#i've been reading more fics lately

[kazimo]

Just realized I forgot to post this here too :0

Anyway, fic rec time for the quanyin bingo! More under the cut!

First, “The words that take us by surprise” by tiny_sobek! This fic was inspired by one of my quanyin fanarts and has a special place in my heart ☺️ Very, very cute and sweet short fic! ❤️

If you’re in the mood for a longer read, I also recommend her series “Closer now than yesterday”, especially if you crave that happy ending and relationship development we never really got in canon 🥲

Lastly, I’d like to rec “Curl” by LinXueLian! It’s one of the first quanyin fics I read and I still love it :3 It’s a very fun read and includes one of my fav tropes for them, which is Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen being worshiped together post-canon 🤭

[juustozzi]

you might've seen this in an ask already, but decided to post here too; a collection of Tenmas from Yara's fics, since I love the differences that thrown into different timelines and happenings give him!

[whattheskyknows]

just read all of 13 students remain in 3 days and wrote my first AO3 comment on it

just wanted to also come here and say your writing is devastating (/pos) and I can't wait to see how the fic ends

Ooough sorry I didn't see this until now!!!

But ahhhhh, thank you so much!!! I'm so glad that you've enjoyed my fic!!!

[blorb-el]

14 and 24

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write (fanfic end of year asks)

answered over here! the tl;dr is it's sure on this shining night, which is gen superfam fic focused on kara and martha recreating kryptonian recipes for the winter solstice <3

24. favorite fic you read this year

I can never pick just one... particular favorites this year were...

hoebiwan's onward, lonesome hero (carry on, carry on), a clark gets captured by lex early on au which gave me so much brainrot my wip fic of this fic is currently sitting at about 50k

nichepastiche and wisteria_lodge's Relationship Status, a very loving and intimate superbat getting together with low drama fic, with a lot of tenderness and a calm, unique and lovely flowing dialogue style even throughout the E rated scenes (so hard to pull off!!)

ionia/@supermanshield's Devotion, a lovely (very explicit) intimate superbat first time where every sentence just feels like canon, down to bruce forgetting his toothbrush

shipyrds/@burins' from the inside of the wound, a pain swap fic between bruce and clark that is somewhat like taffy in that it is rich and layered and sticks with you and i've been chewing on it for weeks/gently rotating it in my head

believe it or not i do actually occasionally read fics about non-superheroes... my favorite of which this year was ellen_fremedon's ongoing epic Les Mis fic In Which Is To Be Learned The Name of Enjolras's Fake Fiancée. I'm not convinced this author isn't a time traveler direct from 1832 the way the detail in this is so extraordinary, and the slow unfurling of characterization is unreal. It's probably readable canon-blind, if any followers of this blog happen to be into Hugolian style narration.

and my favorite superman fic of all time which I first came across in 2022 but no joke reread every three months or so, which easily makes my top 10 superman stories ever, the unreally good Shatterfall by tandrelmairon. read it and then agonize with me about how it's unfinished and hasn't been updated since 2007. then go read their OTHER stellar clois fic Getting Eaten Alive which IS complete

[nostalgia-tblr]

u know, once someone has pointed out the orientalism in most of fandom's depictions of jotun!loki you can never unsee it.

[rotisseries]

every time I get on tiktok and am reminded how popular the attitude of not reading incomplete fics is I'm just so sincerely confused cause there is so much joy in just. watching something be created over time idk

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Fic Rec Friday!!

No one said I couldn't do it more than once a day!

Todays other fic rec of the day is *drumroll* ...

problems for our future selves

By: @managician

Fandom: Sonic Prime

Ship: Sonic the Hedgehog/Nine the Fox

Rating: G

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 4,792

Link:

ㅤ

Now, you may already recognize this fic title as I have reblogged the official tumblr posting for this fic before and recommended it in the reblog tags.

While not necessarily tagged as such, I have always found this fic to be a bit of a refreshing character study. The author mixes predictions for what was the upcoming S2, self indulgence, and character interpretation in a fic that puts you inside the head of the character Nine. In this case, it explores his feelings and actions post S1 in regards to his goals, his situations, and how he feels about Sonic.

Even with the context of Sonic Prime S2 fresh on the mind, the fic reads as a plausible follow up to the ending of Season 1 if things were to go a bit differently. The interactions Nine has with Sonic, as well as the confusing nature of his feelings towards him, read very realistic to me in the context of the show, and as moments/topics that could theoretically be explored in such a setting. Nine is angry with Sonic, but also feels giddy when it comes to him. He needs Sonic alive if he is to be free from the council, doesn't care about him otherwise, right? And yet, he knows that he does. He feels that it would be easier for him if he did not care about Sonic, especially after how he's shaken up his life and left him behind, but he cannot help but care. He does not know how to feel about (or rather doesn't know if he can handle) the prospect of Sonic dying or the Chaos Council killing him, and yet also doesn't know what he will do if Sonic does come to save him.

As someone who'd hungered for some good Sonine or Nine character analysis around S2's release, this fic absolutely delivered, and it's one I still come back to and read quite a lot. Likewise, as someone who is aroaspec themselves but adores romance I love Sora's take on Sonine's relationship. Nine's confusion about his feelings come from a place of liking a person even though it feels like you shouldn't after everything, yes. Sure, it also comes from a place of inexperience in relationships. But to me it also depicts Nine in the position of not being able to place a relationship as purely platonic or romantic.

But anyways, I digress. This fic is sweet, a little angsty, and a bit bittersweet, and I'd recommend it for those who like stories regarding people trying to work out what a person means to them, and for those seeking Sonine in a canon context. This read is perfect for people who like to come away from a fic thinking about the implications of the characters' actions and taking another dive into their heads. It is also for those not afraid of reading something bittersweet, as the characters themselves aren't sure how to feel or how the future will turn out.

[benevolenterrancy]

Last line meme

rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).

Tagged for this by @mikkeneko -- thanks for the tag! I've been mostly picking at concepts lately; the most recent doc I had open was a fic where Xie Lian meets He Xuan before Hua Cheng and miscommunications ensue, just because I have fun playing with their dynamic

He was in the middle of a meeting when his corpse finally woke up and seemed inclined to stay awake. It had taken four days.  After the first day the man had managed to stay breathing continuously, and his heart had been beating any time He Xuan had made a demon check on it, but the man still hadn’t responded to anything beyond the occasional wild muscular impulse that consumed him, causing him to writhe in the sand or descend into coughing fits as his lungs continued to exorcise themselves of water. During the second and third days the demons had reported that he had very gradually begun to show more awareness.

People to tag... let's see... @tuttle-4077, @auxiliarydetective, @sorrel-scribbles, @morporkian-cryptid, @frau-wilhelm-klink, @rose-of-pollux and of course anyone else that wants an excuse, consider this my tag for you to talk about your writing!

[fandom-hoard]

Is it just me or is there a trend of more and more "poorly written" fics?

I don't mean "poorly written" as in the story being bad or not engaging, I just mean that it'd get a bad grade in school because it doesn't have correct capitalization/punctuation/formatting/ect.

But fanfiction is NOT written for a grade, so authors can write however they want. Just, can anyone tell me if they think fanfiction getting more casual is a trend that's going to keep increasing?

I'm not against reading fic like this it's just that I find it very very distracting and tiring to try and read, but I don't want to miss out on good fics because I grew up with some elitist idea of what writing should look like or something.

[sysig]

It always seems like such a good idea in the moment (Patreon)

The first four are in reference to a great idea I had of - since I’ve finished my lower-limit page number testing for making books; shorter fics take up less page space, and just increasing the font size isn’t as handsome! - simply making a mini book! All it would take would be to halve the pages again, right? Just cut them right down the middle! Easy peasy!

As I’m sure you can tell by the second, no. Not easy peasy. Difficult painful un-fun >:(

Obviously I still did it tho! What do you take me for, someone who could have the idea of an even tinier book and then not do something about it?? No It’s also the only one so far to have a paper bookmark rather than a ribbon!

All told it’s a bit smaller than your average manga (I love the monochrome covers on these under their dust jackets haha <3) - you can see even with effectively doubling up the pages by halving their size, it was still very small-spined!

A quick shot while it was still being made hehe ♪ It’s Out! Paired here - and the earlier one, just without its dust jacket haha - with my Zarla SC2 collection (ft. Family, Negotiations are Going...Well, and With No Obligation) - I absolutely kicked myself after the fact for not including Out as the run-up to everything, I was really trying to make a full collection in probably-chronological order! Out would’ve been a perfect start! And it only would’ve taken like four pages!!

Ah well, it was still quite a learning experience - I probably wouldn’t make another standalone of under 4k-ish just for formatting reasons but I did get some good ideas of how to do so if I wanted to! Although, my next project is going to be even more of a formatting nightmare........I’ll get there when I get there! Lol

[asjjohnson]

He lives in Amity Park. Just one of seventy thousand people making a living under the shield.

He makes a modest salary working at a garage. There's a handful of cars per day, coming in for oil changes or tune-ups, and the work is divided between him and two coworkers.

He considers himself to be pretty average. One face lost within a sea of thousands. Unnoticed and unmemorable.

He doesn't mind. He's a pretty bland person overall. He doesn't do much other than work, eat, watch whatever's showing on TV when he's at his small apartment, and sleep; and he doesn't feel he needs more from life than that.

He moved to Amity Park a few years ago, after wandering from place to place.

The ghost thing was new to him. He can't remember seeing a ghost until after moving here. And when the purpose of the shield was explained to him, he couldn't imagine ghosts beyond a vague idea. They were said to be slightly translucent and able to fly. And, in Amity Park, ghosts are just another part of their way of life. A normal sight to see. Especially Phantom.

Even now he can't build a clear mental image or description when it comes to ghosts. He never had a chance to really take one in.

Every time he sees Phantom, his mind goes blank, in pure terror.

Even on the other side of the shield, high in the sky 500 feet away, barely even close enough to make out the cape and suit, the ghost would cause him to freeze in place on the sidewalk, forgetting how to breathe while people push past him to continue on their way.

---

He's at the garage when the sirens come on. In an oil-stained jumpsuit, on his back beneath a car.

At first he's confused, cocking his head to listen, but someone yells that it's the shield.

He should've recognized the sound. There's a drill twice a year. Somewhat of a holiday. The entire town meets up in the shelters under the city. But the timing is off. Wrong month, wrong day, wrong time. For one thing, there is no work on Drill Day. So he didn't make the connection at first.

He puts his wrench down and follows the others out of the garage.

When he steps through the door, he sees Phantom in the distance, throwing parked cars, and he freezes as the others run.

It gets hard to breathe. He can't get enough air. His vision zeroes in on Phantom, the rest of the world vanishing. His heart pounds in his chest like it's trying to free itself. Phantom is coming nearer. He feels dizzy. His head is swimming. He... he has to sit... His knees hit the asphalt. His palms keep him from falling, his eyes never leave Phantom. The ghost comes nearer, casually, meanderingly, blasting random objects. As near as three businesses down. Two. Phantom turns and blows up the building across the street.

Phantom turns back around. Eyes focused overhead, at the garage building. A giddy-looking grin. Then the eyes drift downward.

They lock on him.

"What do we have here? A flea that forgot how to scurry away?"

He shudders at the sound of the voice. Trembles as Phantom floats nearer. He cringes on the ground, seeing his death mere feet away. Stares wide-eyed.

Phantom's grin fades, eyebrows furrowing as eyes study his face. Then, "You?" The eyes narrow, a sneer crossing the face. "I should have finished you."

He shrinks back as Phantom reaches for him. Squeezes his eyes tightly shut. Death. Death.

But instead, a strong hand grips his upper arm—and something seems to light up behind his eyes.

Memories flow through him like water.

A sister. Spinning on her heel with long orange hair flying, a superior, righteous expression as she says something.

Parents. Both wearing tight jumpsuits, excited, building a deadly weapon at the dinner table while asking about school.

Friends. One in black and one with glasses, putting a finger to their earpieces as they talk over each other making suggestions.

...Himself.

Tiredly brushing long black bangs out of his eyes as he reaches for a toothbrush. Lying on his back looking up at the stars. Observing a translucent, slightly glowing gloved hand, wiggling the fingers.

He exhales with a hiss. And snaps his eyes open to glare at Phantom. "You!" He jerks back, breaking Phantom's grip on his arm.

He was robbed of ten years of his life. Of who he is. He lived through ten years not realizing what was going on around him. Accepting the shield and the destruction as normal! And it was a part of himself doing all of this! Making the shield necessary! Out having a joyride at everyone's expense!

He's so angry. Furious.

He can feel his eyes light up for a split second, and a flash of green sparking in his palms. "I'll destroy you!"

He doesn't run for the emergency ecto-gun in the garage.

He lunges at Phantom with his bare hands, palms repeatedly trying to glow, sparking for only an instant at a time, like an igniter without fuel to back it up.

[transingthoseformers]

dhhdjf ohh

okay so in one of the fics I found Ford just brought human!Bill into the Mystery Shack, right?

Except

His family doesn't know it's Bill

They all think Ford just shot some random fucking twink with a stun gun, dragged him into the shack, and shot him again.

[bubbleteasing]

Small fics update...

butb, 2x1, and the new acaat sequel are all in the works. I'll probably have at least two of those ready, plus a new chapter for the new fic the early bird catches de bone by next week.

[emotionalandroid]

Ugh, should I go back to haphazardly writing and posting that cliché Jian Yi mobster fic again? Have another go at not caring about posting really badly written fic? I was trying to do some sort of exposure therapy on myself with it, to make me care less about results and just sort of frolic in the mudhole of it all...

[kyouka-supremacy]

ok so I've been thinking about about akutagawa (as always) and... do you think he has an education? I don't think he ever went to school, I mean I do think he can read and write but I don't think he knows much more...

He definitely doesn't. And he still talks like that and it's absolutely hilarious.

Official material gives us a pretty exhaustive understanding of Akutagawa's life and we can tell with fair certainty he never had a proper education. He grew up in the slums until he was recluted in the pm by Dazai, and I highly doubt Dazai ever imprinted any kind of academic education on him (like I have reason to believe Kouyou may have done with Chuuya); on the contrary, I feel like Dazai always pushed to make out of Akutagawa this mindless fighting machine, always acting irrationally and on instinct and especially prone to take orders and not think with his head. After all, it's much harder for people that lack formal education to think critically and are thus also much easier to manipulate, so you can see why Dazai did that, how he never leaves anything to chance. I do think Akutagawa's lack of education is reflected in his impulsive, irrational behavior. Additionally, be it for circumstantial factors, be it because of his natural temperament, it's really hard to believe Akutagawa would ever be patient enough to sit to a schooldesk or even just... ever study anything on a textbook (it's the autism). I get why the image of brooding, mysterious guy often leads people to think that, but the concept of bookworm Akutagawa sounds extremely unbelievable to me, I struggle to believe he ever concluded a book his whole life as we know it.

Which leaves the question open on why Akutagawa talks like that™. My personal guess on that is that someone threw a big dictionary at him when he was very young and Rashomon absorbed it just like that