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koukouture · 4 months ago

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Kou's AO3 ffxiv fic rec list

I am so insane and I literally have only been reading FFXIV fanfics for like the past four or so months so here r some of my favorites

I will split it up into three categories: reader inserts, WoL OCs, and then yk fics with only the characters.

WARNING: I read lots of unsavory shit so please heed the tags in the links as I will not be going over those in this list.

*length of fics will be rounded to nearest thousand

Reader insert's

The Rise of Emperor Solus zos Galvus by amandaterasu

(Emet Selch x reader) Length: 25k Status: Complete (one shot) Review: You don't understand I think about this fic at least once a day oh my fucking LORD. 25k words just GONE in an instant I read this in like under an hour. Actually gigging and kicking my feet this shit bro liiiiiike the way this author writes Emet Selch... ouuuuughhh. I love it when a man is just so insane for his woman that he finds her in another life and immediately starts courting her. Honestly, this shit is just so good it reads almost like a historical drama in the best ways possible. Yeah it's romance (and smut) but it's also politics (kinda) and idk about you but those are my two favorite things. I now need a full length novel about Emet Selch's rise to emperor of Garlemald but yk what this shit is just as good. Bonus points for this author for introducing me to fanfic reading extensions to replace certain terms I will be using this from now on.

Tremble, Duck, & Weave by OwlEspresso

(Estinien, Aymeric, Haurchefant, Urianger x reader) Length: 31k Status: Incomplete Review: This inspired my current big project, Hellbound and yeah idk something about Ishgardian politics man. I'm gonna warn you right now a lot of these reader insert recs WILL be yandere/yandere-adjacent with a lot of unhealthy themes, general debauchery, and doves ranging from beaten to dead so uh... yeah. That aside, this is just a really fun time. Seeing everyone interact with the reader insert and all the different ways they show (or think about) their twisted affections... hnnnng it makes me a little insane okay. Also, shout out to pervert Haurchefant you will always be near and dear to my heart. We were ROBBED in the English translation

Captivate by samsaur

(Aymeric and Estinien x reader) Length: 41k Status: Incomplete Review: Remember what I said about doves ranging from being beaten up to dead? Well, the dove is definitely dead here, but it's rlly juicy because this shit really does feel like a horror story. I am not qualified to speak on it, but I think this is a great portrayal of Stockholm syndrome and the way it's written really puts you into the shoes of the reader insert and you kind of feel that hot and silent shame of being held captive like this. Also, one of my favorite niches of FFXIV fanfics is apparently villain Aymeric. Idk why but he is so good as a villain probably because he had every single reason to turn out one, and he would be a far more terrifying villain than Thordan. If Aymeric wasn't our ally during Heavensward, he would undoubtedly be a huge threat to us and this fic kinda takes that and dangles it over your head. Because, yes, Aymeric is holding the reader captive but he is also helping Alphinaud and Tataru out. It's this balancing act where we know Aymeric is capable of really fucked up things but he is still playing at the perfect image of our noble ally. You find yourself yelling at everyone else not to trust him because you, the reader and his captive, know that he is a piece of shit in this AU and I think it's glorious. Uhhh Estinien is there too ig. It's no fault on the author's part but I just don't really vibe with Estinien as a love interest. Though, his dynamic with Aymeric and the reader is extremely interesting to me. I can't say too much without spoiling all the fun, but I think in a way Aymeric has him trapped under this thumb too.

I'd Ask For Your Soul, But It's Already Mine by Dotharl

(Zenos x reader) Length: 29k Status: Incomplete Review: Guys it's fucking Zenos PLEASE read the tags on this one. Anyways I love my porn kjakjfjkjakhshjfjhk. Okay but genuinely I always say this, but Zenos is surprisingly genuine as a love interest because he doesn't put WoL up on a pedestal and just loves them for all of their worst bits and THAT is the appeal of enemies to lovers. This fic plays with that, especially with the reader insert being a Dark Knight WoL where Fray talks some sense into them and helps them recognize their self worth. I won't lie to you, this fic starts out with VERY fucked up Yandere fuckboy Zenos energy with all of the dubcon included, but I kinda don't care + it's just genuinely well written at times. The dynamic between WoL and Zenos is very nice here, bc yeah it starts out... like that and then it evolves into mutual respect when the reader realizes that Zenos would treat them well and not yk use them as a weapon. Albeit, it does go kind of quick but eh, it's like 4 chapters so I can't fault the author THAT much. Besides, not to diminish the fic, but it IS pretty clearly just kind of a pornfest and that is A-Okay with me! This shit was also last updated in like 2022 so I'm pretty sure it's abandoned.

Not a Champion, Just a Knight by Kei_Cordelle

(Haurchefant x reader)

Length: 23k Status: Incomplete Review: This one is in kind of a weird position because this is an AU where WoL dies at the Vault instead of Haurchefant, so there isn't exactly any HaurcheWoL action to speak of. But, WoL definitely haunts the characters' actions. Bro, when I tell you, the worst part of this fic is actually Alphinaud being very NOT OKAY bc WoL is dead. He is just a baby what the fuck do you mean he watched his friend, confidant, and hero die in front of him???? Yeah sorry I love Alphinaud a normal amount. (that is my SON) Anyways, this is written in first person which is weirdly a turn off for some people? I don't get the hate tbh, because first person just opens up so many fun opportunities! You can break the fourth wall much easier and directly address the reader, and you can also have the vibe that this is a retrospective of what the character saw. The later is definitely the vibe this fic gives. It's like, if the Heavensward memoir was written from Haurche's perspective in this AU. To me, I like to think that this fic is Haurchefant telling the tale of his greatest love and regret in writing. I feel like the action scenes could use some work but they're not terrible. It's just that they're literally one to one recounting of the Heavensward trials and it's just not the best. I think there's also the issue of the cast becoming slightly bloated so it is a bit rough to account for everyone's actions during fight sequences. I really do love this fic though because I think it's really interesting to see how everyone is unraveling. Obviously, we as the WoL take on a lot of things that are almost impossible for everyone else so to see them take on the monumental burden of the hero is very interesting. How would our companions react to certain things? Since during most trials in canon we take it on alone, how does everyone else fit in? Are they all doing the mechanics correctly? All in all, solid fic and I am holding out hope for that fated final fifth chapter since the last time it was updated was back in January and it was started back in 2022 so one day I hope that this will be complete and I get to see the final mental breakdown as the squad completes Heavensward with the legacy of WoL looming over them ✨

WoL OC Inserts

Coerthan Traitor by Cascanora (@cascanora here on Tumblr)

(Zenos x OC, a bit of typical Emet Selch and Azem reincarnation messiness) Length: 190k (GOD DAMN-) Status: Ongoing Review: The author of this fic is highkey like a celebrity to me bc I gobble up their art like it's fucking Christmas morning. Imagine being God's favorite and being blessed with the ability to draw AND WRITE??? Fucking insanity bro. Also, their OC, Crow is fine as hell like one chance ma'am pleeeeeeaaaaaseeee goddddddd- Anyways onto the actual fic, I am admittedly only on the first arc which is kind of like the childhood arc ig. But I really love it so far because I've just never seen anyone really write Zenos being kind of young and vulnerable and playful? That's a lie, I think I've read like one Zenos fluff that I'll have to dig through my AO3 history to find again (bc you'd best believe none of my bookmarks are fluffly...) so I just really like the change of pace. Zenos is obviously always put in more enemies to lovers type scenarios so I kinda like this different angle because yeah maybe he was something resembling normal at one point. Obviously he's very fucked up for a reason, but he was a kid too. He didn't always go off about biting jugulars and drinking blood or something, he got fucked up. I am so far absolutely living for a lot of the political stuff bc as I've said before, romance with a side of politics (or vice versa) is my cup of tea and nobody pulls this shit off better than fanfic authors. I'm really interested to see where the political stuff goes but it's like 2am (sheesh) as I'm writing this so I will have to delve further into this fic later. Anyways can I take a moment to talk about Crow and Zenos? Because they're so fucking cute I love themmmmm. I feel like I'm coming at this as someone who has seen a lot of Cascanora's art so I see when Crow and Zenos' relationship develop into when they're adults, so seeing the early stages of it is really cool to me. I don't quite know how to explain it? But anyways I am raving about this fic bc I think it just builds them both up so well and again, I don't see Zenos written to be playful and yk act his age the way he does around Crow. They just work together so well and while at the point of the story I'm at they're definitely just friends, I think that's the beautiful thing about friends to lovers. Regardless if it's romantic or platonic love, Zenos and Crow are a package deal. Also, Emet Selch/Solus in this fic is perfect. I LOVE my geriatric old man telling stories about his past. I would go off about how I am very captivated by the whole Galvus family dynamic but I will save that for the other fics bc this review section is already super fucking long and you had BEST BELIEVE I'm scouring the internet for Galvus family fics. I lied I will talk about this a little more because this strikes an odd chord with me as someone who wrote a lot of my own longform OC x Canon growing up. I kinda shamed myself off doing that kinda stuff as I got older, but diving into FFXIV where everyone becomes fucking Shakespear with their WoLs has made me let go of my fears of being a cringefailure and embrace the OC x Canon. To see really well written and thought out OC insert stuff is very comforting to me bc I often worry abt my own OCs being shitty and not really fitting in but fics like this assure me that hey, maybe I can make cool shit and that really is the most beautiful part of fanfiction and fandom in general. Fandom is this incredible loop of finding amazing shit and thinking "wow, I wanna do that too" and it's just really rewarding.

Save the Last Dance For Me by lalahganaja

(Alphinaud x WoL OC) Length: 11k Status: Complete (yatta!!!!) Review: ALPHINAUD MY BEAUTIFUL SONNNNN AAAAAAAARRRGGHHHSJGFKJGSGKHJHJF. This fic is so delightful bc it feels like I'm cheering on my children to kiss. A'tahja is so fucking precious and her and Alphinaud just bounce off each other so well. This fic also has the other Scions making an appearance and I fucking love it so much. Found family will never NOT make me absolutely batshit insane. Like yes, Y'shtola mamma cat <3 anyways *chews on Alphinaud and A'tahja* This is just so insanely fluffy and it made me slam my desk every few minutes bc cute teenage love story!!!! How can I not!!!! Alphinaud just acts like an adult a lot of the time and gets put in a lot of adult situations, but in this fic he just gets to be a little guy. A'tahja too, obviously as the WoL she's often off doing insane shit that no teenager should ever have to do and bearing burdens that are too much for a little skrunkly such as herself. But here they just get to be silly little kiddies who are very down bad for each other and it's adorable. I think another thing I really liked was A'tahja getting more in touch with her femininity? Idk how to put. But basically she had really short hair for most of her life bc she pretended to be a boy while in poverty, so to see her be A) pampered and B) learn to take care of herself and be more girly was super cute to see. Also, I am just always really surprised whenever I remember that Alphinaud can drink lmao. Like no, you are a baby (I was the same age as Alphinaud when I started playing this game) put the beer down and go sip on a capri sun or smth. God. Kids these days...

Canon character fics (?)

and i'm your clone, your strange creation by egg(strwpup)

(Fortemps familial angst from Artoirel's pov) Length: 6k Status: Complete (oneshot) Listen to me, I love this fic beyond words, but for the sake of my mental health I will NEVER read this shit again. My daddy issues go fucking DEEP like this is utter insanity. Don't get me wrong it is beautifully written and I love complicated family dynamics- but by god this fucked me up so bad. See, I like to personally believe that Edmont was a good, albeit flawed father but his sons know that he loves them and they love him in turn. But I know deep down in my heart of hearts that it is so much more complicated than that because you know, we can't have nice things here at Square Enix. It just personally fucks me up because I too, like Artoirel in this fic, am a momma's boy at heart and I... kinda hate my dad lmao. Basically, I kin Artoirel in this fic. Oldest child who has it out for my father + hates that I'm kinda like him. He loves his mother but holds contempt for his father, perhaps unfairly but can you blame him? (yeah I'm not only describing Artoirel here...) Edmont is a less than stellar father in this fic but you can tell he loves his kids and aaaaaaaaa I'm tearing up again. The complicated family dynamics + the drama of what happened in Heavensward is just so fucking delicious bro. 10/10 this fic destroyed me in every sense of the word and I do not want to go through that emotional reckoning again. However, I will be writing Edmont as a shitty dad in my fics now. Sorry but I am always just so insane for that sweet sweet eldest child and father dynamic because it's always so disastrous. Having parents is just so strange.

mon corps, le mien; mon coeur, le tien by steelthighsvoideyes

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien with a side of angst + Haurchefant survives the Vault AU) Length: 43k Status: Incomplete Review: I also started tearing up while writing this review because Haurchefant just does that to me okay? I feel like with a lot of Ishgard trio ship fics Haurche is always kind of left out? Or, he feels a bit tacked on to the Estimeric dynamic. That, or he's just sitting there with unrequited love bc clearly this man has not suffered enough. With this fic however, it definitely feels a lot more balanced. Like yeah a majority of the fic is just Haurchefant and Estinien bonding in the hospital, but Aymeric still feels present because of their shared past and how it's constantly being brought up. (in a good way) All three of them get the spotlight so you don't really lean towards one pairing. Romance aside, I really like the Ishgard trio's established dynamic in this fic because they're just guys being dudes. Besties who were in the military together. Like, Aymeric balances the trio out, Haurchefant is the sort of boisterous youngest member and Estinien is gruff and sarcastic and the banter between the three of them just flows so naturally. It's an actual friendship dynamic that serves as a solid foundation for what will hopefully be a romantic dynamic later on. Once again, friends to lovers is so good for this reason because the foundation is already there. You appreciate them as a person and you are aware of their flaws from the get-go, so when it turns romantic you skip a lot of the awkward exploration phase and can just be comfortable with each other. Anyways as for the crying part- the Fortemps familial drama follows Haurche throughout this fic and it does make me a little, tiny bit crazy. Not gonna spoil it, but the way Haurchefant feels about his family in this fic is just so real and visceral because of course it's super complicated. Once again, I like Edmont being a good dad, but realistically, it's shades of gray. Another thing about Haurchefant that not only this fic does but a lot of other people also head canon, is that his selflessness and willing to give can be self destructive at times. Once again, not gonna spoil, but it's just super heartbreaking to read Haurchefant be almost hypocritical, telling his friends to take care of themselves only for him to almost completely disregard himself. That's kind of what he does at the Vault in the first place, like that man died knowing that he did the right thing and protected his friend and oh god I'm gonna cry again I should stop talking... (I am not even kidding when I say that I will eventually write a Haurchefant character essay...)

Unicorn's Favor by Neyasochi

(Aymeric x Haurchefant x Estinien, yet another Haurche survives the Vault AU) Length: 34k Status: Complete Review: So, this is one of those fics where I feel Haurchefant is kinda just taped onto the Estimeric dynamic, and that's fine, it's whatever, I'm here for the porn and the banter. The premise of this fic is that Haurche helps get Estinien and Aymeric together and then smutty gay things happen. And that's all well and good BUT I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE FORTEMPS BROTHERS IN THIS FIC!!! *holds them gentle* For me, the best part of this fic was Haurchefant's relationship with his family which for a change, is NOT super angsty and complicated. It's all very heartwarming to see how in this fic the brothers get along very well (contrary to canon where unfortunately we know they were never very close) and to see Haurchefant really appreciate that he's still alive and gets to be around the people he loves more. It's just super cute and fluffy and now I just need fics like this in general. Yeah whatever it's not canon that the Fortemps bros actually like each other this much BUT IDC!!!! YOU NEVER SEPERATE TRIOS!!!! Speaking of trios, the Ishgard trio dynamic in this is yk it's fine it's whatever. In this particular fic, I find it quite cute that Haurche had a crush on Aymeric as a kid, so even if they aren't all buddy buddy in this fic there's still that lingering admiration and it's cute. I also completely swear by pansexual Haurchefant bc that man does NOT discriminate. Okay enough abt the French I will talk about the Italians (Romans) now.

Far colder on the earth than in the heavens by Altimas_Bane

(Galvus family things) Length: 7k Status: Complete Review: I told you I love my familial angst. No, I'm NOT okay. It DOES make me absolutely rabid that Emet Selch as Solus couldn't help but have some hope for the sundered because of Lucius because can you fucking imagine that??? Your son who gave you a little bit of hope for the broken, shattered people who replaced your brethren dies and that is the nail in the coffin. That is what makes you fully believe that they are unworthy. It was briefly mentioned in the short story "Through his Eyes", but Emet Selch had a little bit of hope for Lucius, and he was probably distraught when his son died. This fic goes over that agonizing feeling of watching someone slowly waste away from sickness. It is slow, it is painful, and it is gut wrenching. Idk man, just read it.

Son, Father, Emperor by January Blue

(Varis reflecting on his life and especially his relationship with Zenos)

Length: 12k Status: Complete Review: Heyyyyyy do you bitches remember when I said that Varis probably loved Zenos when he was younger but eventually held contempt for the monster he created? You all probably thought I was crazy for reading them like this BUT I'M NOT!!!!! Anyways fatherly angst strikes again (I am in shambles and this fic goes onto the list of fics that I will never read again for the sake of my mental health) LISTEN TO ME AND LISTEN WELL; Varis and Zenos' relationship isn't so black and white. No I'm not defending Varis- but come on the entire Galvus family is fucking crazy man. Anyways, to quote the comment I left on this fic because I do not want to repeat and retype it myself: "Varis, in a lineage of men that are strong, born into the arena that is politics, is WEAK because he is EMOTIONAL. Solus/Emet Selch calls him emotional in the cutscene he was introduced in (unless I'm hallucinating) and that SENT me because I was forced to rethink all of the information we had been shown of Varis until then. I wrote him off as a shallow villain but I did some digging and Varis is surprisingly the most empathetic in the Galvus household and it SHOWS whenever Solus berated him in cutscenes." Varis had emotions, he had morals he had a line that he would not cross. He has been shown to be merciful (when we parlayed with him in the Ghimlyt Dark) and it's known that he at least cared for his late wife, Zenos' mother. Obviously, he would extend that to his son at one point, right? Perhaps when he was still young and unmarked by the world- right???? See, I really like this fic because it frames Varis' absence from Zenos' life as unintentional, but at the same time, it does not absolve him of the fact that he is a terrible father. I don't want to say too much because I would very much like it if YOU, my dearest reader, took as much emotional damage reading this as I did- but I digress. Varis and Zenos' relationship is not as simple as "Varis hates Zenos" there's obviously some shades of gray here. I personally believed that there's no way Varis hated Zenos because Zenos' mother died in childbirth, and clearly, other people think the same. Listen, you don't just hate your own flesh and blood, at least, not from the very beginning. It's a slow process, and I know it in my heart of hearts that Varis regretted what he let happen to Zenos This fic is just so wonderfully written and I was actually kinda bouncing around my room reading this. Once again, major daddy issues, so maybe that's why I like believing that Varis loved Zenos once upon a time. Something, something, father's love their kids until they grow a mind of their own.

And that's my list! In the future as I make my way through fanfics I have marked for later due to spoilers, I might make another one of these because I think people need to read this shit!!!!

If one of your fics is on here please send me an ask so that I might go back and edit this to tag you!

#can you tell who my favourite ffxiv character is????#gonna do one of these for PGR eventually but there aren't a bunch of PGR fics in general...#if you wrote any of this fics can we be mooties 👉👈#ffxiv #ffxiv fanfics #ff14 #fanfiction recommendation #fanfiction rec list #fanfic recs #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv x reader #i actually have a few reader insert fics i would have included but tbh i didn't want to list off EVERY single one of them #most of them are smut anyways...#not tagging the individual characters #kouryuu's shit #ff14 online #ffxiv online #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv

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the-tmnt-ficfinder · 6 days ago

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Ficfinder finds: how to get very good at juggling

Rottmnt Fanfic Summary: The Krang invasion put a couple of things in perspective for April. One of them was how much she wanted her parents to meet the Hamatos. The only difficult part is...getting her parents to meet the Hamatos.

how to get very good at juggling: Appraisal and Ratings

(Don't know what fanfic "Appraisal and Ratings" means? Check out my explanation on my Main Masterpost! Looking for a different fanfic to read? Head on over to my Fanfic List Masterpost!)

Disclaimer: This fanfic is completed and is written by @radishhqueen, so go show them some love and support!!

The fanfic ratings are not based on quality, favoritism, or how good I think it is, but rather, how intense a subject may be. Like a movie review, or the tags on Ao3, letting the readers know what to expect.

Plot: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Plot is one out of five!! This fic has less plotline, and instead, focuses on family dynamics, and how they effect everyone. This fic is post invasion, meaning the Hamatos are going through recovery."

Suspense/Mystery: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Suspense/Mystery is one out of five!! This fic has minimal suspense and no mystery!! The fic itself if fairly straightforward, basically following the plotline of what's written in the summary."

Angst/Hurt: 💛💛💛🖤🖤

"Angst/Hurt is three out of five!! This fic has some angst, and more hurt and sadness. Its got some crying moments, and sad moments, as they whole fam is recovering from the invasion."

Fluff/Comfort: 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Fluff/Comfort is four out of five!! To counteract the angst, this fanfic has a healthy dose of comfort to go along!! For each sad moment, there's a comforting moment!"

Emotions Conveyed: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Emotions Conveyed is one out of five!! The plot for this fic, is rather mellow, and really won't mess with your head. A much gentler read, filled with an even amount of angst and comfort, perfect for a more relaxed read!!"

Drama/Tension Level: 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Drama/Tension Level is four out of five!! This fic actually does have a lot of drama in it, particularly family drama. As said in the summary, April wants the Hamatos to meet her parents, which of course leads to lots of family drama, and confusion."

Triggers: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Triggers are one out of five!! This fic has almost no triggers at all!! Only a few small triggers, such as emotional breakdowns, and overall family drama."

Legibility (Reading): 💛💛💛💛🖤

"Legibility (Reading) is four out of five!! how to get very good at juggling is a very easy on the eyes fic!! Easy to read, no odd texts, vanilla and wonderful!!"

Legibility (Audio): 💛💛💛💛💛

"Legibility (Audio) is five out of five! I listened to each and every one of these chapters, and I'd say the chapters are very well suited to audio book format!!"

Length: 💛🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Length is one out of five!! how to get very good at juggling is completed, and has a chapter count of 6 chapters total!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

how to get very good at juggling: Chapter List

(Chapters will be added as I rate and appraise them ^^)

(Yet to be added)

#tmntficfinder #ficfinder #tmnt fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt #rottmnt fanfic #rottmnt post invasion #April centric fic #ficfinder finds how to get very good at juggling #how to get very good at juggling

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lemonluvgirl · 1 year ago

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The Miner's Wife by MockingJayFlyingFree (Review)

Hello Hunger Games fanfic readers, this week I am reviewing the wonderful and compelling tale of The Miner's Wife written by MockingJayFlyingFree. (Trigger warnings for Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, forced prostitution, non-con, and mention of abortion.)

I picked this story first to review because it's at the top of Everlark Fic Questions Top Ten Fics by Statistics and because I've read it before so I figured reviewing it would be easier since I was familiar with the story. So with that reasoning explained let's get down to the review.

The story is set in Single Victor AU where Prim was never reaped but Peeta Mellark was. Peeta went on to win the 74th Hunger Games by himself and Katniss stayed in the Seam and married Gale at age 18. She had two children with him before a mine accident killed Gale and left her financially ruined and starving. In a last-ditch effort to feed her children, she turns to prostitution and finds some unlikely help in the form of the two District 12 victors.

One thing I really liked about this story was the setting felt a lot like the original trilogy. There's a certain grimness and desperation that makes it feel very authentic but the stakes are more adult in nature. There is also some extra world-building. We get to see the before-unseen shady dealings of the Capitol Elite who were not as prominent as in the original trilogy, as well as more of the Vicors/Mentors (from the Quarter Quell) who were previously one-dimensional characters in the original trilogy. By changing the timeline when the story takes place, 12 years after the 74th Hunger Games we get a different view of some very familiar characters, and different perspectives on some characters who were never fleshed out in Suzanne's Catching Fire.

Like the original books, the story starts in District 12 which is a microcosm of what is happening to Panem at large.

Peeta Mellark is back home after weeks of mandatory attendance at festivities in the Capitol. The district is dirty and grey, the people struggling even more than usual. There has been another large mine accident and many families have been affected. Including one familiar protagonist.

Katniss is all grown up with a family. She is once again thrust into the role of sole provider and head of her household. Except this time going beyond the fence to hunt won't save her family in time. She is forced to make the hard decision between her family's survival, staying true to her own values, and holding onto her dignity. Once again she chooses to do whatever is necessary to ensure her loved ones can live another day, which echoes back to the part of Katniss' character we saw in the original trilogy on the night before the start of the Hunger Games where Katniss said she couldn't afford to think about the moral quandies of killing other children because she had her sister to consider. The meaning implied is that Katniss' mindset going into the Games was doing whatever it took to win to get back home to her family because they were counting on her.

On the other side of the equation, we have Peeta Mellark. The story actually starts with his point of view and right off the bat we see that this story's version of Peeta Mellark is more in line with the hijacked version we became familiar with in the Mockingjay novel. Peeta is worn out and barely hanging on. It's been over a decade since he won his games. He's been mentoring children and watching them die for years and he's been sold as a prostitute in the Capitol for almost as long. The story delves into his depression and his alcoholism, as well as his dependence on drugs. It also touches on his past suicide attempts and his suicidal ideation. Yet through all of that, his desire to protect the people that are important to him is still there.

We see from the get-go that even though Katniss never had to go into the arena and Peeta made it out alive, they are still fighting a battle for survival mentally and physically every day. They have both been exploited in different ways and are dealing with the lingering effects of trauma. Katniss with the trauma and grief of losing both her father and the father of her children to the same mine that has killed so many Seam people, and Peeta with having to endure the horrors of being a young and desirable victor sought after by the Capitol elite, as well as mentoring a new crop of tributes every year.

The human tragedies playing out in District 12 set the stage for Katniss and Peeta's paths to cross again merge in new ways and evolve from what we saw in Collins' books. The struggles they face may be slightly different from their teenage counterparts in the original trilogy but one thing I think MockingJayFlyingFree does well is stay true to the inner core of these characters. Katniss is still a consummate survivor who in the right circumstances with the right people is won over by compassion and empathy. While Peeta goes through a horrible ordeal of having his humanity stripped away and becoming a ghost of himself, he is brought back by those who understand his pain, and his mission of trying to save the girl he threw bread to when he was eleven.

Their struggle to stay true to themselves, and find freedom and peace under an oppressive totalitarian regime is very inspiring and at moments heartbreaking. While this story does not have a clear-cut happily ever after it does end on a hopeful note and readers walk away with a very authentic and thought-provoking experience.

I enjoyed reading this story immensely and I can completely see why it's on the list of top ten Huger Games fanfiction stories. I highly recommend this fic to readers who enjoy the grittiness and high stakes of the Hunger Games.

#thg #everlark #fanfiction #lemonluvreviews #LLreviews #THG reviews

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eurydicees · 4 months ago

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in need of fanfic/book recs from ya <3

ooooooh okay idk what genre of book or fandom/ship fic you want so here are my general recent favorites! i'm not gonna give a summary, just a small note/review with my thoughts, so ur gonna have to google the books and click the ao3 links--my apologies but this post was getting way too long lmfao

real life books!

gideon the ninth / the locked tomb series by tamsyn muir: i'm really working my way through this series and i loooooove it. the characters make me crazy and every turn in the plot has me screaming a little. there's been a lot of deranged texts to irls about this one.

under the whispering door by t.j. klune: this book DID make me cry. it's a really well woven story about love for your family and your friends and death and finding satisfaction and fulfillment in life (and death) and moving forward. HIGHLY recommend his other book (the house on the cerulean sea) as well!! i read that one first and it's a really gorgeous, satsifying read.

the shell collector by anthony doerr: this is a short story collection technically but i loooooove it. each story individually is really beautifully done and i absolutely LOVE his writing style. i think i take a lot of inspiration from him for my own writing!

on earth we're briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong: top books that, like, make yourself feel seen. another author/poet that i feel i can attribute a lot of inspiration for my style and love of words to in general.

sharks in the rivers by ada limón: poetry collection! but one of my all time favorite poetry collections and i can't let this go unnamed. i absolutely ADORE ada limón (you may know her from "the great blue heron of dunbar road" or "instructions on not giving up", which floats around tumblr pretty regularly). i think i first read this collection for class but it genuinely changed something in me. i actually have a tattoo based on these poems <3

post-colonial love poem by natalie diaz: another poetry collection but this one, like, fucked me up. it's woven together as a collection in an absolutely breathtaking way, but each poem also stands alone really beautifully.

fics - haikyuu!!

a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam by swampdragons (iwaoi, 6911 words): i read this a bit ago and really loved it, though it was also really emotionally difficult for me to personally get through--one of those fics that really drives the emotions home so deeply that it hurts to keep going. part of that might just be my own personal connection to the topic. idk. but either way it's ABSOLUTELY worth it.

The Benefits of Patience by Moami (iwaoi, 3363 words): this one's silly and funny and so much more lighthearted than the prev rec lmfao. it's like. healthy but messy but established but not established but a real relationship but an almost relationship to be iwaoi <3333

The Way He Looks At You by roobtheboob (iwaoi, 3805 words): i think i read too much iwaoi. but this one's really cute i PROMISE. i like the kyoutani POV idea a lot and i think the way kyoutani is written overall is really well done, particularly in the team dynamic and his respect for iwaizumi.

The years shall run like rabbits by ladyoflalaland (ushiten, 7292 words): obsessed w this fic. ushijima's mother is written out to be a REALLY interesting character and her strained relationship with ushijima is fascinating. the passage of time of it all......man.

fics - other fandoms

"Normal" by OnigiriCat4Ever (fruits basket, kyohru, 7140 words): this one's a really cute post-canon character study of sorts and i really love it. i love how the 7yo hajime is written and his relationship with kyo is really sweet.

The act of loving in return by kindokja (bllk, ryusae, 2809 words): this one's both funny and heartwrenching and sweet and painful all at once. beautiful, necessary mix in a fic. i like it a lot.

turn your face (towards the sun) by youareoldfatherwilliam (atla, gen, 5813 words): im normal about fics abt the chit sang and the 41st, in case u were curious!

that's all i got for now? i literally just went through my most recent bookmarks and cherry picked some special highlights lol. feel free to let me know if you want anything more specific!!!!! u already know i loooooove giving recommendations<3

#ask #book rec #fic rec

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clotpolesonly · 7 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @wellhalesbells!! ❤️

How many works do you have on ao3?

213

What's your total ao3 word count?

1,201,156

What fandoms do you write for?

the fics i have on my AO3 are overwhelmingly Teen Wolf (174) 😂 with Merlin as the distant second (32), and then 5 for TRC, 1 for Captive Prince, and 1 for Dark Rise. 1 of TW's is also a crossover with Supernatural, which is not something that i would ever write for independently lol. currently i'm not doing much writing at all because writing is HARD and i've been low on writer juice for a very long time now, but when i do, it's TRC/TDT. that's what i want to be writing and what all the stories living in my head are for.

Top five fics by kudos:

Metamorphose (Merthur, Merlin) - 8278 kudos

Happiness is Effortless (Sterek, TW) - 8113 kudos

Much Ado About You Two (Sterek, TW) - 7632 kudos

I'll Dissolve When The Rain Pours In... (Stackson, TW) - 6549 kudos

We Duel At Dawn (Merthur, Merlin) - 5140 kudos

Do you respond to comments?

i respond to almost every comment i get, though i've taken to letting them pile up a bit before i get up the energy to do so 😅 just yesterday i busted through my backlog of comments, which had gotten up to like 50+ lol, i had just been ignoring it for 3 months. but it's been a point of pride for me since i was like 13 and yelling into the void on FFN to respond to every comment and review on my stories, and i've stuck to it reasonably well over the years. the only ones i don't reply to are the ones that make me anxious adkfjgh ones that ask questions i don't know how to answer yet - primarily, "will you/when will you finish this?" on fics that i INTEND, IN THEORY, to finish someday but don't have hope of doing so any time soon. i don't want to tell them no when i really do mean to finish someday, but i don't want to claim that i will and then fail to actually follow through. so i just. leave those comments in my inbox to haunt me like a heart beating under my floorboards. so i've got 22 of those lmao.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably either 1) These Gordian Knots We Tie (Sterek), which is a sort of an open-ended tragic self-sabotage the-journey-isn't-over-this-is-just-the-low-point kind of thing. i'd originally intended to keep writing, but frankly, i like it as it is. i've gotten several comments complaining about it, which i soundly ignore. or 2) An Empty Glass Is An Ugly Mirror (Dydia), which is an AU fic of Lydia trying to get Derek to leave his abusive wife Kate, but it ends with Derek going back to her. the A/N is optimistic about him leaving eventually 😂 but the story itself leaves off on a very unhappy note.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

a LOT of my fics are just pure unremitting fluff adlkfjgh, there's no way to answer this question

Do you get hate on fics?

i don't, really, which i'm grateful for. i've gotten a handful of kinda shittyish comments over the years, disagreeing with my authorial choices or characterization or arguing about the choices characters made, but i don't THINK i've ever gotten anything that was really aggressive or outright hateful. which, proportionally, with how much i've written and how many comments i've gotten overall, i find rather astounding. maybe i'm not writing controversial enough stuff 😂 i need to step up my game.

Do you write smut?

i have on occasion, but not very much, lol. gotta run the numbers again....... 6% of my catalog is actually E rated and E+M makes up a little under 10% haha. i can write smut, it's just a lot of work, and i don't usually care enough to bother.

Craziest crossover:

the only true crossover i've written is my SuperWolf one, One For The Road, One For Me (Stiles/Dean Winchester), which i had a great time writing and of which i'm quite fond 😂😂😂 i've got a crossover that lives in my HEAD, though, of TRC and the Hunger Games, where the main TRC cast takes the place of all the main characters in the games but where Snow and Coin remain themselves because there's just no one in birdverse that can really fulfill those roles, and if that fic ever makes it to the page, then it's OVER for you bitches alkjfdhg

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i did have someone steal To Be A King (gen, Merlin) and post it on wattpad with some name changes, but like......not the right names?? like they changed some of the regular character names but not any of the names of the OCs that made the fic unique to me personally, it was really weird, anyway i had to make a WP account so i could message them to take it down and it immediately disappeared without them actually responding to me directly lol. if anything else has been reposted elsewhere, it hasn't been brought to my attention.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i've had 15 fics translated and linked back to me on ao3, which is super duper cool!!! 8 of them are by the same very dedicated russian fan ❤️

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

people have asked to co-author with me before and i always tell them the same thing: bad idea alkjdfhg 😅 i'm a very opinionated perfectionist control freak of a writer, i would be a TERRIBLE person to co-write with. i would either steamroll the hell out of my partner or end up stewing in quiet nagging resentment forevermore that noooooo it should've gone like THIS it's so WRONG it would be better if THISSSSS on everything from narrative structure to word choice 😂😂😂 if you've ever asked to co-write something with me, TRUST me, i turned you down for everybody's sake ...........that being said, me and my best friend cami do collaboratively generate stories together on a regular basis, a kind of Yes, And-ing spiral that can end up thousands and thousands of words long and include details down to verbatim dialogue and body language. but!! the loosey-goosey nature of those chats doesn't quite trigger the same possessive instinct that real actual prose that will be posted and have my name attached to it does. those stories are BANGERS btw, if i could beam them directly into your brain, i would do so 😂 i hesitate to try and write them, though, cuz then it would take them out of our hands and into mineminemine and we'd end up in ^^^ the above situation.

All time favorite ship?

illegal question, impossible to answer, i am too much of a multshipper

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

For Shell And Safety (love this fic DEARLY, an OC i'm actually proud of, stalled out 7 years ago in the middle of the climactic fight scene and just......couldn't find my way out of it)

REM-DAC (soooo proud of the worldbuilding in this fic, got so close to the end until i realized i couldn't finish it because what it really needed was a sequel and i couldn't set up for a sequel until i planned out the sequel, and i could never find anybody willing to read 45k of WIP to help me brainstorm the sequel, so it's just been languishing for 6 years)

Thinking About Blue Skies (a Laura/Allison fic i started writing for the very first LHAW 7 years ago and couldn't finish before posting time. i weep for this one. never had an ending in mind, couldn't figure one out, gave up)

In The Absence Of Scars (i hurried this one out for posting before it was finished specifically so that i could be one of the first 20 fics posted to AO3 for the Dark Rise fandom 😂😂😂 i succeeded!!! but i stalled out, and by now the second book has come out with more info that jossed some of my speculation, and there will undoubtedly be more in the 3rd, and i just, hmm, idk if i'm ever gonna end up writing any more of it. it never really had an endgame to it anyway, i guess)

Merlin Ambrosius, King of Carthis series (the fics already posted in the series are finished, but i promised a threequel 8 years ago and even started planning it out, but then i switched fandoms and never wrote it. rip to the epic Merthian lovestory featuring baby dragons and dragonrider!Raime that may or may not ever come to be, idk, maybe someday i'll circle back around to it)

What are your writing strengths?

i've been told that i have very strong dialogue, and that i capture characters' voices/language patterns well. i'm rather pleased with my ability to convey emotion implicitly through action, body language, and expression rather than having to state it outright. i think my descriptions are good and i'm getting better at balancing description and dialogue. i've got a few action sequences that readers really seemed to like, so i think i've more or less gotten the hang of those 😂

What are your writing weaknesses?

structuring longer narratives is a struggle. knowing when to back off and let tension unwind instead of continuing to winch it higher. i can get stubborn about what i WANT even though it's not working well lol. and in line with that, i'm not the best at taking criticism. not in the sense of getting upset about it, but in the sense of just ignoring it alkdjfgh. like, sometimes i'll ask for critique, get it, and be like mmmmm suddenly i can't read sorry i'm jared 19, and then leave everything exactly as i wrote it the first time 😅 to the detriment of my story. working on that, lmao.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

depends on what you're trying to achieve with it. i wouldn't usually bother with it, cuz it's obtuse and confusing for your reader if you leave it untranslated and if you do translate it then what was the point of writing it out in the other language in the first place instead of just indicating that [the thing it means] was said in [language]?

First fandom you wrote in?

Harry Potter, i think, with early forays also into Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, Newsies, and Little Mermaid II 😂😂😂 but by bulk, primarily HP

Favorite fic you've written?

how could you ask someone with 213 fics that question??? that's rude and uncalled for and also impossible to answer. i feel like i'm contractually obligated to say To Be A King, my magnum opus of a fic, longest thing i've ever written and also the single most satisfying ending i've ever managed. that's my default answer for this kind of question, but seriously, it's rUDE, I LIKE MANY OF MY FICS FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS!!!

tagginggggg @adamprrishcycle @flightspathfic @cheeeryos and as always, i KNOW i know more writers, but i can only ever think of so many at a time, consider yourself tagged if you wanna do it

#wellhalesbells #MOOD on the florida public school education btw alkdfjgh

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walkawaytall · 11 months ago

Note

For the asks: 11, 19, or 20?

Ty and Happy Holidays!!

Thank you for asking!

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing

Finishing Collateral was incredibly satisfying because it was my first Star Wars fic and I hadn’t written any fanfiction for like 15+ years, so I didn’t know how it would go. Plus, having struggled with ADHD for so long, I have a string of unfinished projects trailing behind me at all times, so to set out to do something, struggle with it a bit, and actually finish it was a big deal for me.

But, also, Hearthstide was very satisfying to finish as well. I needed more hand holding on that fic than usual because I kept doubting my writing at every turn, so having @diplomaticprincess beta for me was really, really helpful. And I kept changing the ending, but ultimately am happy with how I ended it, so I was glad to get it out there.

19. Share your favorite opening line

Uh, can I have two favorites since they are wildly different in tone and I love them equally?

Brief Shadow:

There is a day when the quiet seeps into her bones, the burden of memory sealing her lips and causing her throat to tighten until words cannot escape without more effort than she can spare.

So, Now I Have to Destroy Them:

They’d all lost their damn minds.

20. Share your favorite ending line

Oh, ending lines are so hard for me. I feel like I’m almost never satisfied with them. But the one from Just Tauntauns is one I liked:

And if Wes happened to notice said smuggler hide a grin behind a well-placed hand when said princess managed a particularly amusing insult during one of their tiffs or notice her reach over to tuck a mittened hand into his as they surreptitiously walked together in the corridors late at night…

Well, no he didn’t.

And the one from Fortitude:

He kisses first her forehead, then her lips, and Leia is sure she will not lose him.

2023 in Review writer asks

#2023 in review ask game #fanfic writer asks #fanfic writer ask #writer ask game #wat answers #xmas-pterodactyl

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chryblossomjjk · 2 years ago

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bts fic recommendations | 01.31.23

→ hi friends! this is a little segment i do every tuesday (reviewsday get it, aren’t i funny, pls tell me how funny i am) where i read and review two-three fics. as a content creator, i know how big of a role other creators play in your growth, therefore, i want to do my part in making sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve! so with that being said, please check out the amazing fics listed below. make sure to like, reblog, and leave feedback! ♡ #reviewsday #kikirecs

busted (pt 1 + pt 2) - @btsgotjams27 (jjk x reader | married au, parents au, smut)

summary: your husband comes home with a new gift and you’re not happy with it.

oh.... this is wholesome

im usually partial to girl dad koo but i've been looking at his bby pictures lately and he was so cute ugh :'( picturing two lil kooks is killing me (also i see where u got the inspo teehee v cute jess)

also he's such a lil shit pls like he knows what he's doing being such a slut and avoiding the conversation !!! we love him for it !!!

this is my fav style of writing by the way. like when the reader is just dropped into a slice of the character's lives and you figure them out based on the context clues. like the fact that kook's mom died is such a small detail here but it adds so much to the world. you did so well with seamlessly dropping tidbits and making it natural, not an easy thing to do!!! but you did it so so so well in this!!

him licking his fingers clean after wearing her pussy like a ring had me

dad jk putting it the fuck downnnnnn on that bathroom counter SHEESH IM SWEATING!!! also the baby interrupting right before the nut is peak wholesome content lmao!! and the way you incorporated the title TWICE PLS A GENIUS AND THIS WAS SO INCREDIBLY HOT and i would love to see more of this lil family :') <3

i want to be with you - @oddinary4bts (pjm x reader | idol au, s2l, f2l, fluff, slight angst, smut)

summary: moving to seoul has always seemed like a good idea, until the bubble bursts when you realize your new neighbor is park jimin, and he's not the sweet angel you've always imagined him to be. will the reality of park jimin forever be a nightmare, or will he turn into a sweet dream?

first of all this is just what i needed um what is fanfic if not a vehicle to live out your daydreams anywho... something about moving to a big city and finding love is so fairytale-ish and magical and uGh. the more of these i do the more im starting to think we're all the same bc I RELATE SOME MUCH TO OC GTFO!! and that introduction made me so attached to her because there almost this childlike nature about her?? maybe childlike is the wrong wording but she has so much excitement and ambition, looks to the future with so much hope despite everything that she's been through. yeah. love her dearly will protect at all costs. and the way you contrasted this intro with the intro to the present day to show how now its not a daydream anymore n shes actually dealing w the reality of starting n moving somewhere new *chefs kiss*

"Sometimes, you wondered if faith existed. If there was a bigger plan to the universe, something written for you already that you couldn’t really escape from. It was the thought that crossed your mind as the doors finished moving, and a dark-haired boy – man – stared at you as you just stood there, mouth falling open."

god if theres one thing my communications major literature minor loves its this !!!! foreshadowing !!! like idk this paragraph just tickled my brain in the right way. it really is so beautiful. one of those that you look back on on a second read and smile because it means so much more and aged even better. truly stellar writing.

ALSO BRO THIS OC IS LEGIT MEEEE LIKE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE OUT MY CLUELESS Y/N WHO HAS NO IDEA WHO BTS IS AND IS MYSTERIOUS AND NON-INTERESTED WHEN I HAVE A WHOLE TATTOO DEDICATED TO PARK JIMIN LMAO THE CHIMMY KEYCHAIN TOOK ME OUT BYE!!

"You expected his features to have that same disgusted scowl he always reserved for you, but his brows fell, as if he was ashamed, or perhaps sad."

"It was so human you found you had to look away."

and then just the pull towards eachother like this connection was legit fated was so fucking good. them taking care of eachother when they're drunk. hangover fucking soup :'). and then after everything with collin and jimin's spiraling they really needed eachother. like the stars aligned to set this pair up and its so comforting to read. BUT LIKE THE SLOWBURN MADE IT FEEL SO SO EARNED. AND THE WAY YOU ENDED IT WITH THE TITLE I COULD FUCKING SCREAM!!! so so so good. thank you for taking the time to write and share this masterpiece on the platform, you've made it sm better with this beautiful addition :') friends do not walk, RUN to read this.

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clonebrainrot · 6 months ago

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Season 1 episode 4 Cornered review and live reaction

This has been the weakest episode of the 4 we have watched so far, but I still wouldn’t give it below a 7.5. Now if I wasn’t smart I would find Omega annoying here, but since I can use my brain and know she has lived an extremely sheltered life I find this all very realistic.

They really loved using Fennecs theme this episode.

I’ve been stuck on Kamino my whole life. Of course she couldn’t stay on Pabu

Abafar? Isn’t that the planet from the droid squad arc?

I could

Great

is a great line

He’s playing both sides so that way he always comes out on top.

Fennec Shand! Omega gets to hang out with a girl for a bit that also tries to kidnap her.

Omega gets so excited over small things I love her.

You know for this planet being Pantora there aren’t a lot of Pantorans. Like there are some but not as many as you would think

Just tell me what to rip out. Wrecker is on a role with his lines this episode

I am worth more than 2,000 is one of the best lines of the show

Resistance my beloved your one and only reference in this show.

Fennec’s music is just great

I wish we had more POV shots.

She’s so innocent. She has improved so much.

Interesting she calls the batch her friends here. I wonder when she starts calling her their brothers. Will be interesting to keep an eye out for that

So this is how omega learned how to swindle

Has anyone written a fic where fennec did stay with the batch? Not that I have seen.

Echo to the rescue. This is also a much better D-squad arc

I think this is the one episode I almost found Omega annoying, but I don’t because this actually makes logical sense for her character. She has lived her whole life on Kamino

Wrecker about to get his ass beat again

lol that was quick

Clink my favorite!

Second POV shot. I love them even if they last for such a short time

This dude is just jamming

Star Wars police siren my beloved

Fennec just murdered that dude

Fennec says fuck the police

The explosions always look so pretty

They also got good use out of that fennec theme lol

Wrecker loves Omega lol I love it

Okay maybe I don’t remember themes well, but they really got their money’s worth out of Fennec’s lol

#star wars #starwars #the bad batch #tbb #CBR reviews

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twopoppies · 9 months ago

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Hi Gina thank you so much for your book recs!!! I’ve already read and loved Circe and song of Achilles but I’ll definitely check out the others! My friend has a copy of house on the cerulean sea I can borrow so I think I’ll read that next.

Also sorry but just need to quickly vent about bad luck in reading books at the moment hence why I asked for your recs. I most recently just finished a book I picked up from the op shop and checked reviews that made it sound promising. However I struggled to get into it because I felt like the writing was almost juvenile despite not being YA and covering some dark themes that needed more maturity in its approach, but I kept reading because it was a mystery so I needed to know how it ended. And then I read the author’s acknowledgement at the end and she said she “would like to thank me, myself and I” and how she had done NO research for the book and didn’t want any input from anyone….. and I genuinely couldn’t believe she was openly admitting this and I think it explained why I didn’t enjoy her writing style?!?!!??

Anyways, it really reminded me of how lucky we are for the fan fic authors we have in this fandom who are putting in time and effort writing for free. Also many who actually DO research and have betas proof reading and giving feedback. So thank you to all fan fic authors you’re amazing!!!!

Also I’m currently reading a book I also picked up from the op shop called A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gayle, (not sure if you’ve read any of his books before?) which I think if written well (which so far I am really enjoying his writing) is a book you may also enjoy as it’s a historical fiction set in early 1900s about a man discovering his sexuality and having to move to farm in the Canadian prairies.

Sorry this ended up being very long I was only meant to just say thank you for your recs oops!!!!

Oooh. That book does sound interesting. I’ll check it out. Thank you! And Goddddd there are so many poorly written books being published. It’s so aggravating. And BookTok is full of people praising some of the worst of them. We are lucky there have been so many good fics written over the years.

I’m so glad you liked Madeline Miller‘a books. Her writing is just gorgeous. I hope you find something you like amongst the rest of the ones I suggested. ❤️

#book recs

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craw-dacious · 1 year ago

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Review of made weak by time and fate, but strong in will by dialux

Summary: I really really enjoyed this fic, the characterizations made me actually like the characters like A LOT. Some characters were underdeveloped, but thats alright because it’s such a lily/James focused fic. Ending was good but a little unfulfilling. I do think some of the dramatics and action became more confusing than true plot devices, but it would have gotten very very long with full transitional throughout the book. Criticisms aside, incredibly well written, amazing prose, and truly beautiful symbolism. I read this in about 24 hours.

SPOILERS BELOW BEWARE

Chapter by chapter review, from someone brand spanking new to marauders fics (not harry potter)

Chapter one

Wait why is lily calling him Jimmy is that a thing

This chapter is long asf

I need to read up on how magic works, I know Lily is a super good witch but this seems unrealistic even for her

But also the hurt comfort is going to go crazy I already know

Just leaving your baby and almost dead husband alone in the woods is wild

I sincerely hope Snape still sucks complete ass, I hate him and his little monologue does nothing to help

NO WAND BRUHHHH

Overall: I am currently crying. That poor girls mom is dead. Am I confused about pacing? Yes. Am I cringing at the little “I am Thanatos” line to end it? Yes. But, overall the vibes are fantastic and I’m loving it.

Chapter Two

OMG lightning scar!!1

Thor as a wizard is funny bc im imagining like the marvel actor with a big fat wand

Literally how did they forget about Sirius bruh

Calling him Jimmy is getting on my nervesss like I guess its cute but it just does not fit his vibe

Why am I crying again

“Courage dear heart” my mommy captioned an insta pic of me chopping my hair off with that when i was like 9

Recap: the lightning is throwing me big time, like im so confused by what it means. Seems very symbolic and shit but also cool as fuck for James

Im excited for Sirius to be involved

Chapter 3

Crying again bruh Sirius never found out abt regulus in canon so sad

Recap is just that the fic is fire, I like all the dynamics other than thinking remus is a little underdeveloped and I dont understand the earth magic stuff. Excited to see baby harry again

Chapter 4

Crying AGAIN this regulus bullshit is so sad

Wtf are remus and James up to bruh

Lily is so convincing like she’s a genius

I really want to understand lily more as a character. Had a dream we were friends during my sick nap today and she was just Gracie and I called her a mudblood :/

This ritual magic shit is cool as fuck, im sure its not as prevalent in other marauders fic but its slaying

Remus and Sirius being so gay but not enough brother

Recap:

Huge plot shit,, how could this possibly get wackier sillier love it. (I know it’s like scary I just like the creativeness a lot) worried about Narcissa and craving some redemption/mention of Draco bc Im me. Need to see harry. Need to see harry baby harry

Chapter 5

THEY’D SAY HARRY DID IT I FORGOT IT WAS HER MAGIC THAT KILLED VOLDY

Threatening to raise Malfoy as not racist and it working is insane

James is actually so dumb racism is always bruh

But Severus is stupider how does he think his poetic shit is going down in Lily’s head??

HOW DID SIRIUS NOT DIE

HOW DID NO ONE DIE

No baby harry is criminal. Like actually criminal. Im losing it.

RECAP FULL:

I really really enjoyed this fic, the characterizations made me actually like the characters like A LOT. Still feel like Remus was underdeveloped, but thats alright because it’s such a lily/James focused fic. I do wish we’d had some sort of epilogue, I want baby Harry so badly. I do think some of the dramatics and action became more confusing than true plot devices, but it would have gotten very very long with full transitional throughout the book. Also Lily definitely told Petunia shed leave Harry for a couple days and then was gone for weeks. Like its insane.

Numerical: 8.2/10, lost one full point for "Jimmy"

#marauders #wolfstar #fic rec #fic reviews #jily #lily evans #james potter #peter pettigrew #harry potter #gay shit #remus lupin

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lemongingerart · 2 years ago

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Chapter 1 - Departure (I)

Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏

You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊

Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)

Tags & warnings: TRoS fix-it (kind of), Hux!lives, Hux doesn’t like Kylo, Not a Redemption Arc, maybe a little bit, shameless fem!OC insert (there are cliches but entertaining ones imo), slow emotional burn, medium sexual burn, Enemies to Enemies With Benefits to Lovers, Hux is still a villain don't forget, Virgin Characters, masturbation against the door, pinv, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Awkward Sexual Situations, Past Child Abuse, dubious first kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mental Breakdown, Unprotected Sex, wet Hux, that deserves a tag/warning on its own, Minor Character Death

I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!

Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰

A/N: Hello dear, it's been a while! I wasn’t actually planning on publishing yet (I still need to finish up the header and the last scene) but after attending star wars celebration I am so high on Hux again! As an extra, I'm also uncharacteristically impulsive. This is not going to end well, ah ah ah.

Arc 2 has been written, up till some very *interesting * scenes! The whole thing got out of hand a bit, I already have almost 23k words for part 1 of this arc (part 2 will follow with the same amount, but still working it through) I should be able to more or less update on a regular basis for the next 11 chapters now, since I only need to review them!

Because I know some of you have read arc 1 a good while ago, let me give you this short recap: Hux, Miko and PC just left Utapau Four and are heading to Taris, so they can obtain the coördinates to the Resistance base. Hux has been in a stressful and frustrated mood (at least, more than usual), while Miko is gloomy from trying to deal with her new reality: she might not be able to return to her home for good.

Get ready for a whole whirlwind of (mis)adventures.

Armitage was looking to the everlasting hyperspace clouds, as if he was paying attention to it for the first time in his life. If Miko wanted to start a conversation - which she certainly didn’t - his intense gaze would've stopped her from doing so. She wondered what he was thinking, looking so serious and focussed on the void ahead.

This time however, she mused, the silence didn’t feel loaded and somehow had turned into something comforting. They had an actual plan and could focus on the upcoming mission. Everything was more or less under control.

Miko felt like she finally had the time to study her companion. From the seat she was in, she noticed he was frowning deeply, and she could guess by that serious stern look on his face, he was thinking about the current bantha poodo he was in.

She sat back in the co-pilot 's chair while keeping an eye on his side profile. She knew by now he had done some horrible things - based on her father's reaction - although she didn't know the exact details.

Thinking back to the way he introduced himself to her with so much flair, his previous position within the military must’ve meant everything to him. The First Order was probably the only life he knew. And she doubted one could become a general by playing along nicely, so he probably has done and sacrificed a lot to get in that seat.

Still, he betrayed all that. For what?

Her mind wandered back to the time he miraculously woke up beneath her, onboard the Steadfast . She really was convinced he was dead at the time. She could remember the shock she felt, when she unceremoniously had fallen down on his limp body. But the memory was blurred by the storm of emotions and adrenaline she went through that moment.

Did I really somehow… revive him, like he said? How could that be even frigging possible?

The girl looked at her hands and slowly turned them around, trying to see if something happened if she tensed the muscles in her fingers.

Of course, it was to no avail, making her wonder if he was just making things up for some obscure reason. But why would he do that?

Nothing made sense these past days . The chaos, violence, the unexpected get-away, everything was wearing her down.

She slowly looked back to the ex-general and noticed how his jaw was slightly moving.

Was he grinding his teeth… again ?

At this moment, she was absolutely positive this man was full of frustrations and looking at the bags under his bloodshot eyes and his pale skin, the stress was eating him slowly but surely.

She closed her eyes. If she was not going to stop paying attention to him, she was going to start getting worked up as well, and that wouldn’t help them any further.

After a short pause, Miko felt relatively at ease again and decided to follow Hux’ gaze, so she started staring at the hyperspace clouds as well. They were somehow enchanting, the slight rotation of the ship making the clouds swirl and giving the space outside a dreamy aura.

Honestly, right now, this all felt like a bad dream. She had always wanted to leave Utapau Four behind, and she used to fantasise about steering her own ship, drifting through hyperspace, from system to system. Seeing the most beautiful parts of the galaxy. Looking for a place with more purpose to land.

She once wished for adventure, but now, the sting of hastily having to say goodbye to her father, maybe for good, was reminding her that she wasn't living her dream. This was all too real and absolutely not how she wanted to leave her home behind.

She felt the urge to cry slowly rising from her chest, but she refused to give in to those feelings, especially around that pompous manipulative asshole. She gulped and kept her head down, trying to find tranquillity once again.

Only a few seconds later, she noticed a small but very irritating noise originating from the left. She looked back at Hux, who was now grinding his teeth so loud she could hear it from her seat and it was not helping her current emotional state.

Kriff.

‘Could you please stop doing that?? It’s not good for both your teeth and my headache’, she said, grumbling, only then realising she was again talking before thinking things through.

This frigging bastard had almost choked me to death, if it wasn’t for PC , she hastily reminded herself, cold sweat appearing on her backside.

But the next thought that entered her worked up mind, were those glassy eyes again. Almost instantly she felt her cheeks go red, betrayed by her own thoughts, so she swiftly diverted her attention to the other side of the shuttle and gulped. She sincerely hoped he wouldn't turn around and see the blush under the dim light.

Unfortunately, Hux decided to redirect his energy from destroying his teeth to destroying any hope for a normal conversation, and he slowly faced her.

‘Just who do you think you’re talking to?’ he replied with a low voice, giving her a dangerous look, as if she had done something extremely rude. Her body already involuntarily responded to his words and made her turn her attention back to him, momentarily forgetting the blush and trying to process his rude comment.

Was this the tone he normally used when a subordinate had messed up pretty bad? she absently considered, trying to find a way to explain that this reply was somehow socially acceptable in Worst Order context.

But, despite trying to negate the brusqueness in what he just said, she could not get rid of the feeling that he was intimidating her, that was for sure. And, combined with the reason she had been blushing before, he was tearing her apart with these most confusing thoughts.

Right now, under his persistent, piercing gaze, she felt like she couldn’t breathe easily, feeling mixed emotions of anger, inadequacy from her part (and for what? He didn't have anything to expect from her), getting slightly terrified and some other burning feeling from her abdomen. One that matched well with her pink cheeks.

She abruptly closed her mouth and looked away with a defying glance. There was no good verbal response she could come up with, especially since she felt like he turned her into a mess so easily.

This was a conversation she wouldn’t take any further, because it was going to end in the both of them shouting again, and maybe worse.

The next few seconds, her discomfort only escalated further into distress. Miko felt like she was walking on thin ice, scared to accidentally provoke him. Not that she was convinced there were any actual triggers, but the thought of his hands around her throat tended to do that to her. So, she decided she didn’t want to stay in the same room with him any more and left the cockpit without a word.

Armitage watched Miko’s back when she retreated from the cockpit. He made notice of her posture, which wasn't reflecting her usual defiance. Unlike their other unfortunate encounters, she looked a bit resigned but mainly confused, most likely too emotionally disturbed to be thinking clearly. Her face looked a bit worked up, too.

Thinking back on what he just said to her, he may have been overreacting due to his train of thoughts. She didn't actually say something offensive, although it was much more straightforward than any other conversation he has had in the past years.

Taking into account that she already looked off, he hoped she wasn’t going to do anything stupid because of his response.

Given her mood though, he opted not to go after her, and wait in the cockpit a little longer. The atmosphere was already loaded enough and he wasn't looking forward to more energy consuming drama or useless fights.

He automatically turned his attention back to the hyperspace void in front of him and picked up where his thoughts were left, before her intermission.

The stress started eating at him again. He wasn’t used to having time for anything, and now he sat there, waiting, counting the hours before he was to be delivered to the enemy, at his own suggestion, no less.

Was he going to be able to break Ren? How much more did he need to give up so he could remove that idiot, who knocked him from his ambitious trajectory? Is it all going to be worth it and what's going to be left of the First Order in the end? Will there be a chance for him to start over and get in charge again?

There had to be, it was the only life he knew. He had been there, only a little five year old boy, when the Order rose from the ashes of the Empire. So many sacrifices, harsh decisions and risks were taken to become what they were. He personally had pushed himself to the limits, over the limits, sometimes to the brink of insanity, to achieve greatness for the First Order.

His mind wandered further, thinking back about the choices he made, the career path he chose and pushed himself forward for. The way he crawled up to the chain of command.

Yes, corruption was within their ranks. He wasn’t clean of those tactics either, but that’s part of the game. He learned those tricks from his father.

Armitage grimaced at the thought of the latter, and how he made sure the younger Hux understood his teachings.

There’s no way one could keep his hands clean in achieving leadership. But at least, he knew how the giant war machine worked, something Ren lacked. They all underestimated him, they didn't understand how far he was willing to go and up till now that had always worked in his advantage.

The empire had shown that a strong hand was imperative to attain peace, but it was too flawed. And with insane emotionally unstable idiots like Ren at the top, the First Order was risking the same end. Something had to be done.

But, after literally leaking the Emperor's message to the resistance and letting high ranked resistance members escape, will he ever be able to seize command? Maybe he did go too far, this time?

He didn’t have many allies left. Phasma perished as did Snoke. Lower officers like Mitaka could prove to be loyal to him, given Ren’s outbursts on the personnel. But in high command, he was losing popularity because of Starkiller and the Fulminatrix.

And then there was that huge factor he hadn’t taken into account properly.

Pryde.

He knew of the sick prick and his reserve forces, but none of the acting officers of the First Order out in the outer rim were aware of how Pryde had strengthened their numbers so fast. The so-called allegiant-general had become a powerful and influential player. Suddenly, the tables had turned and both Pryde and Ren almost succeeded in removing him from the board of command.

Then came Palpatine 's message, and it was as if it announced Hux's demise. Pryde convinced his loyal allegiant officers that going after the message would bring them significant strategic advantages, while Ren was not open for reason. Hux was automatically on the other end of the bargain, and thus enemy number one within the Order's upper ranks.

How convenient for both.

He felt his palms grow sticky beneath his leather gloves. He could try to come up with alternative tactics, go over the scenarios over and over again, but he already knew in the back of his mind that there was no better option than the way too risky plan he had picked now.

His jaw felt stiff and was starting to hurt from the constant pressure, the sting bringing him back to the present. He sighed deeply and rubbed his nasal bone.

On second thought, getting into some drama or a fight with Miko suddenly feels much more appealing than drowning in these thoughtlines , he scoffed.

A/N: I'm ignoring Sloane for a minute because we don't know what happened to her, same goes for Thrawn. They will have a cameo later on though! I love them too much not to include them 🥰

#star wars fanfic #oc x character #general hux x oc #star wars #generalginger #gingergeneral #armitage hux #lemonginger #CCATT

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bronanlynch · 1 year ago

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once again here is my weekly roundup post of what I'm watching/reading/etc. once again none of this is necessarily a recommendation, except the bits where I talk about my own fic. obviously everyone should read my fic

listening (podcast): nothing new here. continuing with the Wing episodes of Great Gundam Project, which continue to make me want to watch Gundam at all times. also keeping up with Palisade (Friends at the Table), my beloved, I love it when an actual play podcast episode is an extended discussion on spycraft and the changing political landscape, and also watching someone else flip a coin

also, I've listened to less A More Civilized Age recently because I'm less interested in KOTOR now that they're covering that, but I did listen to their episode on the imminently-closing Disney World Starcruiser attraction which. oof. great podcast episode, unsurprising that the ~experience was uhhhhh not worth how many thousands of dollars it costs

listening (music): changed the CD in my car to One-X by Three Days Grace. sorry for almost exclusively listening to music that was used for AMVs in the 2000s.

however! for once I listened to new music, the new Troye Sivan single, Got Me Started. nothing particularly smart to say here, it's fun and catchy and makes me wish it was 2018 and I was back in grad school having a single overpriced drink in a gay bar and failing to psych myself up enough to flirt with anyone

reading: still working my way through Rule of Wolves (truly would be more interesting if Leigh Bardugo did not always shy away from the political marriages that she teases at, at least then the political intrigue would have to actually happen on the page) and Water Outlaws (shout out to my new favorite side character, the nonbinary strategist who wants to overthrow the government).

also read the newest KJ Charles novel, A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel. I always have a lot of fun with her stuff, she understands that life-threatening stakes and also secrets & betrayal are what I personally want in a romance. this one had some very fun intrigue around inheritance & legal loopholes, and also plot-important discussions of religion in Roman Britain. my main complaint isn't even a critique of the book itself, it's just that I as a person have slightly different priorities and I wish one of the main characters had been allowed to stay angry and maybe be more destructive about it. like I'm glad he's happy now that he's had his character development, and I do think it was well done. however. I would've found it personally cathartic if he got to do a few more crimes first

also also, this incredibly scathing academic book review (Was There an Administrative Revolution?, George Zhijian Qiao). it's a delight. I've seen some harsh rebuttals but nothing nearly as much of a masterpiece as this

watching: continuing to watch Elementary, which has its pros (competently-written mystery stories with fun characters) and its cons (can't tell if the copaganda has gotten more blatant this season or if it's just been building up and I'm getting tired of it)

also continuing my long slow journey of watching Legend of the Galactic Heroes. what a show. love an incredibly homoerotic military sci-fi anime about the narrative construction of history. season 3 has been kind of up and down for me, though, I must say. I love the parts about Reinhard being desperate to die in battle against a "worthy opponent," I love Reuental getting accused of treason presumably to foreshadow him actually doing treason at some point, I love Kircheis haunting the narrative, I love the vastly different tone whenever we see Yang being self-aware about history and his friends getting up to shenanigans. however. whenever the Earth Cult is the central focus I'm reminded how much I don't like that plotline. like. Idk. I'm not an expert but I know more well-informed people than me have talked/written about the prevalence of antisemitic conspiracy theory tropes in anime from this era and uh. that sure is present here and I don't care for it

the other thing I watched this week is 1985 horror film Re-Animator. my first note is "oh he's such a little freak I love him" (about the titular guy who reanimates the dead) and that really sums it up I think. is it a good movie? I mean. probably not. but I could write an entire thesis on the themes of procreation vs necromancy and how that subtextually makes the central conflict of the film a love triangle, and sometimes that's what really matters

playing: ran a session of Blades in the Dark while partially out-of-it from the flu shot/covid booster combo. this was the third session of a single score, and by the end of it everyone only had one (1) remaining stress box but somehow no one trauma-ed out while escaping the ancient winged robot/ghost lady whose gambling hall they were robbing (they stole her reality-bending dice that she made out of her own bones)

I've been enjoying Ace Attorney 5 more this week, the second half of 5-3 and the beginning of 5-4 have been a lot of fun. it really is a shame that Robin's gender is handled Like That because otherwise 5-3 would be such a good case. I'm not far enough into 5-4 to say much about it other than that I like it so far but truly my main observation is, if two astronauts were on the launch pad, and one of them killed the other with a knife, would that be fucked up or what?

making: made butternut squash pasta sauce with the rest of the squash left over from last week's muffins. we used this recipe, largely because it involved roasting the squash in the oven instead of standing over a stove waiting for liquid to reduce (substituted oat milk for the half-and-half, it turned out fine and just didn't needed the added pasta water)

here it's on mushroom ravioli, but we also added it to baked mac & cheese to add some more vegetable to that

drinking: sorry that all of this is so aggressively seasonal, unfortunately I love a lot of ~fall flavors~. anyway. shout out to Citizen Cider's Baker's Dozen (cider donut flavored cider). it's not as sweet as other cider donut ciders I've had, since Citizen's stuff tends to be fairly dry, but it still has the cinnamon flavor and it's very tasty

writing: mostly I've been editing the same t4t yurivain fic I've been working on for months, but I'm running out of shareable snippets of that and really I need to just post the damn thing. and I've also written a little bit more of a self-indulgent vibes- & motif-heavy Great Ace Attorney fic so uh. here's this:

They’d been at sea without stopping for a while now, but land was drawing into view once again, if he looked west where the sky was still dark. Maybe his friends, the friends he must’ve had once, were still out there, beyond the sea. Maybe they were looking for him. Maybe they were waiting for him in London. Maybe that was why he needed to go there so badly. Or maybe they were all gone, and he, left behind alone, had business to finish on their behalf before he could rejoin them. The sea slapped against the hull of the ship, and there was the frayed edge of a memory there too, a familiarity with ships, with the sounds that the sea could make, that went back farther than his few months’ employment as a dock worker and a deckhand.

#'op are you writing Another fic that's mostly people having emotions next to bodies of water' yes. yes i am #write what you know and all that #dreaming.txt #weekly media roundup post

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shreedle · 10 months ago

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Fanfic ask meme: 5, 8, and 16!

(For this Ask meme here.)

Thank you for the ask, Kim! :D I'm always happy to see you pop up with questions in my inbox~.

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

This is the year that I am going to finish A Real Hero even if it kills me. The amount of time I've taken on this fic has been absolutely ridiculous, especially considering that Chapter 9, Chapter 10, AND the sequel's Chapter 1 have all been mostly written. It's just one scene that is tripping me up badly, and I've almost reached the point where I'm about to say "Screw it" and just post it.

As for a snippet, here's one from Chapter 10.

“Where are the other Biometals?” Aile demanded. “Oh, they’re fine,” Prometheus shrugged. “Well – as fine as they can be. Don’t worry, they won’t come out of this with any perma-damage. Just give it a tiny bit more time, okay Aile?” Aile scowled at him, not placated by his words in the least. “What are you up to, Prometheus? Isn’t this against everything that you were doing with Serpent?” “What makes you so sure about that, Aile?” Prometheus leaned against his scythe as if relaxing, but his body was still poised as if he could attack at any moment. “I…” Aile trailed off, and Vent noted her chew her lip in the manner that she did when she was unsure about something. “You were trying to hard to wake up the Model W that time…” “Nah, that was what Serpent was doing. I figured he’d eventually end up sinking over his head, so I just let him go ahead and do that.” Prometheus shrugged.

8. Is there a story idea in your mental vault that you’ve never been brave enough to try writing? Is this the year? Can you tell us about it?

Honestly, a fic for Metroid, and it's not even for any logical reason, but because of something that happened 19 years ago, when I was a young teen.

A long, long time ago, I was far more nervous and shy about posting things than I was now, and I mustered up the courage to post three fics on Fanfiction.Net, for three different fandoms.

Keep in mind, this was 2003-2004, back when Wikis were not a thing, and when most people didn't really have access to a lot of the in-depth knowledge for games. I only knew the story of the NES game, the GB game, and Super Metroid on the SNES. Nothing else. I wrote down three admittedly short chapters, and posted them.

Two people reviewed telling me that 1) the story was crap, and 2) that I should go play the games before I attempted to write for it again. As I mentioned before… I was a nervous, shy kid sharing my first works with the public, and this absolutely shattered me at the time. I took down all three fics that I'd posted. My love for writing in general overpowered my anxiety, and I was able to continue posting fics for Mega Man (where I eventually posted Mega Man Quint and got a very kind reviewer, even though I know it wasn't that good) and other fandoms over the years.

I've since half-written one Metroid fic, and it's not complete. But even though I have much thicker skin now and am easily able to ignore/block assholes, I haven't been able to bring myself to write more Metroid fics and post them. I'm not sure if this will be the year, but we'll see.

16. Do you have that one fanfic that you wrote a ton for, ages ago, but never posted? Will this be the year, come hell or high water, that it WILL get finished and posted?

Funnily enough, there's actually two like that. Their tentative titles are "Their Roars Echoed" and "Such Are the Whims of Fate".

"Their Roars Echoed" is a Mega Man Battle Network fanfic that I actually wrote for Nanowrimo back in 2012. Yes, it's that old. Plot-wise, it's a semi-novelization of the final scenario in Mega Man Battle Network 6, with me adding in extra details and fleshing the scenario out to make far more sense than it did in the game, with cameos from other characters.

Funnily enough, I think this is the OG fic that I wrote for the Asphodel Battle Network series, so it was written to fit in that timeline. I never posted it, because there's bits and pieces of it missing that would make it flow smoother, and I feel like my writing style has evolved since then. Maybe I will post it just as a show of progress? At the time, it was the longest fic that I'd ever written (it's second-longest now), and I was really proud of myself for managing to write it when I mostly specialize in one-shots.

"Such are the Whims of Fate" is a Fire Emblem Fates fanfic that stars primarily Odin (and, to a slightly lesser degree, Selena) that I wrote a few years back in the early days of me loving Fire Emblem. Plot-wise, it takes place at the end of Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, which means that Laslow and multiple Nohr characters are dead, and Odin and Selena deciding that nope, they can't accept what happened, they're going to do something about it using the crystals that Anankos gave them.

This usurped the position of the longest fic that I ever wrote, but given that I've rehauled it completely at least twice, it's a lot messier than "Their Roars Echoed". And honestly, I want to rehaul it again because I feel like I didn't take enough risks with certain aspects of the story. If that ever happens, it will be posted, but if not, I'm not too bothered if I don't get to it this year.

#ask meme #thank you!#meme

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st-clements-steps · 2 years ago

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End of Year Fic Review

Thank you @thistle-and-thorn for the tag ♥️

1. what’s your ao3 account?

MymbleHowl

2. how many words did you write in total in 2022?

I had to estimate this, cos I published about 130,000 but some of that I wrote in 2021, and I’ve written about 20,000 unpublished words, so I’d reckon about 120,000??

3. how many fics did you publish in 2022 // multi-chapter vs. one-shots?

I finished publishing Near Mint (Greysnow High Fidelity set in 90s Glasgow), I added a chapter (or 2?) to my never finished WIP don’t worry, it’s my blood (environmental/political modern Jonsa), I published a little three chapter flawed 60s Jonsa, (based on the Bob Dylan song) tangled up in blue. I haven’t finished (Are you) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For? (20s Jonerys, kind of peaky blinders inspired). Oh and I haven’t finished assistance (modern theatre Daensa). I published 15 one shots, and one self indulgent 2 chapter Rhaegar wins, boys kiss thing.

4. what was your longest-fic // shortest fic?

Near Mint is the longest. After the Storm is the shortest (it’s really more a painting with 86 words attached)

5. Most popular? Least Popular?

Ooops I deleted this question, 20s Jonerys is the most popular, the modern Jon x Jeyne P is the least I’d say.

6. what fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

Spank Me (it’s fluffy Jonerys smut), and maybe my Rhaelicent, Breathing Dreams (I kinda got my hopes up by that “it’s a live fandom” thing, which is fine so long as you don’t write a Great Gatsby inspired non story, that’s mainly atmosphere and clothes, and Alicent only gets kissed cos you have a headcanon that she is way more into giving than receiving, I would like to add that her giving is very sexy of her but…)

7. what fic performed way better than you thought it would?

The Grey King and the Dragon Nagga (it’s a tumblr fic that apparently some people read, I’m so confused)

8. what was your favourite fic you wrote in 2022?

Wolfish or Relinquishment (it’s the grief sex people)

9. what was your favourite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

I actually read a lot of stuff that was written before 2022 this year. In part because I was looking for stuff for @jonsnow-creative to reblog (probably should get back on that).

I love beta-ing, I love the fics I beta. So, Happiness by @salty-wench (Greysnow woven with gracefully with grief and humour), And Now My Watch Begins, by @evax3 (Jonerys canon divergence, Dany raised as a boy at Castle Black), and One by One the Walls Give Way by @owlsinathens (post show canon Greysnow, Jon and Theon begin to navigate their trauma through corsetry, among other things) are all stories I would shout about to the world . And are all in progress, so I’d love some more darlings (kisses).

I’m so glad I discovered you @thistle-and-thorn and the many crushed red flowers

@charmtion finished then comes blood almost a year ago, and I still think of it, and it’s cinematic and tense and wonderful

The other fic I want to shout about goes along with my shouting about The English, a song that will keep sky open in my mind, by @laiqualaurelote. It’s so rare for me that a piece of media convinces me to ship the canon pairing, I’m contrary, sorry. Anyway this story is beautiful and it came to me in a beautiful surprising way, (whilst I was a bit flu-delirious, so it seemed particularly magical).

Ooh and there’s a rhaelicent, what is it good for, by bluebaric, (it’s a barbed mid century arranged marriage au) I don’t know if they have a tumblr?

10. tag your friends so they can play as well!

Those lovelies I betaslut for, I already @ed them, they know who they are.

And @selkiewife @rainhalydia @team-mom-wannabe if you want to, also anyone else who wants to

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astromechs · 2 years ago

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2022 year in review

thank you for the tag @seek--rest

Number of stories posted to AO3:

2. Word count this year:

64,281 (this doesn't include things I didn't publish, and this doesn't include things I wrote in private rps with friends, so I have no idea what the actual word count is, that's just what AO3 told me from what I've posted lol, but I would imagine with all that put together it might be close to 100k)

3. Fandoms I wrote for:

taking the list from AO3 (in alphabetical order):

Captain America/Avengers (movies)

Daredevil (comics/TV)

Goncharov (1973)

Guardians of the Galaxy (comics/movies)

Jessica Jones (TV)

Moon Knight (TV)

Nova (comics)

Peacemaker (2022)

Scarlet Witch (comics)

She-Hulk (TV)

The Boys (TV/2019)

X-Men (comics)

4. Pairings:

ok so the list of all the pairings that got stuff posted to AO3:

Adrian Chase/Christopher Smith (Peacemaker)

Jean Grey/Wanda Maximoff (Marvel unless otherwise noted)

Gamora/Peter Quill

Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanoff

Gamora/Richard Rider

Matt Murdock/Marc Spector

Matt Murdock/Jennifer Walters

Matt Murdock/Peter Quill

Jessica Jones/Matt Murdock

Matt Murdock/Elektra Natchios

Queen Maeve/Starlight (Annie January) (The Boys)

Matt Murdock/Foggy Nelson

Matt Murdock/Richard Rider

Katya/Sofia (Goncharov lol)

Wanda Maximoff/Matt Murdock/Richard Rider

5. Stories with the most:

Kudos: this might be all i ever wanted (all i ever wanted to happen to me) — got right in at the She-Hulk finale hype so I think that helped to boost it

Bookmarks: same as above; people were really loving that one at the time it dropped!

Comment threads: whatever happens (happens to the both of us) — my first Peacemaker fic, and I think the timing of this hit when a lot of people were finishing up the show, but I'm really flattered and honored!

Word count: ghost behind my eyes

6. Work I'm most proud of (and why): I'm going to cheat and pick a few:

ghost behind my eyes — at 10,143 words, it remains my longest self-contained one shot, and I'm really proud of the character work I did here. Christopher Smith and his character development are really important to me, and here's to hoping that will continue in Peacemaker season 2!

standing at a broken altar (asking if we feel relief) — represented a whole new creative venture for me, featuring characters I (at least at the time) had never written into fic before, and I'm someone who's... honestly pretty lapsed, religion-wise, and writing this made me think about faith, how it's questioned, tested, and found again, in a way I haven't in a while. That's a theme I'd like to explore more in future writing — and I'm planning to do more of this through Matt.

almost paradise — the story that's been a long time coming for me. Gamora is literally one of my favorite characters of all time, and to say I... did not handle Infinity War well is putting it very, very mildly; that movie came out not that extremely long after a big personal loss in my real life, so losing a character that dear to me at that time was something I took really hard. This is the first time I've actually acknowledged her death in a piece of writing, and I'm proud of myself that I did.

7. Work I'm least proud of (and why): none of them? I don't usually post something unless I feel pretty good about it.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

cannot express how much this comment made my year. yes, I do. when women.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: Honestly, my biggest challenge surrounding writing is just... working around my own chronic illness (which involves episodic fatigue) and mental health struggles. For one of those reasons or both at the same time, there were periods of the year that made writing more difficult than others. I'm working on incorporating smaller, more manageable writing goals during those periods so that I can still keep working without exhausting myself.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I wasn't expecting Matt Murdock Slut Era to extend for as long as it did, and yet here we are.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing: from almost paradise:

What he deserves, he thinks, is to be left here, alone with ghosts because that’s all he’s fit to provide company for — maybe until he becomes one himself. Because, yeah, if Ego had been telling the truth, for all his words had been worth, with the destruction of his planet, Peter can do that now. That might actually be better for everyone involved, because all he does, clearly, is pull people into a total shitstorm or get them killed. Sometimes both.

But people don’t ever really get what they deserve, do they? His mom, the kindest person the universe would probably ever know, hadn’t deserved to die from a tumor in her brain, put there by an evil man she’d chosen to give her huge heart to.

And he doesn’t deserve a hand reaching toward him, pulling him up from the floor.

12: How did you grow as a writer this year: My writing got a lot smuttier LMAO But it also just... reflected a "fuck it, we ball" type of attitude that I'd been slowly embracing. Inventing ships, writing whatever the fuck I want. I've grown a lot, and I feel really liberated.

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I hope to continue just... following my bliss. I've come a really long way in not caring as much about an invisible audience and just writing whatever I want, and I aim to keep doing that. I aim to keep believing in myself in that way and going the distance with my screwball ideas.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): Would like to thank the discographies of Massive Attack, CHVRCHES, and Taylor Swift for fueling my writing. Also anyone when I said "I'm gonna put these blorbos together" who said "do it".

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: I mentioned it before, but almost paradise was written during a depressive episode and I've joked it was me flinging out all my unresolved grief issues onto the page instead of going to therapy in December (using, you know, one beloved character of mine grieving another beloved character's death as a proxy), so. yes.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: Don't write to cater to an audience; write to cater to yourself. If you love what you do, readers can see that love, and they'll believe in it, too. Readers are really good at telling what is and isn't genuine, so the best thing to do is just... be yourself.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: I have an existing WIP to finish, and a few more ideas in the can! Featuring: more Vigilmaker, more self-indulgent blorbo ships I invented (featuring either Matt Murdock or Rich Rider or both likely), and GOTG Vol 3 about to wreck my life, so of course I would imagine a good bulk of my writing this year will be related to it. This is all I'll say.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read:

(no obligation!) @paperprinc3 @literatigeek @sgtjamesrogers @mari--lace @quillsmora

#tag game #writing #* fic #fan fic

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