretty good at making people cry.

Golden Thread - Janus has an invisible thread around his tongue that urges him to lie to the others. Unfortunately, this is not a situation he can risk lying it, and the others don’t seem to get that.

Protector - Virgil is a monster hunter, but... its so much easier just to help them than kill them.

Snakey Days - Janus turns into a snake when tired.

One More - Janus isn’t part of their group, but he’s there for them when they need him regardless.

Absent Ash - Janus’s four loves died six years ago, and getting over it is... hard. Just when he thinks he might be getting somewhere with this recovery shtick, he comes face to face with a face from his past.

The Family Secrets - Virgil is a secret witch who lives with his best friends who are 100% normal. Or at least he thinks they are until his magic starts getting out of control, and they...don’t seem... surprised. 

(Un)Wanted - Virgil runs straight into a fairy circle to get away from his village. 

And now for some lovely nsfw stuff!!

Janus Finds Out That He Is, In Fact, A Huge Bottom (Shocker) - Janus finds out he’s a bottom when his boyfriends tie him to a chair.

i’ll sink for you - Janus is a master hypnotist and the others like being hypnotized and are horny.

Trend Setter - A bet with his best friend Remy leads to Virgil showing up naked for his boyfriends and filming their reactions.

What You’ve Begging For - Janus is practically asking for Patton to punish him. They all find out how much they like it.

Cry Me A River - Remus cheats on Patton so obviously the only way to get revenge is to video Patton having sexy fun times with his friends in every surface of Remus’s apartment and sending it to him.

Sense5 - Five Guys from different countries suddenly find themselves psychologically linked and able to interact despite having never met each other before.

my desired - Janus is the naga in the woods between four villages that demands their most unwanted be given over. Not for human sacrifice or anything, but apparently no one told Virgil, Logan, Patton, nor Roman that.

For more fun fics recs lists by me check out my Fic Rec Masterlist!