#i will say!!! i am the slowest writer in the world!!!! this fic will not be coming ANY time soon

[crossbackpoke-check]

I was reading through your old reblogs and sage to say the tags you put on the Oilers shower post are amazing and I would love to read something like that!!

Copying and pasting the tags here (the blue text is the part I was talking about but I left the preceding tags for context if that makes sense?):

#there's another shower right next to the sitting shower 9 is it in the front corner of the picture? is that little glass alcove the entrance #to get in? like there's also horny potential for somebody in the big empty open space & somebody waiting to come in hesitating but you can #see their shadow & their silhouette in the glass the one outside the door knowing that the other is inside all alone showering but still not #coming in because they're giving them privacy etc being the last ones out & this doesn't feel like a connor/leon thing so maybe it's going #in the vague yamo pile but whoever's in the big shower room all alone jerking off & narrating & god knows sound would carry inside that #space & it could be that whoever's outside the door forgot something in there (left soap etc etc) & just happened to walk in on it (and/or #on whatever is going on in the shower stall) & can hear but can't see them but they can see them & can tell that they're watching/listening #through the frosted glass anyway ALSO what i was trying to get to with nuge/yamo (Imao i don't even think i said nuge at first) was like. #omega yamo who goes into heat/is playing through it & yamo gets ejected from the game with the narrative of nuge five for fighting for #defending him (maybe it's the end of the third maybe it's the second & nuge gets a 10 minute major & yamo gets pulled for a concussion check #because of the hit & then the doctors are like Imao stupid no you can't go back out you're in heat [yamo saw nuge fight for him 00] so the #two of them end up in there alone i like the middle of the second bc then nobody's there & wont be for a minute actually) but it's yamo in #the big open space & nuge outside the door checking to make sure he's okay & thinking that he'll be fine he can control it yamo won't smell #because he's in the showers nuge'll just bury his face in soap nuge waiting politely outside the door & yamo is being a MENACE. ohhhhh we're #gonna have to do research but what was the injury that yamo was out for be the original gifset that started this... this is the inciting event #yamo has been bullying nuge for AGES & by god he's gonna get what he wants even if it takes jerking off in the oilers home showers to bait #nuge into doing it. nuge like 'you ok?' has a conversation with yamo etc nuge: 'you gonna be ok to make it home' & yamo says yeah but not

If you were referring to the time Nuge fought Holl, it was a because Yamo took a bodycheck up high and he had to be taken back for concussion protocol just to be safe

^^^real life footage of me receiving and reading this ask 🥺🥰 i would ALSO love to read a fic like that akdhskdjak, but getting this ask made me actually start a doc for omega yamo being a nuisance so thank you (also if you wanted more vague thoughts, here’s the original gifset i reference)

i think i know exactly which fight you mean!! and i think it is saved in my drafts with unhinged thoughts waiting to be released 😇 if i’m right, this is a video that i had to save multiple times on multiple platforms because it was Important To Me

[atlabeth]

true luck's kiss

pairing: luke castellan x daughter of tyche!reader

summary: luke is stuck with a streak of bad luck. what better way to get rid of it than with a child of tyche?

a/n: so this was supposed to come out on st patrick's day but unfortunately im the slowest writer in the world and ive also been doing nothing but watch basketball because we sleep in may. anyways here's a short fluffy blurb because it is getting way too sad in here with my hurricane fics lmao

wc: 1.2k

warning(s): none, this is all fluff. i know crazy coming from me

You grimaced as you pulled the arrow back. Sweat dripped down your forehead and you itched to brush it away, but you ignored the urge as you let out a deep breath. 

“Just like that.” Kimia nodded as she stopped behind you. “Perfect angle—now let it fly.” 

You did, and the weight lifted off your shoulders once the arrow embedded itself in the center of the target. 

“Ending on a bullseye,” she said with a grin. “Great work.” 

“Only way to do it,” you said, smiling at her. “Am I a worthy opponent yet?” 

She chuckled and patted your shoulder as she moved on. “Maybe one day you’ll be as good as Cabin Seven. Today’s not that day.” 

You shook your head with a laugh and took your quiver off your back. “Keep telling yourself that!”

A bow and arrow had become your weapon of choice since the moment you stepped foot into camp, and you’d gotten good over the years—so much so that it was a surprise when your mother claimed you. One day, though, you would get an Apollo kid to admit you were better than them. 

You’d just finished putting all your equipment away, and when you turned back, you were met with a mess of brown curls and shining eyes.

“Luke,” you said, pleasantly surprised. “Didn’t know you were in archery today.”

He shook his head. “I’m not. I didn’t come here for archery—I came here for you.”

You chuckled as you gestured with your head, and he got the hint as you started walking together. “How forward of you.”

“It’s a living,” he said with a smile. “How was practice?”

“And small talk?” You pressed a hand to your heart and shook your head. “It must be my lucky day.”

Luke’s smile widened as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. “That’s what I came to talk to you about, actually. I do wanna hear about your day, though.”

You shrugged. “It was boring. Killed it at archery, nearly got killed on the climbing wall—I was gonna head back to the cabin to chill for a few hours before dinner, but it looks like you’ve taken that slot.” 

He chuckled. “So you are free?” 

“I’ve always got some time to listen to Luke Castellan,” you mused. “What’ve you got?” 

“I’m cursed,” Luke said. 

You stopped in your tracks and looked him right in the eye. “...Cursed.” 

He nodded. “I know it sounds stupid, but it’s gotta be true. I mean, nothing is going right for me. I’ve been off my groove with my sword, I’ve lost every canoe race, I nearly burnt my eyebrows off last time I was in the forge, and my team hasn’t won a game of capture the flag this entire month—” 

“I know,” you interrupted. “I’m in your cabin.” 

“So you know how bad my luck’s been lately!” he exclaimed with a gesture. “It— it was embarrassing, but now it’s just pathetic.” 

“You know I can’t fix it, right?” you said wryly. “I’m not my mom.” 

“That’s what Annabeth said,” Luke mumbled. “But— but I’ve seen the way you live—you’ve got luck on tap! Your strawberries are always the ripest, you somehow find drachmas on the ground, and your volleyball serves are better than anyone’s.”

“I play varsity back home,” you said. “No luck needed.”

“Still,” he emphasized, “you’re naturally lucky. You’ve literally got it in your DNA, and I’m fresh out of it. That’s gotta be worth something.” 

“Not really.” You crossed your arms. “So what do you think I can do about this?” 

Luke shrugged. “I dunno. Say something?" 

You barely managed to stifle a laugh. “Like what?” 

“Pray to Tyche,” he said. “You’re her only kid here—she’s gotta be listening.” 

You bit back your smile as you shook your head. “Fine. Just for you.” 

“Thank you,” Luke sighed, watching with bated breath as you cleared your throat, closed your eyes, and pressed your hands together. 

“Tyche, dearest mother, goddess of luck and fortune—I ask you to shine on Luke Castellan on this day. Smile upon my friend and break his very real curse. If you do this for him, in return, he will do all of my cabin chores for the next month.” 

When you opened your eyes, Luke looked quite unimpressed. “Very funny.” 

“Feel any luckier?” you asked with a smile as you started walking again. 

“I don’t think so,” he said, falling into step with you once more. “Especially because you’re putting conditions in your prayers. I didn’t know we could do that.” 

“My mom has a sense of humor,” you mused. “And I also think I might be her favorite.” 

“Not all of us have that privilege,” he said wryly. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he grabbed your arm to stop you.  

“I think I’ve got it,” Luke said. “How about a kiss?” 

Your eyebrows rose, but you couldn’t help showing your amusement. “Now it’s a kiss that’ll break your curse?” 

He shrugged. “Like I said—you’ve got luck in your DNA. Maybe you could pass that along.”  

“Really,” you said dryly. 

“I’ve kinda tried everything,” he said. “A kiss from a lucky and pretty girl is far from the worst option.” 

You chuckled. “You really know how to flatter ‘em.” 

“I try,” he grinned. “Are you up to it?” 

You bit your lip as you looked at Luke. Obviously, he was attractive—you’d always held an appreciation for his curls and the way they would constantly get in his eyes. He cut an impressive figure from constant, year-round training, and he even made the camp shirt look good. And gods, that damned smile got you. 

There were worse things than kissing you, and there were certainly worse things than kissing Luke Castellan. 

“Alright,” you sighed, taking a step forward. “Pucker up, Castellan.” 

Before you could really doubt yourself, you leaned forward and kissed him. You weren’t really expecting to actually… like it. 

Your first thought was that Luke’s lips were softer than they had any right to be. Your second thought was that his cologne was the scent always floating around the Hermes cabin. You didn’t really mind, though. 

Luke gently put his hand on the back of your head to keep you there, and the moment lasted much longer than you initially planned. You also didn’t mind, though your thoughts were far more muddled than they should’ve been when you finally managed to pull away. He seemed to have a gift for that. 

You felt your cheeks flush as you looked at him, not even trying to hide your smile. Turns out kissing Luke Castellan was actually pretty great. “Feel any luckier?” 

“Yeah,” he said with a soft grin, his eyes twinkling. You wondered if he had the same thought about you. “Yeah. I really do.” 

“I think that means it’s worked, then,” you said. 

Luke nodded with mock austerity. “We should probably stick together for the rest of the week, though. Just to make sure this bad luck goes away for good.” 

“You might be right,” you said. “And uh— you think you need an extra boost?” You glanced away as you bit back your smile. “Just to be safe and all. To really get rid of this curse.” 

“You know,” he drew your attention back to him as he brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, and you leaned in closer. “I think I might.” 

[loftec]

Shameless DVD Commentary: None the wiser

I was tagged by a lovely anon over at @shamelessdvdcommentary to do this, thank you! Here we gooo

Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?

The people (11 out of 20) have spoken! None the wiser

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)

First published: 2015-09-23 (coming up on 9 years what is time??)

Last updated: 2021-12-11 (holy heck that's... shit! I'm sorry!)

Words: 218,480 and counting

Chapters: 53/68

What was the initial inspiration for your story?

A little bit of everything, mostly I'd been reading a lot of Shameless fic at the time and really wanted to write something that was both a really quite basic diner/coffee shop AU, but The Most version of it. The slowest burn, the most diner AU. I had no ambition for people to like it but I wanted it to be Known. If anyone ever asked for a diner fic, they'd HAVE to say, well, NTW is The Most diner fic we've got. If someone asked for slow burn, people would sigh and say, WELL, this one over here is the worst, but it is very slow. And also I was inspired by Before Sunrise / Before Sunset, and working in the music industry.

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character?

I chose Mickey specifically because of the Concept, that Ian decides when the chapters start and end (with some exceptions) by going to the diner, but we're limited to Mickey's POV. Generally I think Mickey is easier for me to write, too, he's got a really strong voice and I like looking at the world (and Ian) through his eyes.

What was your favourite scene to write?

The whole banter/walk scene in chapter 44 when they leave the venue:

“Sure you and your lips can do whatever you set your heart to,” he says, “I believe in you.” Ian is silent, and when Mickey risks a glance in the direction of him and his non-trumpeting goddamned marvelous lips, Ian is looking at him like he’s some kind of unsolved mystery. ”What?” Mickey asks, frowning at him when Ian smiles. “Just a thought,” he says. ”You’ve been flirting with me since we first met, haven’t you?”

I had that whole back and forth leading up to the first kiss in my head for years before I got to finally got around to write it and I still love it.

How did you come up with the title?

It's from a song, one of the core songs I associate with this fic. My playlist now has 149 tracks on it, but the ones I consider "core songs" are None the wiser, Day After Tomorrow, Let's Dance, How I Made My Millions, Not Dark Yet, and Mosquitoes. I'm not sure I can explain why, but None The Wiser came on randomly when I was doing dishes and thinking about this fic I was writing, and the vibes just lined up in my head. Also I think it fits this version of Mickey I'm writing, who knows so much and has so much experience, but refuses to understand what's happening when Ian walks into his life.

Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?

Oh, wow. Yeah. I always reference silly little things and I just have to hope people understand them, or tolerate them at least. I think one of my favourite bit of foreshadowing is in chapter 39 when people keep staring at Ian because they obviously recognise him, but Mickey thinks staring at Ian is a completely reasonable thing to do and is mostly just annoyed over how blatant they're being.

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?

I am struggling right now lol, I had meticulous notes for what I wanted to happen for every single chapter up until 45, and now half of them say "they text all day" and I'm like THANKS!!! VERY HELPFUL!! Also life and writers block etc etc.

Favourite line in the story?

This is such a hard choice, so I'll just go with this one from chapter 42:

“So,” Ian says, sitting back to sweep his arms out in a wide motion, presenting his solution. “I think we should go out for breakfast sometime.”

Because to me it pinpoints the moment when Ian breaks the format, in a way? They have met outside the diner before, but only on accident, and here Ian realises that it might be a problem that they only ever hang out at Mickey's job. But metatextually, he also highlights the narrative crux they're stuck in. I don't know, is that a boring favourite line? I have many, and I grabbed the first one I saw so I wouldn't get stuck rereading the whole fic lol. Do you have a favourite line?

Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?

So much, it's hard to believe because there isn't too much of a plot, but so much. My planned ending is so far from what it was when I started out, which is maybe one blessing that comes from how long it's taking me to write it, I have time to rethink things. I can't really talk about it now without spoiling the actual ending, but you better believe I will expose myself once we get to it.

If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?

I'd written fic for a different fandom ten years earlier, but nothing in this style I don't think, and this was my first time writing since I was 20 and stopped writing jrock rpf. I suppose I'm still writing about music, though!

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)

One of the things I've always wanted to do with writing for Ian and Mickey is to let them have conversations, have things in common, and be friends. Because I think they were in canon, we just never got to see it (in the first 5 seasons, careful what you wish for). Guess I'm saying I'm proud of the bants!

Are there any deleted scenes that didn’t make it to the final story?

I don't think so! I mean, maybe the last 15 chapters? I kid! They will make it!

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?

There is one line Ian says where, when I wrote it, I was like; this is the first time Ian thinks "I love you" but says something else. Cannot remember what or where right now, and I don't want to try and find it, it's late! Submit your guesses here, I might find it over the weekend if I have some time to look. Also, it's like one of those silly I love yous, one of the early ones, full of potential and feeling but perhaps lacking a bit in substance, but he thought it and I saw him thinking it!

Reading back the story now, is there anything you’d change or add?

Eh *coughs* I might already have, and I apologise. The worst part about writing something this slowly and posting the chapters as I go is that the fic isn't finished and so I feel like it's fine for me to sometimes go back and edit already published chapters. It's not right but I... will still do it. Sorry! A most embarrassing example is when, not too long ago, we discussed the layout of the diner here and I went back to the first chapter to see how I had described it, and it had changed in so many ways over the years? Small round tables?? The tables haven't been round since 2016!! So that's a very clear case of something having become canon for all the hundred little times I've thought of the tables as square while writing vs that one time in chapter one I carelessly said they were round.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story?

Yes! So many! Or maybe not a sequel, that suggests another part of equal size. But little bits of stories, yes!

If you’ve chosen your most popular story, are you surprised by the popularity?

Yes! Like I said, my only aim was to annoy my way to fandom infamy. Turns out it's so much more fun to actually connect with people and write something with someone else in mind, besides myself. I feel so lucky that so many people have connected with NTW over the years <3

Were you nervous or excited to post this story?

Mostly just excited, I think! I still am, whenever I get to post something : )

Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?

No, I probably should have but I have a very hard time showing things to people when they're not finished.

Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.

Add snippets in the replies and I'll share thoughts, if you want!

Thanks for reading! <3 <3 <3

[wolfstargazer]

My style

Quiet. Full of love and sadness. Slowest of slow burns. Lingering glances. Misunderstandings. Missed opportunities. Sexual tension. Era-accurate. Canon considerate. Friendship. Romance. Angst. Drama. Bittersweet. Nostalgia. Flashbacks. Dreams. Some OCs. Teen Marauders. Adult Wolfstar. First Wizarding War focus. Mostly T & M rating. A safe, still place full of tenderness.

Master list

Without You, I'm Nothing (11/? | 29,325 | Ongoing) Remus returns from a trip to Hogwarts feeling desolate and confused. In trying to deal with his grief over Sirius' death Remus is forced to confront the feelings he tried, for so long, to ignore. As his mind drifts back to the years from the past he tries to make sense of the love and the bitterness of the years that have passed. OR Remus Lupin remembers the Marauders Fifth Year at Hogwarts, full of unresolved sexual tension, longing, and coming-of-age angst filtered through the lens of grief. A re-edited, re-post of a classic 2007 Wofstar, Marauder-era fic.

Wolfstargazer Microfics (40/? | 12,694 | Ongoing) Wolfstar-centric microfics created in response to Wolfstar Microfic and other prompts on Tumblr.

Say Hello Wave Goodbye (1/1 | 5,923 words | Complete) A night out in Soho in October 1981. All rain, and smoke, and drink, and sticky floors, and dim red lights, and two men who have nowhere else to hide their desire now their friendship has fallen apart. OR A dual perspective Wolfstar one-shot full of sexual tension, angst and betrayal on the very last night the Maurauders are all together before the terrible events at Godric's Hollow.

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (1/1 | 2,584 words | Complete | Remus Lupin Fest 2024) It is the Marauders final year at Hogwarts and the Graduation Ball is fast approaching. But Remus doesn't know how to dance. Luckily, he has just the friend to show him.

Patient Potions Master (15/15 | 28,915 words | Complete) It is the beginning of another week during Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts and tempers are once again tested during Double Potions. How will Harry cope with a week's worth of detentions? And will what is revealed during these detentions help him to accept Sirius' death?

More about me below the cut

About me

Adult, first Gen Wolfstar shipper and Maraudra-era fanfic writer from England. I work full time and have three cats. My pronouns are she/her. I'm a neurospicy, ENFJ, triple Scorpio.

I returned to the fandom last year after a long hiatus to edit and re-post my ancient fics. I will also be creating new work with the Marauders and the First Wizarding War at their heart.

What not to expect from my work?

All out smut. AU. Crossover. Wild canon divergence. Fanon characterisations. Modern-day Marauders. Reader insertion. RPF. All out fluff. Muggle Marauders. Omegaverse. Multishipping. MPreg. Tonks bashing. Non-con. Snape erasure.

What pairings can you expect?

My content focuses on the characters of Remus and Sirius. Their relationship, as friends, enemies and more is at the heart of what I write. Other pairings, romantic or otherwise, may be depicted.

Some final things -

My personal perspective of the characters and my headcanon has been formed over 20+ years in the fandom. As such, my perspectives are shaped by my experiences. These may sometimes differ to others, and those of new gen fans. I respect all fans to interpret characters any way they chose, and hope others will treat my content the same.

I do not endorse the views of J.K. Rowling in anyway. Her views are very painful to me and for a long time I had to step back from the fandom as a result. I want my blog and content to be a safe space, for myself and for others. This is my escape from the world.

I have not read All The Young Dudes. I had stepped back from the fandom for sometime when the fic exploded. I am grateful that so many people have found a route into the Marauder-era fandom through this work. I support all fellow creators of content who shape the world and characters in ways that speak to them.

Finally - if you want to know what it was like in the HP, Marauder-era, Wolfstar fandom trenches in the 2000s this article is a great starting point. Alternatively, ask me anything.

[bogor-o]

swinging by to say: 1) hello from a neighbor state! (I live in Missouri) 2) why. why must your art be so CUTE i love it so much aaaah. 3) I hope you're having a good day and that good things happen to you.

4) ooooh you're the one who wrote the RE-inspired cotl fic? OuO i look forward to the next part of that!

OMG HELLOOOO im waving from over the state line!!:)

also aAAAA THANK U SM!!!! i currently could be having a better day but its literally just a bad cold thats knocking me to the ground rn but otherwise i feel rly giddy!!

ALSO I AM YES THANK U WAAAH im the worlds slowest writer and getting the first chapter done so fast was a miracle in itself but im chipping at the 2nd!!! i have so many ideas ive been bouncing around w friends and im trying not to intimidate myself over the process!!!

[wardensantoineandevka]

Hi, I just wanted to say I love your writing and fic ideas! I didn't see a link to your ao3 or anything, and I was wondering where I could read them. Thanks so much! And congrats on the pitch, BTW! That sounds scary, but I'm glad you did well!

Thank you! I'm flattered! And thanks about the pitch! It was much less scary than I thought it'd be, in the end. I'm generally a very bad presenter and public speaker and interviewee, so this experience going well has been super reassuring.

I do unfortunately have to disappoint you though that I am THEEEEEE slowest fic writer in the world, and I rarely finish anything, on account of many reasons: busy, burnout, really bad at plotting. (It's taken me more than five years to finish one screenplay for a reason.) This has resulted in my having barely any fic for you to read, even though I am constantly plagued with WIPs and ideas.

I do have an ao3, located at this little link. For the VERY few fics I have finished ages ago. This IS, however, motivating me to actually try to finish something. On account of having finished that aforementioned screenplay earlier this year, it does make me feel less guilty about writing fics.

[that-salty-ghost]

Hello Ghost! I've recently taken notice of your foc As Above So Below and let me tell you I've been HOOKED. I love everything about it, your writing is impeccable and soooo well detailed that each time I finish a chapter I can't help but go to the next '^^. IN OVERALL, I just wanted to say thank you for your service, I'm sure it is THROUGHLY enjoyed by everyone who stumbles upon it like I did. At first I was taken aback by the number of chapters but I just finished the last and it still feels not enough TT. ANYWAY hope you're doing good and your life runs smoothly and stress-free and I cannot wait to hear more from your work!!

Hi there! I am SO sorry for the major delay in responding on this, the holidays ate me alive and then covid came for my scraps so I'm finally not on nyquil and feel like i can articulate thoughts into words (how neat!) I just wanted to say thank you so much for giving this lil fic a chance and I'm so glad that you've been loving it so far! I think I earned the world's slowest writer award, so thank you so much for all of the kind words, patience, and love while I try to get my brain to work and finish 30 up. I hope everything is going well wherever you roam and that you're having a great week so far! Thank you again 🧡🧡

[needlab7]

i had to find you on tumblr to send this because i was TOO EMBARRASSED to reply on twitter but respectfully if you write a sequel to someone to last your whole life i WILL give you my left kidney. or the right one if you want it. i'm so obsessed with that fic it's the first one i recommend to everyone who finishes trigun maximum i return to it every time i get sad about wolfwood dying or the fandom not understanding vashwood there are no words to describe . NOTHING ABOUT THIS ASK FEELS NORMALLLLL 👍 i feel like you could genuinely write a 500 word pwp and i would read it like eighty times easily OKAY THATS ALL IVE GOT

DON’T BE EMBARRASSED especially for such a sweet compliment omg !!

(I am a very silly person with all the intimidation factor of a kitten in a wet cardboard box, you are safe here my friend <3)

I don’t even know how to properly say thank you for this ;; if you heard a high-pitched noise a few hours ago it was me weeping. I’m so !!!!! I’m so flattered. Truly, just !! So flattered <333 

And, okay, sooo I am working on an outline for a sequel…..it’s too early for me to promise it’ll ever be fully realized BUT there will absolutely be more from this au even if it’s just little scenes here and there because it is very near and dear to me and I’m clinging to it with both hands

Between work and school I am barely alive rn and without the deadlines for the big bang keeping me on track time has just slipped away and omg it’s already April HA I’m also the type who can’t do anything without a fully-fledged outline, so even though I have some loose scene ideas I’m like wait what if I can fit it into a proper sequel instead!! (I’m also the slowest writer in the entire world…)

Anyways,,, so sorry to ramble at you, all this to say, thank you I love you I hope I can write more and live up to expectations SOON and I hope you have the most wonderful rest of forever

[tsnbrainrot]

🥰 and 📚 :)

fic questions yayyyyyyyy 🫶👏

🥰 what tropes do you gravitate toward?

i feel like it's so much easier to answer what tropes i DON'T gravitate toward (don't give me some high school au or coffee shop au, or god forbid kids fic 🥱 no thank you.) but in general, i'm a hoe for enemies to lovers, esp. enemies to friends to lovers. and i need what i'm reading to be the slowest of slow burns otherwise i am not interested. ofc, i'm ALWAYS here for hurt/comfort, but i do feel like the type of tropes i love vary hugely depending on which fandom i'm reading atm? still, i always love a good historical au, a good amnesia fic, or some time travel shenanigans. i love movie aus/retellings when the writer really made it their own, or tailored it well to the specific fandom/pairing. (i'm thinking of something like cinderwings??) and since i'm a hoe for you've got mail, i do love a two people love triangle type of situation.

📚 what makes a good fic for you? what do you look for in a reading experience?

i mean overall quality of the writing? esp. something that has a strong voice/strong style that's unique to the writer ? i don't mind a few typos here and there (esp. since i'm the queen of typos myself), but poorly punctuated dialogue is an immediate nope for me. it's one of my biggest pet peeves lmao. characterization is also hugely important. it needs to read somewhat authentic to the character voices and esp. my interpretation of the characters? and if it doesn't, or if it's taking big swings with characterization, then it's written in a way where the 'universe' of the story justifies it. also, good dialogue. i love some fun banter/super clever writing or big romantic speeches, but i also love reading dialogue that sounds like an actual person would say it yk? the best stories for me strike a balance between the two. i also love stories that have a strong vibe/atmosphere, where you can feel like you're in that world because it's so vivid and has a strong pov. finally, maybe most important of all for me, pacing. i mostly read 100k+ fics and not everyone manages to keep a good flow going and plot something that can be sustained for so long... there's prob. a million other things, but that's off the top of my head *shrug*

fic questions

[salvador-daley]

Chained NEW CHAPTER

A Klaus Hargreeves Murder Mystery

A/N: This fic is not dead! It was just resting. Sorry, everyone - I’ve been horribly busy and I’m the world’s slowest writer. I also got a bit sidetracked by a new WIP, at which I’m chipping away in a similarly glacial fashion, but I have this whole thing plotted out and I’m determined to make it to the end. Thanks so much for sticking with it, kind people. And, if you’re enjoying it, please share your thoughts, theories and most appreciated keysmashes in the comments - your encouragement keeps the writer’s block at bay. 😘❤️

CW: Drug stuff, knife stuff. Murder stuff.

Thanks: To @allisoooon for this incredible banner and for the beautiful magazine cover featuring Gary’s sister Sarah (aka Erin Moriarty).

Snippet from Chapter 24: Knife: “You owe her,” Ben reminds him. “She saved your scrawny ass back there and she didn’t have to.”

That much is true. He ought to be locked up by now for breaking into Gary’s house and scaring the bejesus out of Mona. If it weren’t for Sarah, he’d be limping around the county jail. It was lucky she was there - and Klaus isn’t used to strokes of luck. He certainly isn’t used to beautiful blondes sweeping in and rescuing him.

“Hey, uh, do you think Sarah only did that to be nice? Or do you think maybe…”

Klaus doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to. Ben stops walking and folds his arms over his chest. His jaw pops open and the next words jump from his chest on a derisive burst of laughter. “Ha! You have a crush.”

“What? No.” But the protest sounds insincere, even to Klaus. Transparent, like Tupperware. Damn Ben for knowing him inside and out. It’s impossible to have a single private thought with him around. Klaus can’t even shit without Ben knowing the texture of his dumps.

“I hope not,” snorts Ben. “Because she’d never be interested in someone like you. Sarah is the youngest CEO in the Fortune 500. A former Olympic athlete. She’s friends with the Hilton sisters. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“How… how do you know all this?”

Ben shrugs. “The 30 under 30 to watch. She was number 17.”

The magazine from the hospital. Ben is like a sponge, soaking up information wherever he goes. If only he could soak up something useful, like a licence plate number.

Klaus frowns and turns his face away from Ben so his brother can’t read it. “You really think she’d never…”

“Klaus. Please. She’s the child of a billionaire.”

“So am I,” says Klaus, defensive.

“You also sleep in dumpsters. Besides, it’s weird. You’ve been with her dead brother.”

Klaus chuckles to himself. “Well, wouldn’t be the first time. Remember the Sylvester twins?”

Ben pulls a face. Ben remembers. It was messy and complicated and filled with drama. And the breakup in the end was epic. So much criminal damage.

“Just be a good friend to her and stop being a horny pervert.”

Read the rest on AO3

Tagging whether you like it or not: @badsext @softforklave @anglophile-rin @neist @purblzart @maerenee930 @firstpersonnarrator @allisoooon @cemeteryklaus @super-unpredictable98 @courtneytarynofficial @mokolataddict @pickledbeefwastaken @love-is-dirty-baby @rina-cydonia @inspiremeandsetmefree @jender123 @vonkimmeren @sylvertyger @hucklebunny @rob-private @pietro-t1me @not-oscar-wilde @squishitude

[narukoibito]

Fic Recs: All-time Favorites

I’ve been meaning to put together several fic recs because there are so many amazing writers out there. I started reading voraciously since end of November 2019, getting completely re-immersed into Harry Potter fanfiction, especially Harry/Ginny (which will make up about 99% of my recs). I haven’t read everything, but by god, I’ve read a lot and am excited to share some amazing stories. There are too many stories to rec in one post, so here are some of my all-time favorites!

Anything with an * is a WIP.

The Changeling by @annerbhp  

Ginny is sorted into Slytherin. It takes her seven years to figure out why.

Armistice Series* by @annerbhp  

The thing about war is that it never ends. Not really. The battlefields just change locations. Harry and Ginny after the war. (Sequel to The Changeling)

Bonus Materials for The Changeling and Armistice Series & Lucky* by @annerbhp

Because we’re lucky to receive multiple perspectives/missed moments/and an AU of The Changeling.

All right, be prepared to have your mind blow ten thousand ways. The Changeling and the Armistice Series are the pinnacle to fanfiction in my humble opinion. The themes. The themes. The nuance, the character develop, the exploration of the houses, events and circumstances that shape us but keep the core of us the same, the slowest of all slow burns, the absolutely magnetic attraction between Harry and Ginny, learning to accept who you are, feminism, house unity, realistic post-war politics and ramifications, everything that could have been in one amazing package. If I had one story (I’m counting all of these as one – bite me) with me on an island, this would be it. I could read it forever and ever, and still learn, laugh, and cry. Please read this and realize that Ginny should have been sorted to Slytherin and the epicness that would have ensued.

––––

Everything of @floreatcastellumposts​, but my particularly favorites are the Harry/Ginny bits in Missing Hogwarts Moments, Slice of Life One-shots, and those only located on her tumblr

Okay, if I had to choose any writer whose writing reminds me the most of canon, whose writing makes me feel in my bones that I’m reading more of the actual series, who has completely spot-on characterizations, who expands my mind what these characters could have been feeling beyond the canon narrative, this is it. Flo has made me laugh, cry, feel all the feels, and desperately wish for more of the canon world, particularly Hinny.

I love her longer series, such as Not from Others, and still need to read the rest of her amazing work (it’s too good to read all at once, and better to spread out as wonderful gifts over time), but it’s really those stolen, happy, pining, angsty, loving moments of Harry and Ginny during Ootp, HBP, DH, and then post-DH that get me.

There are far, far too many to rec, so really just read everything, but my absolute, absolute favorites include:

Missing HBP moment – Harry trapped in a cupboard with Ginny for the first time

Missing HBP moment - Harry falls asleep being held

Realising – Harry realizes he loves Ginny 

Safe – where Harry tells Ron and Hermione that he broke up with Ginny

Missing DH moment - Ron interrupts the kiss

Missing DH moment - Harry thinks about what could have happened with Ginny 

Missing DH moment - Harry stares at Ginny’s dot

Drunk in Love – because who doesn’t love drunk!Harry?

Quizards on the Run – who doesn’t like a good pub trivia?

Aunt Marge's Even Bigger Mistake – yes, yes, because Ginny is the best

––––

gone was any trace of you by @annerbhp​ 

An accident at work left Harry with a mysterious case of amnesia and a wife he couldn’t remember.

I have read this story so, so many times, and I still get emotional every time. Amnesia is one of my favorite tropes, but it’s very difficult to get just right in my opinion. Annerb works her magic once again, even managing to make Harry jealous of himself (an absolute favorite trope of mine).

Read it. Read it again. Read it always. I’m writing my own amnesia fic that was inspired by this one and Annerb’s pontificating on what if Ginny were the one with amnesia. Hope it can hold a candle to this gem.

––––

such a beautiful blank (but smooth it out) by Pocketfullof

Ginny picks a rose, and her world spins out of control.

I read this over ten years ago, when it was originally posted on LJ. It stayed with me all these years, and I was overjoyed to find it again. It fits the amnesia trope, but not in a conventional way. I love Ginny’s struggles with this, her loneliness, the exploration of the point of life, and the aching loneliness of missing someone who is right beside her.

––––

All right, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I also have way, way too many stories to rec that I can’t possibly fit them all in one post, but these are some of the stories I have reread too many times to count, and my love for them never, ever fades. That’s not to say I don’t absolutely love many more fics, but these hold a special place in my heart.

I’ll be breaking out the rest in additional future posts in which I group them by things like tropes (amnesia, friends with benefits, coffeeshop AU, muggle AU). Because I’m a weirdo and am overthinking this even though no one cares about my categorizations.

[chdarling]

Ok I’m so glad someone mentioned wolfstar tag bc I have thoughts.

I’ve never read any Wolfstar not because I am anti-Wolfstar, but because I am really picky about how James and Lily are portrayed in fics. If the characterization is off, I find it hard to read. (That’s a whole other issue bc there’s little about James and Lily’s personalities, but there are obviously hints here and there and it’s up to writers and readers to take those liberties and make those interpretations.)

Anyway, one of the reasons I love your writing is because the story and characters you’ve created are so believable to the point that I feel like it’s canon. You expand so much on each person’s character while fully understanding what drives them. You know their deepest desires and how they act on them.

That said, I’m so excited that you’re including background/light Wolfstar because I can totally see Remus and Sirius being broken young men trying to go through this world feeling unloved but finding solace in each other. And I feel that because you’re so rooted in canon and doing it justice in TLE, the way both Sirius and Remus will likely realize and act on their feelings will be the slowest of burns and authentic to the times of mid-late ‘70s. To each their own on how Wolfstar is told— that’s to say there’s no right or wrong to how we indulge in fics (because this is my escape and I’m sure it’s as well to everyone else who reads fic)— but I feel like although being queer/gay at the time was more accepted than, say, in the ‘40s, it still isn’t as accepted as it is today, 50 years later. Both Sirius and Remus are known to have struggled with their identity anyway, but also realizing they are queer/gay/bi would have been that much more difficult to come to terms with. I can’t wait to see how they come together even though it will likely be a long road ahead for them.

Lastly, I also didn’t realize this was going to include Wolfstar when I first read TLE1. Now as I reread, I can totally see it in how Sirius and Remus are portrayed however subtly, which is why I’m so excited to see what you have in store. Wolfstar isn’t some far off HP ship (no hate! but some are very not canon) but it’s rooted in the way JKR initially wrote them. And after 10 years of reading HP fic, I now am realizing that they probably should have been canon just based on pure compatibility.

(P.s. sorry for my horrific punctuation)

Ooooh I love this message thank you ❤️❤️❤️

I can totally see Remus and Sirius being broken young men trying to go through this world feeling unloved but finding solace in each other.

This! This this this! This is exactly how I feel about them hahaha. They are such flawed characters living through impossible, deeply traumatizing times. Their relationship is going to be messy and difficult and at times painful…but oh what an angsty joy to write 🙃

but I feel like although being queer/gay at the time was more accepted than, say, in the ‘40s, it still isn’t as accepted as it is today, 50 years later.

Yes, I tend to view wolfstar through this lens as well, although I’m self-aware enough to admit I’m definitely leaning on my own experiences here as well haha. It’s funny, but as a someone who grew up as a closeted teen in a super conservative part of the US, I see kids today from that same part of the country being openly out and I’m just…floored. Absolutely out of my mind happy for them and all, but it’s still astonishing to me. My school had publicly-funded bible study and banned us from starting a GSA lol. The world has changed so much in even ten years.

ANYWAY that was a tangent. But yeah, I can’t imagine dealing with this as a teen in the 1970s, and I also imagine wizarding culture to be fairly conservative. And as you point out, they both have all these other identity issues to work through, and I think for Remus in particular he's dealing with "well it doesn't matter anyway because I'm an unlovable werewolf" on top of that. :(

And after 10 years of reading HP fic, I now am realizing that they probably should have been canon just based on pure compatibility.

As the aforementioned closeted queer teen, I used to be so upset that Wolfstar wasn’t canon, but now I just find it hilarious. Like JKR wrote the most the obviously queer-coded characters she could muster…

Lycanthropy being a metaphor for AIDS? We only get one canon scene of Sirius as a teen and she takes the time to tell us that he’s blatantly ignoring female attention? Giving Harry joint Christmas presents? One’s a wolf and the other’s a dog? One's the moon and the other’s a star? Lie low at Lupin’s?!??!

…and then she panicked when people pointed out their obvious gayness and coupled Remus off with the only single female character left lmao.

(For the record I am all about bi Remus, no Tonks hate here, she is queer AF too, I adore her, and I absolutely believe we can love more than one person in our lives, just…lol)

Anyway, wolfstar is such a fascinating, messy ship to me, even if I’m not always convinced it was a happy or successful one, canonically. It won't be a major romance in TLE, but to the extent I explore it, hope I can do it justice. I’ll try!! 😊❤️

[countessofbiscuit]

writing tag game

thanks to @nottonyharrison for the tag :)

how many works do you have on Ao3? 58. A couple of these are drabbles though.

what’s your total Ao3 word count? Pass

what are your top 5 fics by kudos? Pass

do you respond to comments, why or why not? As a rule, no. 1) I don’t have the wording or social energy, and what energy I do have is better spent commenting on someone else’s work; 2) some people leave better comments than others, but choosing who to reply to and why without looking like I’m snubbing people adds to decision-fatigue; and 3) I don’t like receiving replies to comments that I leave.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Someone once flattered me by saying my fics “always leave room for a sequel or three.” That’s probably because I mainly write one-shots and am constitutionally unable to consistently maintain long plot threads in prose :p So I don’t think my fics generally have ‘endings’ in the kind of long-fic sense; I do try to leave stuff open for a continuation in a series — and while the characters may be temporarily happy, because I like canon angst it’s often clear to the reader that it’s not going to stay that way.

But all that said, I think The Colonel & the Margravine of Örtö has the most happily-ever-after feel in its conclusion.

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Probably Dividendum.  

do you write crossovers? No. My Regency AU series is the closest I come to mixing media.

have you ever received hate on a fic? No. Someone once commented on pretty heavy Fox fic saying only “I fucking hate Fox” and I came down on them like the fist of a minor god, but that’s the worst I’ve received (on ao3 at least; tumblr is a different story).

do you write smut? if so, what kind? <opens trenchcoat> what kind do you want? If I’ve not written it (and there’s plenty of kinks and dynamics I’ve not explored yet), I’ve almost certainly thought about it for some ship or another.

have you ever had a fic stolen? Erm, stolen, no. Obviously lifted and sometimes downright copied in places without credit, yes. Three times.

have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet!

have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, but it’s more like “hey, struggling with this conversation/transition/scene, can you come in and scaffold something?” and I’ll come in and write my version, which will then get reworked by the author in their own voice, with only few threads of my stuff remaining. And I’ve got a co-written Foxiyo series with tiend — I write a fic, she writes a fic, etc. and the stories all play off each other and operate cohesively in the same ‘verse.

what’s your all-time favourite ship? I’ve gotten the most sustained, personal joy out of Fox/Riyo, but I’m hesitant to say it’s my favorite of all-time; there might be an element of present bias in my answer :p

what’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? Maybe I’m superstitious, but I don’t want to write-off any of my neglected wips, even hypothetically lol.

what are your writing strengths? Not sure ...  writing ~deep and wide~ within fixed parameters?

what are your writing weaknesses? Instinctive long-windedness and prosing around the point, which I’m constantly keeping in check … while also being the slowest writer known to man. A bit of a funny one, that.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I’m whitebread monolingual. I’d never have the guts to attempt, especially for a real-world language. And I don’t like how excessive Mando’a looks in fic, so I tend to just italicise or make it otherwise clear that another language is being spoken.

what was the first fandom you wrote for? First fandom I published for was Inception (no longer up). First fandom I wrote for before I knew what fic or fandom was LotR.

what’s your favourite fic you’ve written? Mmm. Fantasia Fourteen.

tagging whoever wants to play! 

[riotwritesthings]

Ok I was actually tagged in a bunch of these year-end-writing-things, so I’m just gonna combine them all haha thank you @crownofstardustandbone​ and @thursday-knight​!!!

Total Completed Stories:

53(?!?!?)

Total words:

On AO3: 416,521

Total including WIPS and unposted things: 588,500

Fandoms written in:

.... Just MCU ahaha

Top 5 By Word Count:

Road Hazards

It Lingers Too

I Feel It Too

A Work in Progress: You and I

The Taste of You

Top 5 By Kudos:

Melt into Me (Your Words Are My Own)

Tony Learns Something New

Morning People

Baby Crazy

Emerald Ivy (Wrapped Around My Skin)

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

Definitely more, and yet almost none of them were the fics I expected to work on haha

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Yes definitely, I was really nervous to post the MCD fic, obviously, (until I come back), but I feel like the biggest ‘risk’ was stretching out of my comfort zone for the Bound to You series with @crownofstardustandbone​, it’s definitely the most emotional and REAL fic, I feel, for whatever real means in this context haha.

Do you have any fanfic goals for the new year?

Maybe actually write that Stripper Tony story? Or any of my other many many WIPs and ideas?! IDK don’t look at me!!

For real though look forward to some more skinny!steve coming up in the nearish future 👀

Most popular story of the year?

Oooohh That’s a tough one to judge, but I would have to say Melt Into Me, which makes me so so happy because I worked really hard on that one, put a lot of thought into basically every part of it, and I’m so happy with how it came out

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

Road Hazards. It’s just still one of my favorites, if you like classic road trip tropes and banter and “awkward silence to bantering friends to mutual pining morons to lovers” vibes, all fluff all the time, then give it a try maybe! It’s also the longest stand alone fic I’ve written, and I’m still like damn how’d I do that

Most fun story to write?

Baby Crazy! I will shamelessly admit that I cracked MYSELF up writing that fic

With a very close runner up of Bound to You, because working out the details and planning and just talking about this verse is a constant joy and I’m so happy Stella dragged me into this! ❤️ (by suggesting it, that’s basically all it takes haha)

Most unintentionally telling story:

...... definitely Melt into Me ahaha my praise kink and acts-of-service-love-language popped out HARD in this fic, and that’s probably one of the reasons it’s in my top favorites. But I mean for real, my husband regularly pats my head and tells me I’m doing a good job and I go melty  everytime ahaha

Biggest disappointment?

Probably just all the ideas that I haven’t had time to get to yet, but hey I’ll get to it all eventually! Maybe!

Biggest surprise?

Probably how big of a hit the Bound to You series has been, I really expected it to be a kind of niche interest thing, and I’ve been just overwhelmed by the amount of people who liked it, and by the amazing people I’ve met because of that verse 🥰

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Oh Jeez ok I’m going to do my best here but WOW I wrote a lot this year ahaha

Melt Into Me (Your Words Are My Own) - WinterIron, E, aka the praise kink fic

Bucky has a new strategy for getting Tony to take proper human care of himself. Tony has never been so well fed, hydrated, thoroughly rested, and confused in all his life.

That doesn’t mean he wants it to stop, and it’s amazing how many boring adult things Bucky can get him to do just by patting his head and calling him ‘good boy’. Right up until Tony possibly ruins everything.

This fic just holds a very special place in my heart, I swear I put more thought into this than any other fic, the gradual build up and framing it just the way I wanted and making sure every scene was absolutely SOAKED in pining. As I like to say, it is Softe, but in a Very Intense way.

Bound to You - WinterIron BDSMverse, E, aka my current obsession

Look. I just love this series. I love everything about it, I love that it lets me dive a little deeper into emotions and such than I maybe normally do, in my usual cracky-porn style. This is definitely the slowest burn I’ve ever written, and I am loving every second of it and really REALLY looking forward to what we have coming up next! And of course, a big part of that love is just from how much fun I have working on it with @crownofstardustandbone, bounding ideas back and forth and brainstorming and making joking what-ifs that we end up falling in love with.

Baby Crazy - WinterIron, E, aka is it egotistical to laugh at my own jokes?

For some reason, the children of New York love Bucky Barnes. It’s heartwarming to witness, and it’s making it really hard for Tony to ignore his gigantic crush on the man.

Especially because Tony can’t stop suggesting they maybe have a baby together. The rest of the Avengers just want a vacation.

My favorite part of this fic is just how many people told me it made them actually laugh out loud, that’s basically my favorite thing to hear. All the friendships and team dynamics were so much fun in this one, and I will admit that I regularly reread it for a giggle

A Series of Learning Experiences - SteveTony, E, aka smol Steve with the big ol’ monster cock

Look. This series isn’t my fault. Stella put the idea of Skinny Toppy Steve in my head and now the little bastard lives there making filthy demands. This series is a totally different type of challenge too, in that I try to make it as Absolutely Filthy as possible. I regularly poke my friends like “hey is this filthy enough? SHOULD I UP THE FILTH FACTOR?!” It is my ode to smut with feelings, and I have so much fun with it haha

until I come back (from the dead for you) - WinterIron, E, aka the choose your own ending fic

Bucky meets Tony at a dive bar. He can’t deny that there’s something between them, but Bucky is also leaving soon, and he doesn’t know when he’ll be back. He only knows that he’ll think about Tony the entire time he’s gone, that as soon as he’s stateside again he’s going to take Tony on an actual date.

(Except he doesn’t come back.)

(But coming back takes a little longer than he expected, and he comes back a little more broken.)

Mostly I’m super proud of myself for actually managing to write the super sad MCD ending that I set out to, even if I did have to write the happy ending at the same time to get through it hahaha. I do love that people can choose the sad or happy ending without missing anything, but I do have to admit there are some parallels I’m really proud of that only show up if you read both versions

[cinematicnomad]

1, 7, 25 for the fanfic end of year ask :)

001. favorite fic you wrote this year i have a soft spot for take my hand (take my everything) which was the first fic i wrote this year! and kind of the first step back into writing creatively on something new that wasn’t the 7 year monster sterek fic. also my first foray into 9-1-1 fic and was just a lot of fun! 

007. longest completed fic you wrote this year the longest fic i wrote was my second for the year! so show me (family) wound up being around 16k+ for 9-1-1 which kind of burst out of me over the course of one 48 hour window unlike take my hand which took a few weeks to crank out. 

025. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read SO MANY FICS DUDE!!! i’m gonna rec a couple, some that i re-read this year and some that i discovered for the first time, all from a variety of fandoms. BUT heads up, you didn’t specify a fandom so it’s gonna be a little scattered. also someone else sent me this same question but specified 9-1-1, so i’m gonna reserve those recs for that ask. GET READY!!

and this, your living kiss by opal_bullets (7/7 | 84k+ | M) destiel; AU: college/university; john winchester’s A+ parenting; angst with a happy ending

only a very few people in the world know that the celebrated and reclusive poet jack allen is just kansas mechanic dean winchester, a high school dropout with a few bucks to his name. not that it matters anymore; life has left him so wrung out he never wants to pick up another pen.

until, that is, a string of coincidences leads dean to auditing a poetry course with one dr. castiel novak. the professor is wildly intelligent, devastatingly handsome...and just so happens to be academia’s foremost expert on the poetry of jack allen.

note: i discovered this fic back in the pre-pandemic times of feb 2020 and i’ve read this fic TWICE since, leaving a lengthy comment each time. the poetry in the fic itself is stunningly gorgeous and i have a habit of reading it out loud to myself while reading bc it begs to be heard. this fic is seriously beautiful and makes me want to read all the poet!dean au’s out there in the world. unfortunately there aren’t that many so i just keep coming back to this well. i don’t think i can express enough how much i love this fic. 

lost time by ARCurren (105/105 | 350k+ | T)  bransonxsybil; AU: canon divergent; outsider POVs; original characters; slow burn

the story of a free spirit who was asked to give up the man she loved for a system she didn’t believe in and what happened next. AU after 3.04. 

note: did i think, when i stumbled across this fic years ago, that it would wind up being one of my all time favorites that i return to time and again to re-read? never. did i re-read it for like the dozenth time this year?? 110%. this fic is everything i want from fanfiction—it’s beautifully written, expands on canon, and shows me all the hidden moments the cameras never did (not to mention it’s historically accurate and delves deep into irish politics of the time). the first third or so of this fic is all about tom and sybil’s slow burn romance at downton, but the fic really bursts into its own when we follow the two to dublin and get introduced to all of the author’s deliciously detailed oc’s. heads up warning: this fic was never officially completed, though the final chapter is a beautifully written summary of the final arc of the fic. even so, it’s fucking worth it. 

misfire by mothlights & unpossible (6/6 | 28k+ | T) sterek; time travel; angst with a happy ending; alive hale family; magic; alternating POV

“the debt must be repaid,” she says, and it has the weight of a vow. the words resonate through him, ringing through his ribcage and the bones of his jaw, and stiles loses his breath and maybe his grip on reality because she draws herself upright and where there had once stood a supermodel-level MILK now there is galadriel’s much hotter older sister, a presence of unmistakable power in their ordinary, smells-vaguely-of-thai-takeout hallway. 

“oh shit,” stiles says. 

note: this fic is the first in the misfire ‘verse and i need you to understand that it literally broke me when i binge read these fics a month or so ago. i am a sucker for a solid time travel fic especially bc there are such few good ones in fandom. but this gets at the heart of it all by exploring the idea of stiles getting the chance to save derek’s family and taking it...after he and derek are romantically together in his true timeline and then actually dealing with the ramifications of how that alters everything and how stiles survives in this new present where he and derek are virtual strangers. everyone should definitely read this, but you should also know that i fucking sobbed while reading the sequel (which also has a happy ending, but really digs deep into the nitty gritty angst of the repercussions). 

map of the world by seperis (11/11 | 154k+ | M)  destiel; end!verse; alternate universe; canon divergent; original characters; slow burn

the world’s already over and they’re already dead. all they’re doing now is marking time until the end. 

note: look, if you don’t know about down to agincourt by @seperis, what are you doing with your life?? the series is over 1M+ words so far, the fic author is on book 4 out of a planned 8, and it’s fucking phenomenal. i know i’ve tagged a couple of these recs as slow burn but...this is the slowest slow burn to ever burn. canon!dean travels back into the end!verse timeline just as lucifer kills dean and somehow cas made it out alive and has to keep dean safe while he learns to become his end!verse counterpoint. the world building in this series is intense and i cannot recommend it enough. i’m still in the midst of my re-read bc it’s SUCH an endeavor but i highly recommend it to everybody. 

invictus by ellanasan (116/116 | 355+ | M) hayffie; au: alive abernathy family; pre-hunger games; canon prostitution; slow burn

“so then, before i can even think about doing something stupid like trying to stab him with his fucking golden paperknife, he gives me a choice, see?” haymitch continued, almost detached. “either i play nice like all the other victors or he’ll kill my family. i could either become his puppet—greatest punishment he could give me, according to him—or i could become the example.”

AU in which haymitch’s family lives.

note: hello, have you ever wondered what the hunger games series would be like if haymitch’s family were alive? i fucking hadn’t until 2 years ago when i stumbled across this fic and fell head over heels in love with this ship. @ellanainthetardis is my go to hunger games fic writer for anything exploring canon and i’m obsessed with anything she writes about the OG victors pre-canon (finnick, joanna, chaff, etc). this fic is just 300k+ exploring that world and all the intricate details of how cruel the games could really be. HIGHLY recommend. i definitely re-read it this fall when i needed a pick me up.

don’t know what i’m supposed to do (haunted by the ghost of you) by crazyassmurdererwall (1/1 | 30k+ | T) sterek; canon divergent; angst with a happy ending; ghosts; stiles POV

stiles sees dead people. yep. seriously.

(he’s got this. he’s totally got this. so what if one of them is derek’s mom?)

note: did you know that @crazyassmurdererwall is one of my all time favorite people? and that she’s wicked talented? and that in our spare time she’ll send me a billion fic ideas that are amazing and i get to hear all the intricate details of her plot bunnies? but i digress. this fic is one of my all time fave sterek fics i’ve re-read it sooo many times. there’s just something about the heartache and stiles’ insecurity and the way he tries to shoulder it all on his own. and then there’s alli’s brilliant writing, the way she weaves through a scene and paints a picture just so and manages to tug at your heart strings with her precise word choice. there’s some amazing world building in this fic as it explores this other facet of the supernatural that canon teen wolf never touched upon, and i’m so grateful for that bc alli is the only one who should be allowed to write about ghosts and teen wolf together. 

lagavulin and guinness by snarfle (10/10 | 163k+ | explicit) hartwin; slow burn; PTSD; suicidal thoughts; graphic depictions of violence; domestic abuse

plenty of people had looked down on eggsy throughout his life. he had gotten fairly used to it. didn’t mean it was fair, but he knew how these things worked. what really sucked was that the new arthur was worse than the old one.

“eggsy grimaced. he didn’t know how to explain to harry—who seemed like he hadn’t been discriminated against a day in his life—that the new arthur kept giving him what amounted to suicide missions, and that he was currently bleeding out in a warehouse because of the deliberately bad intel she had given him.”

also featuring: dean is harder to get rid of than eggsy thought, his mum is going off the deep end, there are way too many nefarious plots in play, and eggsy is really beginning to wish that harry would stop holding his hand and kiss him instead.

note: look, i know i recced this literally less than a week ago but i ALSO stayed up til 5AM re-reading this last night and it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. i was on a bit of a kingsman kick earlier this year, so i’ve actually re-read this fic TWICE so far in 2020. i will give you a serious warning in that this fic delves deep into domestic abuse through the lens of a variety of different relationships. it also explores the potential for abuse in hartwin, bc this fic is one of the few that actually commits to the fact that they’re literal spies who murder people. actively. a lot. but seriously, this fic is one of my fave in the fandom and i STRONGLY recommend it. 

waste of breath by bryrosea (1/1 | 22k+ | M) loganxveronica; canon compliant; missing scenes; navy; past child abuse

logan echolls, the nine years, and the navy.

note: bryrosea has an obscene number of amazing logan and veronica fics (her canon divergent series stay with me is another i re-read this year), but i’ve found myself returning to this fic a lot over the years. i’m a sucker for canon compliant fics that explore the missing scenes in between canon and this fic hits all the right buttons by diving deep into how logan echolls went from being a trash fire at hearst college at the end of s3 to being a decorated navy pilot by the movie. it explores logan seeking out therapy and making a life for himself that he can be proud of, all while pining after the girl who got away. and bc this author is amazing, she followed it up with a sequel from veronica’s point of view in the series done by only me. 

the law of equivalent exchange by awed_frog (8/8 | 60k+ | M) destiel; POV castiel; pre-canon; post-canon; canon compliant; immortality; reincarnation

“and what’s the point of it?”

“of love? there isn’t one. loving is its own purpose.” 

note: i mean??? i don’t really know what to say except that this is one of the truly most beautiful fics i have ever read. it follows castiel through time as he meets different reincarnations of sam and dean across history and falls ever more deeply in love. it is achingly tender and so ecstatically written that i die just thinking about it. and that summary? i mean. holy fuck break my heart why don’t you? i don’t know how i missed out on this fic for so long since it was published in 2015 but i only learned about it for the first time back in july and it was. life changing?? when the fic finally reaches the canon timeline and he meets THIS dean it’s peak yearning. 10/10 will read again.

ahead in the count by elisela (17/17 | 50k+ | E) sterek; AU: sports; pitcher!stiles; teacher!derek; long distance relationship; getting together

“yankee fan,” derek says, laughing when stiles makes a disgusted face. “the bronx bombers, stiles, you can’t be a new yorker and—”

“stop talking right now,” stiles sighs, shaking his head. “i can’t believe i still want to kiss you after that,” he says, pulling derek in by his coat. “this is making me rethink everything.” 

“i’ll never watch them again,” derek promises, and stiles laughs against his mouth. 

or: stiles is a starting pitcher for the NY mets when he meets and falls in love with derek. derek doesn’t know. 

note: i read SO MANY of @elisela’s 911 fics this summer, which i loved, and then she got into teen wolf and started writing sterek and i just about died. this fic is amazing, one of my fave sterek AU’s that i’ve read in years. it’s just the right amount of drama and angst and fluff filled with all the joys of miscommunication and character relationships that makes reading sterek such a joy. reading this fic and finding out eli needed fic recs pushed me to dive back in to reading sterek fics for a bit this fall so i can say with the utmost authority that this is one of the best i’ve read in a long time. 

i used to think one day we’d tell the story of us by notequitegucci (2/2 | 32k+ | M) gendrya; alternate universe—modern setting; outsider POV; friends to lovers; friends to lovers

9 times a stark encounters gendry + 1 time he meets the starks.

note: again, this is the first in a 2 part series titled love me like you do that explores arya and gendry’s dynamics together through the point of view of her family. game of thrones ended last year with a whimper but i keep returning to the gendrya tag on ao3 to seek out new, amazing content and also to re-read some old favorites. i can’t remember if i came across this for the first time last year or this one, but i’ve read it and re-read it more times than i can count since and i love it more than i can describe. i’m a total sucker for outsider POV fics and my biggest pet peeve in canon is the fact that none of the stark’s ever found out that arya and gendry had a history together. this modern au fic almost makes up for it by giving me a gendry encounter with every family member and then the big reveal. it’s peak content. 

theeeeeeese recs got a little away from me. i wasn’t originally intending on adding lengthy notes to each entry but ... oh well!! these are all amazing so please enjoy. 

fanfic end of the year asks

[winged-fool]

RNM Create Week 2020 Day 7: Cheerleaders

For six days, creators have been reveling in all the love, so now it's the moment to give some of that love back. Tell us about those people who have helped you through your creative process, whether it's your beta or that particular person who's reblogged everything you've posted or commented on everything you've shared, or that person who's been holding your hand all the time while you worked hard on your creation. We want to know everything about them! We want to know those wonderful people who are helping you as a creator. You guys are an essential part of this fandom!

Sorry not sorry this is so long 💙

@exploring-in-space: Alix is my number one ride or die. She encourages me endlessly and in ways that I can never really articulate. Every time I come up with a crazy idea and bring it to her, she never judges me, she’s right there with me trying to figure out the best way to bring it to life. Not only that, but she’s an incredibly talented writer and I’m so lucky to have her as a sounding board. She deals with all my RNM rants and if you think I rant a lot on here just imagine all the garbage that she has to listen to first.

My Salt Squad: @insidious-intent @caitlesshea @themoonwhenimlost the best salt people I could ever ask for. Every time I come to them with a salty take they all validate me and don't make me feel like a horrible person hahaha you all are some of my favorite people in this fandom!

Finer Things Club: @el-gilliath @christchex @nielrian who distracted me and cheered me up when RNM was breaking my heart. A special shout out to Tove who held my hand through almost every episode and constantly encourages me! We’re co-writing our Big Bang and even though I’m the slowest writer ever, she is so understanding and patient 💙💙

@female-overlord-3: an absolute sweetheart 💙 I look forward to your comments on my fics and always enjoy every post you send my way

@bamfalexmanes : my favorite tormentor hahaha Gabrielle is constantly picking on me and it's just so fun. You'll never get me to love forlex! 😂 And of course my pic crew pal 💙

@usbournejez: you are always so kind to me, you believe in my writing in a way I don't think I deserve haha but it means so much to me because I love your writing so much 💙

@hmd023: this isn’t just a shout out for being an amazing person to me but to everyone in this fandom! I’m always seeing you in people’s ask boxes complimenting their writing or sending prompts and it’s so wonderfully refreshing to have all your positivity in this fandom. And I always remember you as my International Relations bud 🤣

@grampire: we haven’t been mutuals for long but I am soo glad that we are! You have been such an awesome cheerleader for me and so supportive of my dark fics. Dark fics can be a little niche which I totally recognize so it’s always so awesome when I find other people who love them as much as me 💙

@captainsorryimabadass: same as above! you’ve been such an incredible supporter of my dark fics and it makes me so happy! Plus we’re both hannigram trash and that automatically makes you one of my favorite people :D

@habibinasir: We don’t talk that often, but when we do, we have some of the funniest conversations. I feel like you really get my stupid sense of humor which is an automatic plus in my book! Plus we commiserated with each other every week when RNM Season 2 was airing and had a lot of the same what the fuck thoughts hahaha

@queersirius: you make some of my favorite gifs in this fandom and I absolutely love seeing them! They’ve inspired me to write little blurbs that eventually become longer fics! And you’re so generous with your time to create such an incredibly comprehensive list of recs that I’ve been lucky enough to be featured on. You’re such a positive person in this fandom, I absolutely love seeing you on my dash.

To the amazing authors in this fandom that still take the time to read my stuff, you all are so amazing because I know you’re busy with your own stuff but you’re still so generous with your time: @aewriting @prouvaireafterdark @spaceskam @chamblerstara/@manesalex @lambourngb @ninswhimsy

And of course my treasured mutuals: @lovecolibri @sungbeen @draculaspetbee @fairymonk @imrollingmyeyes @i-had-a-marvelous-time @ravens-world @fiona-glenanne-westen @bisexualalienss

I know I’m missing others and I’m sorry if I did forget you, it’s not personal I’m just a mess who is always forgetting things! I could say something about every single one of my mutuals and followers. You all are so great. Every time you like or reblog my nonsense, every ask and message I receive, I consider us friends. I know this fandom can be a little negative sometimes but I’m honestly so grateful for all the wonderful people in my little space. You all are the best 💙💙💙