#i'm late to rec week but !! there is so much great fic in this fandom we are truly blessed

[xxswagcorexx]

the swagcore fic archives will become real in 5:

anyways, hi, i write too much fanfic, but a lot of it is on anon. i know a lot of people go to me for fic recs (you can see a post with More fic recs here) and i'm happy enough with my fics to recommend them to people :) also for funsies i'm gonna put small author's notes after each entry!

the stuff with my name on it:

Swap by cherubium and swagcore

[CLICK] [Jaron]: Statement of Ash…Swag, regarding events surrounding his husband, Red Doons. Statement recorded live from subject on April 4th, 2023, recording by Jaron Yeager from the LIFE Insitute, London,...Ohio. Statement begins. [Ash]: Are you seriously gonna be recording on that? or: a fic written for day 2 of roses and smoke week, swap/horror.

A/N: a collab fic I did with the lovely cherny! all i'll say is that we might have lied a little bit in the beginning notes. heh.

the sleep buoyancy investigation by swagcore

While Fundy walks around his street, he notices an odd poster about researching dreams. Having weird dreams all of his life and with nothing else to do, Fundy grabs the contact information and heads to the address. What possibly could go wrong? - "the sleep buoyancy investigation" is an experimental fic made with Twine. This fic is based on the Stargate Project, a now-defunct project by the CIA to study psychics. Word Count: ~3k

A/N: this fic was so so fun to do. my god. it really gave me my first taste of really experimental fics and that is something i've been playing around with! i do have an idea in mind for another fic like this (which is one of the first fic ideas i had when going into the lifesteal fandom) so! i'm excited for when i actually put my head down and write it!!!

from a windowsill by swagcore

It’s a cold night tonight. As Pearl stares out to the moon, feeling the wind through the tower’s rafters and the howls of the hound army roar from below her, she squints her eyes. There’s supposed to be a blood moon tonight. or: it's late at night, and pearl has some thoughts about the blood moon (and herself)

A/N: i'm going to be real, i'm a dl!pearl sleeper agent. i love her so much and her character is sooooo....*dies*.......she makes me ill!

late night break-ins and henna by swagcore

Ash visits Soc Inc. at the very normal hour of 3 AM on Christmas to give Red a Christmas present.

A/N: fun fact, i wrote most of this on an ipad at one of those friend reunions my dad had with his friends 💀 we were like 8 hours away from our house so i couldn't exactly leave so while on vc with my good friend toast we worked on fics together LOL she's actually the one who came up with the water bottle thing. it was awesome

misc collabs i did:

insufferable hand in insufferable hand by Anonymous

ashswag and reddoons get married in a very thought out, entirely sound plan.

A/N: this was a collab wiith np13, who you might know from "all of the roads led to you". it was actually working on this fic at first, i mentioned wanting to write a swagdoons divorce fic, and it brought me on the team to work on this one. this fic was so silly to work on and i had a great time writing it!!!

the various anon fics i have written:

one and a half cups of stout by Anonymous

Bdubs and Etho leave a party and are now burdened with the task of grocery shopping for cake ingredients. - (or: etho drags bdubs to his apartment so they can bake together)

A/N: god this fic was so fun and fluffy to write. i love baking in general, and the amount of detail i managed to put into this fic and how cozy-feeling it is is something i'm really proud of. fun fact, it's my most viewed and kudosed fic of all time, as well as the first fic i felt really, really proud of!

pommes voyage by Anonymous

headcanon that ren started making potatoes like crazy, like to the amount doc started to check up on him - originally a post meant for tumblr

A/N: this fic was really fun to write as well. it was supposed to be a tumblr post, but i got really carried away (and when i sent a screenshot of it into a gc my friend replied with "that is terrifying", and i decided to leave it as a standalone fic instead of a post) and it's a fun fic to read, methinks

and maybe, you'll find peace in the sun by Anonymous

During the time [x] escapes prison for the dozenth time, [s]he takes a quick detour to pick up some supplies. or: [x] finds an unguarded house in the woods, stealing ingredients so [s]he can make some stew

A/N: alright so, as a disclaimer, this was a fic written before ivorycello transitioned, but for archival purposes, i haven't changed it. for this post, i've made it clear what part i've changed. i'm still proud of this fic, in general, and ivory has since said that her past persona doesn't bother her anymore, so that's why i've included it here. once again though, read with those warnings in mind

the sun vanished by Anonymous

The stars revolve around Planet. It's their little secret, and most don't know enough about the stars to be able to notice. That's why, when they got banned, no one noticed that the sun vanished.

A/N: my first lifesteal fic! i really, really like the ideas in this fic and how i've conveyed them. fun fact i wrote most of this while in the car from homecoming--but i'm really proud with what i managed to beat out considering ost of it was written in a car backseat

dust by Anonymous

After winning Double Life, Pearl has some thoughts about the end of the world while looking at the death menu.

A/N: this fic is AWESOME i love minecraft death screens and like i said before, i'm a dl!pearl enjoyer to the MAX. it's also the first fic i ever had translated, and it was such a nice surprise to see it was translated in my email inbox that morning <3

jackalope by Anonymous

have you heard the myth of the jackalope? (of course you have. who am i kidding.) --- or: a character study on rekrap, as told by the myth of the jackalope

A/N: this was originally for a comic that was, looking back, wayyy too ambitious for my art skill level LOL. i've been brewing it in my brain for a while (hell, even my english teacher at the time looked over at it), and i still find it fun to read. once again, experimental fics ftw!

take your time, we've got all night by Anonymous

It’s rare to find quiet moments like this–moments safe enough for Ash and Red to get some sleep without either of them going on looking shifts. It’s a luxury in the apocalypse. And yet Red still couldn’t get his mind to shut up and let him sleep. Great. or: red can't sleep during the apocalypse. he wakes ash up and both of them spend the night talking about their pasts.

A/N: i'm already a huge sap in the notes, but this is, arguably, one of the most important fics i've ever written. for context, i wrote this while i was really down due to my entire family but me getting covid right before my finals and our winter vacation, so that left me alone in my room for 2 weeks. i was really down, especially since i couldn't spend christmas with my family as a result. however, writing this gave me something to pass the time, and the reception on it when i posted during a dark time in my life really helped. it's also the first swagdoons fic i've ever posted, so there's that too :) also, one of the comments of someone going back to read it a few months later also came while i was in a rough patch, so that really helped <3

four of a kind by Anonymous

Ash, Branzy, Clown, and Red close up the casino for the week.

A/N: first of, CASINOQUARTETCASINOQUARTETCASINOQUARTET- and fun fact, this is one of the first fics written after casino quartet first became a Concept (which. considering i first came up w/ the concept in the swagdoons server is. Yeah <- ill) so that's rlly fun to see how big casino quartet has become considering i see it in random places now LOL

l'appel du vide by Anonymous

If there’s anyone that knows Death, it’s him. or: sven escapes death, and still feels the void linger around him. and he has some thoughts about it.

A/N: i loveeeee minecraft death mechanics holy moly....anyways yeah this fic was so fun to write and the concepts are *chefs kiss*. it's also the first fic in the kenadian fandom tag so there's that too!

5 years, eleven months, and seventeen days by Anonymous

It's been 5 years, 11 months, and 17 days since they went missing. or: laurance is still investigating his friends' disappearances. even after all of this time. (he can't seem to move on, can he?)

A/N: this fic was a gift for my bestest friend ever :3 i'm going to be real it's been like, 6+ years since i watched mystreet but my friend reminded me of how fucked it was and i felt really included to write this. i loveeee fucked up implications in fiction!!!

jenga tower by Anonymous

"Dude-" Ash says through a wheezed breath, "Do you think this a little much?" Clown hums, "Mmm, no. I think you're just fineee." "Exactly," Red chimes in, definitely not helping the 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we all laid on Ash?' cause. or: casino quartet turn into a human jenga tower. for roses and smoke week, free day

A/N: once again. casino quartet brainworms strike again. i think this is the only fic i finished in time for the first roses and smoke week LOL. it's very fluffy and i still think it holds up. yeah they'd be Like That

what's the point of living if you can't die with someone else, huh? by Anonymous

"you mentioned about me going back home, right?" ash nods, eyebrow raised with suspicion. "well," red starts, "i think i said this last season: 'what's the point of living if you can't die with someone else?'" red gets up from the floor, "and you haven't used your god powers much," he says as he offers ash a hand to get off the floor. "dude." ash can exactly see what red's asking. or: alternatively titled: who knew killing your bestie with god powers could be so affectionate?

A/N: i love love love sappy swagdoons so much. this fic was so fun to write all of their memories and stuff. i love them so much i want to pinch both of their cheeks so bad!!! <333

a late night conversation about a stolen horse (and a few other things) by Anonymous

Red's going out for a supply run, and runs into Ash. They have a conversation about a stolen horse (and a few other things).

A/N: once again, sappy swagdoons. i love them so much. i'm going to be real a lot of this was inspired by this one survival guide book that i've had for literal years. i've kept it with me for fic purposes but when i was little i did read through it out of boredom so i do have a little bit of knowledge, which inspired this fic LOL

the thing about ash: by Anonymous

A glitch (as defined by Wikipedia) is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. In an article by Alex Pieschel, Pieschel writes that a "'glitch' suggests something more mysterious and unknowable inflicted by surprise inputs or stuff outside the realm of code." (or: ash, as told in the very nature of himself and what makes him, him.

A/N: okay i'm going to be real this is one of those fics that i'm 90% sure i was struck down by god to have a vision for this fic. i'm really proud with how deep i made the metaphor and it's one of the fics i'm most proud of :) it's awesome

mors mihi lucrum by Anonymous

"death to me is reward" is it really? (or: zolister has some thoughts about the trophy room)

A/N: this fic was so so fun to write. if you haven't noticed already, death in minecraft is one of my favorite things to explore and that showtime smp video activated a nueron in my brain when i watched it. i love death in mc so so much <3

Ashswag's 3-step, very simple plan, to survive the Genesis SMP by Anonymous

Exactly what it says on the tin.

A/N: this is another one of my "hcs into a fic" fics, and it's really fun! i'm going to be real, i still don't know much about ultrakill but i fuck with the aesthetic hard. that clair de lune level is so pretty....

in another universe: by Anonymous

things would have ended differently. (an experimental webweave done on ao3)

A/N: this fic was SOOOOO fun to do. i've always wished for webweaving to be more of a thing outside of tumblr, so this is an experiment into other options! it's so awesome i love experimenting with fanfiction...

the best of the best, you'll die like the rest by Anonymous

Agent Rek Rap II, an ex-agent trying to enjoy his life in early retirement. Or well, he was trying too. He gets invited to a concert by a familiar name. (He already knows how this is going to end.)

A/N: this fic turned out so well. i had a general vibe and i RAN with it. it was so fun to write, and hopefully, it's a fun read if you also like spy stuff!!!

homemade comforts by Anonymous

If Red was being honest, he reveled in moments like this. Moments when Ash and he were far away from all of the violence, all of the responsibilities, and away from any prying eyes around them. Just Ash and Red, cooking together in their shitty little kitchenette that only fits two people.

A/N: this fic was so so fun to write. i'm going to be real, it was supposed to be part of another fic where it showed swagdoons across servers but i decided to make it a standalone. i love cooking together with people so much, and hopefully this fic conveys that :)

it’s no big deal (that i love you) by Anonymous

Sometimes Ash understands people when they call him and Red a couple. They are partners, in a sense, but not in that way. After all, when you’ve spent so long as enemies, survivalists, comrades, even, you notice a lot about the other person. From tracking down Red’s movements to stealing that stupid bell from Capital City, to pressing down on wounds and praying it didn’t get infected, they’ve been through everything. Been through the happy, sad, and angry tears together, and everything else in-between. But of course, everything they did had to be a business deal—a private agreement between just both of them. or: ashswag has some thoughts about red while they fall asleep together (ft. swagdoons qpr)

A/N: once again. sappy swagdoons. because i am predictable. this fic is so fluffy, and i'm so proud with how deep the metaphor is and how soft and fluffy everything is. qpr swagdoons ftw!!!

fallin' in love by Anonymous

Ash and Red go to a pumpkin patch on their day off.

A/N: more fluff. i love them so much. i love fall vibes and pumpkin patches so this fic was me putting all of the fall vibes i could into this fic. so glad it's going to get cooler where i live now LOL

...and, scene by Anonymous

kenadian, the train escape, and the fourth wall. ...and all of the horrific implications that come alongside it.

A/N: this was written as a spirtual successor to my prev. fic about sven. it was so fun, and fun fact, it's the first fic in the kenadian character tag! yippee!!!

world is mine! by Anonymous

In a sleep-deprived move, Minecraft player Ashswag decided that making a Hatsune Miku cosplay would compliment his entire God shtick perfectly. or: ash becomes swagsune ashu

A/N: this fic was mostly written for shits and giggles, but although i haven't have much time for it, cosplay is something that's so dear to me <3 i love the craftsmanship that does into it!!! and the community is so kind <3

go to the end with me, my lover by Anonymous

“Hey Ash? I…want you to come here and take a look.” Red says warily. Ash quietly follows Red ahead. He climbs over the rubble Red is looking out on and— Oh. It was their wedding venue.

A/N: fun fact: i first heard of this song in class when someone showed me the mv after school and um. well let's say i shed a few tears. god if you haven't watched the love wins all mv, please do. it's so well done <3 also in general SWAGDOONS WEDDING LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO (ignore the angst)

it takes two to tango, but somebody has to lead by Anonymous

The tango is a dance that requires someone to lead, and a partner willing to follow them. (or, swagdoons through the ages)

A/N: this was so fun. i love writing in different formats!!! also it being experimental is AWESOME i love playing around w/ language :3 also i love acherswan so so much so that was also a bonus!!!

developments by Anonymous

A group photo of the Hemlock family and staff. Absolutely nothing goes wrong.

A/N: i love photography so much, esp as someone with terrible memory. i've been having fun exploring it in fics recently so yeah!!! also the first fic in the whitepine tag #awesome

memento by Anonymous

“You have a pretty face,” Red says out loud without thinking. Ash stops in his tracks, whipping his head back to stare back at Red. “I—What?” “Ah. Um. You look nice when you’re talking,” Red clarifies, “Wait.” Red steps closer and grabs Ash’s jaw. “The fuck—” or: Red is a photography student and takes a picture of Ash.

A/N: listen me and my friend dusty were talking and my brain came up with the most gay scene ever and i HAD to write it. once again, i've only used dslr's in my life, but hopefully the magic of photographing someone was captured in this fic. old people yaoi.../silly

and OH BOY that was a lot of fics. these are the fics i'm really proud of, so i hope y'all enjoy (and please say nice things to me if you have enjoyed them). thank you for making it through this LONG post!!!

[forever-will-last]

hellooo do you have recommendations for cadina fics? I love "a thousand pictures in my mind" and I'm also reading "mirror me back" and "get in, loser" but I want to start reading more!

I DO!!! I made a post about this a little while ago so I'm just gonna borrow that same list again I made. I admittedly haven't been reading too much lately (I have been working on the Cadina Week content NONSTOP since the last update of a thousand pics basically) but here is my list!!! Both get in loser and mirror me back are actually on it already but I'm just going to send the list as is!!!

cadina fic recs (first, some ones from my friends, and then many others i heavily recommend, in no particular order):

Get in, Loser! We're going... to fall in love? - SUPER cute slow burn made by the incredible amazing talented stunning @16sydd16. Genuinely one of my favorite Cadina fics of all time.

ANYTHING by the Cadina Captain herself, Chisamaya. Maya's been holding down the Cadina fort for YEARS and has 13 INCREDIBLE Cadina fics on her AO3. She's also on Tumblr @chisamayas and posts super cute fanart of Mean Girls and Cadina all the time! My personal favorite fic of hers is Collared (very smutty pet play fic) and I will live and die a Collared stan.

can i come and sweep you off your feet? - super adorable (and angsty at some points, especially for poor regina) fame AU by my very talented friend ninesixtheenths / @girlkisser-wieners on Tumblr! i absolutely also recommend her rugby fic, which is rejanis but is 10/10, as well as her regret indie band au fic.

(mean girls) series by anonymous - this is from another friend of mine who posts these anonymously instead of tying them to her account. there are SO MANY good ones in here including a soulmates au, a superhero au, and some GREAT character studies of both regina and cady. there are a few rejanis fics in this series too but they're all phenomenal.

okay onto fics that aren't from my friends but i heavily recommend, in no particular order:

Mirror Me Back - okay i know i said no particular order but this one's a lie. if you haven't read MMB yet, stop what you're doing and read it right now. it's very smut heavy, however, this is genuinely the fic that got me into writing for this fandom and it is one of the best fics i've ever read across any fandom. every day i perform rituals for an update /j

On Predators and Pack Dynamics - omegaverse fic that is genuinely incredible. obviously very smut heavy but i love the characterization of them here.

if i could tell her (how she's everything to me) - role reversal & arts high school AU from 2020 where cady is the popular one and regina is a little socially awkward. very cute, very sweet, very fun.

Pretty Girls - mean girls 2024 rewrite where cady and regina were anonymous pen pals before cady moved to evanston. really loved this one!! one of the first i read in the tag.

To You, I Can Admit That I'm Just Too Soft for All of It - grad school au that i absolutely LOVE. the chapters are unordered snippets but they are so cute and fun. the author also does some social media stuff with it, i believe on tumblr, so it's a cute little tie in!!

you would find her in a polaroid picture - SUPER good college au with gymnast!regina!! genuinely recommend anything this author writes tbh i adore their stuff!!

i choose you and me, religiously - once again recommending anything this author writes as well. SO talented. this one is a slow burn idiots in love au and it's just. chef's kiss. muah. i love it.

[luxurychristmaspudding]

a tiny little update

hey gang!

how's it going? hope you're all well and being kind to yourselves <3

life is mad at the minute - working full time and studying on top is intense, and lately i've found myself staying up until the wee hours to get things done. it's only temporary (i have less than 2 months until i qualify as a teacher!) but i've been so drained and anxious and generally not in the best of places. training has, far and away, been the hardest thing i've ever done.

it's been hard to log on here and not doom scroll and feel the imposter syndrome i have irl seep into this space, too. it's even harder to come across so many great fics and not feel like i have the time or capacity to give them the love and praise they deserve. we're fortunate to be part of such an amazing community of creatives in this fandom, and i'm especially in awe of the fact i get to call so many of them mutuals and friends.

so, i don't really know what this is. i guess i feel like i've been letting people down with my lack of responses to reblogs, tag games, fics and the like. i'm so genuinely touched every time someone reaches out or thinks of me, and i'd hate to think the opposite might be coming across. it's just been a really tough couple of months. if this has been you, especially over the last few weeks, just know that i see you, i love you, and i appreciate you so much.

i've tried to get my shit kind of together this weekend, especially in the way of reblogs. i have a bunch of fic recs queued and a couple of masterlists i read when i was a lurker (for shame) that i'll get round to reblogging properly at some point.

if you see this and i've 'liked' something of yours recently, please know it's on my tbr list. promise i'm not trying to drive-by love you. i'll get to it eventually <3

for future times, i'm (very slowly) working on a sweet, soft something for frankie, and then hopefully a cool series with joel. in the meantime, i'll be trying to keep my head above water.

love and endless cuddles,

em xxxx

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  MuseumGiftShopEraser! They have 9 works on AO3 in the Stranger Things Fandom, and 6 of those are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @museumgiftshoperaser:

Paint the Devil on the Wall

Conversations About Love

Now I'm A Stranger

An Exercise In Denial

Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me

Her fics are BEAUTIFUL. When I first read Paint the Devil on the Wall I was so obsessed I immediately recced the fic to everyone I knew who would be vaguely interested in a steddie fic. -- anonymous

Below the cut, @museumgiftshoperaser answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I stumbled into it immediately after season 4 came out. I’ve felt very attached to Steve as a character from the beginning of the show and I think I was subconsciously waiting for someone to pair him up with. I think they’re both such great characters to explore themes of dealing with expectation (either by conforming, or fighting against it) and that’s something I always love to write about.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Absolute sucker for fake dating. Can’t get enough of it.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Enemies to lovers! Though now that I’m looking through my AO3 I haven’t actually written that much of it. It doesn’t have to be very intense enemies, though. I just like it when characters don’t immediately get along.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

My brain has been forever rewired by took you for a working boy by pukner. It’s such a gentle, nuanced queer story. It feels vulnerable to me in a way that really only fanfiction can be. Can I sneak in another one?? Because everyone should also absolutely read the shame is on the other side by scoops_ahoy. It taps into this very specific kind of queer compartmentalizing, that I’ve never seen written this well. It broke my heart and patched it right back up.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been stupidly busy with my masters lately so there’s probably not a lot of writing on my horizon. I do have a wip called Doll that I’m slowly chipping away at. It’s a little darker than stuff I’ve written before. I know ‘dark’ isn’t really a trope, but I’m excited to see if I can push these characters a little further. 

What is your writing process like?

Absolute chaos. I write non-chronologically, without an outline, all in the same document. I keep writing snippets and scenes until the whole thing slowly comes together. 

Do you have any writing quirks?

Italicizing words for emphasis. I love it so much, you can rip it from my cold dead hands. It accidentally makes its way into my academic writing for my degree sometimes which is a little embarrassing, but I just love the flair of it. 

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I don’t really do schedules, it doesn’t work for me at all. I try to make sure I have a decent amount of the story written before I start posting to give me a bit of a head start, but forcing myself to finish something by a certain date is a surefire way to kill my motivation.

Which fic are you most proud of?

Probably Paint the Devil on the Wall. It was the first time I’d written the entire story before I started posting so it went through way more rounds of editing than normal. I think you can really tell. It’s also the longest story I’ve ever written (in general, even outside of fanfic). The whole project gave me a lot of confidence as a writer.

How did you get the idea for Paint the Devil on the Wall?

I knew I wanted to participate in the Bigbang and the deadline was coming up, but I still didn’t have an idea. I decided to work backwards and try to think of something that would be fun for the artist(s) to draw. I had a vision of Eddie wearing dungarees without a shirt, absolutely covered in paint and I knew I had to write something to make it happen. I set the story in 80s New York because neo expressionism is really the only kind of art I could see Eddie making. I think it suits him very well. I do actually have a background in art, though! I’m currently getting my MFA, but I’ve worked full time as an artist for several years before that. I had a lot of fun working my passion for art (and all those art history classes I had to take) into the fic.

When writing Paint the Devil on the Wall, what was something you didn’t expect?

All of Steve’s character, to be honest. The fic is written from Eddie’s POV and for a large part of it he has a very hard time figuring out what Steve’s deal is. Right alongside him, I also had an incredibly hard time figuring out his character. It wasn’t until I was working on the final chapter that he finally clicked for me. I realized very late, just like Eddie, that Steve liked him from the very beginning. Most of the enemies to lovers premise was all in Eddie’s head.

What inspired Now I'm a Stranger?

Oh boy, that was forever ago! I remember I started writing it while I was camping with friends because I liked having something to do after everyone went to bed at night. I think I had the idea for that very first scene where Steve doesn’t remember Eddie and it all sort of spiraled from there.

What was your favorite part to write from An Exercise in Denial?

That was the very first fic I wrote, right after season 4 came out! I’ve never written something that fast, I think the whole thing took me less than a week. My favorite part was probably Robin being completely exasperated with both of them. They’re such complete idiots in that fic.

How do/did you feel writing Baby, You Were Meant To Follow Me?

Ahhh… I never got around to finishing that one. I probably never will, to be honest. I wrote the first two parts quite quickly and then the idea I had for the plot spiraled out of control and I realized I didn’t actually feel like writing the rest of it. There were going to be a lot of misunderstandings and I learned that I find that an incredibly frustrating trope to write (when done for drama at least. For comedy, I’m a sucker for misunderstandings.) So I guess I felt a little in over my head.

What was the most difficult part of writing Conversations About Love?

The ending! That fic is so incredibly personal to me and I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to have a very sappy, happy ending. It was important to me to write an aromantic character getting everything they wanted, but I realized as I was writing it that I don’t actually fully know what that means. So it took a bit more soul searching than fics typically do, but it was very much worth it. 

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I still think the short little prologue for Paint the Devil on the Wall is the best thing I’ve written. “You don’t draw on things that aren’t yours, baby” is probably the best summary I have for that story.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Not really!

Thank you to our author, @museumgiftshoperaser, and our anonymous nominator! See more of @museumgiftshoperaser works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[stashandtell]

Nobody Asked For This: My Rankings of the Hermione x Weasley Ships with REASONS

I drafted this weeks ago and had set it aside with no clear plan to publish it. Then, after a stroke of 2 AM genius this morning, I wrote a piece called Ranking the Weasleys, (to be posted on 19 Sept 2024 in honor of Hermione's birthday) and it seemed like a great time to finalize this post and share it. Feel free to tell me your rankings in the comments, be it your list of the fittest Weasley as you find them or your ranked-list of pairings with Weasleys, whatever you fancy to share. Enjoy! - - - - I made a loooong post with recs for each of my top Hermione/Weasley ships that you can check out here. Read Ranking the Weasleys or see the related post where I talk about writing Ranking the Weasleys and I share just a few initial thoughts on the fetishization of war wounds in the fandom here. - - - - I've recently dove into the world of Hermione x Any-Of-The-Weasley-Brothers pairings, which is what happens when you're burnt out on the regular ships you read and looking for something more. Personally, I'm surprised I gravitate towards so many Hermione-focused pairings, especially het pairings, but that's just what I've been into lately. I hadn't considered pairings with her and any of the Weasleys until someone recommended Charmione fics in a thread for Theomione. Once I dug into the fandom's characterizations of the Weasley brood and had a better sense of who each of them were on their own, I found I really like many of these ships, some more than others. The rankings of my top-three rotate pretty regularly depending on the last great fic I've devoured. This is a snapshot of where things stand today but it could move around. Before we dive in, I've preview my rankings and the major themes of the pairings in the most popular fics shipping Hermione with a Weasley. 1. Bill: Wolf-ish Daddy 2. Fred: Uplifting, Fun, and Romantic 3. Charlie: Sexy and Rugged 4. George: Growing Through Grief 5. Percy: Acceptance of Self, Also Rules Daddy 6. Ginny: A Firecracker and a Friend 7. Ron: Angsty Best Friends-to-Lovers 8. Gideon or Fabian: Time Travel AU or Ghost Lover(s) 9. Arthur or Molly: I haven't read these ships so they're going in the bottom of the list. I'm not opposed to reading these pairings but there's already such a trove with all the brothers in my tbr list that I'm not sure I'll ever dive in. 10. Weasley Progeny: I haven't read any of these ships. I have not read many pairings that include anyone dating their friends' kid in the next generation. (Though I have read a small number of fics pairing characters like Hermione or Ginny with older characters like Kingsley or Sirius...shoutout to the older/younger Nottcissa ship.) 11. Aunt Murial: Technically she's a Prewett but I think I would be into a Murmione ship if we got there. So far nothing comes up on AO3. - - - - 1. Billmione: What I love about a Hermione x Bill dynamic is his position as oldest-sibling and caretaker. If the author has resolved the relationship with Fleur as one that has ended in divorce or death, that extra element of emotional tenderness really can push the story to complex depths. I also find it interesting to see how writers engage with Bill's hybrid/half-werewolf affliction. I'm hard-pressed to really fall in love with any Billmione fic where their relationship starts pre-Battle of Hogwarts, though I do get it. I personally enjoy stories that can be canon compliant so I want to see how the Fleur issue is handled. I also find that with such a significant age-gap for that developmental stage of teenager-dom, (not like Fleur was THAT much older than Hermione but still...), it's incredibly rewarding to see an older Hermione that brings some kind of life experience to the relationship so she can be more equal with Bill.

In some of the fics, especially a few of the multi-Weasley, reverse-harem style pieces I've finally started reading, Bill's older-brother position and wolfy streak create the core dynamic of the group.

I'm not the biggest fan of the multi-Weasley pairings with Hermione but what I loved most in the standout fics are the group dynamics and individual roles that come out. Hermione can be incredibly stubborn and independent on her own and it's always interesting when she's in opposition to Bill to see how the others in their relationship choose sides.

- - - - 2. Fremione: On it's face, I don't even know if I like this ship all that much but I keep finding myself suckered in. I suspect a big part of it is that it hits me in the sentimental feels. My inner-teen just loves a Hermione x Fred story that traces their young love to whatever conclusion the author brings it to. Even if they get together when they're older and Fred lives through the final battle, they both usually end up with a friends-to-lovers scenario that's full of light sweetness and sometimes romance.

There are some truly fantastic works in this ship and I go 50/50 on whether I prefer ones where Fred lives or not. Depends on my mood and the tone of the story I suppose. There are very few stories in this pairing that I haven't enjoyed and the element of pranking really can make shorter fics fun.

I REALLY enjoy past Hermione/Fred relationships being included in fics where she looks back on their love fondly while she navigates new relationships, sometimes with one of his brothers. Fred is often portrayed as a goof, which seems to encourage authors to consistently write a more engaging and dynamic version of Hermione instead of following some of the fanon's (beloved by me as well) personality tropes/traps of her being insecure, slow-to-assert-herself, angry-broken-or-both and etc. His character brings out some of her best qualities consistently across fics, imo.

- - - - 3. Charmione: I quickly realized when I started reading Charmione fanfics that I do not give a shit about dragons but deeply wish I did. It's a cool plot device and part of the world to hang out with but it's not for me. Tons of appreciation for writers who have thoughtful plot lines and research interesting medical maladies-- but it's hard to hold my interest. (A million kudos when a dragon-centered fic does though!) The Reserve is usually full of original characters, which is fine, but I find myself less invested in the story if we don't know much about these OCs to build out that world.

I often find in the dragon-reserve heavy pieces that I was getting part-way through were objectively GOOD multi-chapters but I kept stalling out in favor of reading something else. Usually whenever there's a Hermione that ends up at the dragon Reserve, she's characterized by her unyielding passions for creatures' rights, spurred on by house elf and werewolf activism. Those are interesting characterizations for her but they just don't keep my attention. That said, I have yet, to date DNF'd any Charmione work so clearly it's not a huge imposition. That said, Charmione is in the top third because there's so much that can be done with this character. I've read a number of fics where Charlie is ace (asexual, demisexual, etc.); where's he's inexperienced because he's married to his job; where he's "too free-spirited" and very experienced; where he's enthusiastically bisexual; where he's not interested in marriage; where he's pining over Tonks; and so much more. His sporadic attendance at family holidays and the ability for Hermione or others to visit him on the Reserve lends to great plot opportunities.

- - - - 4. Geormione: I haven't been around long enough to fully understand why Fremione is a more popular ship than Geormione, but here are some observations: - Fred is portrayed in the fandom as the more loveable, airy goof while George tends to be painted as the more serious and quiet of the two - Generally, in the canon, Fred speaks more than George, from what I've been seeing, as I notate up my secondhand copies of the books - Fred's death or, depending on the fic, brush-with-death, is ripe for the reimagining of his relationships and personality - According to internet gossip, Hermione with Fred were considered for pairing in the canon originally but it didn't suit the overall plans for the series. Source for this can not be verified but it's come up in multiple places. I believe this contributes to the numbers: Fremione has 2182 works and Geormione has 548 works on AO3, as I draft this. All that said, George is usually characterized as the quieter and possibly more serious twin. He might be more shy than the outgoing Fred. Post-war, he often mourns the loss of his twin brother, his best friend, and his sense of himself as part of the pair which can, frankly, be kind of a drag if a writer is looking for a pairing to write a hot romance about. (Not that people can't be sexy or have healthy sexual relationships while grieving!) However, when works take the journey to establish Hermione and George, it's often incredibly rewarding. It tends to feel like Fremione with the temperature turned down on the lightness and has the ability to go deeper into any darkness that needs to be explored. I do love a Geormione but there are statistically fewer works out there than some of the other pairings, thus it's earned it's spot mid-tier. - - - - 5. Permione: There's not much to say because there aren't that many longer fics with this pairing written and most times it's tied to a Hermione x Multi-Weasley scenario. This gets the 5th and some days I would rank it higher because there are worlds in which this is the actual correct pairing of all of the brothers, based on what we can surmise from the canon.

A swotty, uptight prefect-turned-Ministry drone with a regretful heart of gold, Percy's guilt over abandoning his family and Fred dying before him is well-matched for how many writers imagine Hermione's coping with the aftermath of the war. Hermione would have known him during some prime formative years and knows he'll date muggle-born or half-blood witches, a la Penelope Clearwater. It's easy to dismiss Percy as being "not fanciable" if you don't read this ship but some of the writers out there make a compelling case for him, particularly when they make a logical transition from his personal fastidiousness to him seeking to play with control and BDSM elements in his private affairs. I love a good Permione piece. He's often positioned as the conservative punching bag of the family and it's a thing of art when a writer makes us root hard for him.

- - - - 6. Herminny: I haven't much of anything in this pairing yet. Truthfully, I've been holding off on it because I'm sure I'll do a deep dive once I start. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I've read almost no Harmony works either. I love a F/F fic but tend to read in waves and I've been working my way through the Weasley brothers pairings (when I'm not refreshing for Nevmione and Theomione works.) If you have any excellent recs for Herminny or other pairings name, please drop me a line! The reason Herminny is above Romione is because I love many of the fanon characterizations of Ginny in all the other fics I've read, especially when she's mischievous, cheeky, in tune with her sexuality, and ready to take on her own adventures in the world. The ones I have read where she and Hermione have been together were lovely but most were very short fics in collections. - - - - 7. Romione: I read A LOT of Hermione-centered works and authors very often find a need to resolve the young romance with Ron or use him and their relationship as a catalyst that propels our heroine down a path into the arms of another man. I can honestly say that I have read ZERO Romione endgame fics to date, and that includes one shots AND drabbles (~100k words or less.) WILD, right?

I really enjoy angst and Ron is one of the punching bags most often leaned on by writers. One of these days, I'm going to go on a Romione bender as an offering of penance to his character for all of the times I rooted against him in every other fic.

- - - - 8. Lowest Tier: I have never read a Hermione x Molly nor an Hermione x Arthur fic, and while I'm not fundamentally opposed, I'd be flabbergasted to find either pairing beating Romione. I'd much sooner read an Arthur/Molly fic than one that ships either with Hermione because that's just where I'm at right now. I'm happy reading works that aren't smutty in any way but damn if some smut doesn't help along a work that really isn't capturing my interest. While I love when I see versions of Arthur and Molly who are loving friends and/or parental figures to Hermione, the angst-lover in me doesn't mind a solid bashing of either of them and it's hard to get that out of my head. As for the other possible pairs with Hermione and Gideon, Fabian, Murial, or the children of the other Weasleys, I'm just not well-read enough in any of those pairings to have an opinion. I literally only started reading Marauders-era works two weeks ago (and really ONLY well-known Wolfstar fics so far.) A Note About Fleur: One character who's excluded from this list is Fleur Weasley nee' Delacour. I've only read triad- or multi-Weasley fics that put Hermione with her and Bill. While I do love a Bill/Fleur/Hermione work, it seemed disingenuous to rank Fleurmione against the others with what little I've read. That and I'm so clearly jazzed about a Billmione where Bill's free-and-clear to be with whoever, that my ranking of Fleurmione would be heavily biased.

[iam93percentstardust]

Pop Star Fics

In honor of the Eras Tour movie finally being complete on streaming, here's a rec list of (mostly) Stevetony pop star and pop star-adjacent fics 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎💙🤍 Anyway, we don't have enough of these in this fandom so I'm hereby declaring that we should all write more of them (I'm doing my part; I'm almost done with the Fearless era for This Life Is Sweeter Than Fiction)

Written by Others

One Step Closer by scottxlogan (E) Tony Stark was pushed into popstar fame by his ambitious father early on, but over the span of more than two decades Tony has seen the highs and lows of stardom hitting rock bottom in more ways than one. Through it all there was always one person that Tony felt was his saving grace. Steve Rogers was always the one that got away and no matter how many times they tried to cross that line into love they couldn't quite get there. As Tony's once close friend and brief roommate, Steve turned Tony's world around in all the right ways until fate intervened and they were pulled in separate directions. Now fresh out of rehab on his 45th birthday and looking to keep from making the same mistakes, Tony reflects on his past and follows his heart to new beginnings hoping that it's not too late to find his way back to Steve in his hopes for a second chance. -I love that this Tony is closer to his canon age. It's a look at the pop star life from the other side once you're not the shiniest, brightest thing on the block anymore. The smut is great, the romance is lovely, and the ending is delightful ❤️

Baby, Just Say Yes by betheflame (M) In a world where Tony's life looks a lot like Taylor Swift's, Steve realizes there always more to omegas than meets the eye. -Everything flame writes is always amazing, even the things I never in a million years thought I would like, but this is just so lovely. It's soft and sweet, and I love the take on second gender dynamics that flame explores 💛

at his side by areiton (M) He meets Steve on a Sunday, wearing his old Eagles jersey and shorts so short his Mama fusses at him, and he grins, tousled curls and a devil may care grin, bare-faced and bare foot. “Hi,” he says, and then, like an introduction is necessary, like the whole world isn’t learning his name, he adds, “I’m Tony.” -I love bodyguard AUs so much, and arei absolutely delivers with this one. Top-notch pining, great use of the non-linear narrative (which arei is always fantastic at, in my opinion), and I love how the eras were changed to fit this story 💙

Written by Me

This Life is Sweeter Than Fiction (series) A series of interconnected fics, following Tony Stark from his time as a country singer to the world's biggest pop star. Loosely inspired by Taylor Swift. -I feel weird hyping up my own fics, but if you're willing to follow me as I explore multiple relationships, second gender dynamics, and reinterpret the fandom's hatred for Tony after Civil War through the lens of the Reputation era, I feel like you'd really like this series. Like I said, I'm almost done writing the Fearless era, so that'll be coming in the next few weeks 💚

False God (E) The first time Steve meets him, Gillian has all sixteen dancers sitting in a circle on the floor of the rehearsal studio, where she makes them go around the room and introduce themselves. Tony is the youngest of them at nineteen, has two cats currently in his sister’s custody, and got his start in ballet before being so inspired by the 1989 tour that he cross trained just in the hopes that one day he could dance with Sharon. Steve had made a note of it in the way that he makes a note of everyone he works with, felt a little old because he had been a dancer on the 1989 tour and now this baby is saying he was inspired by them, and then gotten distracted by the next girl. -In which neither of them is the pop star! They're backup dancers for pop star Sharon instead, which I think is very fun of me 🩷

When Emma Falls in Love (G) “Nice?” Kamala exclaims. “It’s way past nice! It’s the cutest thing ever because his bracelet had his phone number on it! He was hoping to ask you out!” Tony blinks. Steve Rogers, All-American good boy and quarterback extraordinaire, wants to throw his hat in the ring? He wouldn’t be the first person to toss his name out there, but most of them have just tried to DM him or tag him in their posts. No one’s shown the kind of thought and effort that Steve apparently put into his declaration. It’s a level of understanding and appreciation of who Tony is and everything he’s cultivated in his career that no one else has put in. It is, to use Kamala’s word, cute. -In your life, you'll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team... or maybe not? Anyway, this is just a very fluffy romance with instantly smitten Steve and Tony 💜

Glitch (T) “Ms. Potts, my name is Steve Rogers, and I’m Justin Hammer’s roommate," Steve says. “Oh, what does that asshole want now?” she asks. “I don’t think he wants anything—except to make a quick buck and ruin Mr. Stark’s reputation.” -This is a pop star AU in the loosest definition of the word. Tony is a pop star but he doesn't get to do anything pop starry things in this AU. It's mostly about Steve, but if you like throwing popcorn at the screen whenever Justin Hammer shows up, people getting their comeuppance, and Steve being the standup guy he is, then this is the fic for you 🖤

Death by a Thousand Cuts (T) “Tony?” Pepper asks, and he can tell just by the look on her face that whatever she has to tell him, it isn’t good. “What?” he asks. She looks uncharacteristically hesitant. Pepper isn’t supposed to be hesitant. She’s supposed to be barge-in, guns-blazing, unapologetically confident. “The news leaked,” she says eventually. -One of my favorite tropes, breaking up and making up! Idk I just really like writing stories where neither of them did anything wrong, they just couldn't work things out in those circumstances, but turns out being apart is even worse 🩶

Aaaaand a bonus winteriron fic for you!

Kissed by a Muse (E) Two years ago, Bucky returned home from the war, disillusioned, injured, and angry. Two months ago, he started working at Rogers Records, recording other bands when all he wants is for his band to be the one performing. Two minutes ago, he ran into a mysterious stranger at the grocery store who argued with him over the last box of Eggos, kissed him, and ran off with the waffles. And now he can't stop thinking about him. Bucky sees him everywhere: on the album cover he's recording, walking by his sound booth. And then, as he's staying late at work one night, he hears someone singing down the hall. But that can't be right - because that's his song, one that he's never performed for anyone. He isn't really surprised though to find that it's the stranger who kissed him in the grocery store that night. Only someone who can seemingly appear and disappear like this stranger can could possibly be singing a song he's never sung for anyone. The stranger offers him a chance: a chance to get his life back on track, to perform for the owner of the biggest record company in the world, a chance to get his band back and make it big. With an offer like that, how could Bucky refuse? -If you're familiar with the 1980s film Xanadu with Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly, and that guy from The Warriors, this is that but with Bucky and Tony being, well, Bucky and Tony 🤎

[chaotictarlos]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

Thank you both for the asks! I love this little game! It's always nice to have a reason to brag about my writing or shine some light on fics I wished people looked at more. In no particular order, here's a list of mine.

You took the best of my heart and left the rest in pieces - This is one of my favorite fics that I've written in this fandom. It's a character study and exploration of emotions through Carlos' POV of the breakup era. I enjoy writing the breakup era and writing the boys getting back together, and how each of them make their way back to the other. This is the first part in a series of what will be three fics. It can also be read on it's own. (I'm currently working on the TK POV one but real life has been busy lately)

I’ve always dreamed of me and you, now here we are - summary: It's a tale as old as time, meeting the right person but during the wrong time of life. TK Strand and Carlos Reyes dated in college but parted ways when they graduated, not knowing they would ever see each other again. Six years later, Carlos is working as a social worker in Travis County and TK has just accepted a position as a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. They run into each other when a mutual friend invited TK out for the evening. This is a fic that I've taken a pause on because of some truly nasty people who, instead of not reading, decided that they wanted to send hateful words my way. I want to get back into this fic, I have so many ideas for it and how I want them to eventually end up back together. I have the next chapter written and ready to post, I've just been anxious about it.

With love, your soulmate - summary: Carlos Reyes doesn’t think he has a soulmate. In the 22 years he had been alive he had never found anything that would tell him otherwise. At first, it bothered him that he was seemingly without anyone and that there wasn’t a perfect person out there for him but he learned to grow comfortable with that information. He learned to adapt, to date enough that he wouldn’t be lonely, and on the nights when he was without anyone he found ways to make himself feel good. He was content. Or so he thought so until a letter arrived on the day of his 22 birthday. A letter addressed to him, from the past and from his soulmate. From there, they start talking. Leaving letters for each other to find and read, falling in love through the words that they shared. Will TK ever catch up to Carlos so that they can have their happy ever after? Or will time remain cruel to them? **Soulmate AU based on the short film Brooklyn Love Stories - Long Time Distance Relationship with Ronen** This fic was such a labor of love because it was so hard at times to figure out timelines and to get it the way that I wanted it to go. In the end, it was so worth it and it's the first chapter fic I finished in this fandom. I also just love a good soulmate au.

Jingle those Balls - summary: Two families, one fake relationship. TK needs a fake date for his mother's Christmas Work Party. Enter Carlos. MY TARLOS HALLMARK FIC. I almost didn't write this but Cee encouraged me so much an dI am SO glad that I did. I ended up writing 20K words in two weeks and I just love how this turned out. It's silly, fun, a little angsty and smutty. Carlos is so sassy in it too. I had such a delight in writing it!

where do we go from here / how did we (i) get here? / And in your hands, is all of me - the parts I never let you have - I'm rec'ing all of these together because they truly need to be read together. These three fics kicked off my season 4 coda series and deals with the topic of Carlos being married to Iris. There's a fic from Carlo's POV, TK's POV, and then them together. I struggled a bit with the secret when it was revealed and this was a great way for me to work through it and I think I created some really good fics that deal with the topic.

Bonus +1

We can get a little crazy just for fun - My series of slutty Carlos fics. These are just fun, smutty fics that are inspired by Rafael's thirst posts and I always enjoy writing them. I think others would enjoy them as well.

[hlficlibrary]

Hello! First of all, thank you for all the work you do! As someone who's been in and out of the 1D fandom for more than a decade but still cannot escape the clutches of this goddamn ship, it's really nice to have a resource for discovering new (and old) fic now that all my fandom friends have slowly trickled over into new fandoms and I no longer have anyone to rec me new things (my most trusted fic friend has now completely converted to F1 fandom...the betrayal...)

Anyway! I saw that you got a request for any new famous/non-famous a little while back and thought I'd shoot you an ask. I still occasionally write and I published a new famous/non-famous a couple of months ago that I would love to share. I put you in the tags but it's probably gotten lost in the shuffle (also I probably did something wrong, I am getting fandom Old after all). I would really appreciate if you wanted to share it to the library as I'm quite fond of it and would love more people to read it :) I'll put a link to the fic post below. Hope you have a lovely day! xx

joekavaliers.tumblr.com/ post/731459442464440320/new-fic

Hello! You're so incredibly welcome! I definitely know the feeling of fandom friends finding new fandoms...argh the betrayal! lol! I'm publishing this publicly, which I hope is okay to do. I did just reblog your fic post today after getting your ask, but I wanted to answer this ask because I don't know whether it just didn't show up in the tags or I somehow missed it. But I'm so so glad you sent me an ask to let me know that it hadn't ever gotten reblogged! I really want to encourage any writers out there if you notice that your fic hasn't been reblogged in a week or two which is about how far out the queue goes in general (Sometimes more, sometimes less just depending on how many people have tagged posts!) please just send me an ask letting me know! I really do just want to support all the new fics that come out! (Okay, but I looked at your ao3 and this doesn't belong on this blog but you wrote a Tomlinshaw fic that I LOVED! Professional competitive asshole Louis lmao so good) And of course, here is your new fic!

Allegiance to your burning heart by driveinbingo

“Have you written any more new songs?”

“I have, yeah. Lately they’re just…coming out of me.”

“Are there any more about me?”

He places a hand on the back of Louis’s neck, carding his fingers through the hair there. It’s getting long again, almost the length it was when Harry left. “They’re all about you.”

*

In the ten years since he last saw his ex-boyfriend, Harry has become very rich and very famous and everything's just great, thank you very much. He definitely doesn't even think about Louis anymore. And he's certainly not going to let a ghost from his past haunt him as he embarks on the biggest tour of his career.

Except Louis always did find a way to crawl underneath his skin, didn't he?

[lazywriter7]

OMG! I didn't realize you were back in the Steve/Tony fandom! This is so exciting! Your fics got me into the Steve/Tony groove and it feels like a real homecoming! What have you been up? How've you been? Have you been reading any fics? I love your new WIP!

Aw, thank you anon! To be back, one must first leave, and I don't know if I left Steve/Tony as much as got incredibly slow with my updates :D I have always had Steve/Tony on the mind, even when I'm reading other fandoms or writing other ships, and getting to put some of those extra-marinated ideas to words has been really fun of late.

@stonyauniverse has been great for getting back into the groove, and I've had a blast with writing outsider POV/non-powered AU in non functional requirements and alt time periods and middle-school Stony in we were infinite. I'm hoping to complete the latter within the month - which I assume is the new WIP you were referring to :D There's also the timeloop WIP which I haven't given up on yet - the days, the days (they break to fade), as well as my WIPs for my other ships waving to me in the background :)))) Which brings me to what I've been reading! This resurgence in motivation is largely due to the binge-read of old Stony classics that I did for rec week over at @cap-ironman. Hundreds of thousands of words of Steve and Tony interacting in every possible universe - like going through boxes of your oldest and best memories <3 So if anyone's keen on re-remembering why this ship is so great or reconnecting with the community, see what other people have been reading and reccing over there! Mine are aptly listed under the #capimrecweek tag on my blog :D Thanks again for your kind words anon - and feel free to drop by if you (or anyone else) ever want to chat more Stony!

[tboybuck]

stupid pointless rambles about writing under the cut

i keep thinking about this post i read once that was like "if you're having to force the words to come, take a break." the post went on to say that, as a reader, you can always tell when an author has had to force the words onto the page, and when you do the same thing as a writer, it'll be glaringly obvious.

lately, i've been having to force the words to come. i know i need to take a break, maybe do some reading to motivate myself, but it's hard because for the past two months i've found so much joy in writing, for the first time in years. and now i'm spiraling, and i can't write anything worth a damn. it's not writer's block, and i don't think it's imposter syndrome exactly. it's like my self awareness woke up, pointed at my writing, circled great big passages with bright red ink said went, "autism. autism. autism."

everything i write is so literal. my grasp of metaphor is tenuous at best. i can spot them and understand them when i read or hear them, but i cannot for the life of me come up with a lovely, clever turn of phrase that paints a picture. and when i do come up with a good metaphor, it's like the highlight of my week.

and then i get on here and read some truly outstanding little fics by the writers in this fandom and then the imposter syndrome sets in. i don't know if i'll ever be able to write like that. i don't know if i will ever be able to color well enough inside the lines of characterization to avoid he would not fucking say that syndrome.

anyway. i should actually get some work done at my job now. maybe i'll do some reading tonight when i get home. if anyone's actually reading this, i could really use some recs - lesser known stuff with really a+ characterization.

[valdomarx]

Steve/Tony recs: recent fics

For the @cap-ironman​ rec week for (a slightly late) All New Monday, here are some Steve/Tony works published in the last year which I’ve been loving.

Please comment and kudos to thank our awesome authors <3

MCU

staring into the sun by tony_starkrogers @tony-starkrogers

Falling in love is never easy, especially when you're super secret spies in the 1970's.  (A Captain Stevens and Doctor Potts AU.)

A Coincidence called Fate. by SilverInStars @silverinstars

The first time Potts met Stevens, the man had come limping into the infirmary. His face was pale, but he held himself upright.

Midnight Confessions by msermesth @msermesth

In order to infiltrate SHIELD in 1970, Tony and Steve need three things-- 1. Some clothes 2. A plan 3. A grasp of the unresolved sexual tension between them

Breathless by KandiSheek                 

How do you even start a conversation like that? Hey, sorry, but last night you sort of jerked me off through our bond and now I know the serum makes you shoot off in like two seconds, oops. Wherein Tony can feel everything Steve feels and it makes things very awkward.

Locked in  by gottalovev

At a gala, Steve and Tony are drugged, kidnapped and wake up in a small cell (Tony isn't a fan). They rally up and think of a plan, but while trying to escape Tony says something that could change everything between them.

616

Magnetic North by  msermesth  @msermesth

Tony joins Steve on his post-Secret Empire road-trip-slash-pity-party. Turns out the road home is paved with a lot of arguments and sex.

A Real Boy by Sineala @sineala

When Steve shows up for the Avengers' team meeting, he quickly discovers that the version of Tony in attendance this week is the artificial intelligence. But Tony is still Tony, the man Steve has loved for years, and him being a hologram doesn't stop the two of them from falling for each other. They just have a few kinks to work out.

Wash That Man (right out of my hair) by Mizzy @mizzy2k

When Steve sees the hot guy showering in the Avengers Mountain communal showers, he's interested immediately. Then he discovers it's Tony that he's spent the last few minutes lusting after. The last thing Steve Rogers ever expected to do was have to develop a way to hide his attraction to Tony Stark. Chanting villain names seems to do it, but how long will that work for? (Maybe he can also blame the hot tub?)

Hide Your Love Away by Sineala @sineala

Tony has suspected for a long time that the soulmark on his chest matches Steve's -- but he's never told Steve about it. And then it's too late to tell Steve anything at all ever again. In the wake of Steve's death, the Skrull invasion, and Norman Osborn's rise to power, the identity of his soulmate is just one of the many things Tony cuts out of his memory forever.

When Tony returns to consciousness, he's forced to deal with the aftermath of a war he no longer remembers fighting, not to mention a Steve Rogers who can barely stand to be in the same room with him. Surely the last thing Tony could ever need in his life is more amnesia. But that's what he gets. And Tony's new missing memory just might be the key to finding out the truth of his soulmark... as well as his chance to make things right once and for all.

come with me and eScape by CapnShellhead @capn-shellhead

When Tony Stark gifted the Avengers team with prototypes for his new product, the eScape, most of them just set it aside. With no current missions and urgent calls, Steve decides to test it out one day. In the process, he gets a little bit of his past back.

Ults

Under God by isozyme @isozyme

“Captain America represents the values of our country.  The recent allegations about his sexuality are specious and designed to smear an American icon.  Captain Rogers regularly attends the Church of Saint Agnes and invites the citizens of New York to attend worship with him this Sunday, April 14th.  God bless America.”

Nobody was ever going to know.  Steve would be a good husband, a good father, and he’d never give in to sin and touch another man. But Steve makes two mistakes, one after the other: he leaves two words out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and he doesn’t notice a camera flash among the strobe lights of a dark club, because he’s dancing with his clumsy hands on Tony’s hips.

Company by FestiveFerret @festiveferret            

Steve gets his hotel room number wrong.

Reel it In by MystikSpiral                 

He couldn't remember what had been said, all he knew at that moment was that he was face up on the floor with Steve's boot snug against his neck. He also knew his cock was straining against boxers that Steve would find obscenely expensive. Steve pushed down harder and Tony let out a gurgle that was meant to be a cry. Either one would have been embarrassing enough.

1872

Clementine by Wikketkrikket

From the prompt: 'The people of Timely have started getting suspicious about how much time their Sheriff is spending at their Blacksmith's house' Ever since he was injured and his arm badly damaged in the incident with Fisk, Steve has been staying with Tony. He helps Tony stay off the drink and keep his ribbon, and Tony helps him tie his shoelaces. They're in love, but they aren't breaking any laws. Steve is very careful about that. Except people are starting to talk anyway, and when a new Deputy arrives in town with suspicion in his eyes things get riskier than ever.

Ambiguous

For A Good Time Call by BeenAsleepFor70Years 

Steve explores his sexuality by trying out a phone sex service. He may just leave the situation crushing on the guy at the other end of the phone. He already had feelings for his teammate Iron Man, now a new crush gets thrown into the mix. What ever shall he do?

[distort-opia]

Sup, it's me again🤗 and it's not an ask again😅. Tbh, I don't really know if it's up to your tastes but these fics are the ones I also enjoy that wasn't included in the fanfic recs. (I know there's more, but as of right now these is what I thought of)

I'm also sucker for angst because conflict is nice, it makes the story more interesting, especially when they are about to resolve or confront it. I also like slow burn so these 3 Batjokes fics are up to 100k words. I love reading fics, especially a long one shot story or multi-chapter story. (PS. I'm not really good at telling how good something is, like I can never be a sales person hence that's not what my course is focusing about 🤣.)

All jokes aside by notandysamberg

It's a finished story with 135k words. It also has a sequel published tonight(day?). It gives the perspective of other characters, which I like since it adds to the angst😈🤣. The emotional conflict is nice.

The Pas de Deux of Nature’s Dark and Light by: Thicc_eyebrows

This is an ongoing story with 101k words as of right now. Updates a bit slow but is great (imo). Other character's perspective are explored, which I actually enjoyed since it also gives spot light to other rogues. It's a slow burn and I meant it, the last recent chapter just started really focusing now to the Batjokes. The main character is an original character and I think she's great since she sort of have a outside perspective of Gotham.

Silent Night In Gotham by: anthonyjstark

It is also an ongoing story with 202k words. It also updates a bit slow, but it give a lot in a single chapter. I love the murder mystery aspect of this story. The suspense and thrill is so good 😍 (if I can animate well I would certainly do the last recent chapter). The other characters are also really good. I love how the author wrote since I was able to imagine the scene especially the actions. This is the most serious one from all three of these fanfic rec of mine.

I know the fics are long, but I think that they are a good read. And if you already have read them before, then that's great.

(Actually I just remembered more, but it's a bit late here now, I still need to wake up early for tommorow, it's the final week of my first semster😅 Also, it might be already included to that fic rec list, gotta check😅

I also saw that you like Hannibal and it just happens that I also liked it. I'm late to the party since I only started watching it last year 😅).

Anyways, have a good night(day?) 😁

Eyy, thank you so much for the recs! I also really like slow burn and angst (unsurprisingly), so these fics being around 100k is very good. I didn't know about All jokes aside or The Pas de Deux of Nature’s Dark and Light, but I do know about Silent Night in Gotham. I heard great things about it, so this is probably a sign to finally check it out one of these days.

Wishing you the best of luck with your exams, btw! And glad you enjoyed Hannibal too -- I've been obsessed with it ever since it came out, I watched it in real time. Utter Hannigram brain rot :)) It's definitely my second fandom and ship, after Batman. Such a good show.

You have a good night/day too!! Take care <3

[lauras-collection]

writer year in review 2021

I'm pretty sure I did this in 2020 as well and it's such a cool way to look back on the year so here it is :D

tagged by @venomsilk and @t-lostinworlds

first creation and most recent creation of 2021

first creation would be beyond being friends part 4 does that count because it's part of a series? :D if not then my first one shot of the year was did I mention I love you? wrote this after watching cherry because I just had so many feelings lmao

most recent creation is my first ever Peter Parker fic I'll find you and I'm so excited to write the second part for this when I've got the time *cries*

one of your favorite creations from 2021

I really like lonely heart. it just has everything I love in a fic, angst and soft smut and just overall softness lol

a creation you’re really proud of

heartbreak girl without a doubt!!! My first (and so far only) long one shot!! I still can't believe I managed to write 15k words for a one shot... and in such a short time as well. I wrote it in like a week and a half?? usually it takes me like a months to even get close to 10k.

a new style you tried this year and a fic that uses it

hmmm I haven't really tried anything new this year I think??

a creation that took you forever

hm I'm tempted to say heartbreak girl just because it's the longest but as I said it didn't take me long at all. Most of my fics this year were spur of the moment fics that I wrote pretty quickly. So I'll go with impatient because I had the rough draft for this written in like... September 2020 and I posted the final fic at the beginning of October 2021 soooo :D

your creation from 2021 that received the most notes

interview intermission my first (and so far only) post to reach 1k+ notes :'))) cherry press was a great time for my creativity lmao

a creation you think deserved more notes

electric love I know harrison fics don't get as many notes as tom fics. this man needs more love in general!!! but I love electric love so much I'm thinking about expanding it and maybe making it my first attempt at publishing something. like there's a whole lot more in my mind in that universe if you will and so many more stories to be told. but the fic itself kinda flopped.

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it

none. lol

a creation you made that breaks your heart

I'll find you iykyk

a ‘simple’ creation that you really love

ice lolly. basically pwp but so much fun?? :D

a favorite creation created by someone else

anything by @heyhihellowhatsup0 I'm ashamed to say that I read very little fic this year :( but if you go through my fic rec tag you'll find lots of amazing fics :'))

some of your favorite content creators from the year

@heyhihellowhatsup0 of course, love you bestie, @selfcarecap, @userholland, @venomsilk, @tomhollandd / @starksparker / @johnnmurphy (I just never know which of your blogs to tag lol), @duskholland, and many more that I'm forgetting right now 😬 but again, check my fic rec tag!!

and for good measure, a couple more creations of yours that you love

here are the fics I haven't mentioned yet:

puppy love perhaps my only oneshot without smut this year?????

satin and silk* | ceo!tom

my adorable prince*

call me names*

tagging: I'm so late I'm sure everyone who wanted to do this already did this but if you see this and want to do it consider yourself tagged lol

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Oh wow, I just read your post about feeling really drained, and I literally want to give you a hug in person but I cant. I hope you know that you're a beloved person in the fandom, and your fic recs are absolutely beautiful. Sometimes, when I'm having bad days i come here and immediately get cheered up by the fluffy recs. Just, know that you're sending a lot of love through the internet to tons of people. Hope some of our love finds its way to you too. Wish you feel better soon. Lots of love

ALSO, please do get a therapist if you feel like you need a source to help you get past your difficulties. They're HIGHLY underrated, and literally so many more people should see them too, regardless of whether their emotions have reached a breaking point. You shouldn't LET yourself stretch to the point of breaking. Take care of yourself, and have a good vacation. Also, good luck on the job search, I'm sure you'll do great!

(referencing this post)

Hi Nonny *HUGS*

Thank you so much for your generous words, love, and support. Seriously, sometimes my dumb brain just decides “today, you’re gonna have a terrible day” and every little thing I do just upsets me if it goes wrong, or exhausts me, etc. I just really need a break. And not just from work. I’ve been doing a LOT of thinking lately and I might have to take a break from Tumblr too, if only because right NOW, I’m only on my laptop from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, and it’s making me lazy, depressed, and stressed and I just need a break. 

And yes, I agree about the therapist. My current job offers free therapy services, but they’re currently not taking new patients until we go back to offices, so I imagine their waitlist will be long after All This™ given how many of my co-workers are all in the same sort of mental state as I am :P

My mental health is better on days like today, where it’s sunny and comfortably warm out (not gross hot out where you can’t escape them) so I’m looking forward to my walk at lunch today hahah. 

And yeah, I’ve decided that so long as stuff doesn’t get shaken up too much in August with the changeover of higher-ups, I’ll stick it out and see if it gets better, or hopefully I’ll still keep my job, but update everything and put my feelers out there for something comparable. I make decent money and genuinely like the work I do, it’s just the people above me, I feel don’t respect me, and I’m hoping when the changeover happens I can have my say to the new people. *shrugs* Wishful thinking. 

Anyway, so YES, I need a break, I just feel REALLY BAD that it might also include a break from here too. But it’s rare I’m EVER allowed three weeks in a row off from my job, so I think I should take advantage of that. We’ll see.

Thank you so much, Lovely, for this, really. I keep a lot bottled up (in real life too) because I don’t want to upset anyone here because they need me to be their support, so yeah. Anyway. 

I hope I find love soon too, hahah. I’m THIS_CLOSE to sending in the adoption forms to the Humane Society to apply for cat adoption, so does that count? LOL. 

Love you Nonny, and Love all of y’all very much.

[onceandfuturebitch]

Hi! You mentioned that lately you're getting lots of asks/messages about Maycury. I have a theory why people might be suddenly interested? I'm a Maylor fan myself, but ever since that controversy surrounding Bri's instagram (BoRhap movie, Zanzibar, baseless accusations of him being "homophobic" & "didn't care about Freddie"), I'm curious about Maycury. Maybe it's the way he reacted (someone who seems so rational, yet reacted so emotional/defensive), makes me go hmm, might be something there...

you’re not wrong, brian is always super s u p e r defensive when it comes it freddie and tbh he always has been. i fucking love it bc its a) brian being defensive and protective over freddie which i Love and b) brian Arguing and Being Right and Being Stubborn (i do not for the life of me understand how people in this queen/bo rhap fandom have this portrayal of brian as meek and nice when he’s a certified asshole at times)

honestly though brian going to zanzibar........ZANZIBAR like??? what a month before he’s off on a world tour (almost world tour release a fuckin uk leg ffs) when he should be resting and relaxing and gearing up for months of hard works. nah. he’s off Visiting Freddie’s Childhood Home. just bc he wants to. its not for a documentary, its not as a band bc roger didnt tag along. nope brian went wandering around freddie’s old house, freddie’s old school, freddie’s old streets just to........god idk why to be close to him, to understand something about him he never got the chance to understand when freddie was alive bc u know freddie didnt talk about his life before england. he went on a Pilgrimage to freddie’s hometown and that says So Much

and ur right with the ‘baseless’ homophobic accusations! sorry to anyone who feels differently but bo rhap was an amazing movie and ur all wrong about it. people who think bo rhap was a homophobic movie have not experienced homophobic movies bc when i went to the cinema i watched a film about a gay man who struggled to accept himself, then embraced himself, who experienced the gay scene to the fullest, found a happy ending, and also happened to be a fucking rockstar legend along with the most bangin soundtrack of a movie to date. i left the cinema feeling uplifted and happy and pretty fucking gay. like no wonder brian got pissed off when people starting throwing about the word homophobia bc........idk why they did.....honestly think its cause they didnt get a fucking deaky audition scene or some shit bc its the freddie film and, back to point a, brian gets super protective over anything to do with freddie

(also side note ppl who genuinely believe brian is straight............cute)

sorry this is getting long but you had a lot of points to cover. i’m glad you’re curious about maycury bc there’s so much There, they were two sides of the same fucking coin, they challenged each other and made each other better, they were the fucking leaders of that band (brian slightly edging it on pure dom energy dont @ me) and they loved each other. and thats that on that.

(if you’re rly curious im in the process of putting together a maycury fic rec list (tho i might wait until after maycury week so there’s More) and i deffo recommend heading over to freddie-mercurial‘s blog cause she has some great posts on the matter!!)

[likeawildthing]

Hi, I just wanted your opinion on something. Me and a few others have noticed on tumblr that people sort of 'recycle' other peoples posts. As in, they take their ideas or actually sentences straight out of them and pretty much copy and paste, and gain lots of notes that way. Is this plagarism? I don't think it's nice to do but I'm not sure if it's actual plagarism. I just wanted your opnion if you don't mind

I’ve experienced straight up plagiarism and every shade ofgrey:  people copying my fanfics to theiraccounts, hacking and making crappier versions of headcanon posts I worked on, copyingand pasting lines into standalone posts, straight up screenshotting posts fortumblr and other social media.

When I first started in fandom I’d get so riled about all ofit, but especially that questionable ‘is this intentional because it suresounds familiar’ type thing. I’d also get into heated debates over characternuances, fandom tirades, etc. In discussing both of these issues with seasonedfandom friends, I heard over and over that there’s nothing in fandom worthgetting upset about, because it’s all been said before.

I rolled my eyes, because of course there was! That personCOPIED my post! That was my idea last week/month! That character is a greasyslime ball and so is anyone who stans for him!

And then, when my one year in fandom rolled into two, three,four, five, my group of friends mostly moved on from those spirited debates and(omg) sex riots, took our discourse offline into real life stuff as friendshipsgrew, and stopped spending so much time on Tumblr.

A new batch of enthusiasts cropped up, and watching you guysblossom has been deja vu.

Even I was annoyedwhen I saw someone making a bunch of character meta posts I had already made,until I realized how silly that was, because no one was ‘copying’ my work. Youwere discovering the same things about [insert character] that I haddiscovered. It became an interesting sociology observation. Your revelation? Yourinside jokes? Your fandom tirades? All essentially the same. Your passion drovethe same enthusiastic late-night, twelve paragraph meta binges that had fueled me.

How can I begrudge people the joy of that falling into the fandomrabbit hole feeling?

This cracked podast (the only cracked podcast episode I’llever rec lol) is an interesting listen. I don’t agree with everything they say,but the crux is that there aren’t many new ideas, and that culture (what comesin) spawns divergent ideas in people all. the. time. Multiple people had the idea for harry potter at the same time. Patents are sometimes filed on the same day. That’s just how ideas work.

Fandom is an insular bubble on a good day, lovelies. It’s narrower if you are just on one site,narrower still if you’re into the same few ships or characters. Everyone’sexperience is different, yes, but there are a finite number of headcanons, ficideas, meta posts, jokes. People say “has anyone done this” on an edit or comicfor a reason: because most of them had been said before, probably dozens oftimes.

A few years ago I had an idea to draw out Tom Riddle’s diarypages, one of them being all the other anagrams Riddle could have used insteadof I am Lord Voldemort. Sound familiar? It should, because someone else had alreadycome up with the idea. Luckily I saw that comic someone else had made before I actually drew and released it. But in myhead it was a completely original idea! Now I may have seen it, forgotten aboutit, and then it popped back into my consciousness as a great idea, or we boththought of it separately. A few months ago a friend and I discovered that we’ddeveloped and written the same, very specific side-character headcanon into twoseparate fics.

I do understand your frustration, especially if those postsare more popular than yours. But memory is a fallible, fickle thing. I’d encouragethe benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they don’t realize. Perhaps they’re lonelyand are trying to make friends. Perhaps they’re struggling with mental illnessand that little bit of validation is the only thing getting through the day. It’ssuper easy to vilify someone on the other side of a screen when we don’t knowthem. Try reaching out (off anon) and just starting a conversation.

There are people who build a blog from deliberately stealingothers’ work, but the vast majority of us are here to have a good time. And soare you. If you’ve been talking to people then it sounds like you’ve gotfriends here. Commit to curating the best fandom experience for yourself thatyou can—you owe it to yourself!

You might roll your eyes at this response… Fair, but come talk to me in four years. :D Years in fandom have given me an excellent set of blinders.I come here to find what I want and ignore everything else. I don’t…owe anyoneon here anything. That anon who asked me about johnny d*pp…again? Not worth it.That person who literally screenshotted one of my posts…again? Not worth it. You’rehere to have fun, not to be miserable or get notes. If that means blockingchronic grey-area offenders, do it. Report straight up plagiarist posts if youfeel the need, but then let it go. Hang in there!