#it the fanfiction's author will want me to remove the link or that part I will do IMMEDIATELY

[a-court-of-fics-and-errors]

Keep Moving Forwards, Part 35

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Azriel x Reader Fic

Summary: After finally deciding to leave your abusive and manipulative mate for good, you find unexpected companionship with Azriel, the Shadowsinger of the Night Court. As you navigate the aftermath of your traumatic relationship, you struggle to understand where the mating bond went wrong and contemplate your path forward, vowing never to return to the past.

Find other parts here: Master List

To follow this fic, follow tag "Keep Moving Forwards Fic" or comment to be tagged in future parts.

Content Warning: This story contains depictions of extreme emotional manipulation and abuse, detailed descriptions of direct physical abuse, and scenes of men hunting women with implied sexual assault. Please read at your own risk.

Word Count: 7.2K - This definitely could have been split into multiple parts but I started foaming at the mouth and have no self control.

Author's Note: This is a multi-part series. Unlike my previous works, this fanfiction delves deeper than just fluff, exploring complex emotional landscapes. As I navigate this new writing journey, I kindly ask for gentle feedback. The topics addressed are profoundly impactful, touching many lives with diverse experiences. Please be gentle with yourselves and others. Healing is a journey, and everyone processes it differently. Be kind to yourself. Take what resonates, and leave what doesn’t.

Please continue reading, being aware of the above content warnings, ensuring you are in a healthy headspace. Give yourself time to process and be gentle with yourself.

Additional Note: You may have noticed that I’ve replaced all the images in previous parts with GIFs or photos linked to their original sources. A friend was helping me with the original images and I later found out they were primarily using AI-generated content. To support independent artistry, I’ve decided to remove those images and replace them with original works that include links to the sources. This decision aims to combat the negative impact AI can have on artists and creators. I apologize for the earlier oversight and will ensure to uphold artistic integrity going forward.

Three days. Three days in the House of Wind with just Azriel. The thought was exhilarating and a little terrifying, as you pondered the possibilities of what those days might hold. Azriel did have his personal home in Velaris, the Town House, but since your return, he had essentially relocated his life to the House of Wind to be near you. Now, you had three days of isolation with him, or so you thought.

Nesta paced about your room, her bare feet whispering against the plush blue carpet. You sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching a pillow in your lap as you watched her braided hair slowly unravel and the tension radiating from her every step. 

“Why did I do that? That was so stupid,” she muttered, her eyes flicking anxiously around the room.

“Nesta, you have to tell him,” you said softly, your voice steady but gentle.

“I could have waited longer, and now I’ve put myself in this situation,” she groaned, rubbing her temples as she sank into the chair in the corner, her fingers tracing erratic circles on her skin.

“How long did you think you could hold off?” you asked, knowing the answer was not much longer.

“Longer than this! Longer than this weekend.” She huffed, her fingers now digging into her scalp.

“Do you really not want to go?” you asked, watching as she chewed her lower lip, avoiding your gaze.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled, her eyes darting to the floor.

You leaned back against the headboard, drawing your knees up. “You know, it’s probably going to be a little strange, given you asked to stay at the cabin and now you’re the one backing out.”

Nesta sighed. “I can’t back out now,” she said, her voice wavering, as if she were trying to convince herself more than you.

“You could always figure out a reason not to go,” you suggested, half-heartedly. 

She peered up, her brows raised slightly as though the idea were preposterous. “Like what?”

You hesitated, knowing you shouldn’t encourage her reluctance, but the desperation in her eyes made you ignore your better judgment. “You could say you don’t feel well.”

Nesta scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Yeah, like that won’t raise more questions.”

“Or you could say you just don’t want to go. That you’re not feeling up to it,” you offered, rolling your eyes slightly.

She leaned forward, burying her face in her hands, rubbing them up and down as a groan escaped her. “I can’t back out,” she finally sighed, leaning back again, “I need to just get it out there. I can’t hide from it if he’s standing right in front of me.”

“To be fair, he’s been standing in front of you for the last week, and you’ve been avoiding it,” you pointed out, your tone light but with a hint of sarcasm.

Nesta’s glare could have melted stone, her eyes sharp and venomous. “That’s different,” she snapped, before her hand unconsciously moved to rest on her womb, a tender touch to the life growing inside her. She turned to gaze out the tall windows overlooking Velaris, her eyes like reflecting pools of fear, guilt, and perhaps hope.

You observed her quietly, noting the new radiance pregnancy seemed to give her. Despite her worries, her skin glowed with a renewed vitality, her eyes, though filled with uncertainty, shone brighter, and her hair had gained a lustrous fullness. It was remarkable how quickly pregnancy transformed her. Your thoughts drifted to your own mother, wondering if she too had experienced that early glow, if she had known about her pregnancy at four months, or if you had been a secret she kept even from herself for as long as she could.

You tried to pull yourself from that daydream, reminding yourself that your mother was more a figment of your imagination than a memory. It felt childish to pretend she was anything more. “Nesta,” you began gently, “I can’t say I know exactly how you’re feeling.” Her eyes flicked to you, her finger tracing her lips absently. “And I won’t say everything’s going to be okay because, well, we both know that’s a promise I can’t keep.” Nesta’s delicate finger paused on her lower lip, her other hand pressing gently on her stomach as you continued, “But carrying all this stress alone,” you gestured to her, “it’s not good for you or the babe.”

Nesta’s eyes hardened, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “Cassian wouldn’t want you to go through this by yourself,” you added softly.

Her gray eyes, clouded with grief, locked onto yours. You could see the inner struggle, the battle between her fear and the need to share her burden. Silver began to line her eyes, the tears she fought to hold back shimmering like tiny stars.

“It’s okay to be scared,” you whispered, leaning forward from the headboard. “It’s okay to worry about the worst and try to prepare for it.” As a single tear escaped down her flushed cheek, you added, “But it’s also okay to feel joy about this. To celebrate. This is a big deal, Nesta—this is amazing.”

She sniffled, her attempts to brush away the tears only making them fall faster. You offered a reassuring smile. “Enjoy these moments with Cassian. He’d want to share this with you.”

Nesta nodded, her tears now flowing freely despite her efforts to contain them. She sniffed, her smile watery but genuine. “What about you? Plan for this weekend?” she asked, clearly eager to shift the focus. ”

You looked down, rubbing your hands over your thighs, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks. “Not sure what you mean,” you muttered.

A crooked smile tugged at Nesta’s lips. “Three days alone with Azriel,” she reminded you, her voice laced with teasing.

You nodded, still fighting the blush spreading across your face and, perhaps, a few other places.

“No big plans?” she pressed.

You shook your head, “Nope. Nothing formal.”

“How’s everything going with Azriel?” she inquired, her tone growing more earnest.

You glanced up at her. “You mean with me and Azriel?”

She nodded, her gaze intent.

“It’s good. Things are good,” you said, your voice trailing off as you tried to keep your composure.

Nesta let a silence settle between you, her smile turning knowing, almost cheeky.

“What?” you asked, finally meeting her gaze.

Nesta shook her head, crossing one leg over the other casually. “Just seems like you two are enjoying each other's company a lot.”

“Yeah,” you admitted. “We do like spending time together.”

“A lot of time,” she added, her eyes twinkling.

You glanced at her, your cheeks burning. “We get along.”

Nesta’s catlike eyes gleamed with amusement. “You know, I’ve never seen Azriel look at anyone the way he looks at you.”

You didn’t respond, but her words struck a chord, making your heart race.

“It’s like he can sense when you’re about to enter the room and drops everything just to see you first,” she continued.

You shrugged, trying to deflect. “Isn’t that part of his job? To be observant?”

“Sure, but he doesn’t get that goofy smile for just anyone,” she teased.

You knew the smile she meant—the half grin Azriel couldn’t seem to suppress. You wanted to dismiss it as Nesta reading too much into things, but deep down, you couldn’t ignore that Azriel had confessed his feelings to you. Feelings he said he hadn’t even realized he had until you came along.

“So?” Nesta prompted, her voice light yet probing.

“So what?”

“So things are going very well then?” she asked, her question thinly veiled as a statement.

“Yes,” you admitted. “Things are going well.”

“And things…” she raised her eyebrows suggestively, “down south?”

Your eyes widened in shock.

“Oh come on,” she groaned, her hands slapping her thighs in exasperation. “You read as many of those smut books as I do. Give a girl some details.”

You laughed lightly, embarrassed but amused by her persistence.

“You know the boys have a joke about wingspan being related to… other sizes?” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

You looked down at your hands, “No, I didn’t.”

“Mhm, and Azriel always goes oddly quiet when they bring it up.”

You giggled, making Nesta’s grin widen. “So… it’s good?” she pressed.

You shook your head, still laughing. “I wouldn’t know.”

Nesta’s face fell slightly, confusion clouding her features. “Wait, you mean you haven’t-?”

You shook your head, meeting her gaze. “We haven’t. Not yet.”

“But he’s been in your bed for months!” she exclaimed, a note of desperation in her voice.

You shrugged, feeling a mix of awkwardness and honesty. “We just,” you paused, “We haven’t gotten there yet.” And now pink rose to your cheeks for a different reason. 

Nesta broke her gaze, her own face flushing with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

You cut her off gently, “No, it’s okay. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.”

Her interest sparked again, though she still looked cautious. “Have you two talked about it at all?”

You pulled the pillow closer to your lap, your fingers nervously tracing nonexistent frays. “Not really.”

You’d shared more of your past with Nesta than with anyone else, down to the painful details you tried to bury. Her voice, gentle and filled with concern, asked, “Are you ready for that?”

You kept your eyes fixed on the pillow. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable with,” she began, her tone careful, “but I guess I just want to know if you’ve been intimate like that with anyone other than… him.”

A shudder ran through you at the thought of the 'him' she referred to, memories of past pain and harsh touches flooding back. “No,” you replied softly. “Not fully.”

Nesta nodded, understanding. “Do you think you’d want to try?”

You considered her question. Your body responded intensely to Azriel, your stomach fluttering at the thought of him, and his touch sent electric shocks through you. Physically, you were more than ready for something beyond mild petting. But those memories were powerful, and they had interfered before. They had with Kai, where attempts at intimacy had often triggered terrible flashbacks, forcing you to stop. Now, knowing that moments of vulnerability could open a line to Caelum, you worried if you could ever enjoy intimacy without the fear of what might slip through the bond. You looked up at Nesta, your voice trembling slightly, “I don’t want to go my entire life without being close to someone like that.”

Nesta gave you a gentle smile. “I think we both know that Azriel would understand.”

You returned a tight-lipped smile. You wanted to believe he would understand, that maybe he would even forgo that aspect if you asked. But then you thought of his skin against yours, the longing you felt for him, and the dream of a life you wanted, one that included closeness and a future you couldn’t have if you couldn’t be that intimate.

Nesta’s voice softened, almost a whisper. “I know it’s a little hypocritical, but,” she met your eyes, “just talk to him.”

She smiled softly, and you found yourself smiling back. You chucked the pillow across the room at her. She laughed, a bright sound that echoed through the room, and you laughed too. It felt good to laugh like that, to share a moment of joy with her, a moment that just felt normal. 

—

Nesta made good on her word, and when the morning finally came for her and Cassian to set off, she did so with a determined gleam in her eyes. When she hugged you goodbye, she lingered a bit longer than usual. You couldn’t tell if the prolonged embrace was for her or you, or perhaps for both—a silent recognition of a weekend that might have you both coming back changed.

As for Azriel, he missed the departure, having been called to the River House by Rhysand early that morning. He’d roused you slightly as he pressed a kiss to your temple, urging you to go back to sleep, promising he’d return before Nesta and Cassian left. Apparently, that hadn’t been the case. You didn’t know when he’d come back, but as you wandered through the hall, hands mildly dirty from prepping the rooftop garden for overwintering, you paused by the library, rocking back on your heel as you saw the outline of wings.

Peeking through the entrance, you found Azriel at the writing desk, his hand pressed to his temple, his leg bouncing under the table. His boot squeaked softly on the floor as shadows curled around his feet like restless cats.

“Hey,” you chirped cheerfully, stepping into the room.

Azriel started slightly at your voice, turning to you with a surprised smile. “Oh, hey!” he replied, that goofy grin lighting up his face.

You walked over, wiping your hands on the small towel you'd brought with you before tucking it into your back pocket. “Where have you been?” you asked, leaning your hips against the desk, your body angled towards him.

Azriel’s hazel eyes, sparkling with mischief, met yours. “Got caught up with Rhys,” he said, leaning back in the chair, his hands interlocking behind his head, causing his biceps to flex slightly.

“Everything okay?” you asked, arching a brow, noticing the way his eyes seemed to brighten at the sight of you.

He cleared his throat, his posture relaxed yet commanding. “Yeah, yeah, fine.” But his tone betrayed a hint of uncertainty.

Deciding to trust that, like Nesta with Cassian, Azriel knew what he was doing, you chose not to pry into matters beyond your reach. Instead, you nodded, and his eyes flicked to your hands.

“You’ve been busy,” he noted, gesturing towards your fingers.

You glanced down, seeing dirt still peppered under your nails. You began to dig them out, a sheepish smile crossing your face. “Oh, yeah. Elain had me prepping the soil for overwintering, but I might have gotten a bit carried away.”

Azriel chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I don’t know how you manage it, but it seems like every time you walk away from me, you come back covered in grime.”

Feigning offense, you scoffed, “Okay, well, every time you leave, you come back smelling like actual shit and death.”

“I’m talking about leaving you alone for five minutes, and you come back like that,” Azriel countered, his grin widening.

You shrugged, a playful glint in your eyes. “What can I say? I like dirt.”

“Dirty girl,” he purred, his tone taking on a teasing edge.

Heat crept up your cheeks as you looked away, biting your lower lip to suppress a smile. “Gross,” you replied, though a laugh slipped through.

Azriel’s laugh was a low rumble as he stretched back in his chair, his wings flaring slightly. His black shirt rode up, revealing the tantalizing V-lines that disappeared beneath his waistband, along with a glimpse of his defined abs. You tried to keep your gaze on his face, but your eyes betrayed you, flicking down for just a moment.

As he straightened, catching the way you looked at him, Azriel’s smirk deepened. “Enjoying the view?”

You rolled your eyes, fighting the blush threatening to deepen. “Don’t flatter yourself, Shadowsinger.”

His chuckle was warm, and his eyes sparkled with teasing affection as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a soft, intimate murmur. “I think I already did.”

You rolled your eyes as you pushed off the desk, catching Azriel’s eyes trailing your hips as you walked away. It seemed he might have been entertaining thoughts of potential weekend activities himself. Letting yourself flop backward over the couch, you landed with a thud on your back, legs dangling lazily over the backrest. “Plans for the rest of the day?” you asked, casually picking at the dirt caked under your nails.

“Actually,” he replied, “I was wondering if you might be willing to do something for me.”

Your ears perked up just as you pulled a piece of your nail off completely, hissing slightly as a small bead of blood welled up in the tiny wound. “What is it?” you inquired, pressing your thumb to the spot.

“I have to meet someone from the Summer Court this afternoon.” Your heart sank a little, imagining Azriel’s weekend filling up with more responsibilities. “But I was supposed to pick up something from a shop in the city. If I drop you off, would you mind getting it? I can swing by and pick you up on my way back.”

You flipped your legs over the back of the couch, peering up over the crest of the sofa to meet Azriel’s eye. “Sure,” you agreed, though your voice lacked enthusiasm.

Azriel’s face relaxed, and the tension that had coiled around him when you walked in seemed to dissipate. “That would be fantastic, thank you.”

You smiled lightly, “Just let me clean up first,” you said, scooting off the couch.

“Thank the gods,” Azriel replied with mock relief. “I was worried I’d have to carry you down there smelling like dirt and sweat.”

As you walked out, you stuck your tongue out at him over your shoulder. He laughed, leaning back in his chair again, and you had to stop yourself from turning around to admire the view. 

“Careful, you might catch flies,” Azriel called after you, his tone teasing.

You snorted, waving him off as you headed to clean up.

—

When you finally finished getting dressed after your shower, you opened the door to find Azriel standing across the hall. You jumped slightly, hand flying to your racing heart. “Gods, Azriel! We need to get you a bell or something.”

Azriel smirked lightly. “Ready to go?” He seemed anxious, perhaps pressed for time, though he hadn’t exactly given you any.

“Now?” you asked, blinking in surprise.

Azriel glanced around in confusion. “Yes?”

“Oh, okay. That’s fine.” You opened the door wider as Azriel crossed the hallway, tossing you your jacket from the front entry hall.

It seemed he’d been waiting on you—how long, you had no idea. He threw open the balcony doors, letting the cool air rush in, a sharp reminder that winter was on its way. Azriel smiled over his shoulder, extending a scarred hand to you. “You haven’t told me what I’m getting for you yet,” you noted, taking his hand. He scooped you up under your knees, cradling you close as his wings took a few powerful flaps, lifting off the marble floor. Your stomach flipped at the quick descent down the mountainside.

“I wrote the address down for you. Just give them my name,” he said, the wind biting at the tips of your ears.

You furrowed your brow. “You’re not going to tell me what I’m picking up?”

Azriel glanced down at you, his smile widening. “What? You don’t trust me?”

You gave him an incredulous look. “Not even a hint?”

“Okay,” he responded, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Just trust me on this one. It’s nothing bad.”

“I’m not collecting the head or fingers of your enemies?” you joked.

Azriel chuckled, the sound reverberating through his chest. “That would be an errand I’d want to handle myself.”

“So it’s you who doesn’t trust me?” you countered playfully.

“I wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun,” he replied, smirking.

“Gross.”

“You love that word today, don’t you?”

“When I look at you, it’s the first word that comes to mind,” you shot back, your face breaking into a smile.

Azriel landed gracefully on a deserted sidestreet. “I’ll be back in about an hour,” he said, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket. “Here.” He handed it to you, leaning in to place a light kiss on your temple.

You opened the paper, squinting at his neat, thin handwriting. No name of the building, but you recognized the street. “So I can’t know what I’m picking up or where I’m going?” you asked, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m going to be late. Consider it a trust exercise. Do you know where it is?”

“Well, I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but I do know where it is,” you replied.

“One hour. I’ll meet you there.”

You watched as he shot back up into the sky, wondering why, if he was meeting you there, he dropped you off a good fifteen-minute walk from your destination. But again, trust. So instead of calling out to question him, you sighed and began your trek through the city, shaking your head with a bemused smile. 

Local shops were already setting out items for Winter Solstice gifts, the streets adorned with twinkling lights and festive decorations. Your heart ached a bit, reminded of how different your life had been just a year ago. For a moment, you wondered if you had moved on too quickly from everything that had happened. You shook the thought away; dwelling on others’ perceptions of your healing wouldn’t help. Or at least, that’s what you tried to remind yourself.

You knew the shortest route to this particular street cut through the city near the entry gate, but the memories there were too sharp to face today. So, you opted for a longer, winding path, adding about ten minutes to your walk. The detour gave you a moment to breathe, to let the festive atmosphere seep in without the weight of the past pressing down too hard.

When you finally reached the correct street, you followed the numbers until you stood in front of a small bakery. The sweet scents of fresh breads and pastries swirled out from under the door, mingling with the crisp winter air. You rechecked the address Azriel had given you. This was definitely the place. Stepping up to the front door, your mouth watered at the sight of cranberry tarts with their crystalline sugar gleaming in the window, boxes of dark chocolates overflowing with cream, ganache, and fruit, and cakes delicately frosted with winter themes of ice and snow.

The bell above the door chimed softly as you entered, the warm, cozy interior a sharp contrast to the chill outside. Your eyes adjusted to the dim, inviting light, and you noticed a few other patrons standing in front of the large glass counter, debating their purchases. You approached the rather plump, cheery-eyed male at the register.

“Hi,” you greeted as he smiled down at you. “I’m here to pick up something for Azriel.”

“Oh!” The male’s eyes lit up with recognition. He nodded and disappeared into the back of the bakery. You must have been in the right place. While you waited, you watched a female baker behind the counter delicately package pastel macarons into a cellophane box, her hands flying yet precise as she tied a pastel blue ribbon over the top.

The male reappeared, holding a small white box secured with red twine. He handed it over the counter with a broad smile. You thanked him, looking down at the box with curiosity, slightly disappointed that you couldn’t see its contents like the macarons on display.

Given that the sun was beginning to set, you figured you didn’t have much time left before Azriel would come to retrieve you. With the mystery box in hand, you crossed the street and sat on a bench, pulling your jacket tighter around you as you watched fae bustle by.

A few small children barreled down the street, chasing each other and giggling wildly. They stopped in front of the bakery, pressing their noses to the glass, their eyes wide with longing for the delectable treats inside. You watched as the female baker inside noticed their hungry faces. She smiled warmly at them, exchanged a few words with the male baker, and then disappeared into the backroom.

Moments later, she emerged with a white paper bag and stepped outside, beckoning the children closer. They approached cautiously, eyes alight with excitement. She handed them the bag, her smile radiant as she reminded them to share. 

The children eagerly took the bag from the baker, nearly ripping it as they peered inside. Their eyes lit up with delight as they distributed various cookies and candies among themselves. You smiled, remembering how, when you were young, the baker Henri used to give you scones that hadn’t sold the day before. A memory that once included your mother, now replaced by Titania. There was something comforting about these children, nearly a century later, still engaging in the same rituals. Adults continuing to offer sweets from the kindness of their hearts, expecting nothing in return but a smile and the hope that these children might someday pass on the same acts of kindness.

You heard footsteps crunching on the sidewalk next to you and looked up to see two large, winged shadows approaching. Azriel’s face was partially obscured by the late afternoon sun. He took a seat next to you, crossing his legs casually and draping his arms over the backrest of the bench, one foot jostling slightly.

“Hey,” you greeted, moving the box to the other side of you.

“Hi,” he replied, his warm smile melting away the chill in your bones.

“All set?” you asked. He nodded. “How did it go?”

His face conveyed a sort of nonchalance, his mouth twitching slightly downward but not quite frowning. “Fine,” was all he said, shrugging. “How was your little errand?” He cocked an eyebrow, glancing at the white box.

You handed him the box, feeling its light weight in your hands. “Fine, I think.”

Azriel took the box from you, untying the twine and turning slightly away to examine the contents. You strained to see over his shoulder, but one large wing blocked your view.

“If all you wanted were pastries, why be so secretive?” you scoffed, amused, as he replaced the lid and turned back to you with a cheeky grin.

He rolled his eyes. “Can’t a male have a little fun?”

You huffed, your eyes scanning his face. There was something about his presence you couldn’t quite place. The look of hesitation behind his eyes, the continuous bouncing foot, and the odd secrecy made you think Azriel might be nervous about something. But what, you couldn’t quite figure out.

“Ready to go?” he asked quickly, standing and adjusting his jacket. You watched him, taking the hand he extended to you, agreeing quietly while complaining slightly about the cold. He just called you a crybaby in response.

The two of you walked through the streets, searching for a quieter sidestreet where Azriel could fully stretch his wings for takeoff. When you finally found one, he picked you up gracefully, asking you to hold the pastry box, which you obliged. The entire flight home, you debated just opening the lid for a peek inside.

As you landed back on the marble balcony, Azriel gently placed you on your feet. You adjusted your top, smoothing the fabric with a quick tug, while he reached for the double doors and swung them open, reclaiming the white pastry box from you. The warm glow of the fire beckoned from within, its gentle crackling drawing you closer. You shrugged off your jacket, tossing it casually onto the bed as you entered the room.

“Thanks,” Azriel’s voice followed you. “For doing this for me.”

You gave a nonchalant shrug, flopping down onto the plush bed, your arms stretching upwards as you tried to ease the ache in your muscles. “No worries.” You expected Azriel to make a swift exit, eager to tackle the next task on his agenda, but he lingered. Standing near the double doors, his eyes stayed on you, a quiet intensity in his gaze.

Lifting your head off the bed, you noticed his prolonged stare. Feeling a bit self-conscious, you asked hesitantly, “Everything okay?”

Azriel snapped out of his reverie, his scarred finger tracing the twine of the pastry box absentmindedly. “Yeah, it’s fine,” he replied shortly, a touch of awkwardness in his voice. “Dinner?”

At his offer, you sprang up from the bed with eagerness. “Yes! I’m starving,” you exclaimed, your voice edged with a playful whine.

Azriel’s lips twitched into a soft, fleeting smile, the sound of a light laugh escaping him. As he started towards the door, you stumbled over your own feet, trying to kick off your boots in a rush. You fell into him, face-first against his chest, his warm laughter rumbling through you and making your stomach flutter. “Careful,” he chuckled, steadying you with a gentle hand.

“Sorry,” you murmured, pushing back slightly, your hands pressing against the hard muscle of his chest. You glanced up, your chin hovering mere inches from where your fingers rested.

Azriel’s gaze softened, his other hand still clutching the pastry box. With a slight nod, he led you out of the bedroom and down the hallway towards the kitchen. Normally, you and Nesta or Azriel would eat casually around the kitchen island, but tonight was different. Azriel walked past the kitchen doors, his pace quickening with a hint of excitement.

You paused in front of the kitchen, a confused look crossing your face. “Aren’t we eating?” you asked, glancing towards the familiar island.

Without stopping or turning back, Azriel urged, “Come on,” his tone carrying a trace of anticipation.

Puzzled but intrigued, you followed him, your stomach rumbling in sync with your growing curiosity. As you trailed behind him through the sunken living room and past the cozy library, you realized he was leading you towards the grand dining room. A room you had only seen used for formal family dinners hosted by Nesta.

Azriel reached the doorway, his imposing wings nearly filling the large frame. Turning to face you, his smile broadened, a spark of mischief in his eyes.

You couldn’t help but smile back, still trying to decipher his peculiar behavior. Azriel pushed open the door, stepping aside with a radiant, cheeky grin that made your heart skip a beat.

As you stepped through the doorway, Azriel trailing behind, your breath caught in your throat. In the center of the grand dining room, which typically housed a vast, imposing table fit for large gatherings and entertaining, stood a much smaller, more intimate table, set elegantly for two.

The table was adorned with an elegant lace tablecloth, its intricate patterns catching the flicker of candlelight. Candles were placed strategically around the room, their soft, golden glow dancing off the walls. The centerpiece was a lush arrangement of flowers, the key flowers being purple hyacinths—your favorites.

Your eyes were immediately drawn to the exquisite spread laid out on the table, a feast of your favorite dishes, each more mouthwatering than the last. Golden roast chicken, perfectly seasoned with a medley of colorful, caramelized vegetables, parsnips, and baby potatoes crisping in the tray. A bowl next to it held bright, emerald-green steamed asparagus drizzled with a cream sauce, a favorite that Titania used to make for you as a child, you had recently learned. Sautéed mushrooms and wild rice pilaf made your mouth water, and a few freshly baked rolls, still warm from the oven, rested in a basket lined with a blue towel. 

You stood there, momentarily stunned by the sheer meticulous effort placed on each part of the room and table. You couldn’t conceive of any other food on the table that wasn’t one of your favorites, as though someone had crawled into your mind, into your childhood, and handpicked out the moments you held with reverie. Azriel came to stand next to a chair, pulling it out slightly as you approached.

“Az, this is—” you stammered. “How did you—?”

Azriel merely chuckled as you took your seat, sliding it in behind you, then crossing around, pouring a sparkling purple wine into a crystal-clear glass and passing it to you.

“This is,” the words couldn’t even come to your mouth as you took the glass, staring down at the food in front of you. “This is insane.”

Azriel poured himself a glass, swirling it lightly as he gazed across at you, his eyes twinkling with amusement as you tried to get your mouth to close from awe. He took a light sip from the cup, the first taste hitting his palate as his face scrunched up, eyebrows drawing together and then widening in surprise before narrowing into discomfort. He peered into the glass, mildly confused, and then slowly processed the unexpected saccharine assault on his taste buds, followed by a sharp exhale through his nose. “This is so sweet,” he said, shoulders and wings rising in an involuntary shudder.

You looked down into your own glass, the sweet aroma of blackberries filling your nostrils as you took a tentative sip. You were greeted with an intense burst of blackberry flavor, as if a handful of the plumpest berries had been freshly crushed, the taste rich and succulent with small hints of dark chocolate and vanilla coating your throat. You almost moaned in sensual delight. Your eyes shut as you melted into your chair. You finally managed to moan out, “This is delicious.”

Your eyes fluttered open to see Azriel swirling the wine in his glass, peering into it with his mouth pulled up in a sneer as though a fly had landed in it. “Oh come on,” you said, taking another sip.

Azriel’s eyes flicked back to you, his sneer growing more exaggerated. “You actually like this stuff?”

“What about it don’t you like?” you asked, your tone slightly accusatory.

“It tastes like pure sugar,” he responded flatly.

“No, it doesn’t! It tastes like blackberries.”

“Blackberries that have been coated in sugar.” He glanced into it again, “There’s probably one blackberry for three cups of sugar.”

You rolled your eyes, leaning back against your chair as you took another delectable sip, eyes shutting again as you felt the warmth of the wine trickle down your throat. You hadn’t had this kind of wine since—

Your eyes shot back open as Azriel tried another sip, the same reaction flying from him. “How did you know I liked blackberry wine?”

Azriel seemed to pause in stillness as he gulped down his drink. “Lucky guess?” he offered.

You shook your head, leaning forward. “You were spying on me,” you said, eyes narrowing.

Azriel’s own eyes went hollow as he considered the best way out of this situation. “I wasn’t intending to.”

You laughed lightly, “So your shadows just followed me around on their own accord?”

At that, you felt the cool breeze around your ankle as one shadow skirted past you. “To be fair,” Azriel offered, “they are fond of you.”

Your gaze turned into a glare as Azriel tried to dig himself out. He placed his glass on the table, leaning his elbows onto it, eyes lined with sincerity. “Look, it was right after you left, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“So how long were you watching me?” you asked, slightly more forcefully.

Azriel’s palms faced upward. “Only until it seemed you and Kai were getting more serious.” He paused. You scanned his face for any sign of deception but found none. Only pure sincerity. “Once you seemed like you had someone to rely on, I stopped.”

You leaned back, calming yourself again. In truth, you weren’t too upset that it seemed Azriel had been pining after you much longer than you had thought. Not to mention that knowing there was someone watching over you who wasn’t your mate allowed you to breathe a bit of a sigh of relief. You picked up the glass, swirling it so the sweet wine scent hit your nose again, breathing it in deeply.

“So you’ve seen me drunk?” you asked, taking another sip, eyes heavy as you cocked a brow at Azriel.

Azriel chewed his lower lip, trying to contain a slight smile playing at his lips. “Perhaps,” he offered back.

You quickly tried to sift through your memories, wondering about the things you had said or done that might now cause some embarrassment. “You’re giggly when you’re drunk,” Azriel remarked, a playful glint in his eye.

You set your glass down on the table, leaning forward as he carved a piece of chicken for you, placing it on your plate. The warm juices from the pan flowed onto the dish, tantalizing your senses. “And what are you like?” you inquired, arching a brow.

Azriel let out a breathy laugh as he served himself. You grabbed the tongs, dishing asparagus onto both your plates. “I haven’t gotten drunk in a long time.”

You handed over the tray to him as he passed you the rolls. “How long is a long time?”

Azriel pondered for a moment, setting the pan back down on the table. “Half a century?” he responded, sounding like he was questioning his own memory.

You picked up your fork, eyeing him with a smirk. “Sometimes I forget you’re ancient,” you quipped, taking a bite of the chicken. The savory sauce melted in your mouth, making you moan with delight.

Azriel rolled his eyes. “It stops being important once you turn one hundred.”

You opened your eyes again, taking another greedy bite. “That’s what someone who’s too old and boring to get drunk would say,” you teased.

“I got my days of heavy drinking out of the way before I took on one of the most important roles in the Night Court,” he countered, leaning back. “It’s not exactly a good look to be falling all over yourself in front of those in power.”

You scoffed, “Cassian seems to have no problem with it.” It’s true, Cassian seized every opportunity to get absolutely sloshed at formal events, often challenging other warriors to drinking contests.

“Let’s not use Cassian as our standard for formality,” Azriel replied with a chuckle. “But when I used to get drunk, I’m told I got rather chatty.”

You almost choked on your food. “Chatty?” you questioned, wide-eyed.

Azriel flicked his eyes at you from under his brows as he took a bite. “Is that surprising?”

You shrugged, chewing a bit more carefully this time. “Chatty with everyone? Or just the people you know?”

Azriel leaned back in the chair, his wings casually lounged behind him. “According to Rhys and Mor, everyone.”

The thought of Azriel being the life of the conversation somewhere in a bar in Velaris, chatting it up with strangers, almost made you laugh out loud. “I’m sure you were fun at parties,” you offered, swallowing down your bite with another glass of wine.

“I would say I still am,” he replied, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

“You think fun is brooding in the corner?”

“You’ve only ever seen me at Night Court events,” he countered.

“But you’re a party animal at the tavern?” Azriel rolled his eyes. “Maybe that’s why you don’t like sweet wines,” you teased, leaning over the table. “You’re too old to enjoy something so youthful. You’d rather have a dry glass of white wine or some liquor that burns like firestarter.”

Azriel scoffed at you. “Am I going to regret doing all this for you?” he joked back.

You smiled at him sweetly, looking back down at your plate. “No,” you replied, a touch quieter and sincere. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

Azriel’s face lit up slightly at your response. “I just thought you deserved a nice night,” he said.

You gestured to the table, “You really got all my favorites, even the ones I haven’t told you about or eaten in front of you.”

Azriel glanced toward the ceiling. “I’ll admit, the House did provide me with some insight on things you ask for late at night.”

You followed his gaze up, whispering in a hiss, “Those moments were supposed to be secret.”

Azriel laughed, “That and Titania helped fill me in on the rest.”

You ran your finger around the rim of your glass, heart and belly slowly filling with a feeling of deep adoration and joy. “This is really nice,” you finally whispered.

Azriel reached a scarred hand across the table to you, taking yours. “You deserve to enjoy the things you love,” he offered, his voice filled with quiet sincerity.

Azriel shared with you that, unlike what you might have considered, he actually prepared all the dishes himself. He prepped the meal early in the morning with the help of Nuala and Cerridwen at the River House and then took the hour he had misled you into going to the bakery to set everything up. He really had thought of everything.

As you settled back in your chair, the plate nearly licked clean, you let out a sigh of gratification. Azriel, who had indeed brought out some nasty liquor you refused to try despite his imploring, swirled his glass across from you. His eyes lit up suddenly as he jumped from the table. “I almost forgot!”

You straightened slightly as he brought out the white box from the bakery, setting it in front of you to open. You glanced up at him, smiling. “You made me get my own dessert?” you teased.

“Oh yeah, I’m so sorry,” he replied sarcastically. “How foolish of me to ask you to do one thing so I could do all of this for you.” He gestured around the room with a dramatic flourish.

You smiled back as you undid the twine, peeking in at two delicately crafted tarts. The rhubarb, lemon, and berry compote glistened up at you, the crust perfectly crisped. Your mouth fell open again as Azriel looked down at you, joy in his eyes. You peered back up at him, “These are the tarts that Elain made when I first came here,” you said, breathless.

Azriel shrugged, “Not the exact ones. But they’re as close as I could get to the real thing without cluing Elain in.” In fairness, Elain couldn’t keep a secret, and for something of this nature, which included romance and food, she would have spilled every detail the second Azriel told her.

You found your hand seeking Azriel’s as you marveled at the beautiful little desserts, eyes welling up with emotion. This entire dinner was a three-course journey through your life, from childhood to now, all prepared for you, all a reflection of who you were and the things you had experienced. You felt a tear start to fall, but Azriel caught it, tilting your head up to face him, his own eyes filled with a sincerity and care you don’t know if anyone had ever had for you before. “Thank you,” you whispered lightly.

Azriel leaned down, his lips meeting yours, the oils from the chicken mingling with the sweet wine on your own lips. While you could taste the fiery hint of his drink, you didn’t pull away, lost in the soft caress of his lips as his thumb drew a lazy line down your face, his other hand coming to cup the other side. The kiss held no intensity other than pure adoration, care, and unbridled joy. When he pulled back, Azriel smiled down at you again, and you giggled lightly when he reached into the box, pulling out one of the tarts with his hands and taking a crumbling bite from it.

“Hey!” you protested, laughing as he chewed. “That’s mine!”

Azriel shrugged, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Consider it a toll for the perfect evening.”

To my readers, I'm hot, bothered, and need to be put back into my enclosure. We about to get wild: @thatacotargirl @mcuamerica @lilah-asteria @florabelll @fightmedraco @marvelbros-oneshots @mariahoedt @quinzzelx @romantasyreader28 @minnieoo @mysteriouslydeafeningwerewolf @annabethgranger123 @krowiathemythologynerd @scatteredstardustt @caroline-books @slytherintaco @sevikas-whore @sidthedollface2 @sleepylunarwolf @acourtofbatboydreams @quiettuba @julesofvolterra @skylarkalchemist @darling006 @loglady00 @caninnes

[inevitably-johnlocked]

A-Z Sherlock Fan Fiction Tropes Bingo

Ahhh, so I saw this Fanfiction Bingo Card by @swissmissing going around, and even though I wasn't ever tagged, I wanted to do some recs of my own because, like, that's my whole brand LOL. I hope no one minds...🙃 I needed to have a list ready for this Sunday, and this was perfect, LOL.

And because I'm always trying to overachieve on these challenges, I'm going to do full black out, BOTH tropes in each square.

This will be a Combination of my read fics and "to read" fics [to fill in spaces I don't have tags for], which I will append the latter with (MFL) just like so, for those of you who only want fics I've personally read. And apologies, I had to remove some of my standard links to fit them all within Tumblr's link limits, so author names aren't clickable AND I've removed all series' links, so be sure to check out other stories by the authors!!

AND FINALLY, this is a rare list that I DON'T have in word-count order, just so y'all know! I hope you guys like the fics I've pick for y'all. Literally random picks from my lists, based on tag searches, LOL.

AU: A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

Amnesia: I Need You To See Me by Mssmithlove (E, 12,625 w., 1 Ch. || Angst, Amnesia, Soldier!John) – After going back to war, John is yet again invalided home, this time with a broken ankle and a chunk of his memory missing, unable to recall the last five years he's spent being Sherlock Holmes' partner and husband. Part 9 of Happiness Awaits

BDSM: Lock and Key Series by 221b_hound (E, 59,509+ w. across 14 works || Series WiP || Post-HLV, Tattoos, First Kiss/Time, Anal, Hand Jobs, Captain John, Cuddling, Sherlock's Scars, Possessive Johnlock, Exhibitionism / Voyeurism, Frottage, Blow Jobs, Masturbation, Sherlock in Panties, PWP, Dirty Talk, Sexual Fantasies, Restraints, Photographs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Assorted Kinks, Sherlock in a Sheet, Sex on Furniture, Domestic Fluff) – John has been back at Baker Street for a year, following the debacle that ended in Mary's death. Things are good. Back almost to what they used to be. Sherlock might wish they were something else, now, but he only has himself to blame, he thinks. It's too late, now, for the things he first denied before he'd ruined any chances he might have had. Sherlock also thinks that people who get tattoos are idiots. But perhaps he's about to learn a thing or two, not least of which might be it's not as late as he thinks it is.

Bodyswap: Inexplicable by emmagrant01 (E, 34,664 w., 6 Ch. || Body Swap, TSo3, Magical Realism / Artifacts, Infidelity, Angst) – So what was in that matchbox, anyway? John and Sherlock find out, the hard way.

Crossover: Perdition's Flames by i_ship_an_armada (E, 63,435 w., 21 Ch. || Star Trek Fusion || Established Relationship, Genetic Engineering, Angst & Fluff, BAMF!John) – Sherlock would do anything to save him. Risk anything. Give anything. His money, his life. His soul. What he does, though, is change both of their destinies forever. Genetic re-engineering is the only option left. It turns out researchers underestimated the life expectancy and potential abilities of genetically re-engineered subjects. The British government and what would eventually become the United Federation of Planets, however, had not. Part 1 of PF Universe

Crack: Fucking Cake by Random_Nexus (E, 12,965 w., 1 Ch. || Pre-Slash, Humour/Crack, Inanimate Object Smut, Frottage, “For a Case” / “Experiment”, PWP / Kinky, Mutual Pining, Fluff) – Sherlock brings home a chocolate cake, John finds him about to have sex with said cake, then exceedingly weird hijinx ensue. Part 1 of "Fucking Baked Goods" - Sherlock BBC

Domestic: Back to the Start by slashscribe (M, 14,088 w., 1 Ch. || Sherlock’s Violin, Pining Idiots, Fluff, Domestics) – Sherlock hasn't played the violin since John's wedding (which is long since over), and when John returns to 221B, Sherlock relearns the violin as he and John relearn each other. Post S3 fic with an obscene amount of pining, idiocy, and attempts to pawn off tea duties.

Disability: Breakable by MissDavis (E, 117,627 w., 34 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Established Relationship, Major Character Injury, Fluff/Angst, Depression, Paralysis/Disabilities, Hurt/Comfort, POV Sherlock, Mental Health Issues, Drug Use, Happy-ish Ending) – After John is seriously injured, Sherlock struggles to figure out how to help him, keep himself sane, and maybe, just maybe, get their life back to the way it's supposed to be. Part 1 of Breakable Not Broken

Established Relationship: Caught In The Act Series by ShirleyCarlton (E, 9,217 w. across 7 works || Established Relationship, Unintentional Voyeurism, Alternate POVs, Humour, Blow Jobs, Walking in on Someone, Switching, Public Sex) – This is a series of six scenarios written from the points of view of six different people as they accidentally walk in on Sherlock and John having sex.

Enemies to Lovers: Synchronicity by Calais_Reno (T, 46,424 w., 10 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Case Fic, POV John, Bullying, Coming Out, Forgiveness, Drinking/Bars, Boarding School, Drunk John) – John and Sherlock meet again, years after they were school boys together. John hasn't forgotten why he still hates Sherlock Holmes. (MFL)

Future: Uncharted Territory by J_Baillier (T, 19,603 w., 4 Ch. || Dystopian Future / Black Mirror AU || Alternate First Meeting, Angst, Drama, Homophobia, Bisexuality, Technology, Humour, Romance, Near Future, Happy Ending) – The System puts people through a series of assigned relationships in order to determine who their Perfect Match is. John believes that it works; Sherlock really, really doesn't. One of them is probably going to be wrong.

Fluff: A Lifetime Together by LondonGypsy (M, 8,886 w., 1 Ch. || Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Falling in Love, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Pining Idiots, Alternating POVs, Domestics, Retirement) – John and Sherlock falling in love.

Gen: Octopus by glass_rose_paperweight (G, 705 w., 1 Ch. || Established Relationship, Fluff, Bed Sharing, Limpet Sherlock) – A week after Sherlock and John finally get together, and John is finding sharing a bed with Sherlock Holmes to be ... difficult, sometimes. If not downright suffocating.

Genderswap: Cockscomb by birdie7272 (E, 115,302 w., 32 Ch. || Femlock / Gender Swap || Light Dom / Sub, Sensual Play, Cocks, Lace, Safe Words, Pining Sherlock, Case Fic, Truth or Dare, Slow Burn, Feminism, Relationships, Sexuality Crisis, Cheating, Power Play, Manipulation, Control) – Lace, whiskey, and a case full of cocks leads to a brand new kind of adventure. AKA The One With All The Cocks… When There Are No Cocks (MFL)

Historical: Enigma by khorazir (M, 289,667 w., 23 Ch. || Codebreaker / WWII / Imitation Game-Inspired AU || Case Fic, Espionage, Period-Typical Homophobia / Sexism, Pining Sherlock, Inexperienced / Virgin Sherlock, Implied / Referenced Drug Use, Non-Graphic Violence) – It’s the autumn of 1941, war is raging in Europe, German U-boats are raiding Allied convoys in the Atlantic, the Luftwaffe is bombing English cities, and the cryptographers at Bletchley Park are working feverishly to decode their enemies' encrypted communications. One should consider this challenge and distraction enough for capricious codebreaker Sherlock Holmes. But the true enigmas are yet waiting to be deciphered: an unbreakable code, a strange murder, and the arrival of Surgeon Captain John H. Watson of the Royal Navy. (MFL)

Humour: Equine Arse Anonymity by Kayjaykayme (E, 3,834 w., 1 Ch. || Established Relationship, Public Sex, Coming in Pants, Humour, Halloween, Hand Jobs) – Sherlock needs to speak with suspects at a fancy dress ball. He chooses a couple's costume for himself and John. It is logical, practical and well thought out. John doesn't agree and exacts sweet revenge.

Illness: Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst, Promise of Forever) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.

Imprisonment: THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON by skyefullofstars (T, 110,758 w., 24 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Angst, Violence, Whump, Nightmares, Murder, Drug Addiction, Torture) – While Sherlock grapples with his new-found feelings for John Watson, he faces a very real threat: John's kidnapping and shooting at the hands of James Moriarty. And the knowledge that the love of his life is being used to test an addictive drug - at the risk of John's sanity and life. Prequel to THE BOYS OF BAKER STREET. Part 1 of THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF JOHN WATSON

Jealousy: The High Tide Series by stardust_made (E, 15,269 w. across 3 works || OMC, Angst, Jealousy, Developing Relationship, First Time, Romance) – A little favour Sherlock stupidly agrees to do for Mycroft leads to John meeting a handsome, afluent man, who is going out of his way to woo him. Sherlock struggles with the situation and with his own reactions to it.

Jilted: Love Is Series by SilentAuror (E, 36,903 w. across 2 works || Post S3, Alternating POV Each Story, Angst, Unrequited Love, Rejection then Reconciliation, Romance, Mary Divorce, Eventual Happy Ending) – At Mrs Hudson's urging, Sherlock finally decides to tell John how he feels about him.

Kids: The Baker Street Nativity by SwissMiss (E, 99,662 w., 23 Ch. || Nativity! AU || Teacher Sherlock / TA John, Pining, Sherlock POV, UST, Angst, Christmas, Music/Song Fic, Anal / BJ’s, First Kiss / Time) –Fusion between Sherlock (BBC) and Nativity! (2009 movie starring Martin Freeman). Sherlock is a primary school teacher and John is assigned to be his classroom assistant. Together, they are charged with putting on the school's Nativity play. What could possibly go wrong? Part 1 of The Baker Street Nativity Verse

Kink: John and Sherlock's Kinky First Times Series by wendymarlowe (E, 247,051+ w. across 45 works || Series WiP || Short Stories, Assorted Tags with Assorted Genres, PWP) – A collection of short imaginings of how Sherlock and John might finally allow their relationship to become physical. Don't be afraid of the giant cloud of tags - each fic stands alone and you can read them in any order.

Long: Free Falling by twistedthicket1 (M, 203,574 w., 38 Ch. || Guardian Angels AU || Guardian Angel John, Fluff and Angst, Humour, Kidlock / Teenlock, Light Mystrade, Passage of Time, Possessive John, Drug Use / Overdose, Victor Trevor, Graphic Bullying, Big Brother Mycroft, Hard Drug Use, Depression, Possessive Sherlock, Possessive John, Panic Attacks, Nightmares/PTSD, Pining, Healing Abilities, Kidnapping, Violence, Torture, Blow Jobs, Virgin John, Emotional Development / Attachment, Mortality, Happy Ending) – All Guardian angels are born with a Chosen human. When this child is born, the angel comes into being to protect and care for them during their life on Earth. For John Watson, all he cares about in the world revolves around his Chosen, Sherlock Holmes. Watching him grow up though, the angel soon learns that God must have had a sense of humour the day he decided to make Sherlock, as trouble seems to follow him like a magnet wherever he goes. John can't decide what's worse, the idea of losing his Chosen one, or the fact that he may be breaking the most taboo law of heaven as he disguises himself as a human to better protect and befriend the beloved detective he's always watched from afar. He was meant to care for him. But what happens when caring evolves into something more? What happens when an emotion an angel is supposed to be incapable of possessing comes to life suddenly and viciously inside John's chest? 

Love Triangle: Isosceles by SilentAuror (E, 56,609 w., 7 Ch. || Post-S4, POV John, Original Male Character / Sherlock Dates Another Man, Love Triangle, Jealous John, Virgin Sherlock, Sexual Coaching, Angst, Romance, Domesticity, Unrequited Feelings, Miscommunication, First Kiss/Time, For a Case, Friends With Benefits, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Spooning) – After solving a case for a major celebrity, Sherlock gets himself asked out. When John asks, he discovers that Sherlock has no intention of going, at least not until John agrees to coach him through whatever he might need to know for his date...

Magical Realism: The Frost Child by twistedthicket1 (M, 9,994 w., 2 Ch. || Frozen-ish AU || Magical Realism, Christmas, Angst, Fluff, Powerful John) – In a world where people are born with a Gift of varying levels, simple John Watson is the last person one might look at when thinking of any strong Magick capabilities. Hiding comfortably in the shadow of Sherlock's brilliant deducing abilities, John is content to keep it that way...

Major Character Death: I Think I've Come A Long Long Way To Sit Before You Here Today by ArwenKenobi (T, 18,251 w., 3 Ch. || Grief/Mourning, Passage of Time, Major Character Death, Alternating POV, Sherlock Whump, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Coma, Revenge Murders, Hallucinations, Love Confessions, Brutal Accident, Mystrade, Ghost John) – One year after John is killed Sherlock starts to wonder whether John has actually gone anywhere.

NSFW: Caves in the Mountains Are Seldom Unoccupied by starrysummernights & TheMadKatter13 (E, 7,925 w., 1 Ch. || Were-Creatures ||  Werebear John, Pseudo Bestiality, Rimming, Dub Con, Rough Sex, Come Inflation / Eating, Size Kink, PWP, Bratty Sherlock, Rutting) – “This isn’t something to play at, Sherlock,” he snapped. “If it doesn’t work out- what you’re asking of me- we can’t shrug and say 'oh well, at least we tried'. If we do this… I could seriously hurt you. Do you understand? I could lose control. I could… I could kill you.” 

Next Gen.: If Equal Affection Cannot Be by blueink3 (E, 31,156 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Family, Retirement, Grown Up Rosie, Angst, Reunion, Loneliness, Sussex, Fluff, Sexy Times, Happy Ending) – Sherlock fled London a couple of years after John left him in hospital with nothing but an old walking stick and a half-hearted goodbye. Rosie grew up thinking that Sherlock died when he committed suicide in front of her father by jumping from Barts' roof. So it's somewhat awkward when they run into each other in a Sussex general store between the loaves of bread and the Mars bars... (MFL)

Omegaverse: A Fold in the Universe by darkest_bird (E, 152,869 w., 26 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Omegaverse / Prime Universe Crossover || OmegaJohn / AlphaSherlock, First Kiss / Time, Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Dubious Consent, Humour) – Alpha Sherlock and Omega John are in a relationship. Prime Sherlock and Prime John are not. So what happens when a freak fold in the universe switches one John for the other?

Only One Bed: The Cure for Snoring by Goddess_of_the_Night (G, 1,278 w., 1 Ch. || Sleepy Conversations, Bed Sharing, Cuddling, Fluff, Domestic, Platonic / Sleepy Cuddles) – Sherlock and John spend the night in Scotland after finishing a case. The sole Inn in town only has one room left...one bed. This would be fine - if not a bit awkward - if Sherlock hadn't developed a habit of snoring loudly. John suffers through many hours of sleeplessness before he discovers that skin-to-skin contact stops the noise. Part 1 of Dreamscapes

Parenthood: Iris by slashscribe (E, 11,948 w., 1 Ch. || Parentlock, Pining Sherlock, Post-S3) – Sherlock does his best to make John happy when John comes back to 221B with his new baby after the events of Season 3, but Sherlock has a track record of getting things wrong in this area. This story is an exploration of their gradual shift from friends to lovers, told from Sherlock's perspective, full of a lot of pining and lack of emotional awareness.

Platonic: The Green Blade by verityburns (T, 72,929 w., 15 Ch. || Case Fic, Bromance) – As a serial killer hits the headlines, the police are out of their depth and the next victim is out of time. With faith in Sherlock Holmes at an all time low, this is a case which will push loyalties to the limit...

Queer: Rupert Street by WritingOutLoud (M, 27,262 w., 9 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting || Case Fic, Sexuality, Demisexual Sherlock, Drugging, Smart John, Sherlock Has Internalized Biphobia, Fluff, Angst with Happy Ending, Gay Bar, Flirting, John Manipulates Sherlock to Eat, John Deduces, Arguments, Kidnapping/Torture, Hospitalization, John Whump) – Discharged from the war with nothing but the clothes on his back and a realisation of his bisexuality, John Watson has to learn who he’s become. He can’t afford London on an army pension, but the city is the only friend he has. In an effort to understand his newfound queer identity, he heads to a bar one night, where he stumbles across a mysterious stranger who turns his life upside down. ‘I dug around inside myself, and I'm not quite sure what I found, but it was beautiful and terrifying all at the same time.’

Quest: Licence to Kiss by fellshish (T, 13,739 w., 4 Ch. || Post-ASIB, Sort-Of Bondlock, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Angst and Humour, Bed Sharing) – Sherlock loves John, and John loves... James Bond. He only made Sherlock watch every single film. Tedious. And now John's birthday is coming up. Sherlock can't tell him how he feels, but he can organise an amazing gift: John's very own spy adventure. Sherlock begs Mycroft for a real case with some extra gadgets. And perhaps some actors pretending to be criminals. What could possibly go wrong?

Retirement: Through the Clouds by Mazarin221b (E, 20,004 w., 6 Ch. || Retirement, Sussex, Bees, Home Improvement, First Time, Romance) – Sherlock takes a remarkably early retirement at 47, and convinces John that a change of pace would do them both good. They buy an old cottage on the South Downs, and exchange their nonstop life in Baker Street for quiet contemplation, bee studies, and book writing. They might go completely insane, but sometimes it takes stepping outside of the life you're living to find the life you want. Part 1 of Through The Clouds

Road Trip: Hitting the Water at Sixty Miles an Hour by what_alchemy (E, 30,568 w., 5 Ch. || Fake Rel., Road Trips, Slow Burn, Mummy Holmes) – “You love your mother, Sherlock?” John watched the muscles in Sherlock’s jaw jump. He nodded in one sharp jerk. “Then we’re going to her party and making her happy.” John let out a resigned sigh. “As a ruddy couple, you bastard.”

Soulmates: The Heart On Your Sleeve by flawedamythyst (T, 5,441 w., 1 Ch. || Soulmate AU || Sherlock POV, Heartmarks, Pining, Fluff and Angst, Semi-S1 / S2 Canon Compliant, Reunion) – Sherlock stared at the imperfect circle on his left wrist in horror, then sat down on his bed with a bit of a thump. After over thirty years, his heartmark was finally showing activity. This was not good.

Slow Burn: Tomorrow's Song by agirlsname (M, 24,645 w., 5 Ch. || Post-TRF, POV Sherlock, Angst with a Happy Ending, Virgin / Repressed Sherlock, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Pining, Jealous Sherlock) – How can he think a relationship with me would be a good idea? I am the sort of person to take a break from my life and when I come back after two years, I expect to find it exactly as I left it. In reality I find it shattered to pieces. (I actually equate you with my life. When did I start doing that?)

Teen AU: The Sky is Full of Fiddles by agirlsname (T, 25,659 w., 6 Ch. || 1895 Teenlock || Romantic Fluff, Bed Sharing, Swedish Folk Music, Dancing, Sherlock’s Violin, Poetry, Skinny Dipping, Summer Love, First Kiss, Proposals, POV John, Gay Surprise) – It's 1895 in the heart of Swedish folk music and dance. During certain weekends, boys are allowed to visit girls at night, wooing them with fantastical poems. If a girl lets a boy into her room they can share a bed all night, fully clothed, to talk and eat caramels together. John is seventeen and looking for a girl to marry like everyone else. He's very surprised when another boy suddenly stands outside his door, wanting to share his bed… (MFL)

Time Travel: The Engine by stitchy (T, 8,294 w., 1 Ch. || First Kiss, Post-HLV, ASiP Do-Over, Sci-Fi, Time Travel) – Shortly after the events of His Last Vow, Sherlock has an opportunity to revisit the night of A Study in Pink and get some perspective on the destiny of he and John's relationship.

Undercover: The Skin Over My Heart by standbygo (E, 8,849 w., 1 Ch. || Post-Hiatus, Fake Relationship, Case Fic, Dog Tags, Military, Homophobia, Gay Bashing, POV First Person Sherlock, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss / Time, Declarations of Love, Undercover, Haircuts, Flashbacks, Touching, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Metaphors, Introspection, Hand Jobs, On the Couch, John’s Past, Angst with Happy Ending) – Sherlock and John are still trying to adjust to Sherlock's return from his hiatus when John's friend Bill Murray brings them a case. Someone is targeting the LGBTQA+ members of Bill's unit. John and Sherlock go undercover at the unit, but when they end up having to flirt to flush out the suspect, Sherlock realizes he's in over his head.

Unrequited: Love Is Series by SilentAuror (E, 36,903 w. across 2 works || Post S3, Alternating POV Each Story, Angst, Unrequited Love, Rejection then Reconciliation, Romance, Mary Divorce, Eventual Happy Ending) – At Mrs Hudson's urging, Sherlock finally decides to tell John how he feels about him.

Vampires: Bleed Me Out by antietamfalls (E, 87,987 w., 14 Ch. || Vampire AU || Bonding, Vampire Sherlock, Fluff & Angst, Hurt/Comfort, John Whump, Magical Realism) – John isn’t exactly surprised to discover that Sherlock isn't human. His vampirism doesn't pose a problem, even when their relationship gradually grows into something more. That is, until a deadly revelation about John’s blood sends their lives spinning dangerously out of control.

Villain POV: Genesis by pasiphile (M, 19,521 w., 1 Ch. || Graphic Violence, Moriarty’s Past) – Before he was Jim Moriarty, he was just Jimmy, a street kid with more pain in his past and more ambition in his head than he could handle, and only one other person he could bring himself to trust. Part 6 of This Life Is A Trip (When You're Psycho In Love) (MFL)

Whump: Trapped and Upside Down on the M6 by BootsnBlossoms (E, 4,256 w., 1 Ch. || Whump, Car Accident, Hurt / Comfort) – Everything felt wrong. His hair was going the wrong way. His arms were bent in ways he wouldn’t choose to bend them. His neck hurt and he couldn’t really feel his toes. Something was dripping on his face – and rolling up. A car crash. He had been in a car crash.

Werewolves: John Watson’s Moon by patternofdefiance (E, 11,314 w., 1 Ch. || Supernatural Creatures || Werewolf John, First Time, BAMF John, First Time, Anal, Fleeting Depictions of Violence) – Sherlock finds out John is a werewolf and wants to see the transformation. It, uh, gets really kinky.

Xenomorphism: Forest King by Elphen (E, 141,856 w., 27 Ch. || Magical Realism / Omegaverse AU || Mythical Creatures, Group Sex, Body Worship, Drinking / Impairment, Dubious Consent, Anal Fingering/Sex, Transformations / Shapeshifting, Mpreg, BAMF John, Possessive Sherlock, Celtic Mythology, Paganism, Sherlock’s Violin, Frottage, Illnesses, Caring Sherlock, Netherworld/Underworld, Coping Mechanisms, Paternal Lestrade, Defensive John, Big Brother Mycroft, Insecurity, Self-Esteem Issues, Misunderstandings, Mild Jealousy, Pregnant Sex, Male Lactation, Birthing, Emotional Support, Parenthood, Family History) – After falling out with his sister, John ends up in a Cornwall Midsummer’s Eve celebration in the middle of a forest that’s rather…different. After the hazy night of magic and passion with a pale-eyed man, he goes home to London. He’s in for a surprise when his stomach starts growing and buds appears on his head. Not one to just accept things, he returns to Cornwall to demand an explanation. When he meets the forest king, Sherlock, again, he has to come to terms with not only what’s happened to him but what kind of magical world he’s been thrust into. Plus, there’s the questions of whether he trusts the antlered man and how he'll survive being apparently pregnant. Sherlock isn’t much help. That doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to somehow make John understand his feelings, however, even if he’s greatly hampered by being Sherlock. They slowly move forward but problems beyond their control may arise from an act done with the best of intentions. How will they cope, separately and together? (MFL)

Xmas: Our Enthusiasms Which Cannot Always Be Explained by withoutawish (M, 32,961 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Post-TRF, Case Fic, Mild Gore, Sherlock Whump) – The list that is tacked haphazardly on the refrigerator of 221B reads, ‘Kidney(s), and/or a full cadaver (preferably male, late 30s, under six feet tall), bag of fresh toes, sixteen cow’s eyes (corneas retained), dual exhaust hand –held flame thrower, an unopened first edition copy of Joseph Conrad’s 'Heart of Darkness', and no less than ten abhorrently gruesome murders in the upcoming month.” The one neatly hanging next to it simply reads, “Sex.” One of these lists is not John Watson’s. If John Watson were to put what he really wanted in list form, to live in a land somewhere beyond ‘almosts' now that Sherlock Holmes has indeed returned to him, he would never be able to look his flatmate in the eye ever again.

Zombies: The Hollow Ones by antietamfalls (M, 100,244 w., 23 Ch. || Walking Dead Fusion || Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Slow Build, Emotional Constipation, Protective John, Hurt/Comfort) – The dead walk. Mangled corpses of the deceased rise and mindlessly feast upon the flesh of the living. John wakes up, alone and confused, into the remnants of a city gone mad. He will search for answers. He will find Sherlock at any cost. And he will learn that the living are far more dangerous than the dead. (MFL)

Zoomorphism: How to Build a Heart out of Ashes by Teumessian (E, 144,931 w., 31 Ch. || Changeling AU || Slow Burn, Drug Use, Mentions of Child Abuse / Bullying, Mentions of Student/Teacher Relations, Uni-Age) – In an AU where a small number of the population become Changelings at a young age, at 17 John Watson believes he's destined for Normal life but then the Change takes him and he is sent to the Baker Institute. There he meets Sherlock Holmes.

[stjohnstarling]

I did a little googling about Fifty Shades of Grey's origins as a fanfic and oh my god I have opened a terrifyingly deep rabbit hole. It's so much more than Fifty Shades. I think all of self-publishing might be an offshoot of the Twilight fandom. I'm going insane.

This essay explains a lot. Twilight fans got sick of Twilight but still wanted to participate in the fandom, so they got creative:

There were stories where vampires didn't exist (like Fifty Shades of Grey). They got CRAZY popular within the community because they were essentially just generic romance novels with characters we already knew (made it easy to write and consume, as we already liked and cared about the characters). Though there were always nods to the original Twilight series within them, you didn't even have to know Twilight to enjoy an All Human-AU. I've gotten tons of reviews on my fanfic where readers say they've never even picked up the book. By 2010, probably a good 75% of Twilight fanfic being produced was All-Human. It was literally a chore to find a fanfic that had anything to do with vampires.

Twilight fanfiction diverged from its source material to the point where it was only a minor tweak for most popular authors to drop the Twilight link entirely and publish their fanfic as original novels. From a comment on that essay:

Seriously, Twilight fandom got really crazy big for a few years there. It was not totally uncommon to get multi-million clicks on a semi-popular story. It's weird looking back on it and calling it "Twilight fandom" because it was really more like "Romance Novel fandom". For real, for a period there, calling a Twilight fanfic author a 'Twilight fan' would be the ultimate insult. But they never stopped writing about Edward and Bella! It's so weird

And from the main Twilight article on Fanlore:

So what we've created in our neck of the woods are people using their fanwork to gain a huge audience, then removing the fanwork, filing it, publishing it, and sending cease and desist letters if the fanwork is shared. (The published works are then marketed back to the fandom via author profiles and banner ads on the archives.)

Fifty Shades of Grey was the first of these to explode, but it's far from the only one. Every single one of EL James' fanfiction contemporaries I've looked into is not just a self-published author but among the biggest self-published authors in the world, many of whom were foundational to shaping the look and feel and tropes of the medium. Twilight fanfiction is absolutely foundational to all of self-publishing.

This explains so much about the mainstream parts of the industry to me. I don't think they've ever fully gotten out from under the weight of the Twilight fandom, even to this day. It's still the same stuff, look at this. From a former fan's ff.net profile:

My BFF Angel and I (who met through [writing Twilight fanfiction]!) are co-writing writing a dark YA series of standalone romances, with so many of my fave themes. Trauma, bullying, addiction, social issues, violence, pretty rich high school boys being douchebags, hurt/comfort, frantic dry humping, you feel me you feel me.

The resulting book series from 2021 has tens of thousands of Goodreads reviews.

[probablytrapped]

There's been an ongoing debate for years between users on AO3 about whether or not people should be allowed to add works from other authors to collections.

Generally this debate is now over with the the default for a work to not allow others to add it to anything, meaning less and less works are available to add, which I really do think it is a shame. I understand the the general danger of losing fics since whoever was running the collection could make the works all anonymous, and the original author couldn't undo. That's pretty scary and annoying. Not sure exactly the the mechanics, but in general the issue stems from the fact collections were not designed for what users were ending up using it for.

Some argue that this is what the Bookmarks function is supposed to be, but I disagree. Bookmarks, while they can be either public or private, don't have the same social or organization power that collections had. (And if I'm remembering correctly, have a slightly stunted filter..)

Any reader could see what collection a work had been added to...And this is a bit of bad thing honestly, some fics have been added to SO many collections that it sometimes is a larger block than the actual tags. But that doesn't change the fact that it was a user built "what to read next" function.

I'm not suggesting that that's something that AO3 needs, I DO believe that a huge part of reading fanfiction is learning to fucking dig and search for what you want. But, user curated lists of recommendations? I don't see the harm in that. If often times is just a smaller pool to dive into rather than all of a specific tag or series.

Bookmarks aren't that easily delved into. Usually you might find an author you like and check out their bookmarks, but it isn't quite work the same as reading a specific fic and then seeing it's part of a collection called "NaruSasu timetravel fics I LOVE". Someone else also really loved that story! and here are some other works that they thought were similar! how nice!

If we COULD keep the collection system open and in use as it was or create something similar, I do think it would need some improvements:

Default number of viewable collections or rec lists should be capped at like 10, and then there's either a toggle to show more or a link to a new page with all the collections the fic is added to.

The ability to hide the collections list entirely from readers. It'll still be in the index page or something, but ultimately if authors don't want people redirecting to other things from their story....I get that.

I don't really love the idea of authors being able to remove their stories from a list, but that might be something to keep people appeased. But I don't think people should be able to opt out?? If there's no harm created by adding to a list I really don't see the point. Of course maybe someone starts a "Trash fic that should DIE!" kinda thing....anyway it's complicated

Being able to subscribe to a collection who be rad as hell. This unfortunately feeds into the social media aspect that I think AO3 tries to avoid, so I'm not sure if that would go over well. Maybe the people who run the collections can't have their accounts public on the collection page? dunno

And to spice things up, some general OTHER upgrades to AO3:

can i PLEASE get some easy to read indicator on a fic in the search level that i've read it before? There are so many extensions I've used over the years for this, but most of them break after a certain point...But I just need a "you've given kudos" or "you're subscribed" or SOMETHING. I don't mind rereading fics, but I don't love being Gandalf half the time!

In the same vein as above....just a personal status tracker button. Maybe it's visible on the front end, but anything really to indicate if it's "TBR", "Reading", "Finished", or "DNF". The "DNF" is kinda important to me. Since if I mark it, that means I gave up for A REASON. This should all be private an not visible to authors or anyone else.

I would like to see all the fics I've given a Kudos to. please.

[crowleyscleaninglady]

GO Fanfictions

A list of GO fanfiction I have read and think everyone should read!!!!

I will make a part 2 when I read more. 

If you have a fanfic you loved let me know, I can add it to my list <3

Stitch Me Up  (medical au)

If you read any of the fics from this list this is the one. I was literally distracted at work last week because I was thinking about it. There is angst, fluff, spice (like really spicy), comfort, ughhhhh it has it all. 

This is the fic that started my medical field au binge. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23157691 

Pretend for Me (fake dating) 

Fake dating in order to trick the Archangels. This one is so beautiful and the ending makes me tear up (happy tears) every time

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20535329 

Their tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala 

In Plain Sight (fake dating) 

This is the companion piece to Pretend for Me. I 100% this should be read after the first one, it makes it feel so much more complete

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741256 

Tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala 

Slow Show (tv show costars)

They are co-stars on a TV show. The backstories on this one are so beautiful. I forgot this was a fanfiction at multiple points and thought it was a work in and of itself. 

10/10 I will recommend this to anyone who will listen 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20395261 

Tumblr: @mia-ugly 

Give me a title, I’ll give you my heart (single dad) 

Aziraphale is a single dad to an adorable and mischievous Adam, Crowley just moved into the neighborhood. This had me kicking my feet and giggling. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21160262 

Tumblr: @nohaijiachi

Ink Blots and Forget-Me-Nots (tattoo and flower shop)

Literally all of the best tropes in one well written fic. Tattoo shop and flower shop. Friends to lovers to enemies to lovers

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455634 

The Crime Boys AU (mafia bosses) 

This was so dark and beautiful. If you like dark themes and dark romance these are the fics for you!! Make sure to read the tags on this one, but it’s so so good. 

I read Dark Angels, Golden Serpents first and then Dark Angels, Darker Serpents. It can be read either way. 

Link to fic: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924780 

*If any authors want me to remove their fic from this list message me and I will happily do so 

[roseserpentpress]

Do you sell your work or do commisons?? Or do I have to take on a whole new hobby just to attempt to create your beautiful amazing pieces??

Hello! Thanks for the ask and the compliment! 😊💕 I've got both long and short answers for you...

In short, even if it's highly flattering that you would consider purchasing my work, I generally don't sell my work or do commissions. Instead, as you've noted, I would highly recommend you picking up the wonderful hobby of bookbinding! Here's a link to the Renegade Bindery website which has tonnes of great resources for starting out bookbinding, and here's the link to join the discord (must be 18+ tho!), which is a thriving and very helpful community for resources, questions and the like!

Long answer, with more details, is below the cut

In long, even if I generally don't do commissions/sell my work, I have in the past and depending on the situation I may consider doing a commission (ie, you are an author of a fic and wish to get it bound, or want a journal or non-fanfiction bound). In regards to why I don't do fanfiction anymore without express consent of the author (and even then it's questionable) is that I feel very uncomfortable accepting money based off someone else's work, which they have presented to the public for free, even if all I'm charging for is my work (Not For Sale is also part of Renegade Bindery Guild's code, who I am now a part of; you can read more about gift economies at the website on this subject). As well, I've found in the past when I have done commissions I have not particularly enjoyed the process; fanbinding is a downtime passion hobby of mine, and commercializing it tends to remove the passion and relaxation I get from it (and alas, downtime is something that's been sparse for me). As a result, even if you qualify for the above commissions, then the commission would also have to pique my interest before I would say yes. Also, another hurdle for commissions is that I live in so called Canada, and the price for shipping is astronomical (generally, $60 CAD for a tracked shipping outside of country; inside country is $20, more reasonable), which also makes commissioning books difficult, because it adds an extra hefty fee on-top of what one would be paying me in the first place. That said, if you do still want to inquire, feel free to DM me the details and I will let you know (I'm also a curious buggar, so it intrigues me to know what you would be interested in requesting); but in the end, I would simply highly recommend getting into fanbinding yourself as it is a really lovely and fufilling hobby!

Also, if you are also really enthusiastic about a typeset I've done and would like to use it to create your own fanbinding of the fic, then feel free to DM me personally, and I am generally perfectly willing to provide you a copy of the typeset! Of course, I do request that if you do so, when you use it you recognize the typeset was created by me (ie, leaving a statement in the printed copy), and only use it personally and don't share the file, in case it is used later commercially without my consent. If someone else you know is interested in using the typeset, feel free to forward them to me!

I hope that provides you with a few answers! :)

[batsyforyou]

LetterOnUs.com

Tags: letter, modern meets fantasy, unexplained fandom event, OC, mentions of drinking and mocking NSFW activity.

Pairing: Glorfindel x fem OC can also be read as a fem reader

Warning: Unedited, not very good but oh well 🤷‍♀️

Author's Note: A short thing to practice using she/her also don't really plan to expand this at the moment. Might do another part might not.

@asianbutnotjapanese

She frowned as she walked, her sneakers catching on the sidewalk in her hast and she stumbled. 

“Linda, I don’t have time for this!” 

Linda trotted beside her, as breathless as she was beautiful, grinning as she poked her side. “Oh, come on! You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. Seriously, if you could write a letter to your favorite character, what would you say?” 

She rolled her eyes, pausing at the crosswalk and pushing the button. “A lot. But I would never share that letter with the world.” 

“Pff!”—her friend rolled her eyes, smirking—“It's not posted publicly, silly! It is posted to an anonymous dropbox and when the time comes to share them on boards for the convention they only hang the letters of people who consented to their letters being shared. Not the people who politely declined. Besides! You might even forget about it since they are collecting them for the convention two years from now!” 

The sign turned green and quickly looking both ways, she crossed the street with Linda hot on her heels. 

“Do they read them?”

“No, again only the people who consented to their letter being shared.”

“Do they respond to them?”

“No.” 

“Then what's the point of collecting anonymous letters that are the equivalent to mini fan fanfictions?”

Linda grabbed her arm and yanked the two to a stop. 

“Listen, you don’t have to do it, okay? It's a fandom event that allows you to send a letter to your favorite character. No one reads it unless you’ve consented, and it wouldn’t be shared unless you, again, consented to it being in a public display two years from now. And most of the people, if not all, who look at them aren’t even going to know you. What's so wrong about that?” 

She frowned, looking at Linda’s hand that was firmly clamped over her elbow. “I don’t know. It just seems, it feels, vulnerable.” She rubbed at the back of her neck, awkwardly. “The characters I. . . favor. It's just personal.” 

A knot tied in her throat and she swallowed, unable to speak anymore on it. Gently removing her arm from Linda’s grasp, she continued on her way to work but at a calmer pace. 

“Do you plan on taking part in this event?”

Linda smirked and nodded vigorously. “Oh yes! I’m thinking about writing a lot of my favorites from different fandoms, though I haven’t decided which ones yet.” 

She nodded and stopped outside the entrance to Mr. Bumble Works, her receptionist job, she nodded. “Well, let me know if you do.” 

“Are you planning on entering the event?” 

“I don’t think so.” 

Linda dug into her pocket and fished out her phone, “I’ll text you the link anyway, alright?” Typing quickly on her phone she grinned as she hit send. “I’ll call you later.” 

Feeling her phone buzz with the notification, she nodded and waved her friend farewell. Pushing open the door she charges in and drops her things at the front desk, shoving off her coat. 

“Mornin’ Vince.”

The ginger smirked at her, wiggling his brows. “Hey princess.” 

Frowning, he watched her take a seat, crossing his arms. “You alright, your cheeks are flushed.”  Smirking again he leaned towards her as she worked to clock in. “Ah, I get it. You ran over here again didn’t you? You do know your shift doesn’t start for another ten minutes right?”

She nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I do.” 

“Trying to impress the boss for that raise?” 

“No,” she sighed, “Just didn’t want to be at the apartment longer than I had too.” 

He nodded and spun his chair around to sign in himself. “Your neighbors making a racket again?”

Groaning, she threw herself back into her chair, dramatically putting her hand to her head. “Oh, Garrick! Garrick! Que aggressive moaning.” 

He laughed, tapping his pen on the computer. “See, that's the problem with apartments, thin walls.” 

She snorted and corrected her posture. “Tell me about it.” 

The door of the supermarket dinged as she left. Reaching into her purse she fished around for her truck keys. 

“Where is it?” She grumbled. 

“Hey, miss!” 

“Hm?” 

She turned around and leaned her weight closer to her truck as a man rushed up to her. 

“Oh, did I forget something?” 

He smiled, shaking his head, “No, I just wanted to ask if you are participating in that event?”

She frowned, feeling her keys in the bottom of her purse, relieved as she pulled them out.

“I’m assuming you're talking about that letter event?” 

He nodded, “Yes, that, what do you think of it?”

Feeling uneasy, she examined the man. How did he know about that? Or let alone knew she knew about that?

He towered over her, tall and lean, his hair was long and a startling shade of white, styled in an intricate bun. It must have been dyed. 

“I won’t be participating, thank you.”

She clicked her key fob to unlock her truck and quickly put her shopping bag and purse inside. 

The man frowned, “Why not? Wouldn’t you want to write to your favorite character?”

She rolled her eyes and climbed into her truck. “I won’t be participating, thank you.” 

He grabbed the door before it shut and she gasped, “What if I could make it worth your time?”

Feeling her heart slam against her chest she glared at him and scoffed. “Have a good day, sir.” 

He sighed and lifted his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright—” she slammed the door shut and locked it before she could hear the rest, quickly driving off. 

Her breath was shaky as she looked in her rearview mirror. 

It was well past dark when she made it back home. Parking her truck into her spot, she turned off the ignition and dropped her head against the wheel. 

“Great.” She mumbled. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and listened to the dog barking off in the distance. Sighing she lifted her head and looked at her neighbors spot. 

Empty. 

“Oh, thank goodness.” 

Grabbing her purse and shopping bag she quickly got out and locked her truck. Trudging her way up the stairs and into her third floor apartment. 

Heading to the door she double checked and triple checked the room number before putting her key in the lock and hearing the satisfying clink as it unlocked. Sighing with relief, she shoved open the door and closed it behind her. 

Leaning against her door she groaned and felt tears build. 

It has been a long day. 

Sniffing, she locked her door and flicked the light switch as she dropped her things on the counter, she stripped on her way to the bath, having kept the blinds closed when she left.

Turning the water on she went to her closet and pulled out her favorite robe and shrugged it on over her bare skin. Sitting at her vanity, she turned the lights on and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. 

Her eyes were rimmed red and the white of her eyes looked irritated, making the brown color of her iris look lackluster and dead tired.  

Pulling open her drawer she fetched her makeup wipes and scrubbed it all off, it didn’t take long. Getting up she quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed her box of strawberries, her chocolate ice cream, a bottle of wine and a glass. Dicing up the strawberries she brought out a bowl and filled it with the chocolate ice cream and dumped the strawberries in with it. Turning she went back to her fridge and grabbed the chocolate syrup and squished that over the top. Satisfied with her big bowl of sugar she plopped in a spoon and poured herself a cup of wine. 

Making her way to the bathroom she kicked aside her clothes in the hall and shut her bathroom door behind her. Putting her bowl and glass down she reached into her cabinet and pulled out the bath tray and put it over the steaming water. 

Humming she turned off the water and pulled off her robe, hanging it on the rack. Taking her food and drink she put it on the tray and crouched down to fetch a vanilla candle, lighting it she added it to the tray. 

Flicking off the light she sighed as her tears resurfaced and climbed into the bath. Ignoring the heat that seemed to burn her skin. Sitting down she pulled the tray over herself and dug into her ice cream and berries, taking a big bite and moaning with delight at the taste. Taking a large gulp of her wine she leaned back against the tub and relaxed in the dark candle lit room. 

Sitting on her bed with a towel over her hair she stared at the blinking cursor. 

“Dear Glorfindel,” She mumbled typing as she went. 

“I wanted you to know how much your existence matters to me. When I was—” 

She swallowed and deleted the words. “I can’t tell you how many times I—” 

She chewed her lip holding down backspace.  

“Dear Glorfindel, 

Hi, I’m Ryla and I know you don’t know me but I know you… I just wanted to say thank you. 

For everything. 

Respectfully,  

Ryla Robertson” 

Hovering over the blue airplane, she hit send and flopped back onto her bed, closing the computer lid and putting it on her floor. 

In the morning as she brushed her teeth and worked to get ready for her five hour shift, she paused as her phone lit up. 

“Email: LetterOnUs 

Ryla K. Robertson, you have a reply!”  . . . What?

Masterlist

[pyrettawychwiggin]

Songstress of Skyrim (Author's Introduction)

Disclaimer: The following story is centered around my own character, Mhari Freysri, who is the only character in this piece that I own. All other characters and elements of the world within the Elder Scrolls series is the intellectual property of Bethesda. This story contains, not just massive spoilers, but is in and of itself one very long spoiler, as it is based off of my playthrough of Skyrim. You have been advised. I hope you enjoy my cringy fanfiction.

My dear reader,

Drem Yol Lok.

1. First off, thank you for taking the time to have a peek at this forward. Admittedly, I didn't think this would be necessary when I first started writing about my character, but seeing as how this story is going to be very long, I would be remiss if I were not to include a proper disclaimer to any potential readers. I guess you could say this would be a good description of how best to consume this story depending on what you're looking to get out of it. Mind you, I will try to keep things as spoiler-free as I am able.

This entire story is based off of my own playthrough of Skyrim; a playthrough that I wanted to do as completely and fully as I could, side-quests and all. This likely will mean there is quite a lot of filler; some may find that this adds to the overall character-building, but others may find this a more dry read than they were looking for. As a result, I have separated chapters into two categories; Chapters & Sub-Chapters.

Chapters are particularly imperative to Mhari's story. This will cover the entirety of the main quest, the war, and the main factions and guilds. Any other chapters that involve events of particular importance will also fall under this category.

Sub-Chapters are best suited for getting to know Mhari better as a character, seeing how she would go about various tasks and interactions. Sometimes these chapters may be much shorter than a full-chapter, but they will likely not hold as much importance to the overall story.

Both chapters and sub-chapters, however, are still posted in chronological order in which they are meant to be read.

2. Secondly, Mhari changes in various ways throughout the story, and at each major turning point in her story, a new updated character sheet will be provided. This offers a brief synopsis of Mhari's adventure thus far for any readers who are joining the journey at later chapters so that they won't be missing anything major should they choose to skip the storylines that do not interest them.

3. Thirdly, some chapters will come with song-titles to various music (sometimes during certain parts of the story) much like was noted at the very beginning of this post. These songs are meant to further create atmosphere; most of which are instrumental or ambient. I know this does not appeal to everyone, so you will not be missing anything should you choose to bypass this option. If this does interest you, you can likely find these songs on Youtube, Spotify, etc. (I will likely not be posting links as I do not want to have to continuously update them should videos be taken down, privated, etc).

*Furthermore, should you be a musical artist, and you find you are seeing your work in a chapter that you would rather not, please feel free to message me. I will not hesitate to remove it upon your request.

4. Please be advised that some storylines carry more weight for me than others, and there may be certain storylines that you are particularly interested in, but are uninterested in reading the possibly dozens of previous chapters. In the next post, I will offer an index of events so that you may better decide which chapter you want to start on. For example, if you don't care about Solitude and The Bard's College, but you are looking forward to The Companions or the Civil War, you can see in the index which chapter to see or start on.

5. Lasty, some chapters may include 18+/NSFW scenes - these will be written in fade-to-black style. For those of you who are over 18 who would like to read the juicy parts in all their uncensored glory, they will be available for members on our Ko-Fi/Patreon.

If this doesn't bother you, and you intend to start from chapter one, I commend you; and once again, I thank you for taking the time to read my cringy fanfiction.

Note that I have written about a dozen chapters already, sporadically, but will only be posting my chapters in order. I appreciate your patience for any gaps between writing. Each chapter will be available at least a week earlier to members on our Ko-Fi/Patreon.

Without further ado, I would now like to invite you to join Mhari on her adventure through Skyrim, and whatever that may hold; the good, the bad, and the dovah.

Voth Werid,

Pyretta Wychwiggin

[ask-skull-and-muffin]

🌼Welcome to my Ask Blog!🌼

Heyo! It is I, Lonliest_muffin a (primarily) Katekyou Hitman Reborn Ao3 Author!! :3

I will use this Blog to answer various Questions, reblog writing advice and khr fics, post tumblr-exclusive short stories, announce Updates on my fanfics and (maybe) create some polls about said fanfictions.

If you want, you could also follow me on my Fandom Blog, @social-muffin! :3

And if you'd like to help me build a story, check out my second Ask Blog @ask-kyoya-hibari-and-kyo-kun!

You may ask me anything about, or relating to my many (mostly) Skull- and/or Hibari-centric khr fanfictions. You can even ask me some questions about who I am as a person. Just address your asks to Muffin and I will answer as myself! :3

Under the Read More you'll find a list of Skulls/AUs I plan to answer questions for! I am not an artist(yet I hope), I'm a hobby-writer, so I will answer these Questions with a little story to accompany them, depending on what the question is. (may be 20 words, 100 words, even 1000 words, depends on how inspiration strikes)

Answers that include spoilers for my fanfictions (stuff I haven't written/posted yet) will be tagged as 'Spoilers', for those people that wish to avoid that! But I will not Tag stuff I've already written and posted as spoilers.

Disclaimer!: Harassment and Hate of any kind has no place here, you will be blocked on sight.

Here is the current list of the Skulls I'll answer questions for(may change)! Links are included on the names of the listed fanfics. (mentioned for the Vision impaired)

This is also a really basic Guide on how I would like you to Ask Questions for specific versions of the characters I write!

These WARNINGS are different from the fanfictions's tags, so do check the tags before reading as well, just to be safe! The Tags are more elaborate, I wanted to keep this brief.

Series: Igniting Embers!

Guardian Angels (First Timeline) - Teen Skull (age 16/17) goes through a rough time, then he ends up under the protection of the Vindice! He has fun with it while it lasts.

To ask him and his mysterious pals questions, start your Asks with GA!Skull or Guardian Skull. (Guardian Bermuda, GA!Jaeger, etc.) Will be tagged '#khr Guardian Angels" in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: This story contains implied/referenced underage non-con and the resulting ptsd. This fic is incomplete.

Pathway of Sacrifice (First Timeline) - Skull (pre-curse/age 21) somehow ended up in the Mafia and he is not happy about it! Unfortunately, his teammates are as beautiful as they are cruel and stupid... Skull has to protect them.

To ask him and his tormentors questions start your Asks with PS!Skull or Sacrificed Skull. (Sacrificed Luce, PS!Verde, etc.) Will be tagged '#khr Pathway of Sacrifice' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: Skull experiences the canon typical bullying, there are several near death experiences, the Arcos have emotional constipation. This fic has been completed.

Simmering Embers (Part of the first Timeline, but a divergence) - Skull (cursed/age 40~) leaves the Hibari Clan and takes along his baby brother, Kyoya (age 3). Now Skull has to figure out how to raise children all while removing himself off the face of the earth, so the Arcos can't find him or his brother. Not to mention he has to do something about the curse!

To ask him and his sweet bro questions, start your Asks with SE!Skull or Simmered Skull! (Simmered Kyoya, SE!OCs also allowed, etc.) Will be tagged '#Simmering Embers' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: Self-mutilation (can be skipped while reading), mild suicidal ideation at times, Child Abuse, original character death, weird cloud flame things. This fic is incomplete.

Embers Underwater (First Timeline) - Skull (post-curse/age 50~/looks 20~) tells Hibari (age 17) they're half-brothers. Kyoya is surprisingly okay with this and immediately takes Skull home. They get along fine, but then the Arcobalenos start to search for Skull...

To ask him and his brother questions, start your Asks with Ember Skull, or EU!Skull! (EU!Kyoya, Ember Reborn, etc.) Will be tagged '#khr Embers Underwater' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: Ptsd, miscommunication, Skull and Kyoya are not well, bittersweet ending. This fic has been completed!

Systemic Disorder (First timeline and happens directly after Embers Underwater!) - Skull (still post-curse/age 50~/looks 20~) goes into hiding after his latest stunt causes a mafia-wide uproar. He picks up a new identity and starts living a new life in Namimori! Things won't be that simple when living with Hibari Kyoya though....

To ask him and his many friends questions, start your Asks with SD!Skull or Systemic Skull. (SD!Nana, Systemic Spitfire(OC), etc.) Will be tagged '#khr Systemic Disorder' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: Everyone needs a hug, everyone has PTSD, Skull attends his own Funeral, Arcos reach their breaking point/verbal abuse. This fic is incomplete.

A Title to Guard the Strongest (Second Timeline!) - Skull (age 20) leads a boring life as an internationally beloved Stuntman. At least until he finally meets some interesting people! Two Soldiers, a substitute teacher that moonlights as a Hitman, a trainee illusionist, an exotic dancer with an assassination hobby, a slightly unethical pediatrician and the revered Donna of the Giglio Nero Familia... Nobody seem able to resist Skull's undeniable charm!

To ask this Skull and his unconventional Family questions, start your Asks with GS!Skull or Titled Skull. (GS!Luce, Titled Reborn, etc.) Will be tagged '#khr A Title to Guard the Strongest' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: implied/referenced non-con, implied/referenced dub-con, alcohol use, Sky!Skull, explosives and injuries, Luce-appreciation (she gets cuddled here eventually). This fic is incomplete!

Accumulated Embers (Crossover of the First and Second Timeline!) - Embers Skull (age 50~/looks 20~) is having the worst time of his life. Every that could go wrong, goes wrong and he succumbs to the darkness at his core. Titled Fon(age 50~) disagrees with that sad fate, so he burns a path across timelines to protect and nurture that poor soul. As a bonus, Titled Fon also gets to gently bully the Ember Arcos into better coping mechanisms!

To send Asks for this fic, you just have to add on AE! before you write who the Ask is for. (Would look like: AE!Embers Skull, or AE!Titled Fon, or AE!GS!Reborn, etc.) Will be tagged '#khr Accumulated Embers' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: mentioned Infant death, mentioned substance abuse, mentioned child neglect, mentioned child abuse, internalized transphobia, identity crisis, poverty, bullying, ptsd, Immortality, learning to communicate, Titled Fon has his work cut out for him. This fic is incomplete.

Cirrostratus (A Divergence in the Second Timeline!) - Skull (age 20) meets Reborn (age 25) when the hitman is at his lowest and struggling. Skull has always had a kind heart and open doors. Reborn can only reject that help for so long... A civilain's life seemed a distant dream until it was suddenly at his fingertips.

To ask these two roommates questions, start your Asks with Cirro!Skull or Roommate Reborn. (Cirro!Reborn, Roommate Skull) Will be tagged '#khr Cirrostratus' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, initially bad coping mechanisms, but it will get better, Skull is a good Bro and way too trusting. This fic is incomplete!

Series: Plot Bunnies

Object Permanence (is actually slightly adjacent to the Igniting Embers Timelines, yet very much it's own thing) - The growth serum Verde developed post-canon goes wildly wrong! Their minds now match their bodies, as though they'd been plucked straight out of their messed-up childhoods. Only Skull was spared, as he regained his adult body. And well... Someone has to take care of these scared, confused children, right?

To send questions to this odd family, start your Asks with Papa!Skull or Tiny![insert Arco] (Examples: Tiny!Reborn, Tiny!Fon, etc. Tiny!Skull is also an option!!) Will be tagged '#khr Object Permanence' in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: a variety of different types of PTSD, neglect, poverty, grief, anxiety, internalized transphobia, canon-typical bullying, pls take care while reading, nobody is all okay, but it will have a very uplifting ending. This story is incomplete.

Series: Igniting Sparks

Sparking Hearth (is part of the first Igniting Embers timeline, in a different Series because it's Hibari-centric) - Hibari Kyoya (age 6) runs away from home ,only to stumble across the most beautiful town he ever did see. The herbivores are actually insane, roaming the streets as though they're prepared for war, all while a kind of grief lingers in the air... But more importantly! That school is gorgeous!!

If you'd like to send this little dear questions, just send an Ask addressed to Baby!Kyoya, or Baby!Hibari. Or Spark/Sparky if you wanna bully the child lmao. Of course, will be tagged '#khr Sparking Hearth' just in case you wanna look through this blog for Asks about this specific AU.

WARNINGS: headcanons for flame harmonization and flame sealing, the following insanities, also Death of OC via child, child abuse, homelessness, Baby!Hibari has no concept of societal rules yet. This fic is incomplete.

☁️💜Thanks for reading if you got this far! I hope to hear from you in my Ask Box! :3 💜☁️

[ghostbustermelanieking]

Aight, so, I saw your post about rereading your fics and I knew I had to drop in because any besmirching of your inspired xf fics CANNOT stand because I cherish them too much. If you didn't already own the rights to them, I'd bind myself legally to you in court just so I could split and keep the "kids" because your fics? They just don't miss. They don't.

*cracks knuckles*

I have THREE-- count 'em-- THREE Google docs of copy-pasted fics and original and backup links to your work because I was struck with terror one day deep-diving your archives that I could wake up and they might be gone; and that began my feverish mission to tag them all for my extensive rereads. They total 311 pages and I reread them obsessively. I'm not ashamed to say that your IVF three parter is part of my top of all time fics; and particularly this one: it's seared into my brain, you cannot remove it from my amygdala, I have worn the equivalent of Braille grooves into my eyeballs by how much I hungrily eat that story over and over and over. Your post half-light short fics? Part of my soul. YOUR AUS??? UNMATCHED ON THIS GORGEOUSLY GREEN AND BLUE PLANET. Your Tumblr prompts? Omnomnom-- that's me eating them up with a spoon.

Cast that FILTHY self-doubt from your presence because it is not worth the mud under your tiniest toenail.

...This may be a bit dramatic, but your fics were some of the first I'd ever written; and without you and a select few other authors, I wouldn't be as entrenched in fanfic as I am now. So... thank you. XDDD

thank YOU ❤️ ❤️❤️ you have no idea how much this means to me!! writing x files fic was such a huge part of my high school experience; i loved it dearly, and it did a lot to make me the writer i am today! (i feel like i cut my teeth on writing spooky x files fics lmao -- i want to be like a ghost story novelist someday.) it means so much to know that not only are people still reading them, but they cherish them this deeply. i'm so glad you like them so much!! (i promise that i personally won't be taking down any archived fic, unless there's legal issues waayy down the road, and even then... but the lack of permanency that comes with the internet scares me, so i don't blame you at all for saving them.) thank you so much for your kind message, your encouragement, and your relentless support/promotion of fanwork and fanfiction writers!! i love that people are still coming into the fandom, and i honestly do miss it a lot. someday in my life i will definitely have an x files renaissance, and hopefully finish phantom weights, bc i hate having left it unfinished

(also, if it makes you feel any better, the fic i was talking about is one i wrote a couple weeks ago lmfao -- although the fact that i was a teenager when i wrote txf fic makes me a little scared to revisit it 😳 it has less to do with the overall quality and more with my overall nitpickiness when it comes to my work, lol)

[hummingbee-lievable]

Hello hello dear, here to give you an explanation.

The strange thing is: this fic appears to be related to the 'Saw' franchise? Which- unless I'm very out of the loop- Mr. Gaiman has nothing to do with. So this doesn't meet the typical criteria of breaking established boundaries, but I recommend not sending him anything like this anyway. It's still something he can't risk opening, regardless of the fandom it pertains to.

Regardless, here, have a bullet point list:

♤ Legal reasons:

If he looks at/reads any headcanons or fanfics, or even fan theories, he could be accused of taking the ideas and using them for himself. This could result in him being sued for taking the ideas. Avoiding fan works as a whole is the only safe way to circumvent this.

♡ Personal reasons:

Look. It's simple. Our minds are wild. They can go anywhere, anyplace, anytime. Now, while he has been fully supportive of the creative process that the worlds he's created have inspired, he does not want to know. Believe me. He doesn't. Do you really want to imagine your favourite character that you've created, or one that embodies some secret part of you, in any other way but the way you've imagined them? I would equate it to watching a movie rendition of a book you've really loved. Sometimes it's a beautiful interpretation, sometimes it's so horrifyingly unlike what you imagined that the character is ruined for you forever. Either way, not everyone wants to see that, preferring to leave it to the power of imagination (insert Gene Wilder reference here).

♧ Time: If you are looking to get yourself published, and are trying to share your work with him to that end, you're barking up the wrong tree, alas. He doesn't have the time to honour everyone's works and he is also not a publisher.

☆ He's asked us not to. Simple as that.

I'm probably missing something, but I hope I covered the basics.

I will say that I come across posts daily that threaten the readers, i.e. 'If you share this can theory/fic, etc. with Neil Gaiman you may wake to find your toes removed' or other equally creative forms of jovial (but serious) threats. It's nice to see the fandoms doing their part, where they can.

Lastly, the amount of kindness and acceptance we get from Mr. Gaiman about the ways we interpret his world is so abundant that I should hope we can take to heart that he is fully accepting of what is talked about and created; as long as he doesn't know about it. It's a simple boundary to impose and the least we can do is respect it.

O.P., I hope this is clear. You may not have known, so I just wanted to explain it. I don't want you to feel attacked by this, so I'm hoping it comes across as mattter-of-factly as possible. We don't need to be hurt any more than our mistakes already hurt us.

Thank you for listening.

P.S. Final note: including this link where he talks about the insanity of the legal world regarding this:

Neil Gaiman. I request that you read a piece of work my friend made. It's called Shock Value and you can find it on Ao3.

Use this link if you don't wanna search for it;

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52654369/chapters/133187092

Please don't send me links to fan fiction. People in the notes will explain why.

[queenemilythedlgnt]

"Wake Up"

Part 1 of "A Bed of Thorns Roses"

The vines of thorns had slowly grown around her as she lay asleep but only He saw them. She did not see or even notice them for she did not see or notice Him. 

He had not left her since she fell asleep. He had promised He never would. She had gone to live her dream, and she had not since woken. She had never been asleep this long, but when the vines appeared, it was confirmed. 

She was lost in her dream, and a dream of her own making. 

He lay next to her watching, waiting. But waiting hurt her as much as it did Him. She held tightly to one vine in her hand, and the thorns pierced her skin causing her to bleed. He saw her flinch with pain, and He flinched. The vines held her fast, wrapped around her waist, legs, and neck. Every so often they would tighten, and her face would contort in pain. He longed to pull them off of her, but this had been her own choice. 

She wanted to stay in her dream.

He leaned in, whispering in her ear to try and coax her awake. For a moment or two it seemed she would, but she would fall back further into her dream, and the vines grew tighter. Bruises began to appear on her body, but He could do nothing to remove them. When she cried out in pain or sobbed with heartbreak, He felt His own heart break. 

“Please wake up,” He whispered, His eyes shut in His own pain. “Come back to Me.” He took her hand in His, lifting it to His lips and kissing the injury, in hope she would notice.

“Wake up.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emily Anne (@handsforhim)

I had a dream a couple weeks ago of me panicking and opening my computer to make sure I had two illustrations there. I was so relieved to find them there. This dream felt and looked real. Everything was normal, and everything looked like real life down to the last detail.

When I woke, I actually had to stop and think it was a dream, and the illustrations I had seen in the dream did NOT exist. At least not yet. And I saw them in almost complete detail.

This has never happened before, but I knew I needed to draw them and get them done fast if He was showing them to me in a dream.

(If you'd like to read more like this, head on over to my fanfiction and webtoon, links below.)

[someidiotwithalaptop]

hii please don't feel pressured to answer this but you're like an ao3 genius to me lol do you know by any chance if there's a way to remove or change the "by" (as in: [fic title] *by* [author YY]) in fanfiction titles? i'd like to replace it with an emoji or just remove the author bit entirely but i cant figure out how to grab it in css :C

Hi! Okay so—I've fiddled a little bit, and it looks like you can hide author names like this:

.header.module > h4 > a[rel="author"] { display: none !important; }

(The ".header.module > h4 >" bit is just to make it so this only affects the links on fic blurbs, and doesn't hide names on comments)

Or if you only want to do it for specific authors, like this:

.header.module > h4 > a[rel="author"][href*="/users/Author/"] { display: none !important; }

though there will still be a stray "by" with nothing after it. Trying to get rid of that seems to be basically impossible without also hiding the title unfortunately, since they're both part of the same heading.

As for replacing it with an emoji, I'm not totally sure how to go about that aside from hiding the text and adding the emoji in a background image, kinda like this:

.header.module > h4 >a[rel="author"][href*="/users/Author/"] { background: url("https://emoji-picture.jpg") 50% 50%; background-size: cover; color: transparent; }

though fair warning that trying to get images to size correctly when the dimensions of the background being displayed varies wildly based on the length of the link can be a bit of a pain lol

[crowleyscleaninglady]

GO Fanfictions part 2

Or Be Nice (musician and bookseller) 

Author description:

Crowley and Aziraphale are neighbours. And...it does not go at all well, until it does.

A human AU in which Aziraphale is a bookseller, Crowley is a drummer, and they are both petty disasters in the worst/best way.

My thoughts: If you read anything on this list make sure it is this one. This fic had me up until 4:45 in the morning because I could not put it down. The characterization here is absolutely perfect. I was giggling and kicking my feet at it. Also there are in text images that push this fic over the edge to be one of my all time favorites. 

Tumblr:  @charlottemadison42

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28427940/chapters/69660750 

In Knowing, In Silence (they are angels) 

Author description: After being punished in Heaven for being in love as angels, Aziraphale and Crowley spend the next 6,000 pretending their relationship never happened. 

My thoughts: The naivety of both characters is beautiful. They are just both full of so much love and don’t know how to deal with anything. It is cute and fluffy and then it kinda rips your heart out in the best way possible. It is one of the fics that make you feel something when you read it. 

Tumblr: @obsessivelollipoplalala  

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50313406/chapters/127105990 

Epiclesis (Aziraphale can hear Crowley’s prayers)

Author description: Prompt: Angels can hear it when you pray to them. Crowley has been praying for 6000 years.

My thoughts: A very beautiful representation of the idiots to lovers tag. I want to give both boys a hug and also tell them how stupid they are. I can 100% see this fic happening and I really enjoyed it. 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27836200/chapters/68148130 

What Angels Want (Crowley can hear Aziraphale’s thoughts) 

Author description: Set post-s1. Aziraphale finds a "communication spell" in one of the books in his shop. He decides to try a modified version of it in hopes of finding out if Crowley feels the same way about him. Nothing seems to happen, and Aziraphale assumes the spell is a dud.

Unfortunately, Aziraphale is bad at magic and through the kind of silly logic only fan-fiction can provide, it turns out Crowley can now read all of Aziraphale's thoughts about his favorite demon!

Join these two silly heads in a silly mini-adventure featuring some very un-angelic thoughts and one very scandalized Demon. Please do not take this seriously, this is just for fun and not representative of how I view the canon characters!

My thoughts: If you like dirty talk then this is the fic for you!!! This fic was a lot of fun to read. It gets very dirty but I absolutely loved it. 

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47184475/chapters/118884859 

Again if any author wants their works removed let me know. If any author wants me to read their fic and potentially add it to the list let me know.

[wangxianficfinder]

I have a question, im only a beginner at ao3 i was wondering if someone could tell me what does fall under the line of something you should definitely report? For example when i was just starting i came across fanfics about pedophilia, Cannibalism, rape non con and i still do, I understand personally the reason people might write about these trauma's, but some i have read are just completely writing CP, I've wanted to report it for awhile but I have no idea if its Against Ao3 policies to do this even if it is CP? Also, if someone has chosen not to use archieve warnings, But the fanfiction is something that dearly dearly needs it, what is the best course of action? Do i ignore that? @geraltofriviafan

Hi! I personally wouldn't report those fics unless they are actively causing harm, i.e the author links to real CP, Cannibalism, Rape...etc or references them IRL in a very suspicious manner.

Usually fic is just that, fiction.

While I don't condone these things in any way or form, someone writing about something is very different from them actually doing that thing.

Even the AO3's terms of service state it's not against policy despite them also not condoning some of the types of fics posted, "As provided in part I.E.3 of the Terms of Service, the OTW is not liable to you for any Content to which you are exposed on or because of the Service.

Unless it violates some other policy, we will not remove Content for offensiveness, no matter how awful, repugnant, or badly spelled we may personally find that Content to be."

My point is, if you don't like a certain type of fic, and the author isn't actively causing or promoting harmful things, just block the tag.

As for things to report, again, if an author is being actively malicious, (ex. Causing unnecessary cruelty or promoting harmful ideals, linking to things they shouldn't be, especially without warning, being annoying by spamming people/arguing with intent to purely annoy...etc..) or stealing work from other authors without permission/giving credit/linking to the original author, or spamming by posting the same fic or comment multiple times.

Here's a link to the full list of Terms of service on ao3.

As for fics that aren't tagged properly/don't have a tag you think it needs, I would personally, kindly ask if they could add it through a comment on the fic. Most of the time, authors will gladly add a tag when asked, if they don't, then don't press it. It's easier to just click back and forget it then chance an unexpected argument with them over something easily done. I know a few authors don't tag what they should because they don't like "spoilers" even though that's exactly what a tag is for.

Anyway, Sorry for the long reply 😅 I wish you luck with AO3, most of it is trial and error until you figure out how to best use the site for yourself.

I do have two suggestions to help have a good time on ao3 though!

1. The back button is your friend. Instead of complaining about not liking a fic in a comment and potentially upsetting the author/yourself, just hit that back bar and forget it even existed. Trust me, you will have a much better time if you do.

2. Make use of the filter bar, excluding tags really does help a lot with avoiding fics you know you won't enjoy! Even if it doesn't get all the fics, it gets more than it would without!

- Mod C

Hi! I didn't know you could report a fic on ao3, would you mind explaining to me how i could do it? Unfortunately im also on other fandoms where people repost other people's works and won't delete them

Thanks in advance!

The way I know how is you scroll down to the bottom of the page until you reach this ↓

Click on Policy Questions & Abuse Reports under Contact Us. It will bring you to a new page, scroll down until you reach this ↓

Fill everything in and press submit. If you do it from the page you want to report, the link to page line will already be filled in.

If there is another way, please leave it in the replies so I can add it here ^^

- Mod C

(I am so sorry! I thought I had it wrong the first time but I didn't! I mixed up the screenshots but it IS fixed now! Please reblog this updated version and not the other one!! Again, I am so sorry my brain is broke 🥲)

[cregla]

/rp I can see the appeal with the "Dreamon" storyline, the one where it has possessed Dream since at least Manberg vs Pogtopia. I really see it. Because Dream, even when he was against Tommy and Wilbur, was still... Dream. Their dynamic is wonderful. Fun and amazing. You can still see it in Exile when Dream is faking a friendship with Tommy in order to manipulate him more - and that's because while they're still acting, CC!Dream is friend with CC!Tommy and THEIR dynamic is wonderful. It automatically translate in us having a good time whenever they're on screen together (well... we didn't have a good time during exile or the prison, but you know what I mean). People want it back. They want Dream to be able to roleplay alongside the other like he did before, and I undertstand it! Dreamon!Dream is the easy way out of it. And I can totally see it in fanfictions and fanworks. In canon, however? It would be so harmful.

A very long post, please follow me.

C!Dream is an abuser. It's a completly different character from what his CC actually is (duh), in a way no other characters are in this SMP. C!Dream is an abuser, a murderer, and someone who did REALLY bad things and still thinks he was right all along. A person like this NEEDS to be punished (and I'm not entering in the "prison" discourse. Regardless of the prison conditions, Dream still deserves to be imprisoned) and the story NEEDS to give him consequences for his actions. People need to know that he's the bad guy and what he did was wrong, regardless of our own appreciation of the character (appreciation, not apologism). And the character especially work because he's a REALISTIC representation of abusers. Sure, he as an axe and potions and there's the whole PVP and Minecraft gaming system to take on, but in the end? Dream is just a guy. When Dream abused Tommy he did it with isolations, gaslighting, threats of death and beatings and actually beating him, lies. It's something any abuser in the real world, even without potions, could do. It's something abusers do.

To say that Dream was "possessed", to give every fault to a "Dreamon", is to erase this. Because it's not a person anymore, it was a demon controlling that person! And demons don't actually exist in real life. It's not Dream's fault anymore, guys! ("But Nate, stories shouldn't only educate people! We can have bad things in our stories if it makes them good!" While that is true, DSMP is a medium followed by very young teen and even children and the CCs themselves said that they had researched about real life abuse to be more accurate possible, therefore it's not the same as, I don't know, a fanfiction or another media that wasn't made with this intent)

And what about Tommy? He already feels guilty for things that are not his fault. Putting a possessed, innocent Dream in prison? That would break him. Knowing his personality he would totally, 100%, believe himself to be at fault because he "had" to realize what was really going on. He would feel so guilty near Dream while it should be the exact opposite. And then what? He couldn't, of course, blame Dream anymore. But he would still be fighting his own PTSD - do you believe he would be able to start a friendship again with Dream? No, no he wouldn't. And both characters and viewers, who are so critical of Tommy for ANYTHING, would give him hell for this, not realizing how PTSD works.

One of my favourite fanfiction in this fandom, if not my favourite one, has Dreamon!Dream. And yet, let me show you a paragraph of one of the last chapter (here is the link to the story, btw.)

Then he shakes his head and Sam asks the question he’s been dying to know since he first saw Dream in his little museum, “is that why you destroyed your family? Why you turned on all of us?”

And suddenly, Dream is laughing that horrible, broken laugh, one of pain and malice. It hurts Sam’s heart and he wonders if he can go back to his mother, if her arms will warm the ice spilling down his neck.

“No, Sam,” Dream says and the voice is harsh, hoarse. “No, that was all me.”

The story explain Dream's motivations. It gives him a backstory and an explanation on why he ended up like this and why he did so many bad things. But it never justifies him. And, above all, specifies that even if Dream may have a "redemption arc", it will be something personal, or connected to his friends. Tommy, Tubbo and all those he has harmed are not forced to accept his apology, whether it is sincere or not.

That's the only way I could see a Dreamon storyline in canon, honestly. Handled with care and never used as a way out of Dream's actions. And even there, we know how most of the viewers are. We know how Dream's apologists are, how everyone's prone to victim blaming in this goddamn fandom. The CCs may handle it PERFECTLY. And yet people would still misuranderstand it. I'm 100% on with Dreamon in fanfiction and fanworks. Even if you're using it to have Season1!Dream back, even if you want to completly excuse Dream like this. But in canon? No thanks no. I dread the day we might discover that's the storyline. Please, no.