#it's been a long time since I've been super interested in a series that's ongoing okay? It's... exciting~! :)

[captainhysunstuff]

Death Note (represented by Light) is not happy about my fixation infidelity with Hazbin Hotel.

[antianakin]

So I was recommended Out With Lanterns by SkyBean in this post about other potential masters for Ahsoka back in October, and I've finally gotten around to finishing it (as well as most of the other fics in the series) and I HAVE to say something about it because I feel like this fic has changed my brain chemistry just a little.

For reference, Out With Lanterns is a fic where Ahsoka is chosen by Mace to be his Padawan about a year or so prior to AOTC and follows her life and training with him through the clone wars.

Since this is a fic rec, I'm going to put a few warnings out front. There's absolutely going to be spoilers for this fic because I have a lot to say about it, so if you are interested in the basic premise and don't want to know any of the details so you can experience it for yourself, please don't read past this paragraph. This fic is NOT Anakin friendly, in any way shape or form. It isn't what I would consider a character bashing and he only shows up like 3-4 times total in a fic that's 300k words long, but it doesn't try to be particularly kind to Anakin when he is there. It's also not super kind to Padme or Anidala, unsurprisingly. The fic is completed, but the series is still ongoing. This fic takes the war a LOT more seriously than the show did and it doesn't shy away from some of the darker things that can happen in a war or the violence that the characters might have to go through as a result of fighting in it. Some of the other fics in the series continue past Order 66 and look more in detail at what life might be like for Jedi who have to go on the run and constantly fear persecution. It's dark, it's painful, it's harrowing, but it's VERY very good. This fic is also INCREDIBLY pro Jedi and Jedi friendly.

On to the spoilery bits.

I've been sort-of on the fence about Ahsoka since her show came out last year and it's embittered me towards her character quite a bit, which is sort-of sad because I HAVE really enjoyed her in the past, but nothing about her current trajectory is anything I like or find interesting and in fact it feels like it's leading that branch of Star Wars in a direction I find actively distasteful. And it's hard to look at her character and not REMEMBER where she's ended up, it's hard to look at her in TCW and Rebels and not see all the things that were signs of where she was heading.

But this fic has done a lot to make me like her again. This fic is written by someone who so clearly understands what made Ahsoka a really compelling character initially and focuses in on that in such a way that it makes me remember what I HAVE liked about Ahsoka. It allows Ahsoka to be incredibly flawed, even as she grows and develops and matures, she still makes mistakes and struggles and needs guidance from her master. But those flaws don't make her incompetent or a bad person, quite the opposite. Ahsoka, by virtue of having a real Jedi Master instead of Anakin, ends up capable of acknowledging her own flaws and learning from them. She knows where her strengths and weaknesses are and is able to make decisions with that in mind, and when she makes mistakes she doesn't sit there and dwell on them, but she DOES let herself learn from them. Ahsoka in this fic does not feel like a mouthpiece, she feels like a real distinct character and I LOVE THAT about her.

I love the ways we see her become the Jedi she can't be in canon due to Anakin's influence, the ways she retains so much more of her Jedi heritage as a result of not learning from him, and how that helps her SO MUCH MORE than anything Anakin's training does for her in canon. I also love seeing how much of MACE gets reflected in Ahsoka, the things she specifically picks up from him, both good and bad.

I love the complexities of Ahsoka's relationship with the clones and how it develops from the first initial overtures to the deep friendships she has with them by the end to the complicated feelings she has after Order 66 and after discovering the chips. Her relationships with the various clone characters she interacts with don't feel like they're all the same, they're distinct from each other the way they should be because the CLONES are distinct from each other. I like the balance she has to manage between being their commanding officer and their friend. I like that she can love them and recognize that there are things about the clones that she doesn't want to replicate in herself because it would make her a worse Jedi. In particular, she understands that there's a REASON the war feels very "normal" for the clones and so their reaction to the horrors of it are very different than hers, but she doesn't want to end up becoming numb to the horrors to the point that war starts feeling normal to her because she feels like it would end up making her a worse Jedi down the line. I love the complexity of that, the lack of judgment towards the clones but the recognition that their experiences are very different from hers and she cannot and does not want to be like them in this.

I also love that there's equal attention paid to Ahsoka's relationships with other Jedi and how distinct THOSE feel from each other because the Jedi are also individual people and not a monolith. Her relationship with Adi Gallia is very different from her relationship with Obi-Wan or Agen Kolar or Kit Fisto and Nahdar Vebb. She learns different things from each of them, intentionally or not, and she likes some of them better than others. I love how much Ahsoka loves her own culture and the different ways we see that expressed, from needing to meditate every day to the many times we hear about her interacting with younglings when she's at the Temple. Ahsoka finally FEELS like a Jedi again here and that identity actually means something to her in a way I think canon has sort-of forgotten or intentionally dismissed.

One of the things I think this fic REALLY does well is taking Ahsoka's general irrelevance to the Skywalker Saga and making that a GOOD THING. Ahsoka being Mace's padawan changes nothing. The people who die in canon still die. The war still happens. In general, the missions we know about from TCW still happen and happen almost exactly the same way. Anakin still marries Padme and still joins Palpatine to save her and murders the Jedi. Ahsoka's addition to Anakin's story changes exactly nothing about it because it CAN'T. She isn't the reason he falls, she doesn't save him and never could have, everything he does happens with or without her. So removing her from his story changes exactly nothing about it. But the change in her position within the narrative does change HER. SHE'S impacted by the narrative far more than it can ever be impacted by her. And her irrelevance to the Skywalker Saga doesn't mean she isn't a compelling character anymore, she's almost MORE compelling now than she's ever been before specifically because she's more outside of it and can see it from that perspective. Ahsoka is compelling because she's AHSOKA, not because she's Anakin's padawan the way Felony seems to think. She can be compelling WITHOUT HIM if they would just believe in her ability to tell her own story. And she doesn't need to be relevant to the Skywalker Saga in order for her story to be important simply for being HERS. She has a story to tell and it's a good one, even if nothing major changes because of it.

I love the way that that is woven into the fic because I kept EXPECTING things to change due to Ahsoka not being Mace's padawan. I kept expecting her presence to save some of the people who die during TCW, I kept expecting endings to change somehow, and they just... don't. And even when it DOES, right at the end, when she escapes with some younglings and an injured Mace, and they apparently go on to create an underground Jedi Order, it doesn't change the end of the story in the OT. Luke and Leia still go to Tatooine and Alderaan, they still end up fighting on and over Endor as the final battle, Luke still goes off alone to face Anakin and Palpatine and that confrontation goes exactly the way it did in canon. Ahsoka's presence and the things her new backstory have changed in the background of the narrative have no actual bearing on the major Skywalker Saga. But there are more Jedi survivors in this AU than there are in canon, an entire Order that has been slowly piecing itself together in secrecy for the last 20 years, and even though that doesn't change the actual story, it's not nothing. It's not insignificant that they survived and they're there.

And I think the last thing I will discuss that I absolutely adore about this fic is Anakin's padawan. This character is an OC created seemingly to be a foil for Ahsoka, a mirror into the person she could've been had she ended up with Anakin instead of Mace, a reflection of her canon self even though neither Ahsoka nor this new padawan would ever be able to know that. I love the way that this allows the author to make that comparison for the readers without it being super in your face about it. Ahsoka isn't facing a literal reflection of herself and the new padawan IS her own person with her own personality and struggles, but she still definitely feels like "who Ahsoka would've become if she hadn't been saved by Mace."

The new padawan isn't supported by Anakin, but she's really close with Rex. She ends up feeling almost DEFINED by her years with Anakin and can't really connect to her Jedi upbringing anymore after Order 66 even though she spent far longer without Anakin than she did with him. She's young enough that she can't see the truth about his darkness and defends him to others no matter what, even though she admits after Order 66 that there were signs she can see now and blames herself for not being able to see the truth of them then. She succumbs to her own darkness because it's the path Anakin guided her down and she can't quite figure out how to get back onto the path of a Jedi, no matter how much Ahsoka and Mace try to help her. She's lost, floundering in her own darkness because the person who was supposed to guide her towards balance ended up isolating her from the rest of the Jedi and making her feel dependent on him and then he discarded her like she never mattered to him at all.

And I LOVE how broken and shattered she is, I love how consumed she is by her pain and grief and anger because she's known little else for like two years, I love the way she lashes out because she doesn't know how to control it, I love how difficult she finds it to act like a Jedi anymore, I love how much she feels like she doesn't know who she is anymore. THIS is what I wanted to see Ahsoka struggling with in the aftermath of her revelation about Anakin. THIS is the kind of person I wanted Ahsoka to be in the Ahsoka show. THIS is why I can't agree with anybody saying that she came across as particularly unkind or prickly or broken at the beginning of that show because she really isn't. She's BARELY upset every so often, she's SO calm and in control at all times. I wanted to see her ANGRY, I wanted to see her LOSE CONTROL, I wanted to see her lashing out at people who are just trying to help her because she's lost all sense of who she is in the wake of realizing the person who had guided her on her current path became a monster and she has no idea how much of that has impacted the person she's become and how much it will CONTINUE to impact her going forward. I wanted to see Ahsoka GENUINELY STRUGGLE with the things that have happened to her and see her REALLY changed by it all before being able to come back to herself in the end. And that's not what I was given. Not until this series entered my life, anyway, and it's not even technically happening to Ahsoka herself.

(I'll also point out here that at no point does the padawan ever say anything Jedi critical. Even as an Ahsoka foil who is partially representative of canon Ahsoka, she never falls so far that she blames the Jedi for their own genocide. So despite how much more she's struggling than canon Ahsoka does, she's still a better person than canon Ahsoka has become.)

So if you hated the Ahsoka show, loved the Kenobi show, and want something that's immensely Jedi friendly and Anakin critical that takes things like the war and Order 66 and the ensuing Purge VERY seriously, give this series a whirl. It's definitely an epic (and it's not done yet) and I had to take breaks every so often by reading something a little more light-hearted, but it's SO worth it.

[saffronapplemanga]

Recent Read Manga Recommendation Round Up - Part 2

More manga I’ve been enjoying recently! Part 1 recommendation list here. Twitter link to this post here.

~Links to my other manga posts~ My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

Got more new titles and shorter reads this time around!

Some of these don't have official (or unofficial) EN translations since I read a lot of JP-only manga and I’d like to make people aware of those titles too! My hope is that bringing awareness to them will help get them licensed :) I guess if any sound interesting, ask publishers to license them! I’ll link any dedicated posts I have for each title.

PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

HISTORICAL, DRAMA

✨Tenmaku no Jadoogar: A Witch’s Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only. The first 5 chapters are up for free in JP here. English summary in this post

A learned Irani slave girl is taken captive by the Mongols in the 13th century and has to use her knowledge to survive. Well-researched historical fiction about Fatima, who was a real person in history. I wrote a long detailed post about it, so check it out!

DRAMA, ART

✨Untitled Blue by Natsume Yukiko

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only - English summary in this post

I fell for Untitled Blue SO HARD, and I need the next volume immediately. A suicidal boy who just wants to make art uses the name of a burnt-out prodigy girl to sell his works in anonymity. The found family vibes and feels are strong in this one... And there are some absolutely SICK pages in this.

DRAMA, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ROMANCE

Haru’s Curse by Konishi Asuka

(2 volumes, complete)

Available in English

A woman falls for her dead sister's man and we follow a story about guilt and grief. This is a well-written short manga that tackles touchy topics in a thoughtful manner.

PSYCHOLOGICAL, DRAMA, SCI-FI

Takopi’s Original Sin by Taizan5

(2 volumes, complete)

English available to read on mangaplus

A short manga that was quite popular in Japan by the same author of the currently publishing Jump series The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins, this title is a good intro into Taizan 5's work. The art is expressive, the page turn is used well, and it takes a look at human psychology through three children with complicated relationships and living situations.

LGBTQ, SLICE OF LIFE

Kawa yori mo Nagaku Yuruyaka ni by Yoshida Akimi

(2 volumes, complete)

JP only

From Yoshida-sensei of Banana Fish fame, this short manga predates her more well-known work and you can see her explore some of the themes and ideas that you'll often see in Yoshida's works. I didn't relate to the characters (Which is actually nice sometimes! Different perspectives are good!) and it's kind of a weird manga, but it got a few laughs out of me and it was cool seeing Yoshida experiment.

This is how he introduced himself to an American working at the base - WILD

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Let's Go Karaoke! by Wayama Yama

(oneshot)

Available in English

I've been eyeing this title for YEARS and almost bought it so many times. Finally read it and idk why it took me so long. A charming, quirky, silly, wholesome story about a yakuza getting singing lessons from a choir kid. There's a sequel that's currently being published, ファミレス行こ/Famiresu Iko/"Let's Go To a Diner," but it seems to have a slow release schedule and hasn't been released in volume form yet. I don't see it available to read digitally either so I guess we'll just wait for a tankobon release.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Captivated, by You by Wayama Yama

(oneshot)

Available in English

A wholesome quick read that left me with a smile on my face. The characters in this manga are just sweet kids and it's delightfully mundane. I mean that in the best way. It was just so nice to read.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Onna no Sono no Hoshi by Wayama Yama

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only

More of Wayama Yama's infectious brand of humor and fuzzy feelings that I'm completely in love with at this point. Read what I said for the last two titles - same good stuff.

DRAMA, SCI-FI, MYSTERY

✨Gene Bride by Takano Hitomi

(3 volumes, ongoing)

JP only - English summary in this post

Sci-fi title that slowly unfolds its mystery and features two incredibly charming characters with a hilarious dynamic and tons of personality.

DRAMA, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Ikoku Nikki by Yamashita Tomoko

(11 volumes, complete)

JP only

My current read!

15-year old Asa's parents passed away in a car accident and her aunt, Makio, who works as an author has taken her in. This series is so human and makes me feel too seen and it's too relatable... Gives me the warm and fuzzies but also makes me want to cry. I need Makio in my life tbh.

Just gonna leave this here...

[majorproblems77]

Fanfic Master post!

Hey! Thanks for your interest in my Fanfics. It means the world to me.

I've written a variety of fanfics, One-shots, short multi-chapter stories and a few larger series.

I post all of my Fanfics on AO3, under the username major_de_speed which can be found

Here

This post is gonna be a long one so fair warning. Feel free to browse to your heart's content! Please do let me know how you feel about everything you look into, it does mean the world to me.

Stories below!

Kept under the line for your feed's sake

You clicked it? Thanks! :)

Have a cookie!

One last thing...

Here for my Whumptober 2023 fics? I've got a master post for that, here you are!

Whumptober 2023 master post

One shot fanfics

Thunderous consequences

This was my first work and was inspired by @/kikker_oma's artwork Thunder - Found here. It was super fun to write for it.

Summary

When Sky and Hyrule get ambushed on patrol, a bad decision has Thunderous consequences.

Homesick

A shorter piece based in Wind's Hyrule about Sky feeling homesick.

Summary

Sky's been a little out of sorts lately. He's distracted, unfocused. Arriving at Wind's humble home he finds he needs some space. It's no one's fault of course he just misses home.

He misses her.

No sword, no magic rod, no problem

This one was written for the LU WTIYS put together by @/breannasfluff, It's a Legend-centric story where he is tasked with collecting some materials for Purah.

Summary

Part of the LU WTIYS!

Legend was tasked with getting some flint and Luminous stone. Not a difficult task for a seasoned adventurer like him. So let's make it fun, a challenge if you will. No swords, no magic rods, no bow. Only the power of punch.

Don't tell Hyrule?

Five days, Five months, Five minutes, Five years

A four part story on my take on the Wild leaves the chain for TOTK. This obviously comes with TOTK spoilers.

Summary

Five days since Wild heard the call Five months since he left them Five minutes since entering the portal to Wilds Hyrule Five years without them

Exploring the different lengths of time between Wild leaving the chain for Tears of the kingdom, and him returning much later. For him at least.

Midnight ride

A short fic I wrote cause I was desperate for Sky fluff. Very fluffy Sky and Crimson fluff.

Summary

It was midnight, on the anniversary of his defeat of demise. The chain were in his Hyrule, much to Zelda's delight.

Taking notice

This is an ongoing story I am writing with @/uniquevoidflowers it's a Legend and Sky-Centric story that we are writing as a pair.

Summary

Legend's trauma comes to haunt him one night, resulting in Legend's behaviour to change drastically. Sky notices this, and tries to get the veteran to open up, so he can comfort Legend. Will Sky succeed?

Eyeliner

This one is a short story I wrote for @/Ikashire, it was a surprise for them as I have and continue to have brain rot about they're modern au. It's inspired by some art they did, which you can find here.

Summary

Legend helps Sky get ready for a photoshoot.

Channeling starlight

This one I wrote as my contribution to the @/Ikashire DTIYS, there's been some amazing stuff come out of it and I was super happy to join in!

Summary

 “Hey, Legend, now we’ve got wild alone.” Hyrule looked to Wild, who had stopped his movements looking at him with a quizzical look on his face. “Do you think we can start looking at that spell?”

“Yeah, we should.”

“What would we need?”

Tumblr suggestion box!

Here is the place I put all those suggestions I've written from the lovely people from here! either short drabbles, requests and the like!

One of the many reasons Sky hates dungeons

This one was suggested by @/unexpectedstormy and is a short story based around Sky meeting Redeads for the first time.

Unravelling series

A series of stories written about Sky's struggles with his mind. The guilt of not only the curse but the sword and other's opinions of it.

TW for depression, attempted suicide, suicide and dissociation in a big way. Please do take care if you're going to read this one.

Gift of Silence

After a bad confrontation with Time and Twilight, Sky goes off alone Unarmed and stuck in his own head he makes a decision, and someone needs to stop him.

TW for attempted suicide and depression

Inspired by @/Kikker_oma's art piece Sunshine - Found here.

Summary

Words said hurt, But sometimes... They hit in just the wrong way. Sometimes all they want is the Gift of Silence.

Struggles in the aftermath

The next piece to this series, written from Wind's perspective, This covers Wind's reaction to what he's seen. And the support that he gets from his older brothers.

TW for attempted suicide and depression - spoken about

Summary

Sky had made it back to camp alive. But Wind. Wind had seen it. Sometimes there are struggles in the aftermath, for those who witness it.

Unravelling

Currently my main ongoing project, after the events of struggles in the aftermath the chain gets separated into an unknown Hyrule. With Sky's mind unravelling he needs help.

TW for suicide, depression and dissociation.

Summary

A slight tug is all it takes to unwind a ball of wool, The same can be said for people. A slight tug, a bad word, an action. With Sky's life on the line, they have to stop that ball from unwinding any further.

Hopefully, it's not too late.

[harlivycentral]

Just wanted to say thanks for breaking down the comics that lead to Ivy’s series. I read some of it before but I knew I was missing something so your post is super helpful. Also I’ve been loving the Kate/Maggie posts as well I’ve been meaning to read more batwoman. 🙏

Thank you so much for sending this ask, I'm glad you've been enjoying it! It was really kind of a pet project for me, since I was in the same boat as you for a long time & wanted to archive for myself the complete backstory. I think seeing how they built up Harley's interest in being a hero for multiple years was really interesting, plus I loved a lot of Ivy's storylines!! So it makes me happy to hear people are appreciating it :)

In 2019, I was a very casual Harley Quinn fan--much more into other comics & hadn't read most of her stuff. I was living in Seattle and going weekly to this awesome comic shop that's since closed (RIP 😢), so I picked up & read all of the limited-run Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy. After that, though, I didn't really keep up with their main storyline. I prefer to read things physically, and I'd buy certain single issues I was interested in (I bought single issues of Joker War and Catwoman: Fear State that I read online had more Harlivy content specifically), but I was always slightly confused/wanted to know the full scope of it. When they finally gave Ivy her own ongoing series, that's when I was like, okay, I'm fully diving in!

(Just a side note, midtowncomics.com is awesome for buying cheap back issues physically. Although I have temporarily subscribed to DC Universe just to catch up on the full backstory & decide which comics I want to own physically. I also hoped excerpting stuff from them would help other people decide which arcs they wanted to read in full for themselves! I can definitely give my recommendations if anyone is interested.)

And I definitely had to do some digging on like old reddit posts and random comic reviews etc. to figure out which comics had their complete storyline over the past few years, so I was like, okay now that I've put this all together, let me put it one place for posterity. There's definitely parts of their storyline I think are way better written than others (though I've tried not to editorialize too much except for Heroes in Crisis lol). I was on vacation last week & had a dental emergency this week (which turned out to be fine as of yesterday woohoo!), but I'd love to make some more text posts with my thoughts on stuff (separate from just archiving it). And I would definitely love to hear from my followers any of their thoughts on specific Harlivy storylines/comics/writers/etc.!

Glad you've been enjoying the Kate/Maggie posts too! I have such mixed feelings about that Batwoman run. It is truly like, sigh, the amount of canonical gay women that DC makes former army or current cops is truly abysmal. And it also definitely has more running themes of violence against women than I expected/wanted (obviously outside of villains physically fighting Kate, I mean, as that's to be expected). But the art is TRULY gorgeous, the storytelling is engaging, and it does represent a lesbian relationship and center a lesbian superhero in a way I haven't really ever seen anywhere else. I love DC Bombshell's version of Kate SO much (the art is also gorgeous for that & her backstory is WAY more appealing to me personally), but sadly they were more focused on including a breadth of characters in that comic than diving deeply into any one character's storyline, including Kate (after like the first six issues). Anyway, I won't go too in depth on my Batwoman thoughts here lol.

But yeah, I was in the Batwoman tag and it was mostly Batfam memes. Which, understandable to some extent, since her last solo comic ended a few years ago, so that stuff is probably just buried. But I was like, well, since I'm reading this anyway, I would like more of the art & relationships from her actual solo comic to be in the tags, at least on my blog for my own reference.

Anyway, sorry, feel like stuff has been running mostly on a queue for the last two-ish weeks, and now I'm back and energized & your ask happened to spark this rambling. Lol thank you for dropping in to my inbox, hope you have a good one!

[fizzbot]

I've been here forever trying to find other words to spell but i've got nothing, here's the rest of the questions i'd be interested in hearing your answers for :33 A B C D F H K M N R S T W X Z

SDKHSDJKSDFHLJK it was a noble effort, thank you babe!!!! o7

fandom ask game og post here!!

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed. our textverse rp au has opened my eyes to so many amazing dynamics.....blitzker my babies <33333 even just their friendship is SO goddamn sweet, i love them <////3 (rewritten) stolitz has also taken up so much of my brain recently ofc since they are lterally so us for real :3 on a friendship note, rosie&striker??? probably my favorite duo weve come up with of all time, the lore is insane!!!!!! sjkdlfhsdjkf honestly ozzie&blitz has been unexpectedly SUPER sweet too, i love when they talk!!!!!! ROSIE X MIMZYYYY MY OLD WOMAN YURRIIIIII!!!!!!!!!! pen x baxter is still in the oven but. soon......

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind. i mean. rosie and striker. we spun a wheel for random character interactions and it changed our lives permanently. OH and romantically, huskerdust!!!!! i did not give a shit about them until you were like "i think we could fix them" one day and you were so right. we could. and we did :]

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will. carmilla x velvet. velmilla they could never make me like you. OH AND CHERRISNAKE. get that woman a girlfriend stat!!!!!!!!!!!!

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t. uhh. ksdfhksdf im not sure there are any?? MAYBE blitzfizz, but not in a "i hate this ship" way, in a "i just like their friendship more and find it more compelling" way

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? i think it depends on whether or not it counts if we take breaks in between. like, some fandoms weve been into for like, months and months and months, and then we get out of it, and then we get back into it for EVEN MORE MONTHS........actually idk if it does, bc i think the answer either way is sam and max??? we were into that for like,,,,,,MOST of 2021/2022, werent we??? and we relapsed SEVERAL times!!!!!!!! fnaf might be a close second. unfortunately

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)? ooh,,,uhh,,,,it depends on a whole lot of things. i dont prefer media that is ongoing. so like, a series thats still running? i probably wont be able to get into it. which i know is hilarious since this is an hh and hb blog, both of which are ongoing. the LENGTH is also a big factor. like, id rather die than get into something like the simpsons, because i have a completionist in my brain that would mourn never being able to watch it all. for that same reason, i dont tend to like media thats episodic, like,,,,,spongebob is the best example i could think of jhksdfhjsd. i dont like shows/media that will do something as a gag, and then everything ""resets"" by the next episode. i need linear growth!!!!!!! books, depends on how long the series is. i like reading, but i just dont have the time to read huge series, and also its a bitch to find something if i need a specfic piece of info that i knew i read. like, the wfrr series is perfect, idk if i could do anything longer than that. movies are......ok??? theyre fine, i prefer movie SERIES tho, for more of that linear growth i was talkin about. and games ALSO fully depend on the length/what kind of game they are. i could never see myself getting into something like zelda, because theres SO much content with not enough consistency, but sam and max and monkey island hold a super special place in my heart. SDKFHJKSDFJHKSDF SORRY SORRY this answer was really really long winded. so im gonna say that my ideal media is a show thats short, finished, and maybe has some extra stuff like books or special features. like, gravity falls was my IDEAL fanom, not just for the nostalgia factor!!! it ticks all the boxes :]

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc? in our fix-verse, striker wins by a goddamn mile. rosie SAVED that man. in cannonnnn.....uhhh......holy shit, does any character have any arc at all???????????? JHKSDFHJKSDF HELLO???? WHY CANT I THINK OF ANY. fuck, i guess striker wins!!!!! congrats man!!!!!

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend. im soooo obviously biased here but ive gotta give it to striker. we could complain about stolas together and i could tell him about the people who wronged me and hed be like 'want me to kill them for you?' and i could say yes. also i could pat his horsey on the head

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice). women. just any women. give me a compelling arc for a woman that has no men getting their sticky hands on it. i have to think of two more things.....uhhh......i want more.....filler. especially in hazbin, i want the characters hanging out and bonding. we read the show bible ep pitches together and im still in mourning. charlie helpng baxter with his experiments??? huskerdust carnival date??? ROYAL PARTY???? MIMZY BECOMING A RESIDENT OF THE HOTEL??????? uhhh one more thinngggg......ummm......fat people. isnt it ridiculous that there are only TWO. FAT CHARACTERS. IN BOTH OF THESE SHOWS COMBINED. two!!!!! and one of them is a villain, and the other is meant to be disliked!!!!! i wonder if that says anything about vivziepop. /sarc

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom? blitzker is up there, but right now the award goes to blitz/moxxie. they are SO. SO SPECIAL TO ME. and weve been sleeping on them all this time!!!!!!!!!! they are best friends in the whole world

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged) uhh. blitz ships appledash. i saw someone earlier say hed ship rarijack and it actually annoyed me a little HAHAHAJKHFJKLDSH come on, look at his goddamn horse ocs!!!!!! this man wants butch4butch horses sooo bad. he literally is rainbow dash. and he loves cowboys. uhhhh on a slightly more serious headcanon note, all members of i.m.p being at least a little trans is so so so incredibly important and special to me. t4t4t

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? blitz is not a goddamn dom. stop making him the top in what is supposed to be loving stolitz art. he doesnt like it. he pretends to but hes lying. wheres that post thats like "when the character is putting on a persona in-universe and the audience falls for it". i have rambled about how much i hate this on this blog before and i will do it again

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom. enemies/rivals to lovers.

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom. friends to lovers!!!!!!!!! <3333333333333

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.) AUGHHHJHSKFHJKSD DONT PUT ME ON THE SPOTTTTTHSJKFHSDFJK!!!!!!! uhhhhhhh i hate vivziepop i hope she explodes but i hope she relases all the hb episodes first so we have something to riff on. the fact that full moon has been done for months and shes JUST now chosing to ""let it cook"" a little longer is driving me up a goddamn wall. she has been on VACATION. for WEEKS. and she gets back and is like "what if i delayed full moon even more :3". anyway if it drops on my birthday (the 29th) that Might be my last straw

[winterarmyy]

Alpha!Bucky Fics Recs

Each of the fics will have the author account listed as well, I implore you to go check all of their works because they are as equally delightful as the ones that I've listed in these.

Do follow, like, comment and reblogs these works to support the authors and their works.

Check out this masterlist for the recs for other genres!

Navigation:

"Type" is basically the type of fic, oneshot or series, complete or ongoing, and is it fluff, angst, etc.

"Teaser" is my own way of explaining the summary of the fic.

"Review" is my take on the fic. I won't really comment on the writing so much because I'm not qualified to judge them lol. So, I will just leave some review about how i feel when/after I read the fics and what i love about it.

Genre tags:  🥀 - angst    ⛓ - smut    🐇 - fluff     🖤 - dark

My Alpha Next Door by @multi-stann​

Type: oneshot, completed – 🥀 ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: The new neighbor next door turns out to be your fated alpha. You are already in love with him ever since you caught his scent, but things were not as beautiful as the fairytale portrayed it to be when your fated alpha decided he doesn't want you (i.e. was already spoken for by someone else)

Review: A little bit of 🥀 , a good amount of feels though. I love that the reader is quite feisty; she was sad but like a angry-sad type rather than moping around drowning in self-pity. It's a oneshot, so there's not much of dragging amount of time between the unrequited feelings to transform into mutual feelings. Decently straight forward pace. And of course, it was spicy and sweet just how I like it to be!

The Mating Program by @multi-stann​

Type: oneshot, completed – 🥀 ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: Omega!Reader joined a program where they set up couples to live with each other for a certain amount of time. It was the reader's first time to the program and Alpha!Bucky's fourth time. Bucky wasn't a mean alpha, he was just cold and distant. It makes the omegas feels neglected. He push people away. Including the reader.

Review: Long-ass oneshot, so it was enough to lay out the one-sided pining, to unknowingly mutual pining. I love that Bucky was not rude or mean type of grumpy, he's just distant and don't seem interested. He was nice enough to have small talk here and there, and will try to cater the reader with her needs. Bucky doesn't hate your company in the house, and that's telling you something. Another good read for quick minute!

Heart & Soul by @all1e23​

Type: series, completed – 🥀 ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: Alpha!Bucky is cop while Omega!Reader is a traumatized omega that developed fear/paranonia towards alphas. It took Bucky a single whiff of her scent in crowd to convice him that she was his, and he was hers. But knowing her unkind past, Bucky made it his mission to court her respectfully, just like she deserved.

Review: I adore this series, I love me some soft alpha, and I mean soft as in he takes care of her so well! Approach her with genuine interest and care! She was hesitant at first, but with the way Bucky was treating her, she couldn't help but to let him in. Really really love this series. This Alpha!Bucky makes me feel soft and safe for some reason.

It's Been a Long, Long Time by @luminnara

Type: series, completed – 🥀 ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: An OC omega injected with the super serum just to cater the needs of Alpha!Winter Soldier. If he's in the cryo, then she'll be in hers too. But when the soldat gained his freedom, he seemed to forgot that his omega was still frozen within the abandoned Hydra facilities. Until one day, she was found.

Review: Another favourite of mine! This time with an original character! Love me some fic where the fl had history with Winter Soldier and not to mention a good relationship as well. The soldat was never mean or forceful, a bit rough sometimes but somehow careful, it's like his inner alpha somehow has his own conciousness? Chanting things like "don't hurt her, take care of omega, protect omega." So he always treats his omega with care and dare I say, with love. I adore every moment of them back in Hydra days. And that scene when she ran out the facility to see the night sky for the first time in a long time. God, something about Alpha!Winter Soldier in that scene! Kinda dark but soft too?! I love that, really! The reunion after years of being apart was heartwarming honestly. And everything after that is just as beautiful.

Alpha!Bucky Drabble by @angrythingstarlight

Type: Drabble, completed – 🥀 🐇

Teaser: After losing his arm fighting to protect his clan, Alpha!Bucky thought he is forever defected and will never be find the other half of his soul, until he met you.

Review: This was just a drabble written for an ask but MY GOD i wish we had a mini series for this! This was not enough, i'm greedy for this because who doesn't Iove some insecure bucky and loving reader. One of the best authors in here!

Meadows and Pine by @bunnygirlwriter876

Type: series, completed – 🐇 ⛓ 🥀

Teaser: Bucky is one of the most successful man in the city. He is a powerful alpha and a rich CEO of his company. But, he doesn't seem to feel whole with his life especially when he will soon be married to his fiance that doesn't love him. Catching a particular scent in his company one day, was the catalyst for his life to finally feeling complete.

Review: This was one of the firsts Alpha!Bucky I've read in this platform and I was hooked immediately. Classics of obvious mutual pining yet there was still back and forth between the couple. I don't what it is but the predatory POV of Bucky when he's around the reader is just sending me both to heaven and hell, honestly. Good pace, good conflict and resolvents. Solid fic, and I love everything about this.

Burning Rose by @kaunis-sielu

Type: series, completed – 🥀 ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: Call it coincidence or fate, but who would've thought that Bucky would find his omega when he walked into that random flower shop. A love story between an Alpha!Firefighter and Omega!Florist with a grey past she wanted to leave behind.

Review: This was also one of the firsts I read in this platform. I don't know what it is about this Bucky, but he gave me comforting vibes. Something about him just makes me feel as if I'm being cuddled in the middle of rainstorm outside. Very dramatic, I know. But that's just how I feel overall when I read this fic. The conflict was unexpected actually, at least for me it was. It was a good read overall!

The Salon Girl by @bunnygirlwriter876

Type: series, ongoing – 🖤 🐇 ⛓

Teaser: Bucky is an Alpha has been through unimaginable trauma. And after being free from the captivity of Hydra, it would be logical to think that Bucky is free from the darker version of himself. But that doesn't seem to be the case when his courting behaviour towards a certain omega seems to be laced with a slightly ominous tendecy.

Review: This awakens something in me, I'm not even kidding. I usually avoid dark fics but this was the catalyst of all my interest to dark fic. Maybe because it was a soft dark but yeah. Congratulations dear author, you unlock the pandora box in me, lmao. Bucky is basically a stalker with a goal to making the reader "realizes" that she is "his omega". He is charming during the days when they converse and questionable during the nights when he watched her through the windows of her home. Though it is still ongoing, I'm cheering for the author for the upcoming chapters!

Matched by @nony-bear

Type: series, ongoing – 🥀 🐇

Teaser: Being deprived from life itself, Bucky dreamed to regain it back by settling down with a mate. With it being the 21st century, there's no doubt that the old ways of finding a mate are long forgotten. As suggested by his therapist, Bucky joined a bio-tech incorporated mate matching program called Swan Program in hopes of finding his other half. On the flip side, the reader was thinking of doing the same thing.

Review: It's the longing, the yearning, the "so close yet so far" feels is immaculate, like you have no idea how much I love this series. Such an interesting take of mate matchmaking system which just adds to the anticipation of Bucky and the reader to get together. The plot and pace are perfect and I love the couple already! Though it is still ongoing and no pressure at all; I'm rooting for the author to continue this masterpiece!

Once Upon Blue Moon by @sagechanoafterdark

Type: series, ongoing – ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: TFATWS!au where Alpha!Bucky realizing that he was lost and needs help to navigate his life in the 21st century and make it more... enjoyable, in a way. To actually find a life worth to live for from the freedom he gained after the Winter Soldier ordeal. Omega!reader came into the picture as a comfort omega that professionally provides service to help those are in need, such as Bucky.

Review: It is newly released and currently just chapter 1 and I am hooked. What can I say? I'm a sucker a/b/o trope! There's a possible ⛓ content but idk. I tagged it as 🐇 because it says to be 'angst in a good kind'. Any good feeling is categorized as 🐇 to me lol. I am looking forward for the upcoming chapters and what the author will be blessing us with,

[ This is not Bucky, but it's actually Lee Bodecker but it made in the list because I love the series so much ]

Grumpy Grizzly by @abbatoirablaze

Type: series, completed – ⛓ 🐇

Teaser: Alpha!Lee is not as desired compared to his other alpha friends. He's from a grizzly lineage, strong and huge. "But he is huge in all the wrong places" they said. He's insecure, yet still one grumpy alpha. Then, Omega!reader is just a sweet little koala bear that have a crush on him.

Review: uhhhh pleaseeeee I just love chubby!alpha x smitten!omega trope. He's insecure, thinking he deserve no one in the world while the reader just constantly look at him like he hung the moon and stars in the sky. That's my shit right there. It's so cute and fluffy, and makes me happy for no fucking reason. The author nailed it with this mini series, istg i've searching more fic like this but haven't been able to hit just the right like this particular author though. Has little bit of spice and it's perfection!

[ This is not Bucky, but it's actually Nick Fowler but it made in the list because I love this one too lol ]

Mate Training by @abbatoirablaze

PT.1  |  PT. 2  |  PT. 3 

Type: series, completed – 🥀 ⛓🐇

Teaser: Omega!Reader is currently a new recruit and on a training camp to be a spy. Being the only omega panther shifter, it's only fair that you managed to attract the attention the only alpha panther shifter, Agent Fowler. And oh how he made it very clear that he was more than ready to mate with you when he partially shifted in front of all the new recruits on the first day of training.

Review: Another a/b/o trope that I simply love! I like the idea that they can shift into the animal counterpart of themselves. I don't see that a lot, or maybe I just haven't find more. Anyway, I kinda like how shameless Nick was for approaching the reader the way he did. It's borderline harassment but yknow, its Nick Fowler though. He gets a pass for that, I'd give him the free pass. Anyway, I love the conflict with refusing to mate because being a spy and starting a family (yknow having cubs and all) is not the best idea. Anyway, I love this series so much! Bless the author for writing this.

Note: Will update more in the future! Feel free to recommend me fics too, I might list them in this as well!

[namjooningelsewhere]

Fic Recs❤

Since i love fic recs so much and I am literally hogging each one of them, I thought it would be fun to have one of my own, These are the ones that are my absolute favorites and I have literally lost count of the times I have been going back and re-reading them. This is just one part of it though and these are all series. I have a separate list for one-shot, I don't know if this is how a fic rec should look, ?But ive tried to keep it simple.💖❤🤞

Completed:

The Pact - By @alpacaparkaseok

This is the first ever fic that i had read on tumblr, It just popped on my feed and i am glad it did. Its really beautiful and to be honest THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DATES I HAVE READ OR HEARD ARE RIGHT HERE.

Organic - By @ppersonna

This ones a social media au, Its sassy, super fun since the start and there isn't a dull moment. I had almost died laughing at the OC and Jins chemisrty and the rest of them as well . My all time go to if i am feeling super dull.

Who's Your Daddy? By @ppersonna

This is another social media au and my goodness this is as silly as sweet and mind you as sexy as it gets. This is altogether another level. Everything is perfection amplified here❤❤

Inevitable By @ahundredtimesover

This one hit home. I read the first chapter and god damn i was hooked like nobody's business. This one is super super close to me, One because Mimi has literally done magic out here on this fic and i think I'm the person who has chewed her brains the most with my 10 pager essays about what i felt. And secondly it is something very personal to me, Literally i have read it 20 times so far. My Absolute fav.

Perfectly Wrong By @xpeachesncream

This is a one hell of a interesting fic, Its absolutely beautiful. The emotions are so pure, So real and so precise to be honest. Absolute surreal. This one definitely makes you crave for friendships like them.

Bands By @xpeachesncream

This is the sweetest love story i have read. It had kept me hooked from the start to the end. There are moments which will make you literally cry, have a fluff attack (I use this term when the fluff is extremely good, So good that makes you giddy with the sweetness in a good way.)

CSG By @sunshyngal

This ones from my favorite writer, This story is so beautiful yet so delicate. Shyn has a way of portraying emotions too well and mind it it can be felt. This is one hell of a love story, Intense as ever.

Muse By @lavishedinjimin

This one will sure leave you in awe of the way its written, Super intense and oh damn you will literally feel chills as thwe story progresses. Its an art masterpiece, And Tae!! Ahem❤🤷‍♀️ He is a a different level hot and intense.

Falling From Grace By @sunshyngal

This is an epic fic, The hate and friction is intense AF and hottest ever. Its sinful AF and one of the hottest ones ive read❤🙌

Ongoing:

I Hate You, I love You By @borathae

This is a roller coaster of a story, One of which i can write a million words to describe how amazing it is. Its one of the fics that makes me jump with joy when i receive a notification of update. Its one of my ongoing favs and also one of the fics that i actually have lost count of the times i have gone back and re-read till date. This is the first ever story that makes me want to fall in love once again, After having given up the idea of it a long time ago. Its a fluff attack as it progresses. The emotions are on full swing in this one.

Death Valley By @bangtangalicious

This is one hell of a Netflix worthy fic! Period. If anything, I even have a list of actors for the OT7 and OC as to who can play who!😉🤷‍♀️

It will fucking keep you on the edge with suspense and it will blow your mind, head and whatever is left in you to bits!! I have literally never built theories or literally never spent connecting dots as i did for this one. Im not giving out spoilers, But this one right here had my heart beat racing every time there is a update. Mind-blowing is the proper word for it though.

Cyberslut By @kimnjss

Yoongi is another level in this, One of my fav social media au's. Its got everything, Mind-blowing and amazing. No matter how many time I've read it, still feels new like I'm reading it for the first time.

Silk and Lace By @sunshyngal

This is the epitome of perfection. I have never seen such characters. Intense is the least of it. Something about Shyn is she writes such female characters that are so head strong and courageous. You cant help but fall in love with them. Its an equal here, A story of two equals in their own ways.

Sadness of things By @sunshyngal

This is one i wait for updates like nobody's business yet i have no words to describe it. This story is something else, Actually something else. So many emotions are so perfectly written, its a memorable one. Its beautiful. Truly! Another example of a strong female character.

Abundance By @angelicyoongie

This fic is abundance of everything, Its as real as it gets. Its like built from ground up and it is nothing less than perfection. A perfect hybrid au.❤❤ If OT7 is your thing, You will definitely fall in love with this one.

I'm Not Yours By @hantaev

This is still starting, But i fell in love with the first teaser and hooked with second teaser and whipped with the First Chapter, No kidding its a beautiful story, with even beautifully written.❤🤷‍♀️

Maybe I Do By @chateautae

This is the first fic that I'm thankful for having long chapters. Every time i read it i just cant get enough. Its prefect example of how love has no definitions and you can even find love in the most unconventional ways. One of the sweetest love story I've come I've ever read. Maybe i just don't have enough words.

Incoming: Elite Chatboy By @kookingtae

This is so good that it should be illegal. One of the hottest ones ever. Chemistry, sass and sexual tension runs high in this one and keeps on edge. Interesting AF and hot AF!!!

Kanalia By @xjoonchildx

This is one hell of a fic, set in ancient backdrop! It intrigued me AF and then I couldn't stop myself from reading it again and again. The chemistry in here runs deep, one of the fics that I'm desperately waiting for the next update. It's going to be a masterpiece that I'm sure of!!

Lowkey By @xpeachesncream

I am eternally apologetic about not stumbling on this fic earlier, Thank heavens I did today. One of the most realistic ones yet most touching ones I've come across on tumblr❤❤❤❤

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia! I'm a huge fan of your work and deeply enjoying FFS rn, it really shows the love and care you've put into this world and characters and it's an amazing read 🥰🧡

Idk if you've actually answered this question before or if it's a bit too much? So feel free to skip it. Do you have any advice on how to write a therapist and sessions with them? And to go along with that, a therapist&patient relationship that doesn't feel inauthentic but that's a healthy one?

I've had to visit both psychiatrists and psychologists a couple of times along my life, which has almost always been a positive experience to me, but when I get down to business and want to write a character going to therapy, I fall into a bunch of the psychoanalytic clichés US films have hammered us down with, even if I'm not from an Anglophile country!

Thanks a bunch in advance!! Ilu, have a nice start of the year🧡✨

Hiya anon!

I have a few thoughts about writing therapy sessions so I’m just going to put them down in no particular order.

Firstly, I don’t actually think it’s always a good idea to write therapy in stories, and a lot of the time I avoid writing it even when a character is actively seeing a therapist. This is particularly true in The Wind that Cuts the Night where all we see of Alex and his therapist are snippets, and nothing more than that, because therapy sessions would slow down the pacing, focus and value of the story.

Where possible, characters don’t see therapists, but talk to people in a way that is therapeutic, usually with love interests or members of the ensemble cast (Augus and Fenwrel in The Court of Five Thrones, Jack and Eva in The Golden Age that Never Was, Jack and North in From the Darkness We Rise/Into Shadows We Fall, Cullen and Cassandra, Cullen and Bull in Stuck on the Puzzle). All of those characters need therapy, but writing therapy sessions tends to slow down the pace of a fic pretty dramatically, and even I had misgivings about writing Efnisien’s sessions with Dr Gary at first because I’m acutely aware of the fact that:

1. Therapy sessions can be draggy and boring 2. They often take away important emotional realisations from other characters, ruining potential hurt/comfort and character relationship development moments with your actual cast / love interests 3. Fiction is meant to be fiction, not reality. 4. A lot of therapy sessions are actually not that interesting to sit in or write or observe, which is why writers do often find themselves falling into certain cliches while writing them to make them more interesting. Even I cut out huge chunks of sessions to get to the more interesting parts, lol. 5. You can write a character going to therapy without writing the therapy. You can just choose to have the character remember bits and pieces of the session later as it’s relevant to their life. 6. Therapy is different for everyone, and some readers (myself included) don’t enjoy reading it when the therapy is a kind that doesn’t resonate or feel right.

So you really need to ask yourself why you want to write therapy specifically, because a lot of the time it gets boring or - as you point out - falls into cliched territory. Writing a character going to a doctor a lot in detail for regular injections is boring. Writing them thinking about how they have to do this in brief while their love interest is sympathetic to them getting those injections is more interesting. Writing a character suffering from an illness that they need regular injections for, with their love interest comforting them? Interesting.

Falling Falling Stars is a unique fic in that Efnisien has no one before he meets Arden, except for Dr Gary and Gwyn. If you’re writing an FFS style fic, writing therapy sessions might be appropriate. It might be worth really thinking about the kind of fics you want to write, why you want to write therapy, how that will affect your pacing, etc.

If you’re still dead set on writing therapy sessions, then I have some suggestions re: writing more realistic/healthy therapy and how to find that knowledge yourself, and I don’t really know how to shorthand some of it:

1. Get books on therapy that are designed for the therapist. These are often expensive, but sometimes libraries stock them - and university libraries in particular will often have photocopy abilities (or you can just photograph the pages you need) because these books look at how sessions should be structured. Books with case studies are ideal, since they often show dialogue chains between the client and therapist. Books that obviously deal with the mental illnesses you’re planning on writing about are the most ideal.

2. With a view to this, learn about different therapeutic modalities (for example are you trying to write psychology or psychoanalysis or both? Are you writing social work? Are you writing cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy, expressive therapies, narrative therapy, transcendental therapy?) Be aware that different modalities have different session structures and learn what they are. Wikipedia is your friend, but your closest friend will be actually acquiring textbooks on the subject. This is a pretty significant financial barrier at times, I’ve been collecting books like this on psychology since like 1997.

3. Learn about your character’s mental instabilities that require them to go to a therapist and then look up the most recommended forms of therapy for your character’s specific issues. Will they suit your character? Why/why not? Will they have a therapist who realises and switches modality if it doesn’t suit? Or will they be lucky and find someone who helps them straight away?

4. All therapy sessions have a structure to them. And therapy often has a narrative arc through the course of therapy over many sessions. They should generally have the attempt at a beginning (greeting / setting up the problem to be discussed), middle (highlighting the source of conflict or inner conflict) and end (helping the client to focus on less stressful things, possible homework assigned, and potentially talking about future work/sessions). Learn this structure. Even if you’re not writing the whole session, you need to know where in the session you’re writing, beginning/middle/end will be different tonally. Structures will be different per therapeutic modality, and a therapist that knows many different modalities (like Dr Gary) will often be using slightly different structures each time depending on the character’s mood/issue.

5. In a healthy therapist/client relationship there will be the ability to discuss boundaries, grievances and the therapist won’t be revealing much about their personal life at all (unless anecdotally it’s super relevant and even then it will be deliberately vague). This is one of those things that will - in many cases - make for more boring sessions on the page, depending on the ‘client.’ For example, if you’re writing someone seeing a therapist for the first time, it might realistically take months or years before they start showing progress or trust. That’s not interesting (there’s a reason ‘therapy fiction’ isn’t a genre), so of course it’s tempting to shortcut into more dramatic moments.

*

I would say if you’re finding yourself leaning towards more cliched or dramatic forms of writing re: therapy, your writing brain may sense that the entire scene/s may not be suited to the story, and is trying to find a way to make them more interesting to yourself and the reader. If that’s not the case, then a lot more research is needed! It’s time to sink many hours into actually understanding what you’re trying to write. This doesn’t matter as much if you’re writing unrealistic or unhealthy therapy, but it’s 100% necessary when you’re trying to write healthier therapy depictions.***

Also a couple of sessions of experience is a start, but you might want to watch or find a way to watch more therapy sessions, because you’ve missed out on experiencing longer arcs, different modalities etc. (This is where my hands on experience with 19 therapists since 1995 is actually really helpful, lmao - I’ve had close to like 800~ sessions by now, with good and bad therapists; I cannot pretend that hasn’t given me a knowledge base that most people don’t share). You can still learn that stuff via research, MedCircle on Youtube is a good place to start, since it offers 30 minute snapshots on what CBT and DBT sessions will look like etc. and has some great playlists.

Most fics I’ve read don’t do a great job of depicting therapy, but the Babes!verse series by @rynfinity has probably some of the most realistic and still really interesting sessions I’ve read as an ongoing arc. The series is long, because it needs to be re: what it’s dealing with, but it’s great, and I definitely recommend looking at another example of how an author tackles these sorts of scenes. Out of the Mouths of Babes / The March of the Damned are the two intertwined series.

I apologise if this sounds discouraging overall, or daunting, but I just want to stress there’s a reason that I’m often not writing therapy in my writing, as anything more than the occasional scene with a non-therapist, or snapshots that are reflected on and that’s it. Falling Falling Stars is the exception to the rule, and unless you’re writing an exception to the rule as well, it’s really worth reflecting on the first six points I wrote - it’ll save you a fuckton of time and research. And if you go ahead with it, I wish you well! :D

*** Also disclaimer: But I still am writing very indulgent therapy that is not beholden to being either a 100% healthy or 100% realistic depiction. The fact is, real therapy sessions are pretty boring for observers except for maybe ten or twenty minutes in the middle at times.

(ETA: It’s just occurred to me that therapy fiction does exist, esp. in the mass media, but that it is - afaik - all unrealistic, dramatised or unhealthy. But if you want to watch a great show - I highly recommend In Treatment with Gabriel Byrne, just by aware that it is depicting, for the most part, unhealthy dynamics which are more character studies than anything).

[naehja]

I've been seeing your idea of Alpha!Flynn and Omega!Yuri floating around and wanted to come and say-- I AM INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT THIS! FureYuri (Top!Flynn/Bottom!Yuri) is my jam and I myself have an ongoing series on AO3 with ABO elements where Yuri is a wolf and Flynn is his mated alpha, despite being human, because Yuri wanted him to be his top and mate.

My english is not vey good, because it’s not my mothertongue, sorry for the mistakes ^^”

My idea was more to include omegaverse in the story without really changing anything else. Expect some points.

SoYuri: OmegaRepeade: DogEstelle: BetaKarol: Futur Omega (Nan is a Alpha) but still a child for now.Rita: BetaRaven: Was a Alpha before, is a Beta since he has the Blastia Heart.Judith: AlphaPatty: BetaFlynn: Alpha

When Yuri has been revealed to be a omega, with his beautiful appearance, he has had a lot of problems even if he knew defend himself. He was not a usual omega, some people was often surprised to see that he was not a alpha.

Flynn has always been VERY protective because he was afraid that, one day, a alpha more powerful kidnaps Yuri and uses him. He was terrified at the idea of Yuri being bitten and used by someone against his own will. But like they were always together, his scent surrounded a little Yuri, and it was a little protection against alphas. Sometimes Flynn growled against unknown alphas who comes a little too close of HIS best friend. (Yuri found that hilarous)

They manage to get enough money for buy supressants for them. They don't want that a heat (for Yuri) or a rut (for Flynn) end by...well...Flynn doesn't want to risk to take advantage of his friend or to bite him without permission during one of these moments. He would NEVER forgive himself.

Nothing in the laws of the empire forbiddes the omega to becomes knights, as long that they know how fight. But the empire has not a good views of the omegas, they more here for be "toys" or "babies machine". So while the laws is nice with omega, people sees them more or less like "people to be used".

So while Omega CAN be knight, some officers (the respectful ones, who fear the possible agression, kidnapping or stuff) would prefer that the knights omegas be bounded, because it's the best way to be left alone for them. (the laws says that touching a "bounded omega" is a crime).

Of course Yuri doesn't care. He's a omega and? Flynn is super stressed and becomes a little agressive toward Yuri. (UST? maybe?) They are lucky, Niren doesn't care at all about alphas/omegas/betas. Like everyone in his brigade.

The movie is more or less the same, they adopt Repeade, they act like a old married couple, they have a fight, even if the alpha side of Flynn wants to assert his dominance over this omega who make him crazy. (he begins to be even more possessive and protective) Also there some incidents with alphas and Flynn is more and more worried because :Yuri is a omega, he's careless, one day he will face someone stronger than him and....And in result he's more agressive toward Yuri.

When Yuri decides to leave the knights, they both realize that he will never have peace alone. Of course he know how fight. But...he's still a omega and could have problems one day, especially now that he'll be alone. So Flynn proposes him a solution totally selfless: what if he bited him? He would become his mate, his scent would covert him all times, and so he would be left in peace since he would be mated. Flynn doesn't ask anything in exchange. Nothing.

(Yeah Flynn gives up the possibility to have a mate, for protecting his friend)

Yuri accept because he knows Flynn, he trusts him, he likes him, and it would not be so bad, it would maybe makes his life better since no alphas would bother him anymore.

He just says "A alpha can give orders to his omega with vocal pheromones, you must promise to never use that against me!! Never force me to obey you"

Flynn promises because he thinks that he would never force his best friend into submission like that (he hates the idea). And so he bites him.

During the three years who follows everything is the same, except that Flynn goes more often in the lower quarter. Bring food and supressants to Yuri, is sill often worried for him, is sometimes angry that Yuri does nothing with his life, ect... the bite changes nothing between them, except they more tactile between them (and more cuddles)

The knights are a little confused because "this omega smells like the lieutenant Flynn?" "What?" "Lieutenant, your omega in in jail again!!" and Flynn is so done XD

The game begins and nothing change. Estelle is a beta, so she doesn't realize that Yuri smells like Flynn (so that he is his mate). And Yuri doesn't brag it. But he begins to miss him too. They met Karol (who is a omega but he has not been revealed for now because he's still a child), and Rita (who is a beta).

When he met Flynn again, the knight is about to break his promise because he's so angry. He's about to order Yuri to......but Estelle arrives at the right moment.After that? maybe a cuddle between them in the inn?

At every meeting between them, they are happy to see each other, have some cuddle time, speak and argue...nothing change from the game, except the cuddles.

Again everything is the same for some time. Raven joins, then Judith and Patty.

The first big change is after Cumore's death.Flynn uses his "vocal pheromones" for force Yuri to not resist when he's about to arrest him for murders. “On your knees, NOW!”

That's hurt. Because Yuri sees it like a betrayal. He can't move, he falls on his knees because it's the first time that Flynn uses it against him and it's brutal.Especially that at this moment, Flynn has no remorse because he's so angry. "You are MY responsabilty, my omega and if you cross the line, I must act in consequence: I’ll take you back with me and..."

But then Sodia and Estelle arrive and Flynn is enough distracted to release his omega from his  "vocal pheromones order". and Yuri runs aways. At this point, Flynn has still not remorse. And Estelle has still not understood the bound between them (they are not acting like a normal Alpha/Omega couple)

After Belius death, they met again.

Flynn is like "don't force me to do it again Yuri, give the stone and lady Estelle, by your own will or...""Or what ALPHA? You are going to submit your mate with your little voice?" and then Yuri stabs Flynn by words, like in the game and he finishes by "but I'm your omega right? So you have the power to arrest me! You can do whatever you want to me! What do you wait? DO IT"

And this time, Flynn feels shame, he feels the shattered trust. And don't stop them. His heart hurts, and he feels like a idiot, what he has done? what...

The groupe finally understand that they are mated but Yuri doesn't explain why or how.Rita says "why did you give yourself to a such jerk?"Patty says "At least he has not used a vocal order" (haha if she knew)Karol is afraid to be a omega (still not revealed). (sorry karol but you are one)Estelle sees that it's not always cute and beautiful between the Alpha/Omega romance. (welcome to the real world)Raven is like "ha youngness"Judith pats Yuri's shoulder. "You want me to punch him next time?"

After that? Everything go the same. Until Raven's betrayal. Flynn joins the group and Yuri is still bitter, even if he's happy to see that his friend is back to his senses. They speak a lot, maybe share their first kiss, Flynn apologizes again and again about the order. But Yuri knows that if Flynn thinks that he must use it, he will do it again so he says "forget the promise, if you feel that I go too far, use it"

Sodia realizes that Yuri smells like her captain. And Yuri is a little shit by taunting her about "sorry but I'M his mate", and also because he feels some jealousy to see another omega near to Flynn and interested by him. Even if the blond doesn't see anything about it.

At Zaude, Flynn FEELS that Yuri is not dead and feels strangely angry when he sees Sodia, even if he doesn't understand why. Duke smells Flynns's scent on Yuri just gives the omega to his alpha and go away. This time Yuri doesn't hide the truth, and it's more because Flynn sees the wound before his mate's awekening.

They finally confess to each other before the final fight, maybe share their first night together too.

Post-Game? I don't a lot of ideas but the biggest is that Karol and Judith says "we could build our guild-house in Zaphias?" because they don't want to force Yuri to choose between his mate and his friends.

[so-caffeinated]

You are the first and only writer I have read for this fandom. I love your work so much, I've re read all your Arrow stories twice (even the Firefly one even though I've never watched it). Do you have any favorite Olicity fics to recommend to keep me from going crazy my first hiatus? (I binged the first 4 seasons last year)

This is awesome!! Thank you! I’m super honored. And do I have recs? Oh yes, I have recs. 

First rec isn’t actually a fic, it’s a resource… @theolicitylibrary. If you want recs, they’ve got ‘em. If you want a specific trope or rating or genre, they’ve got that, too. Have a hankering for a fic where Oliver and Felicity are business rivals? There’s a link for that. Where she’s the vigilante instead? There’s a link for that, too. Where one of them is a werewolf? Yup. They’re an amazing resource and you can lose days (and weeks and months) going through lists of alpha/omega tropes and rockstar AUs and friends-to-lovers fics. 

But more specifically… how about I rec some authors, too? I haven’t been reading much lately - I spend all my time writing - so I’m more comfortable reccing authors I know are amazing and whose works I’m looking forward to catching up on. They’re all consistently excellent. This is by no means an all inclusive list.

@dust2dust34 - My co-writer for FiCoN and personal fav (though I admit to no small amount of bias). If you want smut and you want details and mining a scene for feelings, Bre is your girl. She has plenty of oneshots to choose from as well as some multichapter fics.  

@machawicket - Look, I can’t overstate Danielle’s skills as a writer. My husband doesn’t even read my fic but he likes hers. Her writing is funny, sweet, sexy and heartbreaking in turn but it’ll never leave you unsatisfied. She’s a master. 

@anthfan - Nikki is one of those writers that’s so good she makes you forget you’re reading a story, because it’s just something you’re living. It’s an experience. Her characterization is spot-on and her plots are super engaging. She writes both one-shots and longer stories. They’re all worth your time.

@hannasus - Susannah’s writing is the perfect balance of detailed exposition and tight narrative that lets you feel like you’ve experienced the whole setting in just a few lines. Add to that fully in-character characterization and interesting plots that keep you reading and you really can’t go wrong. I recommend reading her Something Like Fate series ASAP as she’s adapted it into the basis for an original novel (which she’s publishing later this year) and it may not be up on AO3 a whole lot longer. 

@rosietwiggs - I can always tell Rosie’s work in just a few lines. Her narrative voice is so very distinctive and so gripping that it pulls me in effortlessly. I don’t believe she’s writing for Arrow anymore, but even her unfinished works are worth a read. I especially recommend The New Normal, Lengths and How The Mighty Fall In Love.

@supersillyanddorky06 - I’d be surprised if you hadn’t heard around about Matty’s writing because she’s right at the core of the Olicity fandom’s best known fanfics. With good reason. She’s prolific, plotty, smutty and evocative. If you have a weakness for Bratva!Oliver, I’d start here. 

@jsevick - I first met Jaimie after reading her Jurassic Park AU (really!) and being both delighted and amazed that she could make it work. I’m extremely lucky to have had her help as my beta pretty much ever since. If you like my writing, she’s a big part of it (along with @alizziebyanyothername). While she hasn’t posted in a while, her stories are just fun and if you like Gilmore Girls, her Arrow AU for Gilmore Girls is a treat!

@realityisoverrated-fic - I have no idea how you would feel about Smoaking Billionaires, Anon (I personally love it), but I’ve got to very highly recommend her Infinite Love series. At 110 parts and counting, it deals extensively with Oliver, Felicity and Tommy’s family longterm, including their kids. It’s alternately hot, sweet, and heartbreaking. But, most of all, it’s just well-written and interesting. If you’re willing to read them as a triad, I cannot recommend this strongly enough.

@geneeste - I would pay for more of Caught a Long Wind. Quite literally. But, that aside, Genie is a top notch writer. Whether her one-shots, WiPs or brilliant, ongoing epic co-written work with @machawicket, everything she writes should be devoured. 

@juliesioux - Julie uses the setting in a story as another character. There’s so much life to the world she puts her characters in that it practically breathes. Above that, she doesn’t shy away from hard topics. She will rush in head-first and dig deep to explore what her characters are going through. When you read her work, take her warnings seriously, but if you’re looking for a rich story to read that challenges you, she’s the perfect option to turn to.

@thatmasquedgirl - One of the most prolific Olicity fic authors (with 110 fics, including the absolute opus Technical Assistance). She’s consistently excellent, creative and she gives us as a fandom a whole lot to read. You can probably spent a huge chunk of hiatus happily buried in her work.

@entersomethingcleverhere - As a rule, I do not read first person stories. Not even when they’re published books sitting on shelves at my bookstore. I will break that rule for her writing. I like it that much. It’s heartfelt, moving, well-paced, and the connections between her characters are both real and evolving as you go. 

@arrow-through-my-writers-block - Shelby is… well, she’s just fun! She’s a solid writer who never disappoints. She’s got quite a few one-shots and a few ongoing multi-chapters. She’s probably best known for Starstruck, but all of her work is worth reading.  

@wagamiller - I just really love wagamiller’s work. Like a lot. There are very few authors I have on alert, but wagamiller is. Stories that make me laugh out loud are few and far between, but the 35B series surely did (as did @machawicket‘s Unbearable Hotness of Being, btw). Strong, sharp, witty writing that will leave you with a grin on your face.

@callistawolf - When I think of Callie’s work, I think of the fanfic version of sitting down with some hot cocoa and curling up with a warm blanket to watch a Hallmark Christmas special. She’s consistently excellent about finishing her work, which is lovely, and you can pretty much always count on a feel-good romantic ending. 

@hopedreamlovepray - Writing one-shots that stick with your reader is hard. Keeping a story to 1-2k and still being impactful is even harder. She absolutely manages it every time. Hope27 (as she’s known on AO3, so you can find her) has something like a hundred Olicity fics. These are, in my opinion, absolutely perfect if you want to lose yourself in a story on the train to work or during your lunch hour. 

@dettiot - Mel has a lot of great stories (like really great). My favorite is probably the “ink in my pen ran dry” series, but that’s a really tough call. Core Curriculum is super hot. The Felicity Stark series (crossover with Avengers-verse) is brilliant and fun and made me giddy while reading it. Beauty in the Breakdown is excellent. Jerry the EA series features one of the best takes on a relative OC I’ve read in fics. Love is Red made me squeal like a teenager with excitement (I’m not ashamed; it was warranted). And Two Men, Same Name (written with @melsanfo) is one of those that I am absolutely dying for the time to catch up on. While I’m at it, let’s rec Mel Sanfo, too. Her Masquerade is another novel-length fic absolutely worth a read. You really can’t go wrong with either of these ladies. 

@ash818 - Ash is freaking awesome. So, here’s the thing. Her Legacy series is mind-blowingly good. I have to admit, I’ve only read The Man Under The Hood in the series (this is intentional, for a reason you’ll see in a moment, but you need to read all of her work ASAP, okay? You do). This series… you’ve got future, married Olicity with teenage children as they continue their mission. There’s action, plot, heartbreak, angst, love, everything you could want. It’s in first person from their son’s perspective which is something I would probably never have clicked on in the first place had it not come highly recommended, but good lord is it amazing. All of her characters have life. All of them have depth. Her OCs are fully formed and vital to the story without overshadowing characters you already know. I haven’t read the later stories because after I decided to continue on with FiCoN verse, I didn’t want to inadvertently shade my views on Olicity’s growing family and continuing mission with anything she did in her series. If anything I do happens to run parallel to her work, I want to know beyond any doubt that it’s 100% coincidence. But her stories are something I’m absolutely itching to get to read… eventually. Her writing is excellent.  

@tinaday3w - I’m tempted to say “JUST READ IT” but that’s probably not enough… But really, just read it. No one does slow burn like Tina. Victorian era AU with pirate!Oliver? Yes, please. Hello. I’ll take two.

@emmilynestill - She’s just so good. And sooooo hot. I don’t know if you know this, Anon, but writing a good sex scene is hard. You don’t want your reader pulled out of the scene by wondering if a position is actually possible or when underwear came off (or if it did) or how gravity isn’t making them collapse. Like… smut is difficult. But it reads so effortlessly with Emmilyne’s writing. And, beyond that, she weaves it in beautifully with plot that keeps you wondering what’s next and emotion that builds and grows in an organic way. Orgasms and organic feelings. Honestly, what else could anyone really want?

@ruwithmeguys - Jess will gut you and leave you asking her to do it again. Indecent Proposal… just… read the warnings and be ready and read it with a lot of time on your hands and probably in chunks because ouch. But still… read it.

@academyofshipping - Sarah has this dry sense of humor that comes out in her fics that’s as clever as it is fun. Fluffy, funny, smart, cute and rich with feeling, Sarah’s writing is consistently strong. 

@someonesaidcake - Felice is fantastic for completed, multichapter AU fics. She has quite a few and I’m pretty sure every single one included smut at some point (if that’s your thing) as well as plot. 

And… I’ve spent like an hour and a half on this which was a lovely diversion for my day. I know I’m forgetting amazing people but I have to stop here. When in doubt, take the title of a fic you like, google that name in quotes along with “rec list” and find someone’s list where that story was included, then explore the others. Or, check the bookmarks on AO3 of an author you like, that’s a great place to mine for fics, too. And, again, I can’t rec @theolicitylibrary enough. That said… happy reading, Anon! We’ll get through this hiatus together… through fic and sheer force of will. ;-)