#i go into the gen relationship tag for any given character and half of them are also tagged as ship

[asteria-argo]

why do people tag Character A & Character B right alongside Character A/Character B they are different tags that serve different functions if characters are romantic in a fic, don't use the gen relationship tag right next to the romantic relationship tag it defeats the entire purpose of the tags having distinctions

[zoloteh-volossya]

BG3 Fanfiction Statistics, Part 1

I’ve seen some discussions of BG3 fandom trends floating around tumblr that spoke from experience but lacked hard data to refer to. As a fan of Baldur’s Gate 3, fanfiction, and graphs, I therefore thought it would be neat and illustrative to go through AO3 and document some of the statistics this fandom.

I did a similar exercise back in January and posted the results here. However, I was a bit unhappy with this analysis – it was missing some data that I consider to be relevant, I didn’t end up discussing the results much, and I only posted it to reddit. Most discussions for the creative side of fandom seem to happen on tumblr, so I made this account to post it here.

I will try and be as transparent as possible when discussing how I obtained and processed this data. A copy of my spreadsheet can be found here and contains all of the data I will be discussing. Most of the data I feature in this essay will be presented as graphs. Below each graph I will discuss the patterns shown in the graph and provide what I believe to be some relevant and/or interesting number values. If you want to see all the numbers, please refer to my spreadsheet. If you don’t care about the numbers and/or my thoughts about them, feel free to skim through and just look at the charts!

A note before I start – I gathered this data between July 21, 2024 and July 24, 2024. It is out of date as of my writing this and will be even more out of date by the time you read it. However, I believe the general fandom trends will hold up over time – the same patterns that I observed in January are largely still present in July.

Due to the tumblr post image limit and my preponderance of graphs, I will be breaking this behemoth of an essay into two parts:

General Fandom Statistics, the Player Character, and the Women

The Men, a Character Comparison, and a Pairing Analysis

We are currently in part 1. Part 2 can be found at this link. The rest of part 1 is below the read more because this is very long.

GENERAL FANDOM STATS

This information was found by looking at the side bar when browsing Baldur’s Gate fics. Therefore, this data set includes fics from the previous two Baldur’s Gate games. However, given that the games were released in 1998 and 2000, respectively, most of the fanfiction for them was likely posted to FF.net and the error from including what little fic for them was posted to AO3 is likely small.

At the time of my data gathering, there were 31,043 Baldur’s Gate fics on AO3.

RATINGS

To the surprise of nobody in the BG3 fandom, Explicit fic is the largest category, at 38% of all fics produced. It’s followed by Mature (24%), Teen and Up (20%), General (12%) and Not Rated (6%). Not all of the Explicit and Mature fics are necessarily horny – those warnings also apply to extreme violence (hello, Dark Urge). But let’s be real, most of them are tagged that way for sex.

WARNINGS

Speaking of extreme violence, let’s take a look at the warnings used for fics in this fandom.

Just about half (50.2%) of BG fics have no warnings at all. About 17.6% have warnings for graphic depictions of violence – lower than I would have expected, honestly, for a video game that features as much murder as this one does (at least, how I play it...). About 5.4% of fics feature a warning for rape, 4.7% feature major character death, and 0.5% feature underage sex.

CATEGORIES

AO3 allows users to select any categories from a list of possible options (F/M, M/M, F/F, Gen, Other, and Multi). F/M, M/M, and F/F are pretty self explanatory, Gen fics don’t focus on a relationship, Multi fics focus on a relationship between three or more people, and Other is a catch all for fics that don’t fit into any of the previous categories very well. For shipping with nonbinary (NB) characters, I have seen a variety of approaches. Some people select the category closest to the NB character’s presentation, some select multiple categories, and some select Other.

One very useful tool that I will be introducing here is the use of “otp:true.” When “otp:true” is entered into the “Search within results” bar while filtering tags, AO3 will only return fics that have just one pairing tagged. This filters out all fics that have background pairings or multiple focus pairings. Results with “otp:true” are typically solely focused on that particular pairing.

With all that explanation out of the way, the results:

We can clearly see that the most common category for Baldur’s Gate fics is M/F, with 43.3% of all fics featuring a M/F pairing. 36.4% of all fics feature a M/M pairing, 10.6% feature a F/F pairing, 11.7% are more General, 8.0% feature Multiple people in a pairing, and 10.9% are Other. These percentages add up to more than 100% because a fic can be tagged with multiple categories.

Things change a bit when you filter for “otp:true” and only include fics that focus on just one pairing. In this case, M/M predominates, with a whopping 46.0% of fics. M/F follows with 31.2%, F/F with 11.1%, 7.7% are General, 9.7% are Other, and 3.0% are still tagged as Multi (presumably for fics where the only pairing is a threesome or such).

CHARACTERS

As a last look at more general content before I begin a deep dive into looking at the various characters, I took a look at the 30 most popular character tags.

This was a surprise to me the first time I looked at it in January. In the previous two video game fandoms I was in that had a player character (Mass Effect and Fire Emblem: Three Houses), the player character was the most popular character tag in that fandom. In this case, though, Astarion has the most fics that feature him, and by a pretty significant margin (~5,000 more fics than Tav). He appears in 63.0% of fics. Tav is next, at 46.7% of fics. Then we have the rest of the six Origin characters: Gale (34.5% of fics), Shadowheart (23.7%), Karlach (20.5%), Wyll (18.6%), and Lae’zel (15.9%), as well as Halsin (15.8%) and the Dark Urge (15.3%). That they all are next to each other makes sense, as fics that focus on one character or pairing will often tag the entire ensemble. Lae’zel only showing up 16% of the time seems low, though, for a member of the main cast. To me, this indicates that not many fics are true ensemble fics that include all of the main cast.

After this block of main characters, we drop a bit to Gortash, who shows up in 7.4% of fics. He’s the most popular villain by far, followed by Cazador (4.7%) and Raphael (4.6%). Orin only shows up in 2.9% of fics and Ketheric is featured in only 1.1% of fics.

Jaheira shows up in 4.4% of fics, but her values may include fics from the earlier Baldur’s Gate games. Poor Minthara is the 16th most tagged character and only shows up in 2.5% of fics. Rolan (a tiefling NPC) shows up in more fics than she does.

Despite being featured in previous Baldur’s Gate game fics as well as BG3, Minsc does not seem popular – he’s #25, being tagged in 1.3% of fics.

One thing I did note was the comparative lack of focus on the overarching plot of the game in BG3 fics. I’ll use the Emperor as a barometer for this, as it’s inextricably interwoven into everything having to do with the Absolute, the mysterious artifact, and our protagonists’ immunity to it. Yet, it only appears in 535 fics of over 31,000 – approximately 1.7% of all BG fics. This tells me that there isn’t much engagement with the actual illithid plot of the game in most fics – at least not to the extent where major plot relevant characters are being tagged.

CHARACTER PAIRING STATISTICS

Most of my time for this analysis was spent collecting data for the various pairing tags. I went through the top 300 pairing tags by order of popularity (ending with Mystra/Cazador, of all things) and recorded how many fics each rating had and how many fics each category had both with and without “otp:true” applied. Coincidentally, this included all the pairings with 5 or more fics in them at the time – by sheer luck the 301st pairing tag had only 4 fics. I judged that I could ignore pairing tags with fewer than 5 fics without affecting the results of my analyses too much (also it had taken 4 days to get this far and I was tired).

However, a lot of authors tag their fics with both, say, Astarion/Tav and Astarion/F!OC. But for this exercise I’m not really looking at how authors refer to the Tav/Dark Urge/self insert character in their tagging nomenclature. I’m more interested in how many fics exist for, say, the pairing of Astarion and the player character.

To this end, I combined the numbers for Tav, Dark Urge, OC, F!OC, M!OC, NB!OC, Reader, and You for each character ship. In order to avoid double counting fics, once I had added the numbers for a particular tag I excluded that tag from all future counts.

[X]/PC = [X]/Tav + ([X]/Dark Urge with the [X]/Tav tag excluded) + ([X]/Original Character with the [X]/Tav and [X]/Dark Urge excluded) + ([X]/Reader with [X]/Tav, [X]/Dark Urge, and [X]/Original Character excluded) and so on.

This process dropped the total number of pairings from 300 to 162. However, it also introduces an error. Some fics ship characters with an OC who is not a Tav/Dark Urge/self insert. In condensing all pairings with original characters to the “PC” supercategory, I am ignoring that and counting their original character as a Tav/Dark Urge equivalent. Unfortunately, this is just something I have to live with in order to be able to make the data more manageable, as there is no way to tell which fics are using the OC tag to represent a Tav/Dark Urge and which are not on a mass data scale. I don’t think it will skew the results too much, at least.

I pulled out the top 20 ships for each major character in BG3 (Tav, Dark Urge, the PC, Shadowheart, Karlach, Lae’zel, Minthara, Astarion, Gale, Wyll, and Halsin) before and after I combined the player character tags into the PC supercategory. For each character, I then determined how much of each fic category (M/F, M/M, F/F, Other, Multi) they had, both for all of their pairings and for their pairing with the PC specifically.

Let's start by looking at the player character and its two representatives.

TAV

Tav is in 71 of the top 300 ship tags in the BG3 fandom.

Astarion completely dominates Tav’s ships, with a whopping 9,235 fics (1,839 otp:true fics). In fact, in order to be able to see the tiny little boxes that represent everyone else, here’s another version of this chart, this time with Astarion excluded.

There, that’s a bit more legible. The next highest is Gale, with 2,909 fics (652 otp:true) – less than a third as many fics as Astarion. Halsin comes third with 1,304 fics (207 otp:true) and Shadowheart is the first canon woman to show up, with 806 fics (132 otp:true). Astarion has more than 11 times as many fics with Tav as Shadowheart does. Karlach comes next, with 724 fics (186 otp:true). Raphael comes sixth, with 176 more fics than #7 Wyll who has 442 fics (100 otp:true). Lae’zel is #11 with 300 fics, under Gortash, Rolan, and a threesome with Halsin and Astarion. Minthara is the least popular main character to ship with Tav. She’s #15 with 146 fics (33 otp:true), and has fewer fics with Tav than Zevlor, the Emperor or Haarlep. In a marked improvement from the state of affairs in January, however, she no longer has fewer fics than Kar’niss.

Taking a look at the fic category breakdown, we can see that M/F and M/M predominate for Tav, while there is very little F/F. Dividing the values by the total number of fics, 59.8% of all fics and 50.2% of otp:true fics are tagged M/F, 35.6% of all fics and 34.9% of otp:true fics are tagged M/M, 7.6% of all fics and 4.4% of otp:true fics are tagged F/F, and 13.2% of all fics and 14.2% of otp:true fics are tagged Other. As the proportions of M/F and F/F fics drop when otp:true is applied, I assume that it is more common for M/F and F/F pairings to have background ships or be a background ship (remember that if it is not otp:true, we have no idea if the pairing with Tav is the pairing category being counted.)

THE DARK URGE

The Dark Urge is in 38 of the top 300 ship tags of the BG3 fandom, a bit over half as many as Tav.

While Astarion once again is the most popular character to ship with the Dark Urge (2,165 fics), this time he actually has competition! Gortash/Dark Urge comes in at a very respectable second place with 1,594 fics (about three quarters of Astarion/Dark Urge’s total fic count) and actually beat Astarion by over 100 fics once you apply otp:true (562 fics for Astarion vs 691 fics for Gortash). But after Gortash we once again drop down to numbers we struggle to even see on the chart. Gale is the most visible with 402 fics total (Gale has fewer fics total with the Dark Urge than Astarion or Gortash have with otp:true applied). After that we have a group of Halsin, Shadowheart, and Karlach, all with between 120-150 fics. No other pairing has over 100 fics.

Dark Urge/Tav (99 fics) and Dark Urge/Orin (87 fics) have more fics than Dark Urge/Wyll (83 fics) or Dark Urge/Minthara (80 fics). For Wyll, this is a sign that his pairing with the Dark Urge is not very popular (he drops from #7 with Tav to #9 with the Dark Urge). For Minthara, however, this is a significant climb in the rankings – she was #15 with Tav and #10 with the Dark Urge.

But what’s really interesting to me is the fic category breakdown for the Dark Urge.

The Dark Urge has noticeably more M/M content than Tav does (47.0% vs 35.6% for all fics, 56.9% vs 34.9% for opt:true) and slightly more F/F content than Tav does (10.2% vs 7.6% for all fics, 5.2% vs 4.4% for otp:true), and correspondingly less F/M content. At 13.4% for all fics and 12.8% of otp:true fics, the proportion of Other fic stays just about the same as for Tav.

THE PLAYER CHARACTER

The PC is a combination of Tav, Dark Urge, Original Character, Reader, and You. The PC is in 64 of the top 162 pairings of the BG3 fandom (losing 5 pairings from Tav as I combined Tav/Tav, Tav/Dark Urge, Tav/Reader and so on into one PC/OC category).

The player character was involved in 76.0% of all pairings and 62.1% of otp:true pairings (that is, if you add up every fic for every pairing which the PC is in and divide it by sum of all fics for all BG3 pairings I tracked). This means that over three quarters of shipping in the BG3 fandom is with the player character. It’s not surprising, but it is notable – that’s a very large proportion.

Holy smokes, Astarion! He dominates the rankings even more than before. This time, I was curious to see how much. See below for a proportional representation of all of the PC pairings (note: because many fics have multiple pairings, this circle does not represent the total number of fics but rather the total number of times any pairing with the PC has been tagged).

Astarion composes a full 45% of all pairings with the PC, Gale is bit over 13%, Gortash is 7.3% for all fics and 11.3% of otp:true fics, while Halsin has the opposite trend with 6.3% of all fics and 4.9% of otp:true fics. Shadowheart, Karlach, Raphael, and Wyll all are between 2% and 4% (with Raphael once again beating Wyll). Lae’zel is down at #11 with 1.4% and Minthara is all the way at #16 with 0.9%.

Out of curiosity, I went through all of the PC’s pairings and sorted them by the gender of the person being shipped with the PC.

Oof.

85.7% of all PC ships are with men, 10.4% are with women, and 1.9% are nonbinary beings (Haarlep, the Emperor, and Omeluum). When you apply otp:true, 87.1% of the player character’s ships are with men, 9.9% are with women, and 1.3% are with nonbinary beings.

SHADOWHEART

Welp! Let’s take a look at that 10%, starting with Shadowheart.

If you add up all the fics for all the pairings that include Shadowheart and divide that by the sum of all fics for all 162 pairings I collected, you can see that she is present in 7.0% of pairings. Interestingly, this is true both for all fics and for otp:true fics. She is in 30 of the top 300 ship tags and 24 of the 162 pairings that remain once the player character tags are consolidated.

(I have shortened Shadowheart's name to SH and Shart in various charts to keep the labels from taking up too much room in the graph.)

Lae’zel/Shadowheart is in close competition with Shadowheart/Tav. When all the player characters are condensed into the PC, though, that gap widens.

Shadowheart has 980 fics with the PC, 694 with Lae’zel, 226 with Karlach, 111 with Gale, 61 with Astarion, 51 with Nocturne, 36 with Halsin, 26 with Minthara, and 21 with Wyll (her least popular ship with a main character, at #12). 7 of her top 20 pairings are threesomes – Aylin/Isobel/SH at #8 with 35 fics, Karlach/PC/SH at #9, Karlach/Lae’zel/SH at #10, Astarion/PC/SH at #13, Halsin/PC/SH at #14, Karlach/Wyll/SH at #17, and Gale/Lae’zel/SH at #18.

Lae’zel/Shadowheart has an unusually high number of otp:true fics – almost half of its total fic count. It seems more popular to ship Shadowheart with women than men – both her ships with Lae’zel and Karlach are more popular than Astarion, Gale, or Wyll and her threesomes with women have more fics than her threesomes with men.

The fic category breakdown for Shadowheart matches this expectation.

Boy howdy is Shadowheart fic gay! She has over twice as much F/F fic than M/F fic, just looking at raw numbers of fics. Looking at the proportions of her total fic count, F/F fic represents 71.4% of all of her fics, M/F fic is 35.2%, Other is 10.0%, and Multi is 18.8%. (These percentages add up to more than 100% because many fics tag multiple categories.) This also means that we can’t know that these numbers necessarily include Shadowheart – witness the numbers of M/M fics. All it means is that these categories were on fics in which a Shadowheart pairing was also tagged.

Looking at the otp:true numbers gives us a better picture of what fics where only Shadowheart is in a relationship are like (though this not necessarily an accurate idea of patterns for her overall, as less than a third of her total fics are otp:true). 76.4% of otp:true fics are F/F, 19.8% are M/F, 3.8% are Other, and for some reason 1.2% (9 fics) are M/M. Over three quarters of Shadowheart’s otp:true pairings are femmeslash.

Shadowheart’s fics with the PC character follow pretty much the same pattern as her ships more generally, albeit with slightly less F/F (likely from the loss of the relative behemoth that is Shadowheart/Lae’zel).

32.9% of her pairings with the PC have the M/F tag, 68.1% are tagged F/F, 11.3% are tagged Other, and 18.5% are tagged Multi. Applying otp:true, 25.7% are M/F, 62.6% are F/F, and 12.3% are Other (this likely includes a substantial portion of nonbinary PCs).

KARLACH

Karlach is present in 6.0% of all fic pairings and 5.4% of otp:true fic pairings. She has 31 ship tags in the top 300 ship tags, which condense down to 26 pairings when all player character stand ins are combined.

Her second most popular ship after Tav is with Wyll, though unlike with Shadowheart the pairing is not popular enough to give Tav a run for his/her/their money. Condensing all the player characters widens this gap significantly.

The PC is overwhelmingly Karlach’s most popular ship, with 890 fics. Wyll is second, with 327 fics – less than half as many. Shadowheart and Astarion follow with 226 and 157, respectively. Dammon is next, with 91 fics, and then Lae’zel has 65. She then has a number of threesomes, Minthara (#9 with 32 fics), and Gale (#11 with 18 fics). Halsin is her least popular pairing with a main character, coming in at #15 with 11 fics.

Surprisingly, for all that Karlach is fairly butch, her pairings with men are relatively more popular than we see with the more femme Shadowheart. The category statistics illustrate this clearly.

Compared to Shadowheart, Karlach has a lower proportion of F/F and higher proportions of M/F and Multi fics. F/F is tagged on 51.8% of her fics, M/F on 42.5%, Other on 12.3% and Multi on 27.7%. (Remember that fics can be tagged with multiple categories and that just because a category is tagged doesn’t mean that Karlach is involved in that category.) Looking at otp:true gives us a look at fics where she is the sole focus. F/F is 55.0% of her otp:true fics, M/F drops to 34.4%, Multi drops to 6.1%, and Other stays fairly high at 10.4%.

In Karlach’s pairings with the player character, things change significantly.

It immediately becomes clear that the large number of M/F fics in her general pairings were largely due to her relatively popular ships with Wyll, Astarion, and Dammon. F/F dominates Karlach’s pairings with the PC with 64.0% (67.8% with otp:true applied) of fics, which puts her at just slightly less than Shadowheart. M/F is tagged in 28.5% of her fics with the PC (14.0% with otp:true applied), Multi is tagged 19.4% but drops to 1.2% for otp:true, and Other remains high with 18.0% of fics and 20.2% of otp:true fics with the PC.

Back in January, I noted that of the main cast, Karlach had the highest proportion of ships with nonbinary OCs. I didn’t track the breakdown of OC subcategories this time, but the high numbers in the Other category bear it out.

LAE'ZEL

Counting all fics for all pairings in which Lae’zel is tagged, she is in a mere 3.8% of BG3 pairings, though it rises to 4.5% when otp:true is applied. She is in 23 of the top 300 ship tags, a number that drops down to 18 when I consolidate the player character tags together.

Shadowheart/Lae’zel has twice as many fics as Lae’zel/Tav. Looking at the situation with the PC does not change this much.

Unlike any other main character, Lae’zel’s most popular ship is not with the PC but with Shadowheart. She has 694 fics with Shadowheart, 355 with the PC, 65 with Karlach, 26 with Gale, 26 with Wyll, 25 with Astarion, 16 with Minthara, and 12 with Halsin. She is in an unusually low number of threesomes – only 4. It’s notable though how skewed her numbers are towards women – a threesome with Karlach and Shadowheart has more fics than any of her pairings with a canon man. The various whole team multiship pairings, none of which have more than 11 fics, comprise most of the tail end of her ship list.

Speaking of the tail end of her ship list, what happens when we condense the player character tags is that Lae’zel does not reach a full 20 ships – she drops to 18 pairings. She has more than this, of course, but my methodology ignores all pairings with fewer than 5 fics (which means that my friend’s Lae’zel/Astarion/Tav fic is not counted). Therefore, Lae’zel’s 19th and 20th most popular pairings have 4 fics or fewer. I have represented these missing pairings with little :( emojis, because this is a sad state of affairs.

This is a symptom of a state of affairs in which Lae’zel is just not very popular in the AO3 side of BG3 fandom. Her most popular ship is Shadowheart’s second most popular ship, and the numbers crater after that. No Lae’zel ship other than Shadowheart and the PC has more than 100 fics.

Lae’zel’s most popular ships being women is demonstrated clearly by the fic category breakdown.

Wow! At a whopping 76.3% of all of Lae’zel’s fics and 88.9% of Lae’zel’s otp:true fics, Lae’zel has a higher proportion of F/F fic than Shadowheart. Granted, they’re both sizable portions of each other’s total F/F count. 26.1% of Lae’zel’s fics have the M/F tag, though this drops to a mere 7.1% when otp:true is applied. Other is tagged in 11.6% of fics but drops to 2.0% with otp:true. 18.1% of her fics are tagged Multi but this likewise drops to 4.4% with otp:true.

The pertinent question for Lae’zel is how much of her F/F count is due to her pairing with Shadowheart? How gay are her pairings with the PC?

The answer is... still pretty gay! F/F is not quite as dominant, with 67.3% of all her fics with the PC and 80.0% of her fics where only Lae’zel/PC is tagged – but 80% is a still a really high proportion! This indicates to me that a lot of the M/F in the “All Fics” chart likely does not involve Lae’zel. M/F is tagged in 33.5% of her fics with the PC, a number which is more than halved to 12.7% when otp:true is applied. 13.2% of her fics are tagged Other, which drops to 5.5% with otp:true – much less than for Shadowheart and Karlach. It seems either Lae’zel is not as popular for nonbinary OCs or that a large proportion of the Other tag is from mind flayer Tavs/Durges and people don’t write Lae’zel with a mind flayer love interest.

One other notable fact is that Lae’zel is the only female companion without any otp:true M/M PC fic. It could be due to her low fic numbers in the first place, but I prefer to think that Lae’zel fans are simply more fastidious about correctly tagging fic. It certainly fits her character.

MINTHARA

Ah, Minthara. Unquestionably the least popular of the main romanceable characters in BG3, her pairings only comprise 1.1% of all BG3 fanfic pairings, a number that rises to a whopping(/sarcastic) 1.4% of otp:true pairings. She has only 14 ship tags in the 300 most popular ship tags for BG3, a number that drops further to a mere 9 pairings once I’ve combined all the player character tags.

What’s notable about Minthara’s ship tags is the popularity of the Dark Urge relative to Tav. Minthara has 146 fics with Tav and 80 with the Dark Urge. This is a higher proportion than other main characters have. It may be because more people write her on evil routes (which likely disproportionately feature the Dark Urge) or because she has some very good lines for the Dark Urge and their Slayer form.

Another observation is the lack of primary non-PC ships. The other characters that I look at all have a major non-PC ship – Shadowheart/Lae’zel, Karlach/Wyll, Gale/Astarion, Wyll/Astarion, Halsin/Astarion. Minthara doesn’t really have that. Her most popular non-PC ship is Orin, at #5 and with a mere 45 fics. This is illustrated clearly once all the player character tags are combined.

The PC dominates Minthara’s pairings to an extent not seen with any other character, not even Astarion. She drops from 234 fics with the PC (65 otp:true) to 45 fics with Orin (26 otp:true), 32 with Karlach (16 otp:true) and 26 with Shadowheart (11 otp:true). Every other pairing has 16 or less fics. Tying into that, Minthara has very few pairings with 5 or more fics. She does not even have enough for a top 10! I have replaced her missing pairings with the :( emoji because this is sad.

Another notable thing about this chart, though, is how few fics Minthara has just in general. Lae’zel and Wyll, the other neglected companions, both have at least 500 fics with their most popular partner. Minthara does not even break 250. In fact, none of her pairings with someone other than the PC have over 50 fics.

Another interesting fact is that Minthara is the only character in this analysis to not have any threesomes or moresomes in her pairings with over 5 fics. She doesn’t share, it seems.

For some reason, Minthara has 8 ships with Councillor Florrick of all people. And it’s not all by the same author, which is what I would expect for a somewhat out there pairing. Presumably someone out there wrote a really good fic which then inspired others to play with the idea. In a small fandom like Minthara’s, one fic like that can make quite a difference.

As can be expected, Minthara’s fic categories are pretty damn gay.

F/F is tagged in 79.0% of her fics (77.6% of otp:true fics). M/M is tagged in 21.3% of her fics (17.1% of otp:true fics), Other in 6.1% (4.6% otp:true), and Multi in 8.9% though it drops to 1.3% of her otp:true fics. With these numbers, Minthara is arguably the gayest major character in the BG3 fandom by fic count, though Lae’zel beats her when you take otp:true into effect.

This pattern holds true when looking at her ship with the player character. 77.8% of her fics with the PC are tagged F/F (73.8% of otp:true fics), 23.5% are tagged M/F (15.4% otp:true), 8.5% are tagged Other (10.8% otp:true), and 9.4% are tagged Multi (3.1% otp:true). The latter is a bit confusing given that she has no multiship pairings. It may include collections of Reader/[X] fics that include Minthara.

PART 2

Welp. I’ve run into the tumblr post image limit. For part 2 of this essay, which discusses Astarion, Gale, Wyll, and Halsin and then compares all 8 of the main characters against each other on a variety of metrics, see this link.

[catgirl-catboy]

choose violence 3 6 7 8 9 10 16 22 and 25 for total drama (and i’ve just realized that’s a lot a lot so obvi if u don’t wanna answer all of them that’s all good)

No worries! I'm happy to scream about Total Drama! Worst case scenario, I get tired and simply finish the rest later.

3.) screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Shipping Raj x Wayne is somehow homophobic because Raj is in a canon gay relationship. Polyamory is a thing, and somehow I don't think homophobes would enjoy the idea of a fanon m/m ship somehow.

Honestly, any time people expect canon queer couples to be given special treatment in fandom it annoys the shit out of me. Someone will dislike the vibes of the ship. Its inevitable. Honestly, I'm surprised that someone wasn't me this time, since happy relationships like Rajbow aren't usually my jam.

6.) which ship fans are the most annoying?

Can I bash the shippers for my favorite TD ship (of Duncney) for a second?

Shut up about the love triangle. Shut up about Courtney's character derailment. Literally every ship was wronged by canon, we aren't fucking special. A vast majority of the ship tag shouldn't be bitching about canon.

7.) what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

...honestly, thats a hard one. I feel like hate is a strong word, but I don't understand the hype for Noah. (and any Noah ship that isn't Nowen or Noah x Emma.)

Like, sure. He's sarcastic. So what. That makes him a 5/10 at best. He never does anything but be sarcastic and then be mindlessly in love.

I don't hate him though.

8.) common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

lean in. come closer, I don't want anyone else hearing this.

Dramarama is good. and funny. and I like it. Why is it despised?

9.) worst part of canon

The fart jokes are low hanging fruit, so I won't pick them.

I hate how everyone in gen 1 had to be coupled up. What relevance Izzy/Owen have on the season as a whole? Or Geoff/Bridgette? (I like them but point still stands.)

If you introduce a canon couple and get me invested in the romance, it has to actually go somewhere. Lyler was a plot device to get you to hate Heather. Duncney went through an entire arc. Gwent was amazing.

Why do no other ships bring that energy?

I love Samkota, but Sam was just a trophy husband for Dakota after her mutation. He's a passive participant in his own romance arc.

Gens 3 and 4 improve on this I think, but it still annoys me.

10.) worst part of fanon

this is incredibly petty and personal, but WHY IS CODY EVERYWHERE? He squicks me. So much. (honestly, the fact that he reminds me of a past experience when most creep characters don't proves that he feels like a real person. but no.) Why is half the fandom Cody. Can it not be?

16.) you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

I answered this before and I said Lesbian Emma. Now, I'm going to go with Gwortney. These two could barely sell and interesting friendship, and somehow you expect them to carry an entire romance plotline? Its the most bland of bland ships. If you want a Sapphic way to resolve the despised love triangle, Gweather is right there. They actually have chemistry.

It feels like they took all of Duncan's hard work of getting Courtney to relax and enjoy life, and made Gwen have the same effect on her when it doesn't make sense with the characterization. If anything, Courtney making Gwen be more serious makes sense.

(that being said, I'm glad you are having fun, and will reblog cute art.)

22.) your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

The episode recaps. I want Chris to recap my day. I love them.

25.) common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

Other than the love triangle?

Heather's plot armor.

Owen had just as much, if not more plot armor. He makes the group sleep in the woods? Fuck it, Katie and Sadie get lost.

Single-handedly blows the cooking challenge? Uh... (Total Drama writers thinking up Bullshit) Beth and the Statue pisses everyone off more, somehow!

He betrays the guys alliance? This has no concequences for him.

At least Heather's plot armor didn't cause her to win a season.

[circus-complex]

Right Here, Right Now

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Feng Xin/Jian Lan

Characters: Feng Xin, Jian Lan

Tags: Marriage Proposal, Fluff, little bit of sadness regarding xie lian and mu qing, TGCF Rare Pair 2 Action

It had taken Feng Xin three months to ask Jian Lan out. He had stumbled and stuttered through it. And yet, she still said yes. Feng Xin hoped this time would be better. He hoped that it would go smoothly, with minimal embarrassment. No fuss, no big scene.

second prompt for the TGCF rarepair g4g, prompt from @/hylias_yk (twt): Feng Xin x Jian Lan. Feng Xin struggling to propose, because they're young it seems rushed but he really does adore her and wants to be there!! Soft and so in love! Canon setting

thanks to WorstLoki (AO3) and km_birdie (AO3) for beta-ing!

Also on AO3

Full work under the cut

It had taken Feng Xin three months to ask Jian Lan out. He had stumbled and stuttered through it. And yet, she still said yes. 

Feng Xin hoped this time would be better. He hoped that it would go smoothly, with minimal embarrassment. No fuss, no big scene. 

“Jian Lan?” Feng Xin looked down towards her. Her head was resting in his lap. The tree he was leaning on let leaves fall around them, and he picked a couple out of her hair. She looked at peace, a slight smile on her lips as she relaxed in the late summer sun.

“Yes?” She opened her eyes.

“Would you like to go out tonight?”

“Sure!”

Feng Xin nodded. Once she got up and returned to her own home, he made his way back to where the crown prince resided. 

“Your Highness? I’m going out tonight,” Feng Xin said. 

“Ok.” The crown prince didn’t even look at Feng Xin. His eyes were focused on his lap, where his hands lay still. 

“Do you need anything?”

“No.”

Feng Xin had long since given up trying to get Xie Lian to talk. He quietly left the house. 

Feng Xin washed the daily dirt and grime off, and threw nicer robes on. It wasn’t any different or nicer than the rest of his clothes, just not as ragged or worn. He grabbed the golden belt from the bottom drawer of his dresser at the last minute. If he forgot it, well, the whole night would be ruined. 

He met Jian Lan at the door when the sun was beginning its descent. Her hair had been pulled back, with the top half tied in an intricate bun and the bottom half free. Her robes were white, with peach pink flowers embroidered along the edge. His cheeks were dusted faintly pink when he met her eyes.

“Where are you planning to go?” She asked, closing the door behind her.

“Just go to town, find a place to eat. Nothing fancy.”

“Sounds perfect.” Jian Lan intertwined her hand with his. Feng Xin brought her hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss along the back of her palm. He laughed at the glare she shot him, knowing there was no hatred behind it.

They walked through the busy streets, bright signs trying to grab their attention. Feng Xin led them to a small shop specialized in spicy foods. Their many posters boasted a wide spectrum of spice, from mild to volcano-hot. The customers' expressions ranged from content to suffering hell’s fire.

“Want to try it?” Feng Xin grinned.

Jian Lan shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

The pair found a table, and two menus were placed in front of them. Feng Xin skimmed over it and quickly selected his food. Jian Lan took a lot longer to choose, debating how much spice she could handle . Finally, she chose, and called the waiter over.

“I’ll get the Mapo Doufu,” Feng Xin said once the waiter arrived.

“I’ll have La Zi Ji,” Jian Lan said. The waiter nodded and took their menus without a word.

“How has the crown prince been?” Feng Xin paused at her question.

“Not…great. He’s completely shut down.”

Jian Lan’s eyes softened. “I hope he recovers soon.” Feng Xin gave a shallow nod. 

“And how is Mu Qing?” 

“He’s gone more days than he’s around.” Feng Xin picked at the skin around his nails. Jian Lan slowly pulled his hands apart, stopping him before it bled. She squeezed his hands softly. 

“Feng Xin? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied curtly. 

They ate in silence. Jian Lan’s attempts to start a conversation ended with short, one word responses. Feng Xin was clearly nervous, but she couldn’t figure out why. He normally would talk near-endlessly, since he couldn’t do the same with his friends anymore. But now, he did not utter a single sound. His hands were shaking slightly as he brought the chopsticks to his mouth. 

Did he want to break up with her?

Jian Lan sighed quietly. Once the two had finished eating and paid, Feng Xin stood and led Jian Lan out wordlessly. She followed him as he led her through the busy crowd. He walked till the only light came from the moon, till the only noise was the night creatures, till trees surrounded them. Crickets chirped as he guided Jian Lan to sit on a stump, and knelt in front of her. 

Feng Xin took a deep breath.

“A’Xin—?”

“Jian Lan, I know we’ve been together for less than a year, and I’m busy taking care of the crown prince, and I can’t provide you with much. I know that I’m not always the most aware of how you feel, or am too wrapped up in my own issues.” Feng Xin fiddled with the bracelet around his wrist. He was staring at the ground, at the trees, anywhere but Jian Lan.

“But I love you so <em>so</em>much, and I wish to spend the rest of my life with you.” He pulled the golden belt from within his robes, finally meeting her eyes.

“So please, will you marry me?”

Jian Lan was stunned. 

She knew that Feng Xin was the man she wanted to marry. She had dreamed of this day for so long, pondering how it would go. Would he wait till they’d be dating for longer? Would he make it big, or a small proposal? What would he give her?

Where would he bring her? When would it happen? 

At her pause, Feng Xin looked away once again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have enough money, I don’t have anything for your parents, I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you into marrying me, it’s fine.  I’ll just-”

“Yes!” Jian Lian exclaimed. She threw her arms around Feng Xin, stopping him from continuing. His eyes went wide, before hugging her back tightly. 

“Really?! You’re sure?” He pulled away, searching her face for any discomfort, for any sign she didn’t truly want it.

“Yes, you dimwit! I’m sure! I want to marry you!” She peppered his face with short kisses. “I’ve been waiting for this day since you asked me out!”

Small, joyful, tears were leaking from the corners of Feng Xin’s eyes. He laughed and buried his face in her shoulder. Jian Lan’s bright smile could rival the sun. It was everything she’d ever hoped for. A small proposal, away from others. It couldn’t be any better, since it was from the man she loved.

Jian Lan’s questions could be answered at last. 

Where? When?

Here. Now.

[bookwyrminspiration]

i'm very interested in how you would change ro (especially since i totally agree with the post you made about her). do you mind sharing?

nonsie I would absolutely love to share. I've mentioned for a while that the ogres feel flat and that Ro's character has become repetitive, but I don't think I ever explained what I'd want to do with her given the chance.

my main grievance boils down to me wanting her to acknowledge her weaknesses. a soldier with the confidence of a god is only interesting to a certain point and becomes boring, but someone who can look at themselves and acknowledge their faults and work on them is infinitely more interesting and explorable to me. this is something we see with literally every soldier like character, and I'm just over it. Sandor and Grizel frequently bicker about their talents and who could beat each other, Bo, Ro, and Sandor try to one up each other and just say they could beat each other with nothing more to it.

I can accept and actually encourage this confidence in Ro up to a point, especially when she's first introduced. it makes sense. she's entering a hostile situation, surrounded by people who hate her--there is literally no one open to her at that time. Not even the other ogre. having that front of composed strength, so secure in herself she has the time to get invested in the little, unimportant things (complaining about elves and their culture), it gives her security in a way. But we've gotten past a lot of that. now it's stubborn and a refusal to change that will get her killed. I think it nearly did in Nightfall.

second thing i want to change: emotional vulnerability and awareness. What we've (or at least I've) been talking about recently is how she doesn't care how her actions affect others. Now, I don't think empathy is the solution to this, not for her. Empathy isn't necessary to be conscious and considerate of others and its ableist to think it is. So many people without natural empathy make deliberate decisions to be aware of and caring towards others every day. if Ro is going to be this highly intelligent trained soldier, i think it would make more sense for her to have a technical approach to emotions. to be trained to assess her soldiers and how they're doing and what she needs to do to support them to get them through the mission. right now she's just doing what she wants with no regard to the real impact it has on Sophie and keefe. i want her to use these skills to look at the situation and step back. talk to each of them seriously, individually. assess it. and then decide what she'll do next.

for the vulnerability part, I want her to have a real goal she's working towards. something she enjoys outside of just being threatening. something she does in her free time just for her. considering she's been in three and a half books we really don't know that much about her. I also want her to make an effort for an emotion she has to be understood outside of confidence and a sense of superiority. she doesn't fit in anywhere she goes, that's something sophie can relate to. I want them to form a legitimate relationship based on genuine shared experiences. right now we know she eventually wants to be queen, but with her father still alive that's a distant personal goal. maybe she wants to develop a new type of microorganism, or figure out how to make her own weapons, or anything that has personal meaning. we don't have that from her right now (that I can think of) and I think it's a big...letdown? i can't think of the right word. disappointment? like she doesn't live up to her potential and we were rooting for her but she fell short.

finally, I want her rebellion to be more deliberate. right now it feels like she's rebellious and plays with knives just because she can. i started to touch on this in the tags of a previous post where i was saying I love her for her potential. i have a soft spot for rebellious characters, but I want it to be intelligent misbehavior and criticism. she's so close yet so far. she doesn't like how sparkly and crystalline the elven world is. okay, but why? i'd make it about politics or something similar. maybe she doesn't like the crystal infrastructure because the constant harvesting is damaging to land important to her people. maybe the bright colors make it inaccessible to other species (life dwarves).

she thinks elves look boring and plain? okay, why is that a problem? maybe it's because the repetition off their species erases individuality and she values who people are and not who society wants them to be. she gets tattoos because she fully believes her body is just that: a body. she doesn't need to be careful and deliberate and sacred with it (nothing wrong if you are like that), and not every piece of art on it needs to have deep meaning. she does her tattoos herself? maybe it's because she wants to challenge the idea that everything meaningful needs to be done the "right" way.

I think Ro could be a great avenue for a lot of meaningful messages about nonconformity and individual thought, but she's gotten stuck into this box of being the Sokeefe shipper and messing around with teen drama. i want her to exist outside of that. this is not to say that every individual thing she does needs to be profound or have a secretive message behind it, but I think some of them should be more than just rebellion for the sake of it.

I'll stop here before this post gets any longer, but these are just some of the thoughts I have about what I'd want to do with Ro in relation to the series. as possible future queen she has reason to be more than just this character meant to further a ship and make everyone uncomfortable in the process. i think there's a lot of potential for her that hasn't been used yet.

is there anything you'd want to do with her or that you think Shannon should've done to add depth to her character? /gen. I kinda threw a lot at you so thought i'd give you this opportunity to respond if you wanted !!

[aromantic-enjolras]

Les Misérables fic recs

I did a Fic Rec list when I first entered the fandom, centered around ExR fics (because that was what the OP wanted), and I’ve been itching to do another one, less romantic-centered, for a while. So here you go! I hope you can find something cool you didn’t know!

Note: I’m tried to choose a single fic by each author to give you something more concrete, but every single one of these authors has other fics I love.

Anything by fraternite! ( @takethewatch here on tumblr). I haven’t read all their stories yet, but I’m ready to vouch for them. Their platonic stories are amazing, and more or less the main reason I’ve been obsessing over Queerplatonic Triumvirate lately. As recommendations, “Home for Christmas” is a short and sweet fic about Courfeyrac helping Marius with family issues. “L’appel du vide” is  a Canon Era platonic Triumvirate fic that will destroy your heart. “Carry On” is a 50K-word fic centering about Feuilly getting to a new town and finding a place for himself.

“Small kindness” by fangirl_squee ( @mariusperkins here on tumblr). Canon Era. Grantaire pays prostitutes to model for him, and they form a bond. Short and beautiful all around.

“Wounds by hearsay”, by buffintruder ( @buffintruder here on tumblr). Grantaire is lithoromantic -a flavour of aromanticism where you do fall in love but you don’t want your feelings returned- and he hears someone commenting that Enjolras loves him back. His anxiety is so well-written, it’s like a punch in the stomach. Happy ending.

“Ghosting”, by Enjoloras ( @enjoloras on tumblr? It makes sense, but there are no links on their Ao3, so if that’s not you, sorry for the tag!). Canon Era. After the Revolution, Marius discovers that Enjolras was trans and had a kid with Grantaire. Cosette and him decide to adopt him. Centers around Marius’ grief and his relationship with the child. So beautiful and heartbreaking. The author has several other trans!Enjolras fics, and they are all amazing.

“The Golden Mean”, by KateAtTheClose (no tumblr to be found). Canon Era. When Grantaire’s alcoholism starts having serious consequences on his health, he is forced to quit cold turkey. Enjolras will have to help him with withdrawal while coming to terms with his feelings for the cynic. It is an ExR fic, but it would lose nothing if it was Gen, the romance is not the focus of the story, and the other Amis are also given a lot of time. Trigger warning for very serious withdrawal symptoms.

“Darkly Devoted”, by OpensUp4Nobody ( @opens-up-4-nobody here on tumblr). Set in the Harry Potter universe, Grantaire is a curse-breaker who gets called to help Enjolras, who is half-Veela and has been hit with a curse that has turned him completely feral. Yes, this is technically an ExR fic, but “will they end up together” will be the last of your worries. Every time you think Grantaire’s position can’t get any worse, it will. Seriously dark fic, but so worth it.

“The Polyphonic Tides of Revolution”, by defractum (nyargles) ( @defractum here on tumblr). Space opera through and through. Enjolras -asexual, agender, not entirely human?- is the heir of the Galactic Empire and he decides to flee his life and bring the Empire down. In his flight he encounters Grantaire and his band of space pirates. Amazing worldbuilding, great characters, gripping storyline. ExR fic.

“And Let Us Speak Truthfully (And Let Us Be Clear)”, by DannyPURO ( @dannypuro on tumblr). Canon Era. Grantaire keeps taking Enjolras out on... dates... but they never amount to anything more than that, and Enjolras is going out of his mind. Very funny.

“You never have to wonder; you never have to ask”, by gamesformay ( @macklesufficient on tumblr). Modern AU. When their uprising didn’t go as planned, Enjolras went to prison for terrorism and Grantaire left Paris for good. Eighteen months later, Marius is getting married and Grantaire needs to go back to Paris for the wedding. He will encounter a newly-out Enjolras, who is not exactly the same person anymore... One of the very few fics I’ve read that incorporate the Barricades to a Modern setting in a meaningful way, and also explores the aftermath of a failed revolution they’ve all survived. Enjolras and Grantaire are adorable while being interesting.

Hope you’ve gotten some enjoyment out of this list! Tell me if you have any other rec’s, and hit me up if you read them and you want to talk about them!

[its-afucking-mess]

A little guide on ao3 (by an ao3 user and writer)

Friendly reminder for mobile users! Ao3 is a website. It doesn't have (as far as im concerned) an official app for mobile, so better get comfy with using crome on your phone.

Some video links ill leave for people who prefer video and audio:

- navigating the fanfiction sites

- popular fandom terminology part 1 and part 2

- shipping etiquette

i really reccomend coley's videos if you want to get to know more fandoms, or get an inside look to how some stuff works. There also might be more vids about fandom's and fan works, so don't hesitate to look through some of her stuff!

the explaining under the 'read more' ao mutuals wont kill me :)

(also tagging @ethanesimp since they asked for this advice )

So, what is Ao3 really?

Ao3 is a website made by fans for fans. There are no ads, and all content is free on Ao3. Anyone can post (with some age restrictions) and they can post anything.

How can I browse Ao3?

Ao3 does not require an account to view stories. You can easily browse as an anonymous user. You just are not able to view certain works, as creators have the ability to show their works to registered users only. Some cases, commenting is possible while anonymous, but again, it's up to the creator of the work.

If you want to be a creator and share works, you need an account.

An account also gives you the ability to bookmark works, so you can re-visit them, mark works for later, keeps a history of the works you've visited and allows you to favourite tags.

How do I get an Ao3 account?

When you first open the site, it gives you the option to "Get Invited". An invitation will be sent to your email anywhere from 24hrs later to a week later, depending on the amount of people in the automated queue.

After the invitation, you are able to set up your account like any other social media account. Pick a username, pseuds (name), description and bio. You can have a profile picture as well.

How do I navigate the site?

There are few ways to do so efficiently, but there's countless of ways you can experiment with to find which is more comfortable.

1st option: As the website loads, you can go to the 'Fandoms' tag.

Then, after clicking on it, this column appears. Through there, you can pick which media your fandom is from and from there, browse the huge list of different fandoms until you spot your own.

The list is in alphabetical order, so if your fandom begins with an "C", it shouldn't be too far down.

2nd option: At the top right, under your profile, and the options 'Post' and 'Log Out' should be a white oval search bar.

(im using my own account for demonstration)

When searching, there are many ways to work around it.

Personally, I press search as it is. It will lead you to a page where all the fanworks of the site are listed. (i believe its easiest, but always feel free to experiment)

From there, you press the 'Edit Your Search' button, located near the top right.

It will then lead you to a page with multiple fields.

Don't panic when you see all the fields. Only half those are of interest when you want to browse works for a fandom.

The most important ones are those under the Field name 'Work Tags'

Whatever you select under this field will be included in the works the site presents you with.

What are the work tags? What do they do?

Lets go through the options.

Fandom(s): when typing on this option, multiple fandom names will autofill in a list under the white space. If your fandom shows up, you can just click on it.

example:

From there, you can select the fandom you want to see works from. If your fandom doesn't show up, it can mean one of two things:

-there are no works for it

-it isn't popular enough to be picked up by the algorithm

After selecting one fandom, you can select another fandom, or more, to see works that are crossovers over universes.

Ratings: Ratings are selected by author. It defines the level of maturity it has in the work

- General audiences is the tag you want to use when nothing bad happens in the work. No swearing, no sexual activities, no violence or gore. It wont contain scenes that minors are not allowed to see.

- Teen and up audiences is the tag used for most works on the site. It is what would be used when you have mentions of/vague sexual content or violence. Normally, the most extreme stuff on there is excessive swearing, heavy angst and hurt/comfort with no excessive details

- Mature is the tag that is for 18+. It is mostly filled with one of following : Violence, Sexual Content, Ab*se, R@pe, Death and SH.

Reader descretion is advised by looking at the additional tags the author has provided, especially for those with triggers.

- Explicit is like Mature, but contains more graphic content. Works rated explicit mostly fall under the 'Graphic depictions of sexual content', 'Graphic depictions of Violence and Gore' or 'Graphic depictions of Ab*se, R@pe, or Self H*rm

Reader descretion is advised, stronger than mature, since it can be much more triggering. The works are scarily detailed sometimes.

- Not rated: the author has not given this work a rating because none of the other ratings fit the work. Pay special attention to the tags.

Warnings: Also known as Archive warnings by older users. The trigger warnings of Ao3. There are 6 archive warnings:

-Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings: The author didn't use the warnings, either because none of them fit the work's theme and warnings, or to avoid spoiling the story. Pay attention to the tags for any warnings.

-Graphic Depictions Of Violence: It is pretty self explanatory. Can contain any sort of violence, from wars, to simple fights, to ab*se of any kind. Can and often contain death. The type of violence is in the tags.

-Major Character Death: A main character in the story will die in this work. Pay attention to the tags always. The name of the character will be mentioned, as well as the way they die.

-No Archive Warnings Apply: None of the warnings apply. It is most times a perfectly safe work. Check the tags to make sure though!

-R@pe/Non-Con: The work contains non-consensual activities. Ranges from non-consensua sex to non-consensual use and ab*se of substances. Very close attention to the tags!

-Underage: The main character(s) in this work are underage/minors. This is normally tagged along sexual content so be aware and pay close attention to the tags!

Categories: This regards the relationships in the work:

- M/M, or better known as mlm or a relationship between two non-woment (men mostly, can include characters under the non-binary umbrella)

- M/F, a heterosexual relationship (is inclusive of trans characters too!)

- F/F, or wlw, or a relationship between two non-men (women mostly, can include characters under the non-binary umbrella)

- Gen, no sexual or romantic relationships are in this work, or if there are any, they arent of main focus.

- Multi: Polyamorous relationships, or multiple relationships are included in this work (this is also where threesomes+ are tagged in sometimes)

- Other relationships: One of the two people in the relationship is non-human (mostly), or the relationships are platonic/family.

Characters: The characters you want to be included in the story. This works just like the 'Fandom' filter, so the same things apply. You can tag as many characters as desirable.

Relationships: The relationships that you want present in the work. This includes both major and minor relationships. It can also include ended relationships (tagged Past x/y) and implied/referenced relationships. This works just like the Characters and Fandom filter.

Additional Tags: These are things the author has included to give potential readers an insight to the story. 'Angst', 'Fluff' and 'Smut' are additional tags. Works like the Relationships filter, so all same applies.

Is there anything I have to avoid/ I should avoid?

There is this very infamous tag, 'Dead Dove: Do not eat.' This tag is a warining to readers that the things in the work are really messed up, and can include anything illegal in it. PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE REST OF THE TAGS IF YOU STILL ARE INTERESTED.

How else can I filter works?

You can choose how they are:

sorted (Titles, Authors, Hits, Kudos, Comments, Bookmarks, and Best Match)

the word count (from 1 word to millions)

the language (most are on there)

the amount of chapters

if the work is complete of not

when it last updated/when was posted

and if there are crossovers.

These are all options that author has to include, and therefore you can sort freely. Most are bulletin options you can click on.

What if I want to find a specific work?

If you happen to know one of these: Author, Title, Fandom or Rating, you will find it. If you were reccomended one, it's better to ask for the author or the title, to make looking for it easier.

Can I find a specific author/ user?

People search is for finding users on the site

Bookmark search helps you look through other people's public bookmarks. Not really used.

Tag search finds works that include this specific tag you searched. Also not used a lot.

People can see my bookmarks?

When bookmarking a work, you are able to do a lot.

if you do not want your bookmarks to be visible to the public, make sure to check off the Private bookmark box at the bottom left.

Common terms thrown around by Ao3 users:

-tags: the additional tags of the work

-kudos: liking a story

-bookmarks: saving/saved stories. makes it easy to revist. you can see your bookmarks from your profile

-hits: the amount of people that have clicked on a story. Isn't necessary they liked it, but they did click on it.

And those are the basics! If you had to take one thing only, its ALWAYS READ TAGS

I hope this helped the clueless souls even a bit :)

Im open to reply to any other questions, and you can send me them in my asks, messages or comments of this post

[spectre-requisitions-exchange]

Nominations are LIVE!

Time to get to nominating this year’s delicious rare pairs!

When nominating, please fill in “Mass Effect – All Media Types” in the fandom box.

As a reminder, both gen (&) and romantic (/) relationship tags are allowed for this exchange. Any relationship that fulfils the criteria below is eligible! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask the mods!

ELIGIBILITY RULES:

A pairing must have 200 or less works when viewed with completed works OR

NEW: A pairing may have over 200 works, but when viewed with completed works and otp:true parameters, the amount of remaining works is both under 200 and less than 1/3rd of the total number of works. 

For Example:

* If Adrian Victus/Steve Cortez has 138 works, then it will be accepted as it has less than 200 works. No further filtering is needed.

* If Volus God (Self-Declared)/Liara’s Hanar Half-Sister has over 200 works, but when searched with the above parameters, only has 5 works, it would be allowed as it would have met the under the 1:3rd ratio rule.

* If Brooks/Krogan Wondering About Fish on the Citadel has over 200 works, but when searched with OTP: true and completed works parameters, has 100 works, then it would not be allowed, as the ratio between the completed works and completed works with just the pairing (otp:true) would be too high to qualify. This new rule is meant to help pairings that are commonly used as “side pairings” but rarely are featured in works where they are the focus.

If you have any questions on those rules or you just want to hang out and talk Mass Effect pairs beyond the most popular ones, consider joining us at Our Discord server. It’s a great place to hang out and talk rare pairs.

If this is your first year or you just want a  guide to find out how to do nominations, please read below:

1) Go to the Ao3 Tagset Page for Spectre Requisitions while logged into Ao3. A tagset is what most Ao3 fan exchanges use to determine what relationships (in Spec Rec’s case) or other criteria are used for an exchange.

If a pairing is not nominated, it will not be able to be used for sign-ups, regardless of whether it would have been eligible otherwise. (Example: Suvi/Chakwas, while certainly being eligible as far as total works go, won’t be an option to ask for if it’s not nominated.)  

If you don’t have an Ao3 account, contact the mods, we’ll be happy to help you get one with an invite link!

If you do have an AO3 account and you’re logged in, you should see this button in the corner that says “Nominate”:

2) Click the Nominate Button.

You should wind up with a page that looks like this, with 1 fandom tag and lots of relationship fields to fill out:

3) Fill out the Nominations Sheet.

For fandom, please use “Mass Effect - All Media Types”. We only use Mass Effect - All Media Types because it gives us the highest chance of getting that sweet, sweet Mass Effect content in there regardless of potentially sticky couples (for example: crossovers between a book and a game, or between the Mass Effect Trilogy and Andromeda, or crossovers between other media and Mass Effect) and because Ao3 frankly doesn’t like it when we have couples wandering through different fandoms in the tagset. For Relationships, any pairing/threesome/moresome that meets the eligibility rules. For most pairings, Ao3 should help autocomplete it for you -- but if you come up with a very original pairing (or AO3 is feeling unhelpful), it may require you to type in the full thing. If it does not auto-complete, don’t worry - you can still submit it! Pairings should be in alphabetical order of names. One pairing per line, please!

4) Submit your Nominations! Just click the button on the bottom, and you should be off off and away!

FAQ:

How can I tell what is under 200 completed fics? I’m not a mind reader, C-sec officer!

You can search AO3′s tags here to find pairings for a given character (canonical only gives you pairings big enough that Ao3 has declared them canonical categories). It should look something like this:

If you see a number under 200 here, you’re golden! Submit away. If it’s over 200 here, however, don’t despair - check the completed works. For example, let’s look at this couple, Garrus/Tali:

Doesn’t look eligible if you just do a tag search. However, if you click the tag and then do a search for completed works only and you might be surprised!

To do this search for completed works, look at the “Sort and Filter” sidebar and scroll down until you reach the “More Options” field and under “All Works”:

Click complete works only. And in this case, you’d find this couple is, in fact, eligible!

However, let’s say you look at the couple and find they are still over 200, as in the example below?

Well, there is one last thing to check:

Go back to the sidebar, then down to More Options and scroll down to “Search within results”:

OTP: True will show you ONLY the works that are tagged with JUST the target couple. When you sort and filter, you will see a total. In this example’s case, that number is 30:

What this means is that off the 204 works in Garrus/Tali right now, only 30 only focus on Garrus/Tali as a couple. As a result, the ratio of otp:true works to completed works is less than 1/3rd of the total, and the couple would be allowed to participate.

What if I accidentally nominate something that’s not eligible? Will I get in trouble?

Nah. You might wind up with it being rejected, but we assume most people operate in good faith in their nominations. If we reject a couple, we will always put it in the spreadsheet for the year linked on the sidebar with a reason why.

How many things can I nominate?

10 pairings - so choose carefully what you’d like to see and write. That covers both Andromeda and Trilogy, and all the novels, comics, etc.

Can I nominate, even if I’m not sure I’ll sign up or don’t plan on signing up?

Of course! Nominating isn’t a binding process - you’re only voting for what you’d like to see. You don’t have to sign up after nominating things - in fact, nominations are anonymous, so we can’t tell what you’ve nominated.

Are there any special rules/restrictions on what I can/can’t nominate?

Only the eligibility rules.

Can I nominate Original Characters?

Yes - ish. We allow original characters who are defined enough to give the person who matches on the original character something to go on, but not so much so they have to do an exhaustive amount of research on a fanon character. For example:

Allowable OC nominations:

Female Asari Spectre/Female Cerberus Agent - both these roles are defined in terms of what category of pairing they want (f/f), and the two roles give someone an idea of who these people are without being excessively limiting.

Not-so-allowable:

Communications Officer/Male Original Character: both of these are too vague. We’re not sure whether this person wants a male, female, nonbinary, or other gender for the Communication’s Officer; Male Original Character is so nebulously defined that we’re not sure just who that might be.

Female Shepard/Batarian(s) - We don’t know who these batarians are, or how many of them there are. “Five Male Batarian Pilots” tells us a lot more.

Male Shepard/Legion/Ebony Raven Darkmayne (My OC) - While we encourage you to add details about your Shepards or other OCs, it’s very hard to write for original characters someone else has formed. Please nominate your OC in more generic terms (ex Male Shepard/Legion/Female Original Goffic Hogwarts Student).  You can add in names and descriptions in optional details in your sign up, but this way the writer or artist has more wiggle room for what will suit their fic or art, and you have more options of matching more people since you aren’t limited to one interpretation of a concept.

A good rule of thumb is if you can sum up an OC in five non-name nouns, it’s probably a valid nomination.

Can I nominate crossovers?

Yes! Crossovers between different Mass Effect properties are welcome and and are crossovers between ! Just please, if the character you’re crossing over doesn’t hail from a Mass Effect canon, add in the canon next to the character name, eg “Darth Vader (Star Wars)/Garrus Vakarian.”

[chubsonthemoon]

tagged by @storybookprincess!! (thank you!!) here are some of my fave fics I’ve written! tbh this was kinda difficult; I am very aware that nothing I write is neither perfect nor very polished (it wouldn’t be even remotely fun for me if I tried to do that), but mostly everything I’ve written I’ve written for the sole audience members of me myself and I (and also sometimes a friend :3), so these are some of my more recent faves. under a cut because this got kinda long, whoopsie!

tagging! @superish, @dodici12, and @owletstarlet! <3

Letters from Heaven: haikyuu!!, kagehina, 60k

this fic was written for last year’s kghn big bang and it was so fun! It’s the longest thing I’ve written yet, and boy oh boy it was such a challenge to juggle a bunch of different things that I hadn’t done on this kind of scale before, like longer character arcs and, especially given that this is a violet evergarden AU, describing things in a way that fits with kyoani’s style and VibeTM. My last longer fic, thy kingdom come, was about half this length and almost made the list simply because of how bonkers it was (like I hadn’t written at all that year and suddenly signed up for a big bang and then had to take a month long break in the middle because of school stuff, and then boom I ended up writing the latter half of it a few days before the deadline LOL), but anyway. It’s not perfect (nothing is!) but it’s chock full of recurring metaphors and long-winded descriptions about the sky and pining out the wazoo (basically: all wildly self-indulgent things catered to me and me alone) and I love it all the same. (also bajillion thanks to janine for this one heh she is to blame for most of my kghn madness)

over the edge (of all our knowings): hunter x hunter, killugon, 13k

okay this one almost went to my other killugon fic again bc everything I write is so self-indulgent but!! this fic is probably one of the few fics that I set out to write very intentionally? that sounds weird, hmm how to explain. I tend to write fic mostly to let out Emotions but tbh it’s so much easier and way more fun for me to do that through reading other people’s works--less work for me to read abt my faves than to write them, after all! so most of what’s on my profile before this fic is exactly that: I sat down at like one in the morning with my notebook and fever-dream scribbled out a oneshot that I spent maybe the next two or three days typing up, reading over once, and then yeeting it up onto the archive. but not with this fic! I had already written my Vent fic for the boys in question, but my goals with this fic were more deliberately geared towards examining and changing up my approach to writing: 1) I really wanted to explore gon after the world tree and what his healing might look like, but gon is Really Hard for me to write (the boy is so!! ARGHSLKDFJ). So: deeply inhabiting unfamiliar character pov practice. Asking myself, after every single line of dialogue and event and inner monologue, how this character would react and why. How will this impact their next action? How will it impact their relationship with this other character? How about this? and this? and so on and so forth 2) I wanted to find a balance with my metaphors on both a sentence by sentence and an overarching basis (I tend to just go for the first--I can’t help it I love purple-y prose jslkdfj). 3) Time!! I also went a lot slower with this one. Every night for over a month, writing a little bit at a time in my notebook. And I found that going slower...is actually really nice? Takes a lot of the stress away. tldr; this fic was basically one long exercise in me examining my writing (also ngl my creative writing professor’s feedback on my work for class really kickstarted this LOL) and boy oh boy was it satisfying to see it posted when I finished. I learned a lot! Also I got some of the kindest comments that made me tear up, which was so wonderful. god this got long okay moving on.

your heart, bright heart: natsume yuujinchou, tanunatsu & gen, 7k

after over a year of quarantine I’ve read more fic than I ever have in my LIFE and I have figured some stuff out about what makes me go absolutely bonkers, writing-wise. this fic was an attempt, after several months of reading literally hundreds of fics across dozens of fandoms and relationships and pairings (like geeze! hxh, run with the wind, hq, yuri on ice, the great pretender, ouran highschool host club, snk, mdzs, final fantasy xv, and yes natsuyuu too LOL), an attempt at making myself go bonkers, if you will. and I still can’t quite put my finger on what it IS but I know it has something to do with the naming of things. like an author will Name a Thing, very specifically, whether it is an action or a character thought or something very simple about the environment--and that something speaks volumes about the character and their relationships and the core themes of the series and it’s like. it’s like there’s a moment of understanding between that character and the reader, an oh! I know what that means. it’s wonderful and I’m butchering the explanation here but anyway. I still have no idea how to do this myself yet but goddammit I’m gonna get there one day. This fic was my first attempt in the Naming of Things. idk if there are any oh! moments in it myself, but natsuyuu is the perfect series for the kind of quiet that I think you need for those small moments. 

holy SHIT this got long uh. if you’ve made it this far--thank you?? this was also useful for me to articulate what the hell I’m doing in hamsterland. Recently a visiting poet came to one of my classes at university and talked about language-making as a physical art. Language has a physical existence, she said; it leaves the body and enters another and causes a physical reaction in both speaker and listener. She talked about how writers are creators of physical things, and how writing is mostly thinking before the creating. The physicality of language. To say it made me lose my marbles is an understatement!! tldr; there’s so much inspiration everywhere, and I wanna write more!!! So I’m gonna!!

[polar-stars]

1-35 !!!

o.O Well you aren’t kidding around...! But thanks, that gives me something to do at least ahdhd

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

3, maybe?

I’ve seen improvement from my fanfic-beginnings for sure, but there’s still a lot of things I can improve on I believe. 

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

I’ve held a fascination with writing ever since primary school. We were given a couple creative writing tasks back then and I actually got a lot of praise for my stuff ;v; So writing an actual book someday as actually always been a dream of mine. 

I did not really write much fanfic before entering the Shokugeki-fandom, being real. But I suppose I got into it for multiple reasons: manifesting my ships (MarYu is a lot more common these days, but it was nowhere when I first entered the fandom, lol. And I don’t think I have to tell you about how much content for EtsuNe there was before I began making it), giving the OCs I came up with a story, playing around with AU ideas & later on: giving the character I’ve come to love so much more love and justice than the canon gave them.

It’s a lot of fun being real! I’m glad I started it. And it’s honestly cool to see the improvements I made from the first “Shokugeki no Kimiko” chapter to the most recent one ;v; !

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

eeeeeehhhh, oh dear...

I really don’t know...possibly a little sense of naivety maybe? I’m-

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

Within the Shokugeki-fandom  @wishingforatypewriter & @hanzome-hasashi. 

I really love wishingforatypewriter’s exploration of the characters, Totsuki, the families and so on and so on. I still remember the days when I would read updates of “The Third Year” in the school-corridor, waiting for my first lesson to start! Good memories!

With hanzome-hasashi, I really love the atmosphere in her story and I hold both “Late Night Lullabies” & “Akai Ito” very dear. LNL is so fluffy and romantic and !!! ahh, it’s all the things I love. Meanwhile Akai Ito, is just....so enchanting and captivating...In different manner than LNL, but still so, so, so good!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

It’s not finished yet...It’s not even close to being finished yet, but...”Shokugeki no Kimiko” ;v; 

It will actually have it’s 5-year anniversary this year and that’s such an incredible number to me! I’ve never been able to commit to a story this long before and it just feels good, because I am really excited for so many things that are yet to come!

I really like the characters I came up with and I’m very happy to see they’ve been well-received by others as well. I tinkered on it so long and I think there’s some stuff I did very well on, to be perfectly honest. 

This story is also what gave me some confidence that I might someday truly be able to fulfill my dream and write a book. It has overall received a lot of compliments and such a good response, that I’m stunned. 

-

For finished works, I’d have to say “Waiting for the rain to stop”.

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

I think I have a good pacing! (And I’ve been told so as well)

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Detailed descriptions. 

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

For Shokugeki, I think I’d have to say Nene Kinokuni.

9 & 10, I answered already

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

My OCs & my romantic fantasies, I’d say adhfhg 

Though, lately...I do have a coping fic going on, that I started in late 2019, I believe and that I occasionally work on when I’m not feeling too well...It’s a story about change, as I am one of those kind off people who have a hard time dealing with changes. 

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

For one, I really like the beginning of the previously mentioned Coping-Fic. I’d show it, but ahdhd it’s in German. Because I write this thing in German...

Another couple things I’m excited for it so finally add onto the Shokugeki Next Gen One Shot collection! A lot of people have been asking me about Shigeo’s and Chieko’s first meeting and yes, I’ll try to work on it as soon as I can!

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

Attack on Titan, I wrote one or two things in German...I believe.

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

Lol

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

Also Shokugeki maybe? Because it’s so small ahdhd? 

16, I’ve answered already

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

I can’t see myself writing a fic with an unhappy ending...But I mean? Maybe I’ll surprise myself.

Besides that, I don’t think I’ll ever tackle truly harsh, dark topics either. I don’t feel occupied for that. 

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

Most stuff I wrote when I first entered the fandom ahdhd

The most weirdest thing was an AU that’s basically a role reversal of Rebels vs. Central but it is also in space, in a Star Wars inspired AU ashdod 

I really don’t know ahsdhd

19, I answered already

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

Shippy stuff. 

100%

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

Romance-wise, my faves would be EtsuNe, MarYu (no one is surprised) & AkiSako. 

For my OCs it’s ShigeChi (no one is surprised, Pt.2)...aka. Shigeo Eizan & Chieko Marui. 

My favorite platonic relationship to write for would be Shun and Zenji I think, in terms of my OCs it’s definitely Suzume Hojo and Shigeo. Because they greatly amuse me and ngl, their basic dynamic is a little akin to the dynamic between me and my best friend. 

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

I do! I have an extra playlist for when I write anything SnKimiko-related & it’s full of a variety of genres, haha. 

At times I also listen to Jazz or Lofi when writing though.

But yeah ultimately music really inspires me. There have been songs that painted entire scenarios in my head & song lyrics might end up being chapter titles in SnKimiko at some points ahdhd (watch out)

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

Independent ideas, I tend to struggle with prompts...but they can be fun at times!

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

I like both hdd

But for a slow turtle like me, multi-chaptered works can be a struggle...! If I was a little bit faster, I could have brought down so many ideas already.

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

Well, I already do have a spin-off & a One Shot collection with side adventures for SnKimiko! 

But well...The Coping-Fanfic would also play in SnKimiko-Verse.

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

A prequel fic to SnKimiko that showcases the future parents getting together :,))) If I made the Coping-Fic a multi-chapter thing...that could be it...

but ah, I’m still so unsure about it. I feel I’m just too inexperienced and naive to tell a compelling story in that regard given that I have no actual romantic relationship experience, haha. 

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

So many, hnnn

A very recent review highlighted how they’re enjoying the conflict of Hiraku & Kimiko and how they think it’s fascinating how both of them differ from Soma and each other as well....And ah, that just kind off made me super happy to read :,)))

I also received a couple reviews of people who said they usually don’t read Oc-centric fanfic but they liked mine and that also got me all :,)))))))))

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

When it’s not given to be in disrespectful manner, I’m willing to hear it out. 

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Yeah, I wrote an Unrequited Love One Shot once. 

It wrecked my heart in half and I cried for the rest of the evening.

Okay, but beside that...”Spoonful of Affection” and some other One Shots, I probably haven’t even shared on here, has some stuff where I tried out “new things” ig. 

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

sahdhfJGJGG

God, tooth-rotting fluff...please! I want to indulge into sappy, romantic scenarios all the time.

Angst wrecks me ahdh. I don’t write Angst to wreck others, I write it to wreck myself. The one time I wrote something very heavily angsty, it ended in me crying on my bed while listening to Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break my heart” on loop.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

✨ I have too many ✨

But they have their own blog ✨😌: @shokugekinokimiko

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

“Shokugeki no Hiraku” - Chaos, Parties, Social Clash, Mean Girls, Underdog, School Tournament, Yearning

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I write mainly on my mobile. 

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

“Schlagartig änderte sich Hisako’s Leben als sie die Sonne ihres Lebens das erste Mal traf.

Schlagartig änderte sich Hisako’s Leben als die Sonne dann plötzlich verschwand und Hisako’s Universum, stets ausgerichtet auf das strahlende Licht namens Erina seit jenem schicksalhaften Tag, kollabierte.” I’m sorry, but it’s really the best I can offer rn ahdhd

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I literally love fanfiction so much and we have quite some talent in this smol fandom, no one can convince me otherwise. 

I’ve run out of words, I’m sorry.

But you...you reading this!!!

You’re amazing 💕✨

[buckybarnesbingo]

BBB Week 21 Roundup!  Lots of awesome content this past week!

Title: Dinosaurs, Dragons, and Dorks (Oh My!) Collaborator: newtypeshadow Link: AO3 Square Filled: K5 - Hot On Your Heels Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Teen Major Tags: none Summary: Bucky is being chased by a t-rex. That's his own fault. That the t-rex is going to catch him? That's all on Clint. Word Count: 1122

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Title: Red String of Fate Collaborator: ariasfandom Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B1 - AU: Soulmates Ship: Stucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: Aesthetic, soulmates, 40s Stucky, red string of fate Summary: none

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Title: The Name You Gave Me - Chapter 31: Epilogue Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: C2 - December 16, 1991 Ship: Tony & Natasha & Bucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: violence, epilogue/sequel teaser, Winter Soldier, character death, car accident Summary: It's been seven years, and time has changed everyone. Except for one thing... Tony and James never stopped searching. They never could have predicted that their sister would find them first. Word Count: 49,400

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Title: Aria in B♭ - Chapter 2 Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Kink: "Harder” Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, opera singer Bucky Barnes, nobleman Tony Stark, Prostitution, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Pining, Dueling, Gambling Summary: Word Count:

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Title: Dial 1-800-HAWKEYE Collaborator: squadrickchestopher Link: AO3 Square Filled: C5 - tech support Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, D/s Summary: Clint is taken captive while on a mission, and his comms are off. Luckily, Bucky has a way of communicating with him. Word Count: 11,855

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Title: [Art] Bingo Clusterfuck - Chapter 4: you don't fight fair Collaborator: Call_Me_Kayyyyy Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - Cat Ship: Stucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Pet Adoption, Happily Ever After, art   Summary: It's standard procedure to take a photo of a new owner with their fur-baby before they head home after an adoption. This is Steve and Bucky's photo after Bucky convinced Steve to adopt half the shelter. They were just there to LOOK and see if Bucky felt a connection with any of the cats. Next thing you know Bucky used his best "big sad recovering assassin" face to explain how he NEEDED all of them. Now that they owned their place in Brooklyn there was no one tell them no. Not even Steve could say no to that face. They all came with their own names the shelter gave them but the only one Bucky didn't want to rename was Alpine, a large white cat that didn't seem to care much for Steve. The rest clung to Steve like he was their own personal savior and Bucky decided to rename them after their friends. That's how the orange tabby cat with nails like knives ended up as Natasha Jr., the cat on top of Steve's head that seemed to like heights Clint Jr., the jittery one, Tony Jr., the regal yellow one who keeps head butting everyone Thor Jr., and the sweet cuddly one Sam Jr.

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Title: The Americans - Chapter 2: Part Two: I am inevitable Collaborator: grimeysociety Link: AO3 Square Filled: C4 - Mulitverse Shenanigans Ship: Stucky/Darcy Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Major Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War (Movie), Explicit Sexual Content Summary: When Thanos snaps his fingers, half the universe is gone, including Steve Rogers. Given the impossible task of moving on, Bucky Barnes befriends Darcy Lewis. A chance encounter gives them and those left behind the opportunity to fix it all and bring back everyone who dusted. Meanwhile, across universes and timelines, trouble’s been brewing, and at the root of it all are two legendary humans simply known as The Americans. Word Count: 3944

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Title: The Last Drakkon Collaborator: squadrickchestopher Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - AU: dragon rider Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content, dragons Summary: He stops as a massive shape comes rearing up from the cliff’s edge, almost twice the size of The Avenger, red and shimmery and brilliant. It lands with a thud on the clifftop, hard enough to shake the entire thing and knock Clint on his ass. He barely even notices; he’s too busy staring at the giant red creature perched in front of him. It stares back, blinking slowly.“Holy stars,” Clint says, staring at him, suddenly remembering the stories he used to read as a kid. “You’re a drakkon?” Word Count: 17,035

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Title: Clint's Hugging Service Collaborator: pherryt Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Learning to be Loved Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Gen Major Tags: hurt/comfort, touch starved Summary: Bucky really, really wants to know what a Clint Barton hug feels like. Everyone else seems to swear by them. Word Count: 7612

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Title: First Touch Collaborator: caitriona-3 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U3 - PTSD Ship: Bucky/Darcy/Clint Rating: Teen Major Tags: soulmates, fic and moodboards Summary: Who knew something good could come out of being stuck in an elevator? Word Count: 2345

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Title: HYDRA Scientific Report Collaborator: startrekkingaroundasgard Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y2 - writing format: HYDRA POV Ship: Bucky/Winter Soldier x Reader Rating: Teen Major Tags: mention of torture, physical experiments, brainwashing Summary: A restricted memo from the desk of the HYDRA scientist in charge at Nemesis base, detailing the latest update on their new asset.

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Title: Knock Knock Collaborator: ialwayscomewhenyoucall Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B4 - hot water Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: mention of injury, sharing a bath, anal sex, blow jobs, pining, angst and fluff, protective bucky, explicit sexual content Summary: Clint is injured on a mission and he and Bucky have to hide out in a safehouse. Bucky would much rather kiss Clint than tend his wounds, but of course he can’t tell Clint that. So with top notch logic, he decides Clint needs a bath. What could go wrong? Word Count: 6970

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Title: [Podfic] Boom, Baby Collaborator: shadow-ravin Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Thighs Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier Clint Barton, Explosions, Semi-Public Sex, Explosion Kink, Intercrural Sex, Hand Jobs, Mildly Dubious Consent, due to brainwashing and lack of identity and knowledge of consent, Podfic, Podfic Length: 10-20 Minutes Summary: The two of them were connected, he knew it. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did. (In which Hydra captured Clint and turned him into the second Winter Soldier)

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Title: Long Have I Waited for You Collaborator: Purple_ducky00 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - cold Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: Violence, torture, Howard Stark’s A+ Parenting, Child Abuse Summary: Howard agrees that if he has a son, he would give Bucky said son's hand in marriage. Now, 80 years later, will Bucky hold up his end of the deal? Word Count: 2122

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Title: Bound Collaborator: hddnone Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C3 - free Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: bondage, D/s vibes Summary: It had been the easiest decision Bucky had ever made, giving Tony the end of his leash. Word Count: 752

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Title: Aria in B♭ - Chapter 3 Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Square Filled: C1 - Secret Relationship Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: historical AU, attempted rape/noncon, dubious consent, prostitution, pining, dueling, gambling Summary: Lord Stark has his faults -- a bit too fond of a drink, a little too reckless at cards, and entirely too happy to flout his good fortune in his rivals’ faces. But a man as wealthy and powerful as Tony Stark is bound to have a few peccadillos. What he is not, is the sort of man who would force himself upon another unwilling, unlike Lord Killian, who seems to have taken a particular shine to an opera singer in the troupe Killian is hosting. Tony rescues Mr. Barnes from Killian’s untender mercies, moves the troupe into his own home, and takes Mr. Barnes as his bed companion for the season. The arrangement provides protection for Bucky and the troupe from Killian’s spite, and tweaks Killian at the same time -- a win all around, as far as Tony is concerned. He wasn’t counting on Bucky being so utterly charming and wonderful, or for the possibility that he might actually, after so many years a bachelor, fall in love. Word Count: 15,755

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Title: [Art] Bingo Clusterfuck - Chapter 5: before I put another notch in my lipstick case Collaborator:  Call_Me_Kayyyyy Link: AO3 Square Filled: U4 - Hair Braiding Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: art, feminization, lingerie Summary: After a two week mission away Steve will be home any minute. Bucky's ready to make up for lost time.

[kalira]

Yearly AO3 Meme

Rules: Go to your works page, expand all the filters, and answer the following questions! how fun!

Once upon a time I was tagged in this, now I just think it’s fun to do it once a year. (I’d been doing it a bit earlier in the year, but it slipped my mind and I’ve been busy.)

1. What’s your first and second most common work ratings?

Teen And Up Audiences (362)

Mature (106)

I do tend to default to teen, for a lot of my writing - obviously - and rarely use general audiences, even when it might (possibly) fall under that. If there’s any doubt, between any two, I go for the higher rating.

2. What’s your most common archive warning? Least common? Do you consider yourself an adventurous writer?

Most common: No Archive Warnings Apply (507) 

Least common: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (7)

I do consider myself an adventurous writer, but a lot of my adventure falls outside the relatively narrow constraints of the AO3 archive warnings. *ahem*

3. How many fics have you written in each relationship category? Is this more accidental, or do you have preferences?

M/M (367) Gen (98) F/M (70) Multi (37) F/F (12) Other (1)

It is accidental in the sense that I don’t plan these things out, but I do have preferences, as is probably obvious. I’m kind of surprised how much het and also how much gen I’ve written in the past year, though.

Also, the multi category breaks down like so:

M/M/M (5) M/M/F (31) M/F/F (1)

4. What are your top 4 fandoms by numbers? Are you still active in any of them, and do you tend to migrate a lot?

Naruto (207)

Voltron: Legendary Defender (138)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (43)

Captain Harlock (21)

. . .yes, I am still active in all of them, though I do tend to migrate a lot - and I haven’t migrated out of Naruto for Some Time. Also this has shown quite a shake-up since last year, too!

5. What are your top 4 character tags? Does this match how you feel about the characters, or are you puzzled?

Keith (Voltron) (128)

Shiro (Voltron) (109)

Hatake Kakashi (74)

Senju Tobirama (59)

Well, Keith is my favourite character in Voltron, and given my favourite ship in Voltron. . . Kakashi is one of my favourites in Naruto, though I do not have an OTP for him - and Tobi is both another favourite and half of one of my two overall favourite ships for Naruto. . .

6: What are your top 4 relationship tags? Any surprises?

Keith/Shiro (Voltron) (99)

Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara (46)

Sokka/Zuko (Avatar) (28)

Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy (28)

I’m not surprised that Sheith is still top of the list, I’m really not. XD MadaTobi is one of my two very favourite Naruto ships, and has grown a lot this year! My only surprise might be that my other favourite Naruto ship isn’t in this list . . . yet.

7. What are your top 2 most used additional tags, and your bottom 2? What would happen if you combined all 4 of these into a fic?

Top Two:

Fluff (193) Cuddling & Snuggling (94)

Bottom Two:

Angst (32) Post-Canon (29)

. . .a post-broken-ending hurt/comfort fic would happen if I combined all four of those. Which is entirely possible. Though there’s nothing with all four of those currently.

8. How many WIPs do you have currently running on AO3? Any you don’t plan on finishing?

23, apparently! I’m shocked.

However. . .

Minific collections account for: 9 Poetry collections account for: 7 Drabble collections account for: 4

Of those remaining, there’s a story built out of minifics I keep forgetting about, partly because it’s always written into comment boxes or directly into the new chapter field on AO3, and two chaptered fics that I do very much intend to finish - one of which needs 3 more chapters, but I’m stuck on the next one, and one of which will be . . . much bigger. I’ve recently worked a bit on its outline and plans, however, and it was last updated a month ago.

9. Total stories and wordcount hosted on AO3?

Stories: 530 Wordcount: 1,439,874

That wraps me up for this year’s check-in - maybe I’ll hit two million words on AO3 next year! Maybe finish at least one of my WIPs! I will definitely write many more minifics, likely more poems, and perhaps post a couple more minific collections as well.

~Kalira

[ncfan-1]

Things I want to write for Three Houses (and may not actually wind up writing), a (most likely) incomplete list:

- Pre-canon fic with Petra, Edelgard, and Hubert. Gen.

- Fic for my headcanon of Edelgard’s stepmother, the Empress Berengaria. We know that this Empress must have existed, for Edelgard references her father having already married for political purposes by the time he met Patricia, but we know nothing about her. My headcanon of her is that she is by birth a member of House Nuvelle, that she was a supporter of Ionius’s attempts to consolidate his power, possessed a minor Crest of Cethleann, and that neither of her two children by Ionius numbered among the few (only three, in my headcanon) royal children who possessed any Crest at all. The fact that Edelgard was one of only three royal children with a Crest made her much more dynastically relevant than she otherwise would have been, and when Patricia was exiled, Berengaria took one look at baby/toddler Edelgard, said something to the effect of “It’s free real estate”, and snatched that kid right up before one of the consorts could get to her. Berengaria pushed hard for Edelgard’s candidacy as the next Emperor; she knew she’d never get anywhere promoting her own children (kid with a Crest wins over a kid without any day of the week), and installing a child she’d raised as the next Emperor was the best chance she had of ensuring that her and her own children’s would be preserved during the reign of the next emperor. She did care for Edelgard—and Edelgard definitely thinks of Berengaria before she thinks of Patricia when she thinks of ‘Mother’—though it’s less clear whether she loved Edelgard. Berengaria locked horns with Lord Arundel often over Edelgard’s custody. Just before the Insurrection of the Seven, Berengaria was assassinated via poison, and most assume it was Lord Arundel who killed her. The fic will be gen, obviously.

- I want to finish In This Valley of Dying Stars. Fic’s Dimileth, though it’s pre-ship, given its space in the timeline and the fact that neither Dimitri nor Melusine are in a good place mentally while it takes place.

- Want to write the sequel to In This Valley of Dying Stars, aka “Melusine finds out exactly what’s up about her and she takes it really poorly.” Dimileth, takes place just post the S-support, though the ship isn’t really the main focus of the fic. Melusine’s existential crisis kicking into overdrive is the main focus of the fic.

- A couple of oneshots set in the same ‘verse as In This Valley of Dying Stars and the as of yet untitled sequel. One of them focuses on Melusine, Flayn, Seteth, and Manuela, after Melusine overexerts herself using Divine Pulse and is unconscious for roughly a day and a half as a result. The second is the search for Rhea in Enbarr after the final battle. Enbarr’s the biggest city on the continent, and without Hubert’s letter, finding her… Yeah, that takes a while, and it’s taking even longer considering that there’s still fighting throughout the city even after Edelgard’s death and Dimitri is in no state to fight after taking a dagger to the shoulder. Both are gen; the first is entirely gen, and the second one mostly gen (In that there’s Dimileth simmering in the background, but it’s not the main focus of the fic).

- A fic set during the timeskip of Azure Moon, in which the explanation for why Mercedes is wearing a cap and veil post timeskip that looks a lot like the headgear worn by the nuns around Garreg Mach is that she took religious orders during the timeskip. Partly because she wants to become a nun, and partly because, while nuns don’t have to take vows of chastity in this universe, anyone who takes religious vows, even if they’re remaining a part of the secular world, is protected by law from being forced into marriage against their will. Even if the Empire has taken over Fhirdiad, where Mercedes lives, the prevailing culture is still very pro-Church, and thus, the men her adoptive father brings around the house take one look at her headdress, only have to hear her say, “No, I’m afraid I don’t particularly want to marry you :)” and are out the door, usually shooting dirty looks at her adoptive father in the process. Said adoptive father is too chickenshit to make her take off the headdress—especially considering she had four separate copies made up of the official document commemorating her taking religious orders, and three of them have been sent off to people who would not be at all inclined to give them to him to burn.

- Timeskip fic of Marianne’s evolving relationship with Margrave Edmund.

- A multi-chapter AU where Dimitri turns into a Demonic Beast during the timeskip, and the only way for him to turn back into a man is for him to let go of his rage and hatred of Edelgard enough that it isn’t consuming him anymore. This one’s… Yeah, it’s gonna be rough. And at least somewhat gruesome (Maybe more than somewhat). Main characters are: Dimitri, Melusine, Felix, Marianne, and when they show up, Rodrigue and Dedue. Gen. The only ship is Marianne x Linhardt, it’s mostly in the background, and it’s here primarily because it’s thematically appropriate and I love them. The violence and themes might be enough to make it M-rated. I’ve been mulling this one over for a while: here’s a snippet. The tag for this one will be ‘Demonic Beast AU.’

- Ingrid and Leonie get a support chain. Basically, it’s Leonie wondering “why is this noble girl asking me to show her how to make candles out of leftover cooking grease?” and finding out exactly why. Gen.

- Seteth comes to the monastery and deals with people reacting to the unvetted, unqualified stranger being promoted to a position of high authority over them. Gen, here’s the post I made speculating about it.

- Rhea and Seteth in the monastery, just being siblings at each other. Gen.

- Silver Snow Seteth having a reckoning over the damage wrought by the Crest System, and over everything he’s been complicit in since coming to live and work in the monastery. Basically a “That moment when you realize that the system you’ve been complicit in upholding has fucked over everyone you care about whose names aren’t Rhea and Flayn, and now everyone you care about may well die thanks to the secrets you and Rhea have been keeping,” to bridge the gap between what we see of him in the game and what we hear of him in his unpaired ending. Gen.

- Ingrid’s relationship with her mother, which I imagine as being at least somewhat fraught. Gen.

- The Sacred and Profane (titled such because I am so very original), centered around Rhea’s first couple of attempts at making a vessel for Sothis out of the children she created from her blood. Gen. The only fic idea I haven’t written yet that actually has a title.

- A fic centering around Lysithea and Ferdinand’s relationship if the game had fleshed it out more. Because I love their interactions in their paralogue, and I would have liked for them to have a support chain. Will probably be set in Azure Moon or Silver Snow. Could be gen, could be fucked-up shippiness. Anything is possible.

- An AU where Rhea learns to see Melusine’s mother as a person in her own right rather than simply a failed vessel, and thus treats Melusine like a person as well. So she handles things a bit differently after Melusine is born, and thus, Jeralt never leaves the monastery with her. And yet, things manage to go almost as poorly as they do in canon. Gen. Will be tagged ‘Grandmother AU.’

- An AU where after Edelgard resurfaces after having been experimented on and successfully implanted with the Crest of Flames, Rhea snatches her up and declares her a ward of the Church because those kids were descendants of someone she gave her blood to, dammit. Things… do not go well. Gen.

- Post-canon in Crimson Flower, Edelgard and Lysithea have a tense conversation just before Lysithea undergoes a procedure to have her Crests removed. Gen.

- Shapeshifter Marianne AU. Not sure if it will be gen or have ships in it.

- A fairy tale AU where Melusine is a lot more like her namesake. Probably Dimileth, and probably the least likely thing on this list to actually get written.

[fallenidol-453]

Yearly AO3 Meme

I got intrigued at what @kalira9 was doing with this post, so I’ll do it too!

Rules: Go to your works page, expand all the filters, and answer the following questions! how fun!

1. What’s your first and second most common work ratings?

General Audiences (8)

Teen And Up Audiences (8)

2. What’s your most common archive warning? Least common? Do you consider yourself an adventurous writer?

Most common: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (14)

Least common: Graphic Depictions of Violence (1)

I usually don’t know what to tag my works half the time, given that AO3′s definitions are fairly narrow. And I guess I’m a little adventurous, even if some of the works are posted are prompt fills for fandoms I’m in but never wrote for.

3. How many fics have you written in each relationship category? Is this more accidental, or do you have preferences?

Gen (14) M/M (4) F/M (2) Other (1) F/F (1)

This is not accidental at all.

4. What are your top 4 fandoms by numbers? Are you still active in any of them, and do you tend to migrate a lot?

The Dragon Prophecy - Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory (8)

Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey (5)

The Obsidian Trilogy -  Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory (2)

Dark Parables (2)

All but one (Valdemar) is fairly niche and tiny, so it’s hard to stay active. Valdemar, on the other hand, is larger but I usually don’t interact with fellow fans.

5. What are your top 4 character tags? Does this match how you feel about the characters, or are you puzzled?

Original Herald of Valdemar Character(s) (5)

Hannah (Last Knights) (2)

Lazare de Peyrol (2)

Ronan Mazurier (2)

WELL... the first one is an OC I’ve abandoned. But the others? Yeah, it kind of does match how I feel.

6: What are your top 4 relationship tags? Any surprises?

Original Female Character/Original Female Character (1)

Ronan Mazurier/Lazare de Peyrol (1)

Rudolf von Österreich-Ungarn | Rudolf Crown Prince of Austria/Der Tod | Death (1)

Hannah/Gezza Mott (1)

Not surprised, given I barely tag pairings! Though the last one is //ANGRY HISSING and was only used for tagging purposes.

7. What are your top 2 most used additional tags, and your bottom 2? What would happen if you combined all 4 of these into a fic?

Top Two:

Not Beta Read (22) What-If (3)

Bottom Two:

Fairy Tale Elements (2) Implied/Referenced Suicide (2)

A not beta read, what-if story with fairy tale elements that ends with the implications of suicide?

I’m pretty sure nothing would happen...

8. How many WIPs do you have currently running on AO3? Any you don’t plan on finishing?

2!

The only one I don’t plan on finishing is these brief guttering flames, unless I can actually haul ass and write.

The other WIP (A Leap into Eternity) will be finished in about 5-6 chapters (two actual game chapters, plus an epilogue that might take 2-3 chapters), since I fully intend to try and close up some game-related plot holes.

9. Total stories and wordcount hosted on AO3?

Stories: 22 Wordcount: 58,387

[margridarnauds]

Yearly AO3 Meme

92

I saw @fallenidol-453 doing this, so I decided to jump in on the fun.

Rules: Go to your works page, expand all the filters, and answer the following questions! how fun!

1. What’s your first and second most common work ratings?

Teen And Up Audiences (17)

General Audiences (12)

2. What’s your most common archive warning? Least common? Do you consider yourself an adventurous writer?

Most common: No Archive Warnings Apply (26)

Least common: Graphic Depictions of Violence (1)

The thing is...I think that people tend to think that I’m actually much more adventurous than I am. Because I have a variety of ships that are enemy to lover and because I am very outspoken about my firm belief that people should write whatever they want, provided it’s tagged properly, I think people think that means that *I* want to write it. Or that the way I want to write it is inherently in a way that merits an archive warning, as opposed to working canon how I want. I don’t particularly like Major Character Death, though I will use it if necessary, I don’t particularly like non-con (outside of, like, consensual non-consent as a kink, which inherently ISN’T this), and most of the time, when I’ve been tempted to work with something that would qualify as “underaged,” it’s simply because of the time that the literature/media I tend to work with is set in, in the sense that, say, a 16 or 17 year old, at the time of the French Revolution, had different societal expectations than a modern 16 or 17 year old. (Nor were they necessarily ADULTS either; it’s complicated.)

In general, I don’t particularly like dealing with heavy subjects, though. I don’t really trust myself with them, and I don’t like working with them. That’s actually the primary reason why the Áife/Emer one-shot has never been published, because of the inherent heaviness of Áife’s storyline. I don’t really...think it’s something I could treat flippantly. But I also think that I’m not sure I trust myself with treating it at all. 

3. How many fics have you written in each relationship category? Is this more accidental, or do you have preferences?

M/M (15)

Gen (6)

F/F (6) (+1)

F/M (5)

Multi (2)

It’s more or less accidental, though I do try to do more F/F stuff because of the scarcity of femslash in fandom. I don’t want the boys to get ALL the fun here. In general, though, I think that male characters, in most media, get the most attention, they get the most characterization, and there are more of them in general, which makes them easier to ship. Female characters....don’t, and even when you do get them, you have to find two with chemistry. It does make things very hard, in the long run and I do think that....as a WLW who writes fic, it can be very easy to fall into the “SOFT ! PURE !” trap, where you kind of condition yourself into thinking that’s the only brand for female characters in a relationship with one another to go down, ignoring that they can have the same type of complex dynamics as male characters. (That, and when it comes to F/F ships....I find that it can be TOO personal, in a sense? It’s much harder for me to remove myself, and I know that, even when I do, people are going to think that it IS a reflection one way or another. I have more in common with, say, Solène, as a character, or Margrid, but it’s much, much easier for me to slip into Lazare’s mind and stay there for a few hours. It’s a nice, cool, dark place.) 

4. What are your top 4 fandoms by numbers? Are you still active in any of them, and do you tend to migrate a lot?

1789: Les Amants de la Bastille - Various Composers/Attia & Chouquet (12)

Terra Nova (TV) (5)

Irish Mythology (4)

1776 (1972) (3)

Active in 1789, TN, and Irish Mythology. I don’t really CONSIDER myself to be someone who writes for a lot of fandoms, mainly because my writing process is very intensive; it’s something I have to PUSH at to work with new fandoms. 

5. What are your top 4 character tags? Does this match how you feel about the characters, or are you puzzled?

Lazare de Peyrol (11)

Ronan Mazurier (8)

Solène Mazurier (7)

Olympe du Puget (4)

I’m actually disappointed by how relatively little Olympe appears, since I feel like, of all of them, she’s my favorite as far as her CANON characterization, and my first fic was centered around her. Hopefully she’ll get some more attention this next year. 

6: What are your top 4 relationship tags? Any surprises?

Ronan Mazurier/Lazare de Peyrol (8)

Abigail Adams/John Adams (3)

Solène Mazurier/Olympe du Puget (3)

Mira/Alicia Washington (2)

The ONLY surprise here is Abigail Adams/John Adams, because I don’t really consider myself IN the 1776 fandom proper. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it isn’t a PRIMARY fandom, and its prominence here is because of the drabble exchange I participated in. 

7. What are your top 2 most used additional tags, and your bottom 2? What would happen if you combined all 4 of these into a fic?

Top Two:

Established Relationship (6)

Angst (5)

~These are a few of my favorite things~

Bottom Two:

Pining (3)

French Revolution (3)

Tbh? I’m surprised that there isn’t more pining and French Revolution, but. 

Combining all four in a fic? I call that a regular Friday night when I’m tossing ideas at the wall. I feel like this is half my Peyronan one-shots as it is (Especially Ah, Ça Ira, AKA The Real Love Triangle of 1789 Being Between Ronan, Lazare, and Lazare’s Job). 

8. How many WIPs do you have currently running on AO3? Any you don’t plan on finishing?

4, which is genuinely surprising to me because I FEEL in my soul that there are more. I haven’t given up on any of them. I know that it can FEEL like it because of the way that my updates come, especially since I began my program, but I’m COMMITTED. I was given relatively limited suitcase space when I was moving and there were three books, more than any other non-Celtic Studies books, that I wanted in. One was a book on the army during the French Revolution, one was a book on childhood from the Ancien Régime to the 20th century (which is my main secondary source used in Le Cri), and my book on the opera balls, which is obviously my major secondary source used for Curl of Lip. Pour la Peine will probably take another 3 or 4 chapters to get resolved, maybe 5, but it will be. The ending’s been written out since I began it, it’s just a matter of connecting the plot points from here on out. (The Thing that happened in the last chapter was really the last thing we needed before we slid right into the final act, which is good, because it’s where I’ve wanted to be, but it also means that now my responsibility is to bring it all home. Which certain filmmakers could take to heart. And...there’s at least one more reveal to pull off.) And the last is Brace of Snakes which...I have Plans for. The only thing is just to make sure that everything develops organically. It’s the inherent problem with working with relationship development, really, especially in something like MA that condenses SO MUCH into the span of nine years, so a lot of it is really left up to the imagination. 

9. Total stories and wordcount hosted on AO3?

Stories: 33 (Officially, I have one more child to acknowledge later) Wordcount: 102,925

[fanfictionquotess]

Rec List: The Umbrella Academy

Part 1  Part 2

Rec List 2: Electric Boogaloo. I’m back with more fanfic recommendations for TUA! 

For the most part this rec list consists of only gen fanfics with the exception of one or two that focuses more on Klaus/Dave and their relationship rather than the dysfunctional siblings we know and love. You can probably guess what tags I’m currently frequenting. 

Again, this list only includes completed works. I’m also going to include an all encompassing drug-content warning because Klaus Hargreeves. 

Total Fics Recommended In This List:  35 Total in Last Part: 26

Is It Your Heart That Breaks First Or Your Fragile Bones by VeteranKlaus

Words: 37,803   Chapters: 10    Role-Swap AU   Pairings: Klaus x Dave

Summary: Number Four was a failure, he said. Number Four didn't have powers, no, he had schizophrenia. He took pills that came from his father's hands and told himself it was all a hallucination.

In the end, they should have known better. Klaus Hargreeves can speak to the dead, can conjure and control every dead soul, and he ends the world.

Or,Klaus' powers get out of hand at a young age. Reginald, the A+ parent, claims him as schizophrenic from there on. Eventually, he breaks.

Part 1 of  Neon Gravestones Try To Call (For My Bones)

Comments: Please, please do yourself a favor and read this. I ended up binge-reading it in a day during a roadtrip. The second half is especially good. I’m very excited for the sequel.

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Tactile by HapaxLegomenon

Words: 10483   Chapters: 1     Post-S1

Summary: "After the apocalypse that wasn't, Klaus struggles."

Or: Five times Klaus’s siblings tolerated his need for touch, and one time it (and he) was embraced.

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Of Powers & Regret by CheerfullyCynical

Words: 3755   Chapters: 1  

Summary: In a world where sibling love is stronger than Luther’s idiotic idea to lock Vanya in a cage, Klaus – in a sober stupor – fights with his newfound powers.

Or, sibling bonding is the best bonding, Klaus' powers are out of control, and everyone needs a hug (but Klaus most of all).

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Saturday Night by Cyane

Words: 1707  Chapters: 1

Summary:  One minute, Klaus is in the bowling alley, and the next minute, he's huddled in the trenches of Vietnam.

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Where Love Should Have Been by Skullszeyes

Words: 1520  Chapters: 1

Summary:  Klaus still suffers from drug withdrawal, but he's also trying to figure out how to bond with his siblings, and be with them more.

Part 1 of Eating the Dead

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Don’t Stop Me Now by twinfinite

Words: 5120  Chapters: 1    Pre-S1

Summary: Ben is dead and Klaus is doing Great.

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The Cage You Wove Around Me is Perfect by shadowlancer_95

Words: 1702   Chapters: 1  

Summary: Klaus has a terrifying moment of clarity where he wonders just how much like dad Luther was.

Or,

In which Klaus is reminded of the mausoleum, decides to say fuck it to Luther and averts the apocalypse all on his own.

Part 1 of  The Umbrella Academy For Excellent Parenting

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Because I Could Not Stop For Death by shadowlancer_95

Words: 13,128   Chapters: 1   Pre-S1

Summary: No matter what anyone said, he isn’t suicidal.

Not really.

Or,

They've all been given a second chance, not just to stop the apocalypse, but to live their lives once again. This time, he's determined to not to be the useless weak link that he was in their previous timeline.

Comments: CW: Major Character Death.

Part 3 of The Umbrella Academy For Excellent Parenting

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it's almost summer, playing dumber than in fall by ohmygodwhy Words: 3259  Chapters: 1   Pre-S1

Summary: “Hey,” he says, leaning over the back of the couch, “can I knock down the wall between me ‘n Vanya’s old room?”

“What?” Luther asks, distracted.

“The wall,” Klaus repeats.

(alternatively: vanya went to college and klaus said "move, i'm gay")

Comments: Fun wholesome content amidst all of the angst.

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you know you can bet on it by wearealltalesintheend Words: 1103   Chapters: 1

Summary: ...or, the one where the Great Bacon War is fought, bets are drawn, and sometimes the past really comes back to kick you.based on the prompt: “It’s six o’clock in the morning, you’re not having vodka.”

Part 1 of Tumblr Prompts

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Talk to the Hand by PunJedi Words: 5848  Chapters: 1

Summary: ...Or, an exploration into the mind of Klaus Hargreeves, aka The Séance, aka No. 4, aka everyone's favorite pansexual junkie disaster.

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Children Behave (That’s What They Say When We’re Together) by CaffeinatedWriter Words: 12,837  Chapters: 1

Summary: Klaus has always used the past to ground himself to the present.

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A Little More Blue by Adox Words: 18,591   Chapters: 1   Pre-S1

Summary: Diego finds Klaus on one of his drug busts, and Detective Patch puts him in charge of babysitting the witness. It's harder than it looks, what with the trauma and all.

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all the glamour and the trauma by ohmygodwhy Words: 8394  Chapters: 1   Pre-S1

Summary: They’re supposed to write a list, on their own time, of either the wrongs they’ve done to other people or the people that they’ve done wrong to, whichever one is easier. Klaus rolls the pencil between his fingers.

So far he’s got: Denny’s I stole a syrup bottle from, with buy a new syrup bottle and return it as a possible solution.

My dead brother, is second. Can’t bring him back to life, so nothing to be done there.

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soul kitchen by ohmygodwhy Words: 17,088  Chapters:  2   Pairings: Klaus x Dave

Summary: He trips on acid for the first time at fourteen, leaves home at nineteen and meets Dave at thirty. Give or take.

(klaus, his love life, and maybe the love of his life, too.)

Comments: Not going to lie, this is absolutely one of my favorite fanfics I’ve read so far for TUA. It ruined Klave for me because they depict exactly how I want their relationship dynamic to be.

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I’m Not Okay (I’m Getting There) by kittycatthetacodemon

Words: 49,739  Chapter: 2   Pairings: Klaus x Dave, Gen fic at heart

Summary: Between seven adults, even ones as severely damaged as they are, there's got to be at least enough common sense to mimic one semi-functional, competent human. Post-season one, Klaus and his siblings travel around in their own pasts, sort out some of their shit, and relive the week of the apocalypse one last time.This time, they get it right.

Comments: PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND READ THIS. Chapter 1 was *mwah* but chapter 2 has a scene with Five that blew my mind. I loved it so much. Chapter 1 is Klaus POV and Chapter 2 is Five POV.

--- I’ll never ask for more by lunalou

Words: 7132  Chapters: 1

Summary:  or, Klaus is forced to face his fears in the mausoleum and his family worry

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broken technology by JKWriter Words: 1438   Chapters: 1       Post-S1

Summary:  diego makes the mistake of buying klaus a phone

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Ben Forgets He Can’t Walk Through Walls and Five is Helpful by dogsledwolf Words: 1487    Chapters:  1      Post-S1

Summary: He doesn't remember waking up, or for that matter, falling asleep. All he remembers is one minute there was nothing, a blissful unconsciousness, and the next he was standing in the middle of his room.

OrBen is having a bad day and Five helps.

Part 2 of How Does One Live?

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The Truth Hurts by pupeez4eva Words: 2274     Chapters:  1

Summary: Diego whirled on her, glaring. “No! Our brother died! And what, that asshole just left him there? Didn’t even think to bring it up?!”

“Wow,” Klaus murmured, “He’s…really mad.”

...(Klaus lets it slip that he died, met God, and came back to life. His siblings are understandably shocked).

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Ghost by smile_it_wll_get_better Words:  4629     Chapters: 1      Post-S1

Summary: Ben knew exactly where Klaus was going, why they gave him sedatives so he wouldn’t protest, wouldn’t make a noise. They were taking him to the mausoleum. The very place that hunted him all the way to his 30’s made him weep and scream and turn to drugs and alcohol just so he could forget it.

“Bring him back here now.” Ben screamed at their father, who was watching him with what almost looked like curiosity.

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Going Native by sexysadie Words: 10,601    Chapters: 1     Pre-S1

Summary:  Klaus is broke. Drugs are expensive. Of course, his siblings are (not) more than happy to help out, and feelings come out along the way.

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there is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends by Drhair76

Words:  1196    Chapters:  1

Summary:  or, the one where Klaus 'loses' a hoodie, Five gets a hug and Ben is proud.

Part 1 by  the night is dark but the moon is bright

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wake my spirit cold by captaincolonel Words:  29,632      Chapters: 1

Summary:  Klaus discovers his powers when he’s nine years old.It's pretty much downhill from there.

Part 1 of the wake my spirit cold

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Tripping Over Tombstones by apathyinreverie Words:  18,259         Oneshot Series: Incomplete       Post-S1

Summary:  A series of stories mainly about Ben and Klaus. Because they are my favorites.

Comments: I was basically reccing the entire series at this point so...

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The Bottom Is A Rock by  Kierkegarden Words: 3781    Chapters: 1     Pre-S1

Summary:  ... or the 'how Klaus wound up in prison' story.

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everything is half here by grit Words:  631   Chapters: 1

Summary:    Death has made him cold, but Ben still smiles genuinely at Klaus every now and then. He doesn't rage, doesn't scream, doesn't torment. That's not his way, that was never his way, and he doesn't pity himself.

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break these bones till they’re better by Karturtle Words:  2436   Chapters:  1    Post-S1

Summary:   Ben always had a soft spot for Diego.

Part 4 of  you ask me where i've been(like i ask you where you are)

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i rebuild when i break down by Karturtle Words:  2436   Chapters: 1    Post-S1

Summary:  Klaus and Ben hang out. Klaus fondly reminisces.(a cut scene from love you without any strings attached, my ben + klaus fic. can be read without prior knowledge)

Part 5 of  you ask me where i've been(like i ask you where you are)

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By The Firelight by courflakes Words: 14,681   Chapters:  6      Pairings: Klaus x Dave

Summary: The five significant times Klaus spoke to Dave. The one time he never will again.

Or, how they fell in love.

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the inaugural class of the umbrella academy by zweebie Words:  13,028    Oneshot Series: Incomplete      

Summary: (usually) unconnected one shots about my umbrella children

PREVIOUSLY CALLED, BUT STILL INCLUDING: vaguely (if at all) connected one shots about klaus's deaths through the years

because Klaus going full on gina linetti and meeting god was probably my favorite part of the series (even though the scene broke my heart)

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It Is Always Winter When Klaus Comes Home by tiredperalta Words: 11,305     Chapters: 1

Summary:  There begins a sort of ritual, every time Klaus leaves. It begins this way: A boy packs his bag with the intention of leaving once again. He walks into the nearest bathroom, washes his face in the sink with cold water. He looks at himself in the bathroom mirror. He buries his nails into his pale skin. He stands back after a moment, takes a deep breath and inspects the red indents appearing on his skin.

It finishes this way: The boy leaves the house via a bedroom window or a back door. On his way out, he sits on the ground in his garden. He lies back - more often than not in the snow that covers the ground - look up at the moon and then he disappears.

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Into the Deep End. by Wendihomo

Words:  468   Chapters: 1    Pairings: Harold x Vanya

Summary:  The water was cold. No that wasn’t right. The water was eerie. Silent and completely still, soaking her from head to toe and seeping deep into her muscles. Her bones ached, fingers clutched into tight little fists. The water was growing colder, the soft drip of the tap was a constant buzz in the back of her mind.

Part 1 of  The Mind’s Eye

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Eave of Destruction by  siriuspiggyback Words: 5418  Chapters: 1   Post-S1

Summary:  Klaus was self aware enough to know that he’s been fucked up for a long time. So sure, the nightmares, the heart palpitations, the way his lungs collapsed when he thought about his childhood for too long - yeah, it sucked, but he was used to it. The flashbacks, though. They were new.

After two months post the almost apocalypse, Klaus was feeling pretty proud of how carefully he had maintained his mask of normality around his siblings. He was still fidgety and annoying, sure, but none of them had glimpsed at his fun new brand of fucked.

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Dirge Without Music by  temporal-infidelity (gyabou)

Words: 13,354   Chapter: 5

Summary:  After Dave dies, he meets a little boy without a name who can see ghosts. He's strangely familiar.

Part 1 of  but I am not resigned