#epic length fic > 100k

[wangxianficrecs]

💙 Caught in 4k by KizuKatana

🔒💙 Caught in 4k

by KizuKatana (@kizukatana)

E, Series, WIP, 184k, Wangxian

Summary: A night-hunt goes wrong, and Wei Wuxian is scapegoated for the death of the Jiang Sect Leader and the destroyed core of the Jiang Sect Heir. As punishment, his core is taken and given to Jiang Cheng, and he is stripped of his cultivation credentials and expelled from the sect. What everyone forgot was that Wei Wuxian was wearing the standard issue body camera that each cultivator wore on training missions and high-risk night-hunts. Struggling to make ends meet, Wei Wuxian finds his way to Caiyi Town with the doctor who performed the surgery, a partial core still secretly in place. His application to work at Cloud Recesses is summarily rejected by the hard-edged Second Jade of Lan after an unfortunate initial encounter. But things change when someone hacks into the Jiang systems and releases the footage of what happened. Kay's comments: The series is still a WIP, but the main story is complete! I am so weak for Kizu's modern AUs with cultivation, they are great. Especially the world building and how the cultivation society might function in a modern AU shines in this story. Definitely not a story for fans of the Jiang family, but a story for everyone who wants to see some retribution for the things Wei Wuxian went through. Here, Jiang Fengmian dies during a night-hunt accident where Jiang Cheng's golden core gets destroyed and Madam Yu makes Wei Wuxian give his golden core to him, unfortunately for her, his body-cam is still filming everything. Wei Wuxian finds himself taken in by Wen Qing and her family and we get the sweetest found family and Dadxian vibes here and then meets Lan Wangji as well, who's highly judgemental at first but soon finds himself drawn to Wei Wuxian as well. This story really got it all, the drama, the horny, the softness, the restitution & humor. Excerpt: Still Wei Wuxian forced himself to at least try one last time. “You could also interview me. Have me talk to your best talisman experts,” Wei Wuxian said, forcing himself to keep the desperation out of his voice. “Interviews are scheduled based on receipt of proper credentials and references.” “I don’t have any, at least not right now. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be a great teacher.” “No references, no interview.” “Come on. Look, ask me anything about talismans. You’re an experienced cultivator, right? So you must know enough to at least interview me to see if I know what I’m talking about.” “Simply ‘knowing about something’ is not sufficient. Our lecturers are renown cultivators, and masters in their fields. No references, no interview.” Wei Wuxian felt frustration well up in him, especially at the reminder that Lan Wangji didn’t see him as a cultivator. No one would, in his current condition. Why would they? He didn’t have a functional core, which was the main scale against which all cultivation efforts were measured. He thought he had done a good job of not getting his hopes up about the teaching position, but the suffocating feeling constricting his chest was calling him out for being a liar. He should have known better. Why did he never learn? Some people had luck on their said, but Wei Wuxian had never been one of them. “Right. Of course. Because it would be impossible for someone who wasn’t born to the fucking clan nobility to ever actually be good at something, and the cost of taking the mastery test makes sure that other people can’t do it!” Lan Wangji’s lips parted slightly, like he might say something, but his expression was as opaque and emotionless as before. Wei Wuxian didn’t need to sit around and listen to him defend the clan system. “Good to know that the Lan are just the same as all the other sects,” Wei Wuxian continued, his lips twisting into a sarcastic smile. “Thanks for making that clear.”

pov alternating, modern setting, modern with magic, yu ziyuan being an asshole, dysfunctional jiang family, jiang family bashing, canon divergence, golden core reveal, burial mounds ensemble as family, golden core transfer, golden core transfer fix-it, top lan wangji/bottom wei wuxian, dual cultivation, strangers to lovers, misunderstandings, meet ugly, families of choice, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[vivi-scera]

just read eternity enshrined. damn :'/

[winterofbuddie]

❄️ welcome to the winter of buddie ⛸

after the incredible success of summer of buddie we are back with another challenge for buddie fans: this is the winter of buddie! <333

this event is again going to consist of 8 weekly challenges starting the week of december 9th - december 15th and ending the week of january 27th - february 2nd. each challenge is going to revolve around a specific theme. writers, artists, and gif-makers will be given the choice to follow specific prompts or to get as creative with the theme as they want.

there are no word count limits to the fics: write as much or as little as you want!

there are no size, style, or length requirements for fanarts, gifsets, or videos: you have creative freedom to make the creation you desire!

there are no limits to how many creations you should make: you can post a creation a day for the 8 weeks of the challenge (which would make for a total of 56 creations) or only one single creation for the entirety of it!

if you wish so, you can mix and match the weekly challenges. say the theme for week 2 and the theme for week 6 really call to you and you want to make a creation that combines them: that is totally cool! say you want to be adventurous and write one epic +100k fic that combines a prompt from each of the weeks: that sounds totally incredible!

the world is your oyster! we want to make sure this winter challenge is fun and inspiring so really it's up to you to decide what you want to do with it.

we want to involve all buddie fans in the choosing of the weekly challenges so during the next few weeks we will be posting polls and asking for ideas. be on the lookout for this!

don't hesitate to reach out at any point if you have questions or suggestions for us.

we hope everyone is enjoying s8 and we can't wait to spend the midseason hiatus celebrating buddie <333

see you all very soon!

your host,

maria (@thatbuddie)

[volkswagonblues]

Saw a thread on twitter that said oneshots are better than multi chap fics and curious if tumblr agrees or disagrees

[olderthannetfic]

Ok, so what does "oneshot" mean? Because I tend to think of a oneshot as a an entirely self contained short story, but I've also seen people who use the word for a short fic that was written in one go, and I've seen still more who define it by length alone. I've also seen it used to mean any fic that doesn't have chapter divisions, which would include 100k epics if the author posted them kinda funny.

--

Yes.

It means all of those things depending on who's talking.

[kaleidoscope-eyez]

Sylki Fic Recs - August 2023

So, I finally decided to go through the Sylki tag on AO3 and pull out some of my personal favorite Sylki fics! I may have missed a few, but from now on, when people ask me for fic recs, I'm just going to point them right here!

These are pretty much in descending word count order, since that's how I sorted them on AO3. And I think I stopped around 2k words, so things that are less than that don't appear.

(Fair warning: I included some of my own on there, too.)

Enjoy!

Epic Length fics (+100k) – Rated G-T

As Long As You're Mine by Shoalsandsuch*

Welcome to Westview by KaleidoscopeEyez

Heal The Cracks Within My Heart by Chipper99*

Gone, I'm Gone by Shoalsandsuch

Epic Length Fics – Rated M-E

Love & Mischief by Sasquita

The (Mis)Match by Sasquita

skin on skin by Palmarion

Becoming who I was never meant to be (But did anyway) by overIndulgence

A Promise of Peace by neonheartbeat

From Jotunheim With Love by kytsos, Wonderchild90*

Medium Length Multichapters (Up to 100k) – Rated G-T

Baton Pass! (Round 4) - Collab

Of Love and Daggers by litladyloveshp*

Sweet Nothings by Shoalsandsuch

Frost Queen - Collab

Pets are a reflection of the soul by overIndulgence

The Search: A Domestic Adventure by IngridGradient

Life is beautiful by Korsarri, Madam_Violet

Love Child by KaleidoscopeEyez

The Race To Your Heart by navy_bushes 

Sylki Advent Calendar (Baton Pass! Round 3) - Collab

Fire & Gasoline by BeanBarn*

The Lost Goddess by KaleidoscopeEyez

Vivaldi Doesn't Square Dance by LunarDust, preserumping

Somewhere Only We Know by KaleidoscopeEyez

Sylvie and The Beast - Collab

To Make a Heart Whole by Adrift_in_thyme, Aritou

Rotational Symmetry by Neolights, PinkCanary

Delicate by Shoalsandsuch

Loki Actually by Padawan_Writer 

Adventures in Lokisitting by KaleidoscopeEyez*

Our Shared Eternity - Collab

Medium Length Multichapters (Up to 100k) – Rated M-E

How Sweet It Is by Wonderchild90

Frost and Flame by professnerdiness

Into the half light (and through the flame) by BrightBlackTrees

RE: ARRANGEMENT by neonheartbeat

Wherever You Are by Aevianya

We'll Find A Way by professnerdiness

By the Glow of the Rune by IngridGradient

The Providence We Create by amadness2method (CynSyn), overIndulgence 

Perfect Partners by variant001*

Roots and Branches by PinkCanary

Like the Moon Needs Poetry by IngridGradient

Wings - Collab

Not as planned by StrangeNoise*

Seconds from destiny by PicassoPickle

An Heir And A Spare (The Extended Version) by nostalgia

Foundations by BumbleHumbleBee

The Edge of Disaster by PinkCanary

and when you start to feel the rush (a crimson headache, aching blush) by Palmarion

No Prisoners by preserumping

the right kind of madness by Palmarion

Technicolor Dreams by kytsos, Wonderchild90

We're Screwed by kimikokun

Sylki in Suburbia by The_Hourglass_Muse

The strangest power of all by StrangeNoise

Letters to my Beloved by AndySkull

drunk on you by Palmarion*

Concept Art by IngridGradient

The Learning Curve by kytsos*

To Be Felled by You by D_A_Cullum

Torn in Two by UnderwaterArch*

A Marriage Between Realms by professnerdiness

Back to Lamentis by TTerran*

Candy Crush by kytsos, Wonderchild90

i guess that's love (i can't pretend) by Palmarion

The Perfect Lie by Padawan_Writer

The Isle of Mists by preserumping 

When I'm around you by AndySkull

One-Shots – Rated G-T

Bright Purpose by daggerlovie

second nature by neonheartbeat

Cravings by KaleidoscopeEyez

Fire in the Sky by KaleidoscopeEyez 

Bleeding Hearts by Eithniel, KaleidoscopeEyez

Eyes by daggerlovie

The Loki Trap by KaleidoscopeEyez

10,000 Unhappy Meals by UnderwaterArch

all in the golden afternoon by Palmarion

Lamentis-1, 2077: A Return by KaleidoscopeEyez

Time Keeps on Slippin' (Into the Future) by KaleidoscopeEyez

One-Shots – Rated M-E

Insatiable by catalystcomet

slow (how you wanted it to be) by PinkCanary

the word of your body by Palmarion

Crammed by catalystcomet

but you never go away (so I guess I gotta stay) by PinkCanary

The Prince, the Princess, and the Dozen Cupcakes by KaleidoscopeEyez

* Denotes an unfinished/ongoing fic

[guardianbingo]

Guardian Bonus Bingo FAQ

Welcome to Guardian Bonus Bingo!

This is a very low stakes, low pressure fest meant to be fun and inspire more Guardian fan creations. Whether you’re returning after having participated in the original Guardian Bingo or are joining for the first time, we’re happy to have you here!

How Does It Work?

We’ll issue five prompts over ten weeks (one new prompt every two weeks), starting on June 9.

Prompts go out every other Sunday and you’ll have two weeks in which to create a fill. Then a new prompt will be issued. This cycle repeats until we make it through all five prompts.

We’ll also have an amnesty period at the end for prompts you might have missed earlier in the fest.

What Do I Earn By Completing Fills?

A sense of accomplishment, the adoration of your fellow fans, and the fun that comes with creation.

Completing all five earns you a bingo, a badge created by the amazingly talented @highlynerdy, and your name on a shoutout post at the end of the fest.

Can I Fill Multiple Prompts With A Single Work?

Maybe. The single work will need to be composed of multiple parts.

As one example, a multi-chapter fic where each individual chapter is inspired by a different prompt would work. A one-shot would not.

Similarly, multi-panel art with each panel inspired by a different prompt would work while a single piece of art would not.

If you have something in mind but aren’t sure, check with a mod.

Is There A Signup Period?

Nope. You are welcome to join at any time up until the end of the amnesty period.

What Works Are Accepted?

Pretty much any new creations, including, but not limited to:

Fanfic

Fanart

Edits/Gif Sets

Vids

Moodboards

Playlists

Rec Lists

FanARTifacts (tangible creations, crafts, etc.)

Podfics (with original author’s permission and a link back)

Translations (with original author’s permission and a link back)

Meta Analysis

If you have another idea, check in with the mods but it very likely works.

What Are The Length/Content Requirements?

None! This is meant to be fun, not stressful.

Want to write a 100k multi-chapter epic? That’s a tall order for ten weeks, but we’re cheering you on! Want to only post drabbles? Also wonderful!

The same applies for non-fic creations.

The point is to make stuff, not worry over min/max requirements.

Is This Fest Novelverse or Drama?

Either or both! It’s totally up to you. All prompts will work for both.

What About Ships And Ratings?

All ratings and any ships (or no ships) are allowed, though works should be appropriately tagged.

Crossovers, Derivatives, Other Priest Novels, And RPF?

While the fest is Guardian themed, all are allowed. Just tag appropriately.

How Do I Interpret The Prompts?

However you wish! They're meant to be a source of inspiration and a starting off point. You can adhere to them as strictly or as loosely as you'd like. Follow your muse and have fun!

Can I Use A Creation For This Fest And Another One?

So long as the other fest has no objections, you are good to go!

Ok, So What Isn’t Allowed?

Old works previously posted

Plagiarized works

Harassment/abuse of other participants

Sounds Great! Where Do I Post My Creations?

The AO3 Collection

Tumblr – Tag @guardianbingo in your post or DM us for a reblog (you can also tag it #guardianbingofest but Tumblr’s tags are very wonky so that might not work well)

If you happen to post elsewhere (Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc.), then you may submit a post on Tumblr if you’d like us to reblog your creation. You do not have to be on Tumblr to participate.

Will The Mods Keep Up With My Fills?

No. Since people may be posting on platforms other than Tumblr, it’s up to participants to keep up with their fills so we don’t miss anyone.

If you’d like to claim a badge and a bingo shoutout, please complete the fills reporting form.

What If I Still Have Questions?

Ask away on Tumblr, or email guardianbingofest@gmail.com

Email may get a faster response.

Fest Coordinators

Logistical Coordinator & Primary Contact - @tehfanglyfish

Graphic Designs and Badges - @highlynerdy

Original Guardian Bingo Prompt Coordinator - @sasamelons

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

Hey :) For the fanfiction writing asks, could I ask numbers 12, 17, 18, 30 and 79? (If it’s not too much). I’m curious about your writing process 👉🏼👈🏼

No worries, it's not too much. And I'm always happy to ramble about my writing process!

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

A long time ago in a galaxy far away when dinosaurs roamed the young earth (15 years ago), I was more of a pantser, but that quickly changed as my projects became more and more complex. Since at least a decade or so, I always write an outline and I write it as detailed as possible for two main reasons: 1. Most ideas strike me at the most inconvenient time aka in the middle of another project. But it's a well-established fact that my brain is allergic to switching projects, so I write the whole idea down to get it out of my head and to have a foundation to work with once I can start writing this new project. 2. I tend to write stories of epic length that simply require an outline to develop the plot properly. Before YOI, I wrote a GoT-esque fanfiction series for years on end that demanded detailed outlines for each instalment because of the complexity of the plot and the sheer number of POV characters.

On average, my outlines are about 5-10% of the length of the actual project. My outline for In Love and War is about 25k outline and I expect the story to end up around >500k. It's divided into chapters and scenes that already have a POV character assigned. During intense writing times like NaNoWriMo the outline helps me to focus on writing.

However, I keep my outline flexible. Sometimes, new ideas would pop up or I need to weave a side plot from another instalment or a prequel into the storyline. But there's a even more crucial reason: Plotting happens through a distant, omniscient lens that doesn't really enter the minds of my characters no matter how well I know them. As a result, they develop a life of their own as the story comes alive. I often see writers complain about that because it "destroys" their outline, but it's a natural process and that's where the magic happens. Whenever that happens, I let my characters lead me and so far, I haven't regretted that.

17.) Do you have a writing routine?

My writing routine, if it can be called that, is writing in the morning before work and in the evening. On the weekends and when I have time off, I write all day long. It's not only that I feel the urge to always work on the stories I obsess over, it's how I relax. During NaNo, my routine is even more centred around writing for as long as my brain keeps braining, which regularly results in late-night dinners.

18.) Do you enjoy research?  Which fic of yours required the most research?

I LOVE research! Since YOI is set in the real world, I'd say that I did tons of research for all of them. I think most of that happened when I wrote Can You Hear My Hearbeat because: 1. It was my first YOI fanfiction and I knew nothing about figure skating or Japanese culture. 2. It's a novelisation and to preserve the spirit of YOI and write it as canonic as possible, I researched any official meta information like interviews with the creators and articles in magazines etc. I could get my hands on. But to be honest, every YOI fanfiction requires tons of research like figure skating programmes, rules, and venues, living in St. Petersburg etc. It never gets boring.

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

Ooof. I'm a perfectioniest. I edit a lot. However, the exact process depends on the length of a project:

Short projects (100k maximum): I write the first draft in one go with only minor editing and edit the full story later.

Long projects (300k-800k): Since I write these projects in stages, I also edit in stages. After 150-200k I experience a sense of having written myself empty. That's the point when I switch to a short project to recharge. Some months later, I pick up that first wip again, edit the part I have written so far and then continue writing. That's a rinse-and-repeat until the draft is done, but it never takes me more than 3 cycles. When that draft is done, I revise the entire thing once more to ensure consistency and to weave lose threads together, before I hand it over to a beta reader. It also happened that I did two complete revisions pre-beta-reading.

In addition to that, I edit every chapter before posting again. By then, some months have passed since the revision and I've refined my idea of the story in the meantime.

79.) Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

To be honest, a lot of writing advice I consider as too restrictive and inflexible. When I talk to other writers, they often get to hear these two things from me:

The first draft is allowed to be a mess. Allow yourself to write away and revise later.

Especially inexperienced writers tend to agonise over their first draft and have this idea that their story needs to be perfect right away and if not, they're a failure. But that's not how creativity works. The best ideas happen when the story comes alive through writing. And only when you can see the complete picture you know what to add or take away to make your vision reality.

However, brains work differently, and I've seen a lot of advice that doesn't take the different wirings of brains into account, pretending that there's only one "correct" way to write and finish a story, which imho is bullshit.

That's why I also tell people this:

Write in the fashion that works best for you. If you feel the urge to vomit a train of words on page to empty your brain or because you're in hyperfocus and can't bother getting sidetracked that's as valid as meticulously editing every sentence before you write the next. As long as you keep at it, it's going to be fine.

Thank you for these questíons! Answering them was so much fun 💙✨✨

The questions are form this post. If you're curious about my writing process or my story, please hit me up with your questions!

[consistentsquash]

Hp Rec Fest 2023 Recs by Squash

AO3 collection for the recs I made during this fest!

The fest mods deserve everything <3

Rec masterlist - links are for my rec blurbs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24. A holiday fic: 10 Snarry Holiday fics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[alectoperdita]

Hey Alecto, I was wondering if you had any fic recs for me! I saw some puppyshipping art before where Seto was an emotional wreck/breaking down and it has me in a chokehold. Do you know any good fics that have something like this? 👀👀

Hi, sorry this took a bit! I had to scour my memory and AO3 bookmarks and tags for a while. But I've returned with a handful of fic recs that fit your request here! These are all puppyshipping fics since that is 99% of what I read, hahah.

(And I'm guessing the fanart you saw was @ladydraculena's recent art. Either way, y'all should check it out because it's gorgeous!)

So here is a list of fics featuring Seto breaking down in tears as an, at least somewhat, significant part of the plot. Mind the warnings on some of these.

---

Love Dares Greatly by Lafeae [Rated T, post-canon]

A hit and run leaves Jounouchi comatose, with the fear that he may not regain consciousness. Kaiba, at the same time, is in the middle of developing a new game device that allows for interfacing between players when they are asleep. The suggestion is made that he could use it to pull Jounouchi out. But for two years, Kaiba has managed to keep everyone from saying a word to him about Jounouchi Katsuya. Two years since he has argued with Mokuba, forbidding even his little brother the utterance of the name in his presence. Two years since he has moved on from a messy and public break-up. Will this new circumstance pull them back together?

I cannot recommend this enough. I cannot recommend any of @lafeae's fics enough! This one is epic-length, 100k+ words, so the breakdown moments are sprinkled throughout the fic, but believe me, it's worth every moment of your time.

---

Preferable Reality by Lafeae and MistressArafax [Rated T, post-canon, *major character death* and suicidal ideation]

Life is fragile. Delicate. The daily routine can change in an instant, shaking the foundations of the world, leaving those left behind fragmented and broken. When tragedy strikes, how can Kaiba cope? How can he move on? How can he possibly mend his shattered reality?

A somewhat ensemble fic, but Kaiba's grief over Joey's death is a major part of the narrative.

---

Their Hearts Were Soldiers Who Never Found Their Way Home by Five_seas [Rated M, post-canon, *character death but it's not Kaiba or Jounouchi*]

Defying death shouldn't be easier than living as your true self. And yet, somehow, it is.

Kaiba grieves the sudden death of an old friend, and Jounouchi is there at the right place and time to help him through it.

---

Limits Approaching by BDEblueyeswhitedragon (BDEblueyes) [Rated T, post-canon]

It took years to get them together. Only months to break them apart. Can one night solve all their problems?

Kaiba and Jounouchi's marriage is going through a rough patch. Just as Jounouchi has finally gathered the courage to propose divorce, he sees something that might change his mind.

---

Roses & Starlight by BDEblueyeswhitedragon (BDEblueyes) [Rated T, post-canon]

It's Mokuba and Shizuka's wedding reception. Kaiba needs a moment to himself. Jou follows.

Short and sweet. Kaiba breaks down a little after Mokuba and Shizuka's wedding.

---

This list is by no means complete. If anyone knows of any other fics that fit this criteria, please send them to the OP!

[antebunny]

random observations about kudos/hits ratios on ao3

so i've been reading fic on ao3 since uhhhh about 2016? 2015 maybe? and writing since 2018 ish. during those years i've made a few observations about common ao3 reader/author behaviors. i thought i'd share them with the obvious caveat that i am limited to the fandoms i've been in and my own personal experiences

One-Shots

generally the standard for one-shots is a 1/10 kudos/hit ratio. meaning if a fic has 3,000 hits, it has at least 300 kudos.

if a fic has a kudos/hit ratio below 10%, it probably has an unsatisfying ending. i almost never see the ratio lowered for poor writing quality.

the exception is fics tagged Unhappy Ending or Hurt No Comfort. those get less hits but the people reading know what they're getting in to. those fics will generally stay within a 10% range.

generally fluff one-shots or fics that are all comfort, no hurt have the highest ratios of any category of fics, sometimes reaching as high as 20%.

Multi-Chaptered Fics

these fics are damn lucky if they reach 10% lmaooo

this is a gradient of sorts, though. complete fics with 2/3 chapters have a much higher chance of being near a 1/10 kudos/hit ratio, while those decade-long 400k 50 chaptered epics are probably near 1%.

based on how ao3 hits work, i would guess that this is because there's a higher chance of ao3 registering another hit even if the reader is just reading the latest updates.

basically, a 2-chapter fic started and finished within two weeks has a very good chance of being above the 10% ratio. that really long fic you spent a week reading three years ago which made you feel like you just ran a marathon? not a chance.

a brief tangent into chapter lengths: a higher length correlates with higher quality. i want to emphasize (actually, i want to tell twelve-year-old self this, but 12 y/o me is beyond our help now) that quantity does NOT make quality. just because you can squeeze an extra thousand words into chapter 3 doesn't make the story any better. however, in general, the writing quality of a 30k fic with 3 chapters will be higher than that of a 30k fic with 30 chapters.

there are exceptions! i once read a very long fic with very long chapters where the writing was, for lack of a better descriptor, extremely childish. the author mostly rotated the same ten verbs around and around for 100k. also sometimes you read a 400-word one-shot that mentally destroys you for weeks.

of course, at the end of the day none of this matters. i wrote a barely decent 42k 5-chapter fic which is somehow over the 10% ratio. i cannot for the life of me understand why this is. it's not good, you guys. it's really not. on the other hand, i wrote a 37k one-shot which is below the 10% ratio. the kudos/hit ratio has not changed how i view the quality of those fics, it just convinced me that some of y'all have no taste.

these really are just random observations i've made from my six ish years putting fic on the good old Archive. it's not meant to be a reading guide, just something that makes you go "huh."

[destieltaggedfic]

Epic Length Fics - Part 4

With time off in my very near future, that means I'll have time for more long fics again, so here are some that are all over 100k words.

Starstruck - peanutbutterjelly-pie (Aleakim)   Ao3

AU.  Actor Dean Winchester gets asked in an interview about his first love and he talks about falling in love with the boy who lived next door when he was a teenager.  Divorcee Cas is watching the interview with his kids, shocked to recognise himself in the description.  He reaches out to Dean and they rekindle their friendship.

Word Count: 204k                            Graphic Sexual Acts

Beyond This Illusion - tiaevans87   Ao3

Set Post S15 AU.  When it turns out that Dean’s little vampire run-in and subsequent heaven trip was a djinn dream, he finds out he’s been missing for weeks and things around the bunker have changed with Jack bringing a number of their dead friends back to life.  A couple of weeks later when Cas is also returned to them, means he’s now going to have to face what Cas said to him.

Word Count: 161k                            Graphic Sexual Acts

Fallen for Humanity – blackimpala   Ao3

Set S11 AU.  The Darkness was defeated and in the process the gates of Heaven and Hell were closed.  Now Cas is human and its only routine hunts.  Maybe its finally time for Dean to do something about his feelings for Cas.

Word Count: 147k                            Graphic Sexual Acts

The Destiel Project – Pigzxo   Ao3

AU.  Rock bad boy, Dean Winchester needs an image overhaul, and actor Castiel Novak needs a bit of press after failed projects.  Their publicity team decide the best way to fix both problems is for them to appear to be in a relationship.

Word Count: 214k                            Graphic Sexual Acts

Contingency - Cheerful_Shinigami   Ao3

Set S4 AU.  Waking up in his grave was a shock, but his new friend Castiel is even more of a shock when Dean finds out that no one else can see him because he’s an angel that is possessing Dean and wants to disrupt heaven and hell’s plans for an apocalypse.

Word Count: 123k                            Graphic Sexual Acts

[snarky-wallflower]

for the fic writers ask: 2, 14, 33, and 37! or any combination of those if you dont wanna do em all lol.

<3

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

okay, so my top-used five tags are POV Third Person, Angst, One-Shot, Not Beta Read, and Canon Compliant. I think they do explain my writing habits, because I really love getting into the implications of a story, and I am. bad. at waiting for betas sometimes, and not great at continuing a story for longer than a couple of thousand words.

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

honestly, i'll read a lot, so nothing immediately comes to mind?

33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?

stares at the WIPs I have not updated for nearly SIX MONTHS pas de masque, The Show Must Go On, I am so sorry. honestly, I really never plan out my chaptered fics, as the evidence shows - but a chaptered fic I'm recently proud of and that I actually finished was about three chapters, and 24k, so I'd say THAT was my ideal chapter length to write. so much fun. at some point, i need to reread my own fic. And I can and will devour 100k-300k worth of epics, even if I haven't been as good as doing that recently as when I was younger. shoutout to you, @acaciapines, whose TOH daemonverse fics are something i am SO excited for. you're gonna kill it.

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?

ohhhh okay, one of my favourite fics I ever wrote would be always be my favourite ghost, from Night in the Woods. It explored grieving Casey Hartley, and how at the end of it all, so much of his life was left unresolved. how he never even got a funeral. it tugged at my heartstrings, that part killed me. so i decided to write people holding one for him. i really loved getting to explore his relationships with those around him, even if he wasn't there. from bea barely knowing him but still being pissed that he'd been taken, from angus knowing that he deserved better, gregg losing his closest friend, and to mae knowing that she'd missed out on so much of his final years, and still missing him anyways. and to maybe, knowing that if she'd stayed, she could have fallen for him. (shoutout to @doyouhearthunder for inspiring that part, as I read all of his NITW fics and that definitely played a role there.) i think i explored grief well there - in a game that has such a bittersweet ending, there aren't many threads to resolve. but this was one i could resolve, and i don't have any regrets about how i handled it. in the end, casey hartley mattered to people, no matter what that cult thought. that wasn't something that could ever be taken away. and it never got much traction because i posted it in 2023, and the game came out in 2017. but i'm still glad i did. it turned out really well for a fic i wrote mostly on a red-eye flight at 1 am.

thanks so much for the ask!

[ginnyruin]

what are your favorite tomione fics? underrated and popular

Hi! Thanks for the ask. I haven't been keeping up with tomione fics that were updated or posted after around July 2021 (when I started writing), so here are some less recent, completed fics I love by length:

Long epic: Madam Umbridge Home for Wayward Girls by LovelyVillain

Under 100K: The Only Beautiful Thing in the World by speechwriter

Short multi-chapter: Adamant by hioangeost

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hello there! 💜💚 i hope you're well and have enough time for tea, baths and all the other lovely self-care stuff 💚💜

i would like to ask you a question... i feel a bit dumb asking this but... what are the different types of fanfics? like- i know what fluff, angst and smut is. and i know what's an AU, and more or less the concept of omegaverse (i think...)

but when is a ficlet a ficlet? or a oneshot a oneshot? what is a 221b? a drabble? idk if there are more but i guess i just don't really understand the differences between the lengths of them? does this make sense..?

i've been confused about this for a while and can't quite figure it out. if you'd help out i'd very much appreciate it!

ps: please don't be too judgy about me not knowing this *hides*

Hey Nonny!

AWW thanks!! I love tea, baths and lots of self-care, just very bad at giving any of it to myself, haha!

And NONNY, please know that there are NO judgements here at all! PLEASE don't feel bad!! Fandom isn't something you magically know overnight! <3 And it's always okay to ask! <3

Before I answer your question, I highly recommend you peruse the Fanlore Wiki; it's a good place for new people to learn about fandom terms and history, so check it out if you need further clarification, as my answers are based on my understanding of each of the things you're asking about from being in TOO many fandoms for TOO many years, LOL.

I'm not going to go into everything, since fandom is SO huge and there's so much about it that I can't cover it all, hence the link to Fanlore, so here are immediate answers to some of your questions:

Drabble: A fic that's exactly 100 words

A 221b Ficlet: A fanfiction exclusive to the multiple variants of Holmesian fandoms that's exactly 221 words long, and the VERY last word of the fic starts with "b".

Ficlet: A short story, usually under 1,000 words but can be a little more.

Oneshot / vignette: A short, single chapter "scene" fic, essentially a story covering a missing scene or an out-of-context situation. In a similar vein, there's Two-Shots, which is basically a oneshot but from two different perspectives (ie. First chapter is situation from character A's POV, and Chapter 2 is from Character B's situation).

Podfic: An audiobook of a fanfiction. If you prefer to listen to stories, rather than read them, there are a tonne of amazing podficcers recording stories in multiple fandoms.

Five and One (and variations of): A story that depicts "Five times that Character [verb] [insert situation here] and one time [insert contradicting situation here]". It's basically 6 one-shots in a single story that has the last "one time" situation be a feel-good FINALLY ending. Some authors split them up into single chapters per situation, and others write the whole story as a single chapter.

Meta / Metafic: An essay or story based on analysing a piece of media. The Fic version expands upon a theory within a given fandom so that the theory fits into the narrative of the show.

WIP: Acronym for "Work In Progress", which is an unfinished published story. Some authors "write as they post" while others finish multiple chapters prior to posting them, but only post chapters one at a time on a scheduled basis, which keeps people coming back to the story until the end. The latter USUALLY guarantees a full-story inevitably being posted, so it is the more preferred type of WIP.

Short Story: a story under about 10,000 words

Novella: a story between 20 and 50K words

Novel: Anything over 50K words. I think past a certain number (100K?) it becomes an Epic, but I'm not 100 on it. Google says it's a story that spans multiple "books" and time periods, so I'm not sure.

Hope that helps a little bit, Nonny, and PLEASE don't hesitate to ask if you come across some other terms you would like to know from a fandom-old's perspective! We love helping y'all out! <3 NEVER feel dumb, please. There's no shame in asking for help. And if someone made you feel dumb because of it, FUCK 'EM.

[thecoramaria]

Hello! I'm starting off with my own long-ish fic (goal is 100k). Do you have any tips for writing 100k+ fics?

Thank you so much :)

Yes! I have five videos you'll hopefully find helpful.

This first playlist includes my longfic duology, as well as how to go about naming your chapters.

This second one is all about outlining, which should hopefully help you figure out which approach would be right for you. I'd argue that the longer your fic is, the more detailed your outline should be, since there's way more elements to keep consistent and tie together into a cohesive storyline, but others have found outlines to be the death of their longfics, so that's why I recommend using these videos to figure out which approach is right for you.

I also have a video on how to edit your fanfic in the works, detailing the process I'm using to edit my current longfic. Keep an eye out for that!

In terms of plot, I recommend this article. Bear in mind that this is written for original fiction writers though, so be sure to watch out for anything that may not apply to fanfic. What I like about it though is that it provides an understanding of plot that can be applied to stories of any length, from the shortest drabble to the longest of epics.

Anyways, hope all these help! Writing a 100k story is a big undertaking, but I can say from experience just how worthwhile that is. Wishing you all the luck~!