#chekhov writes fanfiction

[thechekhov]

I kind of remember someone asking you that a long time ago, but can't really remember your answer (could be a totally fake memory actually)

Do you have any other stories you wrote and would be ok to share with us? Your writing is amazing!

Oh man.... The truth is, I've written tons of things. Not all of it is good! I've been writing for a long time - both fanfiction and comics. I don't know if I can recommend all of them, and I don't know if you want longer comics or shorter ones, but just as a few examples I guess there's these:

Pearls Before SW1N3 is my first long-form SU AU comic. I started it pre-Single-Pale-Rose. Looking back, the art isn't really all that great, and the story could be better, but I still think of fondly, because it was the first comic I did that surpassed 100 pages!

The Tale of Greatscale is a little comic about a DnD character I never got off the ground. I still think it's a neat venture into original comics for me.

And if you enjoy AUs and know anything about pokemon and Critical Role - I have another pseudo-AU that is basically a mashup of the Mighty Nein and Pokemon.

This is less a story - it's only a few pages. But I still think of this comic as a huge success, because I love the concept. However, I rarely go back to it because every time I look at the comments, I tend to go into a fugue state and commit atrocities.

And of course, if you weren't aware, I kinda accidentally drew uhhhh........ 5 seasons of a Steven Universe AU. Whoops.

I am also possibly maybe trying to work on an original story, a long-form comic. However, I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, so it's still very much being developed.

buuuuut I can't talk about that yet, because otherwise I'll stop working on it.

[gorkaya-trava]

really need to unlearn this "my work isn't perfect so it's awful and cringe" mindset. like if there are things that could be improved it doesn't mean that there is nothing to be proud of. it doesn't mean that there's nothing beautiful and breathtaking in your text. yeah you could've bring that line smoother that turn of phrase better but IT DOESN'T MATTER. like listen girl you're doing everything you can now. there's always something that could have been better but it doesn't mean that you have to choose it over things that are good the way that they are. girl. girl listen girl it's okay if you're not getting pulitzer for your little genshin fic. you don't have to.

[miscmonstro]

The Uno Reverse Adoption Saga 4

First: Chapter 1

Previous: Chapter 3

Next: Chapter 5

Halfa!Trio Au crossover with Batman

Current Characters: Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Danny Fenton, Gotham's Spirit (brief), Jason Todd (mentioned once)

Summary: Forced to attend a gala by her parents as she is every year, Sam Manson was resigned to suffer through the stifling three-night gala until something pulled at her core. The something turned out to be a someone. Just who is Jason Todd and can the trio gain enough of his trust to help him before his struggling proto-core collapses?

Warning for panicking/fear via fear toxin.

👻 {Chapter 4 Below!)

One borrowed artifact usage later found Danny and Tucker tumbling out of the portal created by the infi-map, only saved from face-planting into the rough concrete by the natural levitation afforded them by their ghost forms. Still, when the connection snapped back into place they gasped and almost dropped regardless. It was like someone had yanked the curtains away from a window full of sunlight and their eyes needed to adjust. 

And the fear. The fear was overwhelming.

“Sam!” Tucker and Danny cried, unintentionally in unison.

“Tucker? Danny?”

“Sam what’s wrong? Where are you?” Tucker asked, frantic.

“Tucker…” Sam wavered as a fresh wave of anxiety overcame her, swamping all else with its sheer volume. “Don’t. You can’t come here, it’s too dangerous!”

And then, “I’m going to die again, for real this time. I don’t want to be a full ghost. I don’t want to, not yet.”

She couldn’t leave them behind.

“Sam this isn’t like you at all,” Danny asked with impossibly increasing alarm. They’d faced a lot and never, not once, had Sam expressed her rare hysterics like this. If even the Pariah Dark and Dark Danny incidents didn’t make her cower, then who or what could?

But Sam’s only response was uptick in horror.

“Guys, guys,” she thought desperately. “They’re going to find us.”

Tucker questioned, “Who Sam? Who is-“

Scenes flashed through her mind in rapid succession- men dressed in white and red crystals and sterile lab tables and the saw-

The elder Fentons, looming over them.

They balked, especially Danny. It was everything from their worst waking nightmares.

“Sam!” Tucker barked. “Focus! Where are you right now?” 

Images of the gala poured in.

“Wayne manor,” hissed Danny. “What’s happening there?”

“And how’re we gonna get to Wayne Manor?” Tucker bemoaned. “We don’t know where we are or even have a map of Gotham!”

Danny hesitated, wondering if the PDA would be able to connect to the Fenton satellite like the Ghost Finder. They’d done it once before to reverse-track his parents, but could they use it to find Sam?

As luck would have it, they didn’t need to find out. 

A hazy ectoplasmic figure appeared before the duo, making them tense. It was a ghost, that much was obvious, but there were no defining traits to the haze. The figure flickered under their scrutiny but never cleared. Tucker tried to focus on the rough texture of his jeans and the little particles of dust drifting through the air, anything to take the edge off of Sam’s emotions; the fear was only getting more intense and soon it would be crippling. They couldn’t afford to risk that kind of distraction, especially during a fight. And Sam’s urgent pleas to run, get away were horribly distracting. Knowing this was going to be rough, Tucker grimaced. The figure, thankfully, was not hostile. 

“I can take you to Manes,” they said. Their voice was hardly that, the words barely discernible to human ears. There were screams and wails and crackles and moans, howling winds and cawing crows. 

“No, don’t!” objected Sam.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Danny agreed gratefully and hesitantly. “But uh, who are you?” 

The ‘can we trust you?’ was unspoken.

“Gotham,” they introduced. “It’s an honor to meet you, King Phantom.”

“Great, it’s nice to meet you too,” Danny replied, resisting his urge to awkwardly glance to Tucker. As much as he didn’t like all the ghost king nonsense, he wasn’t above using the title if necessary. If Gotham was a city spirit, then they could be immensely helpful. 

“The map must have brought us here because they could help us,” Tucker reasoned. Working with the knowledge that sometimes the closest portals to a specific location could be anywhere in time and space, they had asked to be taken to the place they could most quickly find their version of Sam. If Gotham could get them to her then they had to trust the spirit, if only because according to the infi-map said spirit could direct them.

“No!” Sam said harshly. “You can’t get caught!”

“So,” Tucker cleared his suddenly dry throat. “Wayne manor?” 

Gotham gurgled and writhed and shot into the sky, Tucker and Danny close behind.

In their heads, Sam screamed her protests.

👻 {Boo!)

Wayne Manor was situated on a hilltop. Tucker was glad gravity didn’t interact with ectoplasmic based organisms in the same way it grounded everything else or they would’ve been out of breath halfway up the incline. As it was they flew with no resistance, three indistinct blurs invisible to living eyes. The manor came into view rapidly to Sam’s vocal dismay and the other two Phantoms scrutinized the building. Wayne manor wasn’t the first manor they’d seen, nor the biggest, but it was still impressive. What was more impressive was the amount of chaos surrounding the manor- cars were scattered about, some on the manicured lawn, several crashed into other cars. There were police vehicles and ambulances too, flashing lights casting sharp beams of bright colored lights into the chaotic dark abyss. The police and medical personnel scuttled every which way, and it was Danny who noted that every single person was equipped with a gas mask of some kind. 

It took Tucker an additional moment to realize that there were figures on the roof. Odd, but currently irrelevant. 

Danny disagreed, registering that they were fighting. Instantly he felt a tug, an urge to investigate and help, but Gotham didn’t stop and dove straight through one of the outer walls. Immediately Danny put the rooftop quarrel aside and didn’t hesitate to follow the city spirit, not when Sam needed them. It was a good thing too as the mansion was a maze, or it would’ve been if they hadn’t been able to bypass the walls. Still, there were many rooms and without Gotham it would’ve taken them minutes to find Sam. Minutes they might not have. Perhaps realizing that her protests were for naught now that they were so close, Sam quieted down her verbal thoughts, though her fear never abated.

There were guests flung about the various rooms in groups of two and three, cowering and whimpering. Their wide eyes darted and skittered around, tracking nothing. 

“What’s wrong with them?” Danny asked, frowning as they passed a hiccupping girl. 

It was then that Tucker’s attention turned sharp as he automatically tried to find an answer to Danny's question. It was a habit of his, to try and find answers, and his effort proved fruitful as he saw the faint, yellowish tint in the air. “It’s some kind of gas,” he realized. While the people outside had masks, everyone within the manor was bare faced. He wondered if that was why Sam was so afraid. Aloud to Gotham he asked, “So what’s with this yellow mist?”

“Fear triggering gas,” Gotham rasped, “new variant.”

Tucker took that to be an affirmative.

“What, is that some kind of neurotoxin?” Danny mused. 

“Dude, how should I know?” Aloud he remarked, “That explains the masks.”

“But we’re unaffected… do you think going ghost would help Sam?” Danny asked hopefully.

Sam’s presence, petrified and passively lurking, jumped at her name. Still, there was no commentary nor impression from her besides the disconcerting dread.

Tucker mentally shook his head, both as a negative and to refocus. “I don’t know. We haven’t breathed in any of the stuff, and even if we had, the gas wouldn’t be able to find anything to interact with since, you know, ghost biology. Sam’s already infected though so who knows if going ghost would help.”

With a determined frown Danny replied, “We have to try.” 

When they phased through the next wall they were met with a large, ornate room full of people. Even with the crowd the two Amity boys spotted Sam hurriedly and rushed past Gotham to her. She was standing, one of the few who still seemed able to, and the haze was noticeably thicker here than it had been in any of the halls. Besides the hazardous vapor there didn’t seem to be any danger, and for that the two were grateful, especially Tucker. 

Sam was, as she’d been continually expressing, unhappy that they were there, unjustifiable distress clouding any rational thought. Danny and Tucker looked at one another. They’d been so caught up in getting to Sam and now that they were here, they didn’t quite know what to do.

“Can she phase the gas out?” wondered Danny. Images and memories flickered by, unified by the idea that they could phase out bullets and debris and other miscellaneous things. 

“I dunno?” replied Tucker, though they both knew Danny wasn’t asking, rather brainstorming aloud.

“It’s better than nothing,” Danny decided. “You gotta go ghost Sam.”

The girl shook her head frantically. “No,” she said, the denial echoing in their thoughts. Her eyes swiveled around the room, looking at nothing.

“Please?” asked Tucker. 

Danny made a thoughtful noise and then reached out a hand, carefully taking hold of Sam’s tense shoulder. Tucker understood his plan moments before it happened, in tandem with Danny as he settled upon his own actions. It wasn’t something they did often, but extending their phasing to objects was possible as it was with people. Danny hoped to phase Sam out of the gas since she wouldn’t, or couldn’t, do it herself. His ectoplasmic energy rippled out, entwining with Sam’s own and shifting her a few degrees away from the regular world. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to help and at a loss, he gave a mental nudge through the bond. What else could they do? 

Sam’s insistence they leave grew louder again and Tucker glanced around, trying to see if there were any doors or windows they could open to dissipate the fumes. Danny glanced to Gotham, who had been hovering idly. “Do you know if we can do anything to help?”

Gotham echoed physically, like lapping waves oscillating in five dimensions, and sank into the floor.

“Gee, thanks,” Danny huffed. 

After a disgruntled second Tucker pointed out, “Intangibility isn’t the same as going ghost. Swapping your biology might just do the trick. Come on Sam, you can do it!”

But Sam didn’t want to- Batman, the GIW, the elder Fentons, her own parents- they couldn’t risk it, she couldn’t risk it with the two boys right there. She downright refused to put a target on them. 

Danny pointed out that he and Tucker were already in ghost mode so it was sort of a moot point. What was one more? 

That made Sam react. She went ghost, the white rings appearing around her and swapping out her human features for that of her ghost form. She grabbed their wrists and flew, yanking them along as she went shooting through one of the grand windows and out of the mansion altogether, a tattoo of ‘escape-escape-escape’ beating in her head.

“Whoa!” Danny screeched. Tucker decided that, if he’d been human then, he’d have thrown up. Unexpectedly going from a standstill to traveling around 200 miles an hour had that effect.

The two let Sam drag them, unsure of what else to do right then. Danny had dense ectoplasm and between him and Tucker they would be able to stop Sam’s mad flight, but then what? They were still too near the manor and Gotham in general for comfort, not to mention that if they made Sam stop she might decide to fight them. They couldn’t risk a ghost fight outside of Amity. 

The dilemma was quickly resolved; it hadn’t taken a full thirty seconds before Sam’s thoughts cleared. It felt like someone had dumped ice water over her human self. The link was flooded with confusion, then embarrassment, then anger, and then finally tempered resentment. Feelings akin to the notion that she shouldn’t have gotten caught like that crawled along the link, the tumultuous ricochets of which were only just beginning to subside now that they were all close together.

Without the intense emotions and the frantic rush to assist Sam it swiftly became apparent that the experience had been draining. Sam was still twitchy and high strung and the boys’ cores were rattling discontentedly. 

“We’ve all been caught off guard,” Tucker pointed out, trying to assuage Sam’s agitated thoughts. “It happens.”

“Not to mention that it’s gas. Who would’ve expected that during a party?” Danny added. At the flat feeling from Sam he amended, “A party outside of Amity and anywhere ghost infested.”

“Guys, I know. I just need to process,” Sam sniped, slightly defensive. She didn’t like her own weakness and never had.

The trio of halfas hovered there for a moment, high in the dark cloudy sky. Sam’s broken camera floated in front of her, the straps around her neck preventing it from drifting away. She watched the few strange reflections the scant light cast on the dimly glowing casing and let the link sink into a more stable state. 

“We need to go back.”

That was Danny’s thought, vague impressions of maskless people and the rooftop quarrel snaking through his statement. They were rapidly overshadowed by the more solid and practical concepts running through Sam’s mind. They needed to go back because she was supposed to be there and have been there the entire time, and even if they didn’t always get along she couldn’t leave her parents in danger.

Tucker shared his memory of the yellow tinged halls. There hadn’t been immediate danger to the guests as far as they knew and besides, what could they do to help except dissipate the gas?

In response Sam shot back with a memory of her own. The gala crashers had been armed and willing to hurt people. And what had happened to the hostages? 

While Tucker processed that new piece of info Danny obligingly pointed out that they could overshadow the crashers, free the hostages, and turn them in.  

Sam’s interest spiked, Tucker’s head snapped up, and in between one flash of dry lightning and the next, a plan began to form.

👻 {Boo!)

The plan almost immediately went awry.

“There’s a ghost,” Danny hissed as they returned to the Wayne property, a faint wisp of blue escaping his mouth. A moment later Sam and Tucker exhaled yellow and silver respectively.

Tucker groaned. “Great.”

With years of practice they quickly took inventory, shooting images and scattered words and impressions back and forth. Fortunately, though Sam didn’t have much, Tucker and Danny had rushed straight to the Wayne property from their trip to the Ghost Zone and as a result had a few gadgets that could be utilized against ghosts. Danny tossed Sam the spare thermos he’d packed and a wrist ray.

“Tucker and me on ghost confrontation, Danny you free the hostages,” Sam said, catching the thermos and ray with a nod. 

Danny mentally paused for an instant and then sent a swift confirmation. He tended to be more battle oriented than the other two, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t hold their own. In this situation, so far out of Amity, they needed subtly and Danny was anything but. Overshadowing the crashers was something he could do that wouldn’t immediately scream, “Look! Ghosts!” to the world.

“I’d say good luck but we’ve got this,” Tucker said, projecting a confidence he didn’t quite feel. 

They split up after that, Sam and Tucker roving the outside and inside of the mansion, searching for the ghost with an intense, single minded focus that only ghosts could have. Danny, invisible and intangible, floated over to an ambulance, hoping to find information on the captives. 

There was a lot of chatter to sift through including the numerous reports and updates about the fight on the rooftop, which seemed to have turned into some kind of Mexican-standoff. He perked up upon hearing that the hostage was one of the Wayne kids and drifted closer to the officer who had mentioned it.

“… yeah. Yeah. Have you seen Red Robin yet?” the officer demanded into the talkie he had, eyes scanning the surrounding mayhem. Then the officer scoffed. “I’ll take the witness accounts later, or better yet, make Don do it. I- hello? Hello?”

As the officer shook the device with clear aggression Danny realized that he’d gotten too close and the talkie had shorted out. 

Still, what he’d overheard was alarming.

“We might have Batman and team nearby,” he cautioned. “Heads up.”

Tucker was going to say something, likely along the lines of ‘damn, we’re all screwed’ but was interrupted by a mental scowl and elbow from Sam. 

He wasn’t wrong though, and Danny chewed his lip. Batman was famous for his detective skills. They had to tread extra carefully now. The dreadful sound of a flatline interrupted his thoughts and with a wince, Danny backed further away from the vehicles lest he accidentally interfere with the various medical electronics in the ambulances. He circled around, trying to get as close to the cop cars as possible to continue listening in. 

Meanwhile, Sam wove through and around the mansion furiously, her disquiet and anger fueling her pace. Tucker took a different approach, opting to borrow a phone someone had dropped as a focus and reaching out, searching for anything odd. 

“The roof!” Danny suddenly remarked. “The hostages are on the roof with the crashers. There are a few police officers up there too, and two heroes.”

“These guys didn’t plant a bomb or anything, right? ‘Cause there’s a lot of power underneath the house, and it’s not coming from the main power line,” Tucker said.

Danny combed through what he’d heard once more before replying, “Not that I know of-“

“I found the ghost,” Sam interrupted. There was something off in her voice that the boys couldn’t quite place. Sam herself didn’t know either, but it was vaguely unsettling.

“Where are they at?” Danny questioned, heading to the roof.

“He’s fighting the heroes. The hostages are on the other side of the roof but he’s bottlenecking the rescue attempts with the gas and blocking anyone who gets past it.”

Tucker arrived as Danny did and the ghost was immediately obvious.

It was a humanoid ghost with spindly, straw-like hair and a disturbingly stitched face with no nose. The limbs were entirely out of proportion, impossibly long and stick-like, and it was difficult to tell where the sewn skin began and where the tattered, patched clothes ended. His bulging eyes glowed a miasmic yellow and tied around his neck was the distinct form of a noose.

“He can’t see us or he’ll blow our cover wide open,” Danny warned.

“More heroes incoming,” Tucker added, spying more of the local vigilantes approaching. “Just what we needed!” 

Sam cursed, feeling a faint and familiar ping in her core. “Jason’s nearby too. He must be a hostage.”

The trio felt a strong, shared sense of exasperation. Yet again it seemed that Murphy’s Law had decided to make things as complicated as possible.

“Of course. Sure. We’re the Phantoms so why not?” Tucker lamented.

After a moment Danny declared, “Somehow I think I should blame Clockwork for this.”

“Seconded,” Sam huffed.

“Thirded,” chimed Tucker. 

A dimension away, a time adjacent ghost sneezed. 

👻 {Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.)

Taglist time! If you want to be added, just say so!

@depressed-bitchy-demon @dp-marvel94 @birbtails @mr-lancers-english-class @miraculousandmore @iglowinggemma28 @manapeer @azzysflowergarden @notwhat-i-seemtobe @whobee7 @trippingovermyfeet @stormhaven257 @imsociallyanxiousgetoverit @passivedecept @lovetheryu @ever-after-aaa @mysteriousooze @wegetitethan @cyber-geist

Someone had asked if this is on AO3 and it is! I only have one AO3 account but I have a few side blogs to keep my fandoms organized. This has led me to start posted my works anonymously in collections with names linked to my blogs. This one is in the collection called Miscmonstro Incognito and the fic is still named No Title Yet.

Next: Chapter 5

[semidecentpoet]

Let’s see if I’m doing this right—

[veterancoffeemaker]

Oh? You think that was a pretty good Chekhov’s gun I set up there? Haha, yes, of course I planned it out! It’s not letting just happened to form a vaguely cohesive plot out of the random plot pieces I assembled earlier, noooo, that would be silly!

“how do you plot / plan your book?” very bold of you to assume i do that.

[justlettheraincome]

The one thing about fanfiction I love most is how it doesn't need to fire Chekhov's gun.

For everyone who doesn't know this principle, it basically states: "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired."

I feel like modern media takes this to the extreme, up to the point where I will flinch at every mention of a possible "gun", because I know they will fire it later and I dread the moment.

In fanfiction, it just doesn't happen. Or it's not given that it happens. Some guns are fired, some not. Yes, this minor character appears and will continue their normal life after we met them. They don't have to die for shock value. Some things are there, just to be there. And that's fine.

Not to say, that fanfiction can't be concise and focused on the things that are relevant for the story. But it's also okay to write about something because it's there and you wanted to include it. I appreciate that. A lot.

[marislittlethings]

more fics from my notes app that i'll never write

reprise: a marauders band au loosely based on jane austen novels. I have so many thoughts (persuasion wolfstar, pride&prejudice jegulus, northanger abbey dorlene, and two additional sapphic ships that i have never seen before- including a character i have never seen before that has basically zero basis in canon) mostly i will not be writing this because i'm lazy and it's intimidating

all roads (lead to you): a christmas jily fic based on tis the damn season & dorothea by taylor swift. this would actually not take me that much time to write, except for the fact that every time i try, i end up getting hopelessly lost in the backstory. i don't think i'll ever get it to the stage where it's presentable enough for the general public unfortunately

russian roulette: honestly this one isn't getting written because i don't actually have a plot or fandom for it. the idea is that each chapter has its own chekhov's gun but it only gets fired once, like russian roulette

the fires at delphi: a relatively short (maybe 30k) pandora/xeno fix-it fic that focuses on Pandora being a seer... i have a vague idea of the plot but honestly i just don't have a great read on either character (writing luna in guard dog was a constant struggle) so this is never going to see the light of day

untitled yoi fic: canon divergence from Sochi, vicchan lives, something about yuuri being a baby bird? ngl, i wrote my idea for this while i was high so i'm actually not clear on what this was, which is why i'm not writing it but i think yuuri was going to skate to a lana del rey song

[glorfys-glorioushair]

Things of being a Spy x Family fan that makes me crazy and potentially foam at the mouth:

- the concise messages and themes of war, peace, and how everyone is affected by them

- Endo's incredible usage of short term amd long term Chekhov's gun (the monocle y'all THE MONOCLE)

- the complexity of every character (even ones who could be considered side characters) being surprisingly 3D which is seems to be so uncommon in Shonen these days

- the amount of theorizing that leads to the desire to attach a tin foil hat directly to my brain 🧠

- Endo being a phenomenal writer and the fact he probably has to go on hiatus some weeks so he can REREAD his past chapters to influence the newest one (TIGHT KNIT STORYTELLING Y'ALL)

- the overwhelming need to write 100 analysis at once when the new chapter comes out

- the FANART the FANFICTION the CORE of this community being WHOLESOME and INTUITIVE

- JUST EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIES what a beautiful masterclass of manga 🤧🥹

Please feel free to add moreeeee

[ineffablyruined]

Chekhov's Contract

Back again for Day 3 of the Nice and Accurate Prophecies event.

How Will Our Hero Cope?

Today, we let's talk about Crowley. Within the span of a few hours, Crowley has gone to Heaven and learned of another plotted End of the World, watched the closest thing he has to an archnemesis (Gabriel) run off with his demon love of a meager four years and suffer no consequences for it, and left his heart shattered on the floor of the bookshop as the love of his life chooses a job promotion over him. He's not doing great. So what is in store for Crowley in Season 3?

It's honestly hard to predict because there is just so much open space to play with. He could do anything and not one of us would be surprised.

Sleep for a century? There's precedent. Get extremely drunk for weeks on end? That's on brand. Go tit for tat and take a leadership position in Hell just to cancel out Aziraphale in Heaven? Seems unlikely, but I also wouldn't be surprised at that level of petty lashing out.

But I did find one thing. At least, I think I did.

There was, I have now convinced myself, a Chekhov's Gun in Season 2 that I haven't seen anyone talking about. (Apologies if you're out there screaming and I just haven't seen it. I did try searching!)

When Beelzebub kidnaps Crowley from the Bentley and takes him to Hell to discuss the Gabriel situation, they make an offer to Crowley that Crowley later accepts. And what is that?

Find Gabriel for me and you can have whatever your nasty little heart desires.

And what does Crowley do in Episode 6? Finds the writing on the box that tells everyone Gabriel is in the fly. He finds Gabriel for Beelzebub.

Just to emphasize that again - Crowley fulfills his side of a verbal contract forged with the Grand Duke of Hell.

He's now owed whatever his heart desires. And as we've seen, Heaven and Hell operate like businesses. Contracts must be fulfilled. (Excuse me while my little lawyer-nerd heart sings over here.)

And we also know that he's aware that Heaven has plans for Armageddon 2.0.

Where he would absolutely deserve to wallow after all the utter bullshit drama he's gone through, I don't believe that's Crowley (no matter how much fun it makes to write in fanfiction). Crowley isn't just going to sit back and watch the world burn.

In the past, when Crowley has wanted to run away, it's only ever been with Aziraphale. Sure, he threatens he's going to head to Alpha Centauri even when Actually rejects the offer, but he doesn't do it.

And now? Running away with Aziraphale isn't an option because he's gone.

Crowley has nothing left to lose. So he's going to throw his entire self into saving the world, with reckless disregard for his own safety.

And he's going to have a blank check from Hell to do it.

[lovelyelbowleech]

Hi! This entire thing will read as very ramble-y, so warning in advance. I read All's Fair in like 2 days and I am absolutely in love. Like its maybe the best fanfiction I ever read. I really, really adore your usage of writing techniques; more specifically, your characterization and your usage of Chekhov's gun. I really don't think I've seen anyone use either of those things as nearly well as you do. I find myself analyzing every last sentence, because there's always a little bit of information about a character or a small thing that hints to something bigger. I have genuinely fallen in love with every single character you have written - or at least, for those more deplorable characters, I have grown to appreciate their role in such an incredible story. Every character is like a string in a web with how they're all so interconnected. The best part is just how *unique* every relationship is!!! No singular relationship is exactly the same. Everything offers something different, and I enjoy every little nuance in their interactions. Also, the way you've expanded on the world building??? It's realistic and heart-wrenching, and it's such an amazing portrayal of everything from war to politics to trauma!!! It's incredible, you're incredible, and this story will forever hold a place in my heart. I really can't wait to see what more you and this wonderful world you've built have to offer, because I know it's going to continue to be the most amazing thing I've ever read over and over again. You've really inspired me to grow as a writer, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Thank you so much for this lovely comment, it really made my day when I needed the boost! ❤️ I am glad to hear you have been enjoying the fic so much, and I really hope you continue to enjoy it going forward!

Thanks again!

[eybefioro]

Weekly fic rec, by yours truly...

Even after all this, you still have time. It's cold, but soon enough, the season will change. We watch the snow fall, the days going by. We share stories, we get warm by the fireplace. There's still time, and there's still your favourite restaurant down the road. There's still your favourite show, there's still the hug from a loved one. There's still everything that makes time worthwhile.

on the same page by Chekhov

Rated E, ~118k words.

My tags: satisfying, entrancing, hopeful.

Summary

Aziraphale Z. Fell is a rising star of the spiritual literary genre - the next Eat Pray Love guy - and his version of Chicken Soup For the Christian Soul is flying off the shelves. It's not that he's not grateful, but it's one thing to enjoy a career in writing and another completely to be pigeonholed into a specific genre, so much so that you are almost forbidden from writing anything else. So yes, maybe he has a bit of a secret. An outlet for his less... appropriate urges. And yes, if his typical readership got word of the sort of paragraphs he could put out on a particularly inspired night, they might suffer some form of heart attack typical for their age. But all of that is well hidden, and there is absolutely no way anyone would ever find out about his Arrangement with A.J. Crowley - the most debaucherous romantic fiction author of the decade. That is... until they have to pretend to be married to each other.

I love me some long human AU. I love to read these long ones and let myself just fall into the story, see how everything develops, really dedicate some time to it, and immerse myself in this new universe. See the characters that we know so well in a complete different context but still being somewhat the same.

And this one does it so, so well. Crowley and Aziraphale are so true to their characters in this fic, and it's spun in such a way that even though it's a completely different background and situation, it's still so them. It's still the same story. Still the same absurd longing and dancing around that we see, and that's so wonderful! Idk how the author did it, but it's so impressive. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's necessary to be accurate to the characters for a fanfic to be good. I feel like in every fic, they will be different, and that's GOOD. Fandom is a sandbox for us to play in. Nonetheless, I will say it again, this fic is impressive in that sense; their motivations, their story, their situation, the way they talk, how they think... it's very true to them. Besides that, the characters are all so well written. They feel real.

I love how the story is told. You don't get the whole picture at first, you don't understand their whole situation and relationship. You get feed details slowly, in the moments where they are needed, and just by the end you actually are able to sit and see it all. It's so engaging, and makes you understand both points of view. Why and how they endured all this time, all this longing.

Also, the thing about both of them being authors and writing each others books, and meeting through fanfiction? That was so genius. It scratched my brain so well. It's just so fitting, the whole arrangement is so well constructed. Aziraphale’s relationships with Gabriel, church and family is so well described. You can really get his way of thinking, and the choice he and Crowley constantly make to Not Talk About It, the one that makes you want to shove them in a room and make them fucking communicate, is... is totally understanble by the end. I was like, yeah, if I was in this situation I'd probably do the same, even if it makes me mad. I could relate a lot to Aziraphale and understand his thinking (although that may not be a surprise lol).

On that note: the use of the fake marriage trope is so well implemented and fits with the characters in the story in such a way that is uncanny. It really feels like something they'd think it's reasonable to do. This is such a idiotXidiot story it's infuriating in the best fucking away. It's so in sync with both seasons of the show, and it was written before season 2! But don't worry they end up together. It's like the author spun that and actually gave some closure, and made them fucking talk LMAO

Also, this fic deals with some sensitive topics, especially homophobia and its consequences, but it's done in such a sensible manner. Yes, they face some pretty bad shit (especially Aziraphale in the past), but they aren't told in a violent (?) manner? Like, the violence is not romanticised, it's not there for us bawl over. The characters deal with it and are triumphant in the end. They are resilient and strong, and even if they suffer because of homophobia, they get to rebuilt their lives and be happy. They get their good ending, and they win.

The writing in this fic is also incredible. I metaphors are delicious, the way the feelings are described, and how everything develops. It's just such a good read, keeping you on your toes. It's funny, it's sad, it's infuriating (as I said before, in a good way), it's hopeful, it's beautiful, it's hot. It's many things at the same time, but above all, it's satisfying. It makes you go through all those emotions with the characters, but by the end, you get to see them happy, free, and communicating. It's delightful writing. Really. There are some paragraphs that I will be thinking for a long time because they hit HARD.

This fic is like balancing craving and indulgence, like having a bar of chocolate that you just eat a little piece every day, because you want to make it last, only to then notice that you can buy more if you want to. It's like a good, deserved piece of cake that tastes like happiness.

[thecoramaria]

How to foreshadow without predictability?

Thanks for your ask, Peratrice!

So first I'd like to say that a fanfic (or any story really) being predictable doesn't always mean it's bad. I think the frustration people have with predictable storytelling is when the story still expects you to be surprised, which makes the reader feel like they're being talked down to. That's why, if you feel like your story is too predictable, it's better to repackage a plot twist as dramatic irony instead.

But of course, sometimes you want to foreshadow a plot twist or reveal, and that can be great too! As I'm sure we all know, foreshadowing is important to prevent a plot twist from feeling contrived or coming out of nowhere. We all want it to be the moment where the reader smacks themselves on the forehead and goes "Oh my god, that's what this all was!" Unfortunately, it's impossible to write a plot twist in such a way that every reader will have that reaction, but I'll get more into that later.

So when it comes to plot twists and foreshadowing, other resources will talk about things like hiding your foreshadowing in plain sight, using red herrings, or having your foreshadowing also seem to serve another purpose in the narrative, all of which are great techniques that you should research.

But since this is a fanfic writing advice blog, I'd like to focus on one big advantage our medium has:

Readers come into each story assuming canon is the default.

Yes, even in AUs to a degree, though I will admit this tip is best applied to stories that are still rather grounded in the canon world as opposed to, say, a coffee shop AU. That means you have a full banquet of pre-existing expectations that you can twist and subvert. Unless you tell them or imply otherwise, the reader will always assume that two characters are besties like they are in canon, or have the same powers and abilities, or the world is mostly the same.

That means a great way to foreshadow in fanfiction specifically without giving anything away is to allow the reader to believe those default aspects of canon, while also sprinkling in some hints for your twist. You reader will be so sure that you're sticking to a canon element that when you don't, they'll be gobsmacked in the best way!

To use an example from my own work, I have a story that is presented as diverging from canon after the first cutscene, but is still very much grounded in the canon world and lore. Therefore, readers expected me to follow said lore instead of change it. It was the perfect set up to have my OC villain awaken a sacred power that one of the heroes would typically awaken in canon.

Now, I still primed readers to my divergences from canon by having a princess already be crowned queen and married (the canon hero and the OC villain respectively), and I employed red herrings and made sure to provide a detailed explanation of the lore this story was abiding by (since canon is also pretty inconsistent so I needed to set things straight), but my readers were so sure that the canon character would awaken this power that when my villain did instead, they were shocked! But it also made sense.

Now, no matter what, no one is going to react to a plot twist the same way. Some people are better at picking up on foreshadowing. Some people have read so much that they know all the tropes and clichés. Some people have a greater understanding of storycraft: they can spot the Chekhov's guns or they know what needs to happen next to jumpstart the tension or fulfill a character's arc. I had one reader predict another one of my subverting-canon plot twists and they explained how they knew with such a great understanding of storytelling that I was really impressed, and guess what? They still loved that twist! They had the satisfying moment of "I knew it!" which to me means that even though the twist was predictable for them, it was still executed well.

So yeah, there's my answer. Hope this helps!

[qoldenskies]

Taking a break from homework to ask 11, 12, and 30 from that ask game you reblogged (I’m super super interested in the way other people go about writing their fics lolol 🙏)

YIPPEEEEE

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

truthfully it kind of depends! whenever i write i tend to have The Scene in mind and if i get impatient i'll usually write it, but i try to avoid doing it because i notice it messes with flow (but flow and pacing is something im just very conscious of, even though i observe that because im writing it my brain is reading it faster/skimming so its partially a me problem LOL)

in caged lungs im skipping around only because im trying to go with a draft format instead of editing as i go, since its so long itll help when i see everything connected, and there's a few scenes i plan on changing/rewriting completely when i get it all out. technically everything ive posted up to this point is a first draft, and its a habit i hope to break !!

12. Do you outline your fics? If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

i doooo yes, its mostly just a list of things/interactions i know i want. for cvd i have plans for up to chapter 9/10 or so, and just a bunch of scripts/concepts for later. with canary continuity i have a description for each scene on the google doc and i just add the content in as i go, with my actual notepad (thing i discovered i had on my laptop and have been using liberally) i mostly have quotes and passages i want to put in the story

and also for cc in particular im keeping really close track of the motifs and how i want to work them back around. already thinking about the healing part of the arc and implanting scenes/chekhovs guns that are going to loop back around WAY down the line is very funny... i actually do some of this for cvd too, i love to write intentionally like that.... i am weirdly pretentious and earnest about my turtle fanfiction. people have no idea what im going to do with that lamp and i bide my time. also the clocks. and the laundry room. and the ocean (actually that one's fine its just a parallel). and the rooftop. and the cameras oh my god the cameras. i plan on committing so many horrors

really just things i know i WANT to be consistent with is the biggest thing i keep track of (although sometimes things will just pop up AS i'm writing and i roll with the punches, like the security system being a metaphor in coming undone, and also all of the very intentional trust fall parallels and the way it conveniently worked with the chapter names. fun fact for metaphors, i REALLY planned to expand on the chess thing between leo and donnie but it messed with the pacing so im keeping it for cvd.... ive got some ideas)

OH EXCEPT FOR THAT SEP AU IVE VAGUELY TALKED ABOUT. i have EVERY SINGLE chapter plotted out, its 52 chapters long. i am NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW its a far in the future thing. but its also the only au i have that isnt like,,, specifically canon divergent, so i wanted to pay close attention to how i set things up. 4 later (currently the working name for it is where we went wrong, after the song by the hush sound, and honestly im tempted to keep it because it makes the acronym wwww which is beautifully ironic because they take NOTHING BUT LS ITS JUST ONE AFTER ANOTHER OH MY GOD)

30. How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft?

OH I KIND OF ALREADY ANSWERED THIS ABOVE OOPS. im trying to break out of the habit but i mostly just grammar correct through google docs and then throw out the first draft haphazardly, and it can kinda come off polished anyway because i tend to edit as i go. sometimes it means i'll fix mistakes in fics like a month after releasing them, impatience is my Weakness

wow i yap a lot LMFAO the yapperrrr

[octoberautumnbox]

Hi Box, I'm starting out as a writer and I want to ask you, how do you feel about using AI in writing? Thanks!

Hi anon! If you write yuri, pls be sure to tag me! Also reach out thru dm or discord if u wanna chat more hehe

This is a very long answer kinda, so I'll put keep reading here so everyone who isn't interested can keep scrolling along :)

I'm actually pretty against AI in writing, in all aspects but especially in fanfiction. Bad example, but imagine this:

The room is a grand space, standing at a height of 10 meters from floor to ceiling, exuding an air of elegance and spaciousness. Its walls rise up to meet the ceiling in a seamless blend of architecture, creating an expansive area that feels both imposing and welcoming. The smooth marble floor stretches out beneath, gleaming softly under the ambient lighting. Its surface is pristine, free from any imperfections, offering a mirror-like reflection of the room's surroundings. The cool touch of the marble underfoot adds a sense of luxury and sophistication to the space. (ChatGPT)

and

The high ceilings give off the impression of royalty, and you're sure you could shoot a bullet straight up and have it fall back down before it hits anything. Your shoes clack and slide on the smooth floor, and you wonder how anyone would keep their balance when each step you take is nearly a slip yourself. (OctoberAutumnBox)

Perspective is a powerful thing in writing, and showing how the environment affects a character or how interactions take place within it is a clear way to follow what's going on. That leads me to my next point:

Remember Chekhov's Gun, anon! Some may argue they use AI to write the boring or unnecessary parts, but I say to that, there are no boring or unnecessary parts! If your phone wasn't on silent in the start, you never would have missed her calls by the end.

There's just some stuff AI can't capture for you, and you're much better off growing as a writer (or artist or whatever really) without using it. Do reach out, I promise I don't bite ahahaha just lmk if you need help with writing and I'll do my best to lend a hand :)

However I do wanna say this might be a polarizing opinion, and ultimately if you choose to use AI then I don't have any authority at all to tell you to stop. I just think that writing is a very fun activity and I'm advocating that you give your writing muscles as much practice as you can!

[earthtooz]

hello! i love your works so much everything you write is perfect! i stopped writing more than a year ago but reading your works inspired me to write again 😊 it’s crazy how we are the same age but our level of writing is completely different, yours blew my mind 🤯🤯🤯 (in a good way!!!!!) i was wondering if you could give me some tips to improve my writing as i feel like i’m lacking in many departments (if you’re comfortable in doing so, ofc!) thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

this ask was send march 5th, and i'm happy to report that four months later, for the first time in a while, i think i'm finally at a point in my writing where i'm confident giving out tips that are not generic and stock standard. i do not know if anon is going to ever see this, but i hope you do, and i hope that you're still as inspired to write as you were when you sent this :) a lot can happen in four months!!

i'm just going to get straight into it. you'll find that the further you go, the more... catered the advice might be to you (it's long, and maybe a bit rambly, but i hope it’s useful in some sort of way 🥲)

# ONE - THE MOST BASICS:

the most DEVASTATING thing you can do for your writing is not have a purpose for each scene or snippet you write. give your scenes a point, don't let them be just images that you sit on the document to take up space! are you trying to prove that character x oc's relationship is growing? are you trying to show that it's breaking apart? are you trying to set up the character as someone who's beginning to fall in love and hates it? give everything a purpose. every word must be linked to your intention.

you know what they say about chekhov's gun, if you are going to mention some little thing, give it a purpose later! you mention reader likes sweaters? let character give them a sweater! this works in many-a-ways.

this all comes down to the planning, which i would give tips on, but i'm writing this part too late. i'm also trying to keep this first part brief because this is a very long post.

for english speakers, the second most devastating thing is to not know your grammar LOL (i cannot criticise those who speak another language as their first! kudos to you, keep doing what you're doing.)

# TWO - FIND YOUR STYLE: easier said than done, but it's an essential part of any art. writing takes time, and only time will evolve your skill and therefore, your style. if you do not like what you write off the bat and believe you are 'lacking' in some departments (no such thing, there is room to improve instead of being 'incapable' of doing something), then i always turn to some of my favourite authors, whether they are published or another fanfiction writer, turn to them and study them. DO NOT PLAGIARISE, just try and emulate what you see from their works and put them into your works, with your own sense of individual style.

i have my list of esteemed tumblr writings that i look up to, as well as writers that i adore. ocean vuong will always be one of my favourite writers, i listen to him frequently when i am stumped by my own writibg. he has this sort of creative aura that drips of his own idiosyncrasy that inspires me every time i try to listen to him, him just speaking calms and invigorates me so much.

so yeah, find your writer, and learn from them :)

# THREE - THE 'DEPARTMENTS': the departments that i have included are:

characterisation

dialogue

description and artistic expression (this one is long, bear with me.)

like i said earlier, there are indeed departments are writing that we all have room to improve in. i will talk about the few that i might find specific to fanfic writing because i am nothing like an actual author :,)

characterisation: a fickle little thing T^T the worst thing ever. to characterise properly means you know the character like it's your own, but in fanfiction that's just truly not possible :,) so i can try and give you my own tips on how i deal with characterisation.

listen to the english dub (or your first language) - DON'T CRUCIFY ME. PLEASE. BUT LET ME SPEAK. for my fellow fluent english speakers, listening to a dub in a language we do not understand can only go so far in the way we understand a character. when listening to english, we hear the intricate ways of their tone and personalities work, and what kind of dialogue best flows with them (toji fushiguro is excluded from this. never listen to that man's english dub.). when i was writing for bakugou- he's not the hardest character to understand, but with the help of the english dub, the dialogue that i wrote for him flowed a lot easier than if i had just tried to internalise his jp dub. he's gruff, and rude, and cocky, and his english va captures that in quite an adorable way! ofc you can never just ignore the original, the original is there to provide you the blueprint, but sometimes a little help explaining the blueprint goes a long way !!

characterisation can also be perfected through the subtle changes in dialogue that you see. a big part of character is how they talk, and even just the subtlest of changes can go far. let me start with the example "this is a really bad idea." if i were writing itoshi rin, then i would change the sentence fit to his speech and embody how he'd actually react to a 'bad idea'. he's curt, doesn't say more than necessary, and unashamed to be cold so he'd probably just say "this is stupid." before walking away LMAOO if i were writing someone like gojo, then the sentence also changes too. he doesn't mind talking and adding more to his point, so i would write something like: "you sure? this doesn't seem like the brightest idea." and if i'm really trying to sell a romantic relationship, i'd add a 'sweetheart' there or something.

dialogue: this is a personalised experience, so as is everything in writing. i have been complimented on my flow and dialogue a lot of the time but in truth, i am merely having a conversation with myself in my head. i try to become the character i am writing about and then i just chat with myself :3 it can be that simple. dialogue does not need to be something you over-complicate, i am my own, ethical character.ai.

description and artistic expression: look, i can't say much on this one except that you're all on your own. i am still trying to perfect my own skills in this department because this is perhaps one of my most vexing parts of writing. i truly am just not... as poetic and imaginative as i want my words to be, but i am trying and i am improving.

my biggest tip regarding description and artistry is: if the reader can imagine it, you don't need to write it. you don't need to fill in the gaps with actual scenes, if your characters are walking through the park as a filler for getting from destination A to B, then that park scene does not need to be as descriptive as A or B. a mere 'you took a shortcut through the park' will suffice. or even better, just go straight from A to B.

say my 'A' scene is starting at a cafe, and my 'B' scene is going to the mall, you could just go 'calling for the waitress to get the bill, you then find yourself in the mall within 15 minutes'. spend time on the gaps that require a bridge to cross, not the gaps that you can merely step over.

these kind of things appear in your planning and admittedly, i don't even plan ROFLLL but i have primary scenes that i have sketched out which i sometimes add to. like spider webs, when going from one thread to another, sometimes the journey is not all that important if it does nothing for your plot.

again, i find inspiration in a lot of the writers i look up to. a recurring motif is something i love adding, whether that be dialogue or a recurring item that symbolises something (like the hairband in between love and lies - a nagi fic). techniques like motifs or an extended metaphor add a lot of depth in your writing that you can't find otherwise. you can also omit going too over the board with reader's emotions too, or just the character's. if it's obvious that they are angry, sad, happy, you don't need to go too far in detail about said emotions.

another so crucial thing is to take note of the things you see in real life and apply it in fiction. the most mundane of things you are doing can have beauty in words.

are you at the beach? why don't you take a look around. tell me about the people that sit on towels, minding their own business. tell me about the way the sun sits high in the sky, unforgiving and burning before going into the main plot.

are you sitting on a bench, killing time? tell me about the breeze you feel, or perhaps the heat that overwhelms you. tell me about what you hear- bikes, children laughing, whilst you're waiting for your date to show up- all of these minute things, so long as you don't go overboard, will matter a lot to the imagination of the reader!

# FOUR: TAKE CARE OF AND LOVE WHAT YOU WRITE writing will always be hard :,) not a single draft goes by where i do not find inconsistencies and flaws, but i love them all the same. i love the drafts that i read over once and posted and i also love the drafts that i poured blood, sweat, and tears into. neither of them are more special to me because they were all born from a simple idea.

to look back on what you wrote and going 'i can do this better now' is beautiful, no? i love the end product for what i learnt on the way.

i know me giving this advice is kinda hypocritical because you'll find me going 'i hate this' in the tags, and you can choose to believe me or not, but i adore all of my stories the same. some of them i just hate that i couldn't give them the attention and love that they deserved, which shows through in the end quality. not that you guys seem to care, it's all in my head sometimes lMFAO.

# FIVE - KEEP THE POV CONSISTENT: now we are getting to the tips that i've been learning myself recently. how funny is it that i learnt this whilst reading from a writer that i so admire?

whilst reading a long fic, i noticed that the flow is satisfying because there was no swap of perspectives. the character was in the focus the whole time and the reader was the reactor, the catalyst being the character's actions and internal dialogue. on the other hand, the reader's thoughts and feelings being in the spotlight can also be significant.

i had always known that keeping the pov consistent would influence your writing, but i never knew how much.

which pov you might want to choose is all intuitive. writing is intuitive- every other tip that i have revealed is all intuitive and i'll cover more of this later. more importantly right now, which perspective you want to execute is all on you, and no one else. if you know your character, your storyline, and your skills, you will simply know how the story shall go. it is just as powerful to write it from reader's pov as it is the character's because it comes from your knowledge and authority as the writer!

# SIX - LEAVE THE COMFORT ZONE: this kind of returns to tip four. sometimes the only way to evolve is to do something we are bad at and that advice applies to writing too. writing is a path set by previous writers but it is not one that we have to follow all the time, why take a shortcut when the long way is prettier, and more rewarding? your journey of improvement is dependent on what you realise and give yourself opportunities to improve in.

for example, recently i have been trying to improve the depth of my descriptions and- don't laugh, but the way i've been doing so is as followed:

i input myself into the scenario, i empathise with the characters within the scene and i describe it. maybe it's emotional and the character can't look you in the eye because they don't have the heart to, not when their chest is filled with a smoke that is so unbearable that all they can focus on is not turning to ashes. maybe it's a happy scene and all you can look at is the character. maybe it's confronting, and the only thing you can think about is defending yourself against their clenched fists that will never actually hurt you, but you know damn well can break your walls in one swing. leave the comfort zone, write new au's and new dialogue pieces, write new metaphors and similes and use rhyme, listing, repetition- just try something new every time and let it be meaningful to the story.

# SEVEN - GIVE YOURSELF TIME. like the growth of your muscles or the mobility of your limbs, or the way your hands flow along the canvas or keyboard, writing is a skill that can only be improved with time. fanfic writing is intuitive and completely reliant on your own tastes.

i can sit here, speak for ages about writing, but the only way you can learn is to do. i have people who see what i do and praise me for being one of their favourite writers, and as honoured as i am every time, i am merely born from the six years i have put into this craft, as well as the hours i put into writing and planning what they see. if you could see the behind the scenes, you would go 'what the fuck am i looking at' LMFAOO.

when i write and then i reread and i know what it is missing, but i cannot speak about this like it is easy, like i have not spent the past few years of my life consistently writing for various characters and growing along the way. to be fair, you don't need to take six years to get good at writing, it can be a very smooth process! i don't think i was the brightest cookie at 12 ngl but i took my characters and rewrote them into different scenarios and here i am today, at 18 and (marginally) better.

as long as the urge is there, worship it, take the step and write. then post, if that is a step you want to partake in. simple as that :)

that's all for now! sorry this is so long, now that you've reached the end, i just wanted to say that i have no authority over what you produce and how you do it. these are simply just things i've learned along the way and i hope they can provide you some sort of revelation.

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: on the same page

Aziraphale Z. Fell is a rising star of the spiritual literary genre - the next Eat Pray Love guy - and his version of Chicken Soup For the Christian Soul is flying off the shelves. It's not that he's not grateful, but it's one thing to enjoy a career in writing and another completely to be pigeonholed into a specific genre, so much so that you are almost forbidden from writing anything else. So yes, maybe he has a bit of a secret. An outlet for his less... appropriate urges. And yes, if his typical readership got word of the sort of paragraphs he could put out on a particularly inspired night, they might suffer some form of heart attack typical for their age. But all of that is well hidden, and there is absolutely no way anyone would ever find out about his Arrangement with A.J. Crowley - the most debaucherous romantic fiction author of the decade. That is... until they have to pretend to be married to each other.

Length: 117,728 words

AO3 Rating: Explicit / Spice Level 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, Human AU, Romance, Slow Burn, Comedy

Triggers: Homophobia

Read it here, fic by Chekhov

*Minor Spoilers* While formatting this review I'm actually shocked at how long the word count is. I flew through it so quickly I guess I didn't realize it was over 100k words! This was a super engaging fake relationship story. Aziraphale and Crowley are writers with their own Arrangement. They collaborate in secret by writing for each other. Aziraphale gets to write very naughty porn scenes published under Crowley's name, and Crowley gets to write more philosophical pieces published under Aziraphale's name. This is one of my favorite uses of the Arrangement in a human au. They actually are doing each others work, and could actually get in trouble for it if found out. It's more than just a flimsy excuse to tie into the canon. Their discussions on writing, both novels and their own fanfictions, were some of my favorite parts.

Naturally, that balance is thrown off course when Aziraphale needs fake husband. You will hit all the familiar beats of a fake relationship tale, but it is never stale. I don't know that the reason for the fake relationship makes a whole lot of sense, but who cares, it's all in service of being fun and horny. I love their banter in this. This author really gets their voices right, and they are both very intelligent, witty, but also still kind of silly. There is a scene with Crowley messing with a religious woman that had me dying. Of course they are dumb and could clear everything up with an honest talk, but where's the fun in that? Plus the author isn't lazy about Aziraphale's excuse for keeping Crowley out. He has actual reasons, ones that could have been cleared up, but at least it doesn't rely on "Oh I didn't think you'd want me," it's, "We both know we want each other but I can't be a good partner to you right now." He carries a lot of trauma around his sexuality and being out. Luckily Crowley is very forgiving, and Aziraphale is willing to change.

Mostly safe in public, there are a handful of sex scenes but you'll have enough notice if you need to put it away for a bit. This is just a super fun time. You will fly through it, and still want more!

Read it here, fic by Chekhov