#like i wrote a bit of succession fic but that was all gen because i was mostly interested in the sibling dynamics

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/vampirenicotine/757186481644306432/

can you believe this is what louis saw on that fucking yellow couch??!?! yeah i understand louis' desire to fuck him on his back ok

but also, sir? why are you so slutty. why are your legs are spread for the official photoshoot lhgjlgdl

I still can't talk about it, anon!!! Everyone else there just sitting normally and he drapes himself back on them like he's fighting for his life on America's Next Top Model.

[on1occasionfork]

2024 fic roundup

Thanks for the tag, @brenna, and for making this, @cheeseplants

What fandoms do you write in?

Good Omens these days

How many words have you published in 2024?

153,615!

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Writing-wise, it's gotta be But, soft! It's the longest thing I've ever written. You know what sticks with me though? A lovely friend told me she saved chapters to read on days she had to have medical treatment or needed cheering up. I can't imagine a higher bit of praise for my silly fluffy cat story. On days that I get discouraged, that's what I remember.

I also bit the bullet after many years and got a tattoo, designed by fellow Goblin Catartkd. It might not seem directly fic-related, but Good Omens fic and the fandom have reenergized my creativity, and every time I see it, it's a reminder of the joy to be found in those things.

What are your favourite top three fics you wrote this year?

But, soft!

Thus Saith the Lord

Gen Az

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

No huge pit of despair, but quite a few moments of panic when I was posting faster than I was writing! If there was any despair, it was around getting stuck on the first thing I started writing for Good Omens.

What have you learned?

More than anything else I've learned how incredibly kind, smart, and wonderful this fandom is. I've had nothing but lovely interactions with folks, and I'm always impressed that no matter how obscure a reference is...someone's going to get it.

Quite a bit about hyphenating compound adjectives

A LOT about US geography

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Hey @dbacklot99 -- here's where we talk about Abide. This story is nine chapters in, unposted, and I got a) stuck with the plot and b) distracted by Nursing Home AU, cats, and many other things. BUT. There is suddenly light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to @spectrallydistracted, and it's gonna be one of my 2025 projects.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

Shake Like Hell and Spell Success, Experiential Learning, and Yield by @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon

Currently betaing Good Works by @majnoonathelibrarian

Midnight Ride by @brenna

And several other fantastic stories, some of which have been posted and some of which are still WIPs and about which I am super excited.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Oh come on. Three? Ridiculous. Gonna pick a few that were only published this year and which I have already read at least twice.

Eerie Was the Way by @kneelbeforeyourdogbabylon

That Certain Night by @adverbian

Consenting Cycle Repairmen by @groovynightstrawberry

Honey, There Is No Right Way by @voluptatiscausa

Stuck on You by @zin-lynn-c

Terminus by @emotional-support-demon-crowley

The Best Part by @happynachohologram

tidal disruption (I love the world because I love you) by @chlorine-and-daisies

@firstvisittoearth's Poetry Collection

What ideas are percolating for next year?

Abide — a post s2 "All of us against all of them" story

More you can't take the stars from me — I haven't had much time, but I'm excited to combine two stories that I deeply love, and I've been so happy about all the Browncoats it brought to my attention!

In Plain Sight — a riff on Witness.

Who do you want to thank?

@nosferatini and the @goodomensafterdark mod crew, both here and on Reddit. Nos, I'm so glad you pulled me in. Mods, you have created a space that is so welcoming, so supportive, and I cannot tell you how much I value it.

Everybody who has read, commented on, or recced any of my stuff, but especially my first published GO work, Our homeward steps were just as light. Plus @nosferatini again who turned it into an incredible podfic and @daneecastle who created beautiful art.

All the people who have given me ideas of food, destinations, etc. for Thus Saith the Lord, but especially @moderndayklutz. All those above who have either betaed for me or let me beta for them. @isiaiowin for rekindling my love of poetry.

And most of all, to my @sexy-sheep, love of my life who, when I hesitantly said that I had started writing GO fic, said, “I wondered how long it would take,” and immediately gave me the idea for But, soft! — you are the best of wives and best of women, the best brainstorming partner I could ever want, and the person I’m glad I fall asleep (or stay awake and read until 3am) next to every night.

Anyone in my tags feel free to join in or in fact anyone at all.

[rarilight]

2, 3, 11, 15, 16, 17, 23, 27, 28, 31, and 34 for the ask game?

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

It used to be Crimson Lips, and while I still think it's INCREDIBLE, I've had a number of... difficult things happen around it, so it's kinda fallen off a bit from its pedestal. Currently, my PRIDE and JOY, as evidenced by my weekly post saying I'm thinking about her, is The Creature.

A monster haunts the forest, taking the dead and dying as tribute. Twilight Sparkle, her kingdom’s finest warrior and scholar, might just be able to save it.

Top to bottom, it was a joy to write and it's good and UGHH CREACHURITYYYY I would die for you (I wouldn't put TEL/TEK here because though I love them to death, and they're the most important work I have, my relationship with them is a fractured mess lmaooo) 3. What are your top three most commonly used tags on AO3?

Slice of life, AU, Romance !

11. What makes a fic 'successful' in your opinion?

Genuinely and sincerely, finishing it, lmao. If I can finish a story, and not have caved in to people pleasing and modified the story to be something I didn't want it to be, I consider that a huge success lol

15. Does anyone you know in real life know you write fanfiction?

Yeeep! I met most of my current offline social circle thru the MLP fandom so... they know my secrets lmao actually two of them have read Crimson 16. What do you struggle with most when writing?

Not overthinking every part of it excessively out of fear of upsetting???? a fictional audience??? in my head???? that I've convinced myself hate me???? it's a huge issue lol I've been working really hard to kill that part of me

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

Today marks the 14th day in the longest daily writing streak I've had in literal YEARS! I am GLOWING lmao and it's been really helping me cope with the grad school rejections 23. What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

A comedy fic where my raritwi next gens convince Discord to send them back in time to attend their mothers' wedding, and as chaos ensues, older!raritwi have to follow them and basically crash their own wedding

27. Are any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

genuinely and sincerely, all of them mostly lmao I am someone who injects herself into her stories, I don't know any other way to write

(but, more personally, TEL is extremely personal in that I wrote it to help deal with and leave a toxic [platonic] relationship I was in at the time).

31. What fic meant the most to you to write?

The Enchanted Library. Partly because of what I said above, but also because my entire life currently--and I mean that literally, my friends, where I live, everything I've achieved in the past ten years--is literally owed to TEL. Who I would be without it would be someone very, very different. I'd likely be living in a different country, and I can tell you for sure I don't think I'd have taken writing so seriously without it. I owe it literally my life--and, at the risk of getting dark, I do mean that literally. I am breathing today because more than once I told myself I could not act rashly on my life because TEL wasn't finished yet.

34. What is your favorite fic to get comments/messages on?

Generally, I love any of them, but I used parts of new/non-mlp Crimson Lips for my grad school sample, and my two rejections so far have really shaken my faith in the story [and in my own writing lmaooooo], so comments on that are always appreciated! Also because it'S GOOD, DAMN IT Also, whenever Colors of the Soul is FINISHED GOD, I'm going to shove that down everyone's throat I swear to gO-

[rescue-ram]

💕, 🥳, 💡, 🔮

💕 What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Of the fics I consider Finished, I'm shouting out Making the Most of It. REALLY happy with how that came out :)

🥳 Why did you start writing fanfic?

I think I was in 3rd grade, maybe 2nd- I typed "Digimon Stories" into Google and was delighted to find stories about my favorite show. I was so little I didn't totally understand how to navigate websites, and thought you just got 20 random stories every day, so you can imagine my :D when I discovered the "next" button and how to use the search feature lol. I don't remember my first fic exactly, but I wrote it after the movie came out and it was some insane Digimon crack fic lol.

I just really wanted to make up my own stories about my favorite stories, and I've always had an affection for plucky guys I felt got done wrong by fandom and wanted to do better to make people understand why I loved them so much- I wrote fanfic about Davis from Digimon and Boromir from LOTR. The only fic I left up on FFnet was an HP fic that I might port over to AO3 and revise, and maybe finish or at least add authors notes of my outline, because I do mostly like what I had, but for Obvious Reasons have not been super motivated to write for that fandom in recent years lol.

💡How many WIPs do you currently have?

Oooh okay, a lot of things in the hopper, let me categorize:

Actively Working On

Truly unhinged Hawnk fic for kinktober kfkfkfk

The Courage To Be

Star Wars fic 'Resolute'

Actively Pondering/Nibbling On

CharHawk Fake Dating

HouliHawk role play fail

Two age play fics that are similar in tone, one CharHawk and one Hawkahy- not sure if either will get finished, but don't think I'll write both, so pondering options

Hawkeye "turns into a cat" gen fic

Hawkeye Goes To California and BJ Goes To Maine at the same time without telling the other and swap lives for about two weeks.

Two post-war fics, one that is a sequel to Making the Most of It and one that's more focused on Daniel and Hawkeye's relationship, although BJ and Trapper are both there. Pretty distinct, but with enough overlap I need to pick one to prioritize to make sure I don't write too similar of scenes between them.

Soft Hibernation

The next part of my Rescue Bots fic- I know what the next bit will be, touched the doc last month, but not actively working on it

Under the Banner of Heaven case fic/undercover in a gay bar fic. Haven't worked on this in a few months, but I still really like the idea

Hibernation

X-Men Band AU. Been over a year since I worked on it, although I have a pretty good outline for a lot of what needs writing

1920s X Men AU. Soft abandoned, I remember some of my ideas for this but don't think I'll write it.

Succession KenStewy fic. I have some scenes and an outline, but it's hard to get in these assholes (affectionate) POV...

Captain America Clone Fic I haven't touched in almost a decade now god help me. Functionally abandoned but I still think on it occasionally kgkdjdkd.

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

Keep pondering, keep nibbling, and don't be afraid to shelve an idea and come back to it later. Fanfic is supposed to be for fun after all lfkdjjd

I have found it helpful to make the world's worst outline to act as a kind of checklist document and help connect scenes of I get stuck at one point and need to skip ahead a little.

I also like to try and focus on an emotional vibe to carry the fic, which helps get in the characters head so I can get in that trance state where the little guys are Doing Things and I just have to write it down kfjdjf. Sometimes I have an idea I like but it takes some pondering to find an emotional angle to connect with the character that makes sense as to why they are Doing The Plot, so nailing that angle before I commit to writing helps...

If I start getting bogged down in research I do the "five link" rule, where I only let myself read five things about the topic, try and cobble together enough of an explanation to pass a sniff test, then move on kgkrkrkdj

Also with skipping, the Sticking Point comes when I get too far ahead and then lose motivation for the part I was writing. Trying desperately to avoid this with my two multi-parters rn jdkdjd. Only letting myself write one or two scenes ahead helps a little...

[catelyngrant]

2, 8, 10, 15 - for the writer asks! XD

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!) Oh man...I have notes and little bits of two paragraphs here, a page or five there, but most of those will never go anywhere and I'm sure I've forgotten most of those ideas already but for knowing that they're in the depths of my Google Drive.

I published 10 (which is way more than usual for me!) and I've worked on/started four that I feel committed to finishing and posting eventually, as well as one more that I'll either write in the next week or watch it disappear into the ether (pretty sure there's not gonna be an in-between option for this one). This has been a year of hyperfixation whiplash, which, combined with ADHD, has had me spiraling all over the place with ideas and then promptly getting distracted and losing the momentum.

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year? You know, I didn't—this was actually the year of me returning to some very, very old roots! I've written and posted my first 24 fic since, Christ, idk...2006? And then my first BSG fic since 2011, my first Doctor Who fic since 2012, and my first Star Trek fic since 2013. I wasn't expecting this but it's been pretty wild and fun! The TNG cast reuniting on Picard and then having David and Catherine back as the Doctor and Donna on Doctor Who were extremely inspiring external factors, but BSG and 24 were basically whims. I signed up for a BSG exchange in honor of the 20 year anniversary because I thought it would be fun to dip my toes back in that pond and then absolutely panicked when I realized I had to actually write BSG fic in the year of 2023, and then I started the 24 fic during a rewatch awhile back and @starg8rocks reminded me of it a few months ago and inspired me to finish it.

So, in short: no new fandoms, but lots of old ones!

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on? I mean, the blood sacrifice (aka the Succession yacht vs. orca crack fic) was pretty entertaining to me personally. I'm also just having so many feelings about Doctor Who deciding that the 2023 message is "rest, recover, and reconnect with all of your friends". So, while it was quite bittersweet and partly the result of me actively rejecting the premise that Sarah Jane Smith is dead in-universe, it was mostly just lovely and cathartic to write what falls away is always and offer two characters I adore a soft, quiet moment of care and connection.

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023. The two fics that I agonized over most this year were let your faith die, bring your wonder (BSG, Laura Roslin gen) and we even flew a little (Succession, post-s3 but pre-s4 Roman/Gerri). Between one being in an older fandom and being gen vs. shippy and the other being posted just before season four of Succession started and catapulted the entire fandom, me included, into a new era of fic, I'm not shocked that neither of them got as much love (comparatively) to others I posted this year, but I like them. They're both fics I'm a bit self-conscious about and felt unhappy with when I posted with but I think that's largely because they took so long and stressed me out more than anything else I wrote this year—I liked them more upon revisiting.

my fic from this year send me 2023 fic questions!

[nohaijiachi]

A master list of my own Good Omens fics, because why not

Listed in order of publishing from oldest to newest. Will probably come back to this post to add new stuff, or reblog it updated, one of the two.

What’s a Demon to a cat 

Rating: Gen Length: 8,732 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

My very first go fic! I think it is a bit awkward as I wrote this almost immediately after my first viewing of the series, so I might have not grasped the characters quite yet, but I think it’s still pleasing enough. Crolwey takes a nap to recover from the botched apocalypse and when he wakes up Aziraphale has accidentally adopted a cat. A one-sided rivalry for the Angel’s attention ensues.

At work

Rating: Gen Length: 4,084 words Pairing: Established background Azirpahale/Crowley

Inspired by a fantastic meta post on tumblr. Mostly outsider POV, Aziraphale is finally free to help humanity in the ways he considers right without having to worry about justifying himself to Heaven. Accidentally becomes a known, helpful cryptid.

These immortal souls

Rating: T Length: 42,515 words (7 chapters) Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

An AU: Aziraphale is human... Or is he? His existence puzzles Crowley, who finds himself inevitably attracted by this strange creature he cannot quite figure out. Follows them from the early days of Earth when their relationship first starts, up to armageddon, where many truths will finally come out. A personal favorite of mine, I had a ton of fun writing this.

With you, with me

Rating: T Length: 41,192 words  (6 chapters) Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

Another AU: Aziraphale is very definitely human, this time around, and also a priest. Crowley casually stumbles his demonic way in front of him, and through his own ability to mess things up for himself, ends up having to corrupt Aziraphale. But Crowley is Crowley, and things never quite play the way he envisioned. He never exactly imagined he could fall head over heels in love with a human, for example...

Like flowers blooming

Rating: Gen Length: 9,446 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

What if: Aziraphale is the one to first realize he’s madly in love with Crowley and pines his way through 6000 years of friendship. Crowley is a bit slower on the uptake, this time around. Aziraphale pines like an absolute champ. Someone help him.

Give me a title, I'll give you my heart

Rating: T Length: 14,022 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

Everyone is a human AU: Aziraphale is a successful but reserved writer, and a single dad of one not-antichrist. Crowley is a retired music producer with some broken dreams in his past. They are pretty much smitten with each other at first sight, softness all around. Inspired by this absolutely adorable fanart by @alstonnovak

The dream

Rating: T Length: 5,623 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley but not quite really

Angst angst angst. Crowley, while being nanny, accidentally re-shapes the universe with his desperate pining for a quiet, simple life with Aziraphale. But it can’t last. I’d argue this has some horror-like elements to it.

Let's share a drink!

Rating: Gen Length: 3,902 words Pairing: Aziraphale&Crowley friendship

Peak bastard Aziraphale here. Due to unforeseen circumstances Aziraphale gets discorporated post failed apocalypse, and promptly realizes what power he now has, what with Heaven believing him a renegade Angel impervious to Hellfire. Brief and funny and RIP Gabriel.

Smote and smitten

Rating: Gen Length: 2,582 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley almost there

The boys are on a romantic date until it turns not so romantic. Crowley acts like he’s ready to throw hands while desperately coming out with a plan. Aziraphale is very ready to throw hands. Crowley might now be realizing how hot it is to get saved every now and then.

On display

Rating: Gen Length: 7,612 words Pairing: Established Azirpahale/Crowley

Aziraphale gets kidnapped to be sold on a clandestine auction for occult items, Crowley swoops in to rescue him. Pretty much a glorified, 7k words long saving scene. And a bit of trolling both Belzeebub and Gabriel at the end.

Sweet like salt

Rating: Gen Length: 3,012 words Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley almost there

Crowley confesses his love expecting a rejection. He might be in for more than he bargained for. Just 3k words of love confessions sappiness, really.

Rhopalocera

Rating: Gen Length: 17,513 words Pairing: Established background Aziraphale/Crowley

New entry I literally just posted before making this list. Beelzebub gets grudgingly curious about Earth, and even more grudgingly asks for the help of a certain Angel in order to understand more. They end up finding out things about themselves that were long forgotten.

Aziraphale quietly, secretly wishes he might get his friend back.

That’s about it, for now. If anything in this list piqued your interest, I hope you’ll have a fun read~

[drivingsideways]

k-drama rec list

Prior to 2020 I’d maybe watched 2 k-dramas in my entire life, but this year I got sucked in, thanks to some great recs, and y’know, *gestures * everything.  

I think I’d held off watching kdramas because my impression of them was limited to romances that I didn’t enjoy at all. But this was the year I discovered the equivalent of “gen fic” kdrama- dramas that had wonderful ensemble casts, strong story lines that weren’t entirely romance focused and also a variety in terms of themes and styles. A big plus was that I found so many of these dramas had women leading the writers’ room, and seeing the effect of that in the story telling. (Notable exceptions: a certain “star” writer who should please stop inflicting her badly written, formulaic crap on the world, yes Kim Eun-Sook, I mean you, and whoever wrote that trashfire Flower of Evil)

So here I am with my own rec list! Caveat- these are mostly not the dramas released in 2020, I’m still playing catch up! :)

Under the cut for length

My Mister/ My Ahjussi  (2018, Written by Park Hae-Young, Directed by Kim Won-Seok, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Ji-eun aka IU) 

This was definitely my absolute favourite of the shows I watched this year across western/ asian media. It’s a story about the thread that binds us all and the ineffability of human connection. It’s also a story that deconstructs ideas of masculinity and honour and shame in a non-western context, but with an extremely compassionate touch.  It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences of material and spiritual poverty; and how one can so easily feed into the other. It’s a love story that isn’t a romance, except that it’s a Romance. It’s about finding salvation in one another and in the kindness of strangers.  It’s about choosing life, and picking yourself up off the floor to take that one last step and then the next and then the next. The one quibble I have with the series is that it could have been better paced, it does get extremely slow after the half way mark. But god, do they land the ending. Both Lee Sun-kyun and IU turn in absolutely heartbreaking performances, and fair warning, be prepared to go through an entire box of tissues watching this series. 

Life  (2018,  written by Lee Soo-yeon  and directed by Hong Jong-chan, starring Lee Dong-wook, Cho Seung-woo, Won Jin-ah, Lee Kyu-hyung, Yoo Jae-myung and Moon So-ri.)

Medical dramas are very much not my thing, and I wouldn’t have taken a chance on it except that @michyeosseo said I should, and she was right! It’s a medical drama in the sense that it’s set in a hospital, but rather than a “case-fic” format, this is actually a sharp commentary on the corporatization of health care, and the business of mixing, well, money and what should be a fundamental human right. Writer Lee Soo-yeon was coming off the global success of Stranger/Secret Forest S1 when this aired, so I understand that expectations were probably sky-high, and people were disappointed when this show didn’t give them the adrenaline rush that they wanted. On the other hand, I thought that this outing was really much more nuanced in terms of the politics and also how the ending doesn’t allow you the luxury of easy-fixes. This show has a great ensemble cast, and while it took me a while to get used to Lee Dong-wook’s woodenness (i ended up calling him mr.cadaver after watching this and was surprised to learn that he’s very popular?), in the end I was quite sold on his version of angry angst-bucket elder-sibling Dr.Ye Jin-woo. His best scenes were with Lee Kyu-hyung who turns in a lovely, achy performance as the paraplegic Dr. Ye Seon-woo who just wants to live a normal life. The love story between the two brothers is actually the emotional backbone of the story, and I think they landed that perfectly. 

My one quibble with writer-nim is that she ended up writing in a forgettable and somewhat (for me at least) uncomfortable romance between the characters played by Won Jin-ah and Cho Seung-Woo. I think part of my uncomfortable-feeling was that I got the strong sense that the writer herself didn’t want to write this romance, it was as if she was being made to shoe-horn it in for Studio Reasons, and she basically grit her teeth and did the worst possible job of it.  I do wish we could have absolutely had the OT3 of my dreams: Moon So-ri/Cho Seung-woo/Yoo Jae-myung like, c’mon TV gods MAKE IT HAPPEN, just...look at them!!!! 

Anyway, that apart, I think this was a very engaging series, and by engaging, I also mean thirst-enabling, see below. 

 Stranger (aka Secret Forest  or Forest of Secrets) S1 & 2 : (2017-, Written by Lee Soo-yeon, directed by 

2017′s smash hit aired a much anticipated second season in 2020, and I managed to catch up just in time to watch that live, so that was thrilling :D . Writer Lee Soo-yeon  mixes up thriller/office comedy/political commentary in an ambitious series. I think S1 is more “exciting” than S2 in terms of the mystery and pacing,  but S2 is far more dense and interesting in terms of political commentary because it takes a long hard look at institutional corruption and in true writer-nim fashion doesn’t prescribe any easy solutions. Anyway, please enjoy public prosecutor Cho Seung-woo and police officer Bae Doona as partners/soulmates kicking ass and taking names in pursuit of Truth, Justice and just a goddamn peaceful meal, along with a stunningly competent ensemble cast. Also yes, Han Yeo Jin is a lesbian, sorry, I don’t make the rules. 

Search: WWW  (2019, Written by Kwon Do-Eun, directed by Jung Ji-hyun & Kwon Young-il, starring  Im Soo-jung, Lee Da-hee, Jeon Hye-jin)

GOD. Where do I start? +1000 for writer Kwon Do-Eun saying “fuck the patriarchy” in the most grandiose way possible, i.e. absolutely refusing to acknowledge that it exists. Yes, this is that power fantasy, and it’s also a fun, slice-of-life  tale about three women navigating their way through work, romance, national politics and everything in between. It’s true that I wasn’t entirely sold on the amount of time spent on the romance, and I really wish they’d actually had a textual wlw romance, though the subtext through the entire series is PRACTICALLY TEXT. But still, it maintains that veneer of plausible deniability and I think queer fans who are sick of that kind of treatment in media have a very valid grouse against the show. On the other hand, personally I felt that the queer-platonic vibe of the show is very wonderful and true to real life, and it was only reinforced by the ending. This is a show written by a woman for women (like me), and it shows. 

Hyena  (2020, Written by Kim Roo-Ri, directed by Jang Tae-yoo & Lee Chang Woo, starring  Kim Hye-soo and Ju Ji-hoon )

Those of you who’ve been watching hit zombie epic Kingdom are probably familiar with Ju Ji-hoon’s brand of sexiness already. I had not watched Kingdom and got hit in the face by Mr.Sexy McSexyPants’ turn as a brash, privileged-by-birth, up and coming lawyer who gets completely runover by the smoking hot and incredibly dangerous fellow lawyer/competitor from the other side of the tracks in the person of Kim Hye-Soo. When I say they set the room on fire, I mean it, ok. Every single scene between these two is an actual bonfire of sexual attraction and emotional hand grenades, and they’re both absolutely riveting to watch. “Flower of Evil” wishes they had what this show has- an actual grown up romance as opposed to a thirteen year old twilight fan’s idea of an adult romance. 

The “lawyer” shenanigans and the “cases” are hit or miss, and I think the occasional comedy fell flat for me. But that’s not why I mainlined like 6 episodes of this series overnight like a coke addict, and that’s not why you’re going to do it either. It’s so RARE, even in these enlightened days to find a female character like Jung Geum-ja: hard as nails, unapologetic about it, and not punished by the narrative for it. The best part for me is that she feels like a woman’s woman, not a man’s idea of what a Strong Female Character should be. Anyways, when I grow up I want to have what Kim Hye-soo has ok?

Other dramas that I watched this year, quickly rated:

The King: Eternal Monarch (3/10 and those 3 points are only for the combined goodness of second leads who deserved better- Jung Eun Chae, Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam. Please head over to my AO3 and read my attempts to fix this garbage fire and rescue their characters from canon)

Flower of Evil (-10/100, dont @ me)

Tale of the Nine Tailed (5/10, I think it succeeds at what it set out to do, which is a light hearted, sweet fantasy-romance-melodrama, plus “second lead” Kim Beom will make you cry as the hot mess of a half human/ half fox spirit ALL TEARS character. I think if you’re into kdrama romances as a genre, this is probably a good bet?)

Signal  (7/10,  This was the first full kdrama I watched this year and would definitely recommend. It’s a police procedural with time travel shenanigans and has an engaging plot, good pacing, texture and compelling performances. My one disappointment with it was the way they wrote Kim Hye-soo’s character. As literally the only female character to survive in any way, she was given short shrift, and toward the end it really began to grate on me.)

Six Flying Dragons - (7/10, also would recommend if you’re interested in Korean historicals. It definitely already feels a bit dated in terms of styling and production values, and even scripting and acting choices. But it has a good balance of fantasy and history and political commentary. I was not a fan of Yoo In-Ah’s performance in this series, but it’s not anything that would make you want to nope out of the series. It’s GoT , if GoT was thoughtful about politics and characters and not the misogynist, racist trashfire that it became.)

My Country: The New Age - (3.5/10, and that’s 3 points to Jang Hyuk’s fan and 0.5.points to Woo Do Hwan’s heaving bosom. If you like your historical drama/fantasy with very pretty men, very gay subtext -seriously RIP to show makers who thought they could hetero it but didn’t account for Woo Do Hwan’s Tragic Face- lots of blood and tears and very nonsense plot, this is right up your alley. I probably would have enjoyed it more in other circumstances, I think? But this one just annoyed me too much at the time! 

I have a couple of more dramas to watch on my list, that’ll probably carry me over into 2021, so see ya on the other side! :D

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Can’t believe I wrote a fic about my shitpost. Can’t believe it’s the first thing outside of schoolwork that I’ve finished in years. Outrageous. Anyway, here’s fanboy!Matt for your enjoyment.

G-rated. Gen. 2,799 words. Follows Daredevil and Spider-Man comics continuity. If you clicked the link, you know what’s coming.

So it’s Spring of 1962 and everyone’s talking about a new sensation, some masked guy who does flips on TV. It sounds dismissive, but that’s exactly what intrigues Foggy and Matt about it the most - it sounds like gymnastics and lucha libre rolled into one, which doesn’t usually get this much attention outside of the Olympics. This guy, though. Apparently, he’d made some waves after beating a big name wrestler in an exhibition match. Well, to be honest, Matt doesn’t know how big of a wave, exactly, because he found out from his dad, who found out because he ran in those circles. It could be that the average person hadn’t known anything about this “masked wonder” or his fight, until that TV host started using it to promote his upcoming appearance at his show. 

Foggy and Matt missed it. They were on their last year of college, and had the work load to prove it. Besides, watching TV wasn’t their favorite pastime, even though Foggy had become a pro at narrating by then, and Matt’s dad had cultivated a healthy disdain for staged fights in him, which he had assumed was what the show was going to be about. So they were caught on the wrong foot the next day, when it was all anybody at campus would talk about. Apparently, there hadn’t been any fighting at all. It had been more like dancing, said some star-eyed students.  Or a circus act, said their jealous partners. Even ol’ reliable Battlin’ Murdock had verified, with a certain “well, I’ll be damned” lilt in his tone, that, if there had been any trick to it, it was good enough to fool him and worth the while for that alone. Matt ended the call, shared a “look” with Foggy (the one that they’d practiced with the intention of unsettling clients, witnesses and prosecutors alike one day, which had been Foggy’s idea once he’d noticed Matt’s uncanny ability to locate people and angle his head their way to make it look like he could actually see them) and agreed to watch this “Spider-Man’s” next appearance. Luckily for them, after his raging success, another show was scheduled a night later, so they didn’t spend much time out of the loop. Also, they’d hired a commentator to explain to the audience (and thus, further impress them with) each of the stunts that their man pulled and assure them of their difficulty, which was always a plus to a blind guy “watching” a TV show.

Matt confessed to some excitement. He liked gymnastics. He liked to do them, of course, but he also liked it when others did it, especially when it was only described to him and he had to reconstruct the image out of his own muscle memory, the remembered sensations of coiling and pushing and tight breathing and weightlessness. That is, he liked it if it was described right, which this commentator didn’t do. He’d start well enough, saying, for example, that the spider guy was doing a forward somersault, but then he’d correct himself and say it was an aerial walkover. Or that he was doing a scissors leap, but he’d change it to an aerial cartwheel but horizontal? What even was that? It didn’t sound possible! Even the commentator didn’t seem to know. Matt had to assume that he was trying to compensate for the spider guy’s sloppiness by making up stuff and that, judging by the crowd’s and Foggy’s reactions, his efforts were paying off. Maybe this Spider-Man guy had some sort of sight-based, charismatic showmanship he was missing out on, he sneered in his mind.

(What Matt didn’t know, of course, is that he was right, and “this Spider-Man guy” wouldn’t know gymnastic training  or form if it bit him in the butt. His thought process during all of it was more along the lines of “if I flip now, it’ll leave them all gagging!” And it did! Everyone except for the blind guy who couldn’t see it to believe it and thought he was at just the beginning of what promised to be a very frustrating show.)

Then it happened. Matt was sitting in disgruntled silence while Foggy described the guy’s “web”, which had aided him in his latest pirouette, thinking that everyone who’d paid to attend was getting scammed, when the commentator’s narration reached a near feverish pitch as he followed the latest string of stunts. The spider guy switched to multiple handsprings in a row, sometimes adorned with round offs or cartwheels or a random flip that was neither here nor there, but it was obvious from the change and the audience’s sudden tension that he was working up to something. Right when Mat was wondering just how long the stage was, the commentator announced a sudden leap forward into the air (twenty feet up? How could anyone buy this?). The commentator’s voice grew alarmed in a split second, screams came from the public just as Foggy’s breath caught and his heart rate accelerated. Matt returned to his previous thoughts — sloppy— a showman not a gymnast— no more space on the stage— and lunged for the remote. Like Hell were they going to watch a man get killed on TV. 

He might have made it in time, if he hadn’t had to rely on others’ reactions, so much slower than his own and oh-so-much slower than Spider-Man. As it was, a brief struggle with Foggy over the remote that ended with them falling off the couch was enough to let him hear a thud… and the crowd go wild with applause. He thought, well, that’s callous, before Foggy’s gasped out, “He landed on the!”

And he was much better at judging Foggy’s emotional state (and morals) than that of strangers on a screen, so he knew, “Wait, he’s alive?”

“He’s standing on the!”

“He’s alive?!” he repeated.

“He’s on the! He’s crouching on the! Now he’s! Oh! Oh! He’s crawling! Oh! Oh… er, I get the spider thing now. That’s creepy. He’s, ha, he’s creeping. He’s a creepy-crawly.”

“Fog, what the hell? He can’t walk?! Is there a doctor to help him?!” How could everyone be so happy with a man so hurt he was crawling? Was it the relief that he hadn’t died making them loopy?

“No, Matt.” Foggy grabbed his shoulder and shook him. “He’s crawling down the wall!”

“Do a flip!” came a shout from the TV.

“Well, no, I can’t do flips up here, Max,” came Spider-Man’s voice. Gasps. “I’ve gotta toe the line!”

“He’s only got a toe on the wall, he’s got that leg folded behind him and holding the rest of his body parallel to the wall, now,” Foggy explained, awed. Through a mind hazy from the shock, Matt recognized that it would have been a very bad pun… if Spider-Man hadn’t been defying the laws of physics as he made it.

“Wait, actually, I can!” Thud and applause. “But only once!”

The act proceeded to something very much like a talk show, if talk shows were regularly interrupted by the guest pulling stunts like pirouettes or tricks with his webbing or lifting the host’s chair, host included, with the tips of his fingers. More or less what he’d been doing all along, except now Matt believed it.

“Wow,” he said slowly. “What a showboat.” Sprawled on the floor of Foggy’s living room, he knew. He would go to one of Spider-Man’s acts in person, one day.

He pestered Foggy with questions. Asked him for details where the commentator, only there to explain the technical aspects of the stunts and not to function as a disability device, wouldn’t cut it. Asked him to describe the stage. The set-up. The audience. The man himself.

(“Uh, average? I mean, muscly, but lean, not too imposing. Average height, a bit taller than the host, maybe? Then again, I don’t know how tall the host is… Looks like a spider.”

“How can he look like a spider as tall as a man and average at the same time?!”

“Well, no, he’s dressed like a spider.”

“Like—”

“No, no, forget that, not like a spider… a spider motif! Yeah, it’s a skin tight suit with webs drawn on it, with boots and gloves like that, too. Uh, plain pants and stuff. A mask all over his head, with more webs and blank, creepy, buggy eyes! Oh, and web armpits! Sort of like a flying squirrel. Do you think he’ll fly?”

He didn’t.)

By the end, once they were already back at campus and going to bed, Foggy seemed to have gotten over the childish wonder and commented, “could’a been all smokes and mirrors, y’know. Invisible ropes.”

Matt smiled and told him that he hadn’t seen enough to form an opinion either way. Foggy grumbled a bit and said something about mimes and muscle control before falling asleep.

Matt’s smile didn’t go away. He knew. There was no smoke, no mirrors, no invisible rope beside those webs. Spider-Man was the real deal. He was like Matt.

It was very embarrassing to become the intended target of those “don’t try this at home” messages. At least, he’d confirmed the relative possibility of Spider-Man’s most ambitious gymnastics feats. That is, that some of them weren’t possible for human beings. He supposed it was a good thing that people thought he was so helpless that he could explain his sprained wrist away as the result of a simple stumble on a sidewalk, and not a failed attempt to recreate that scissors leap/horizontal aerial cartwheel. Then again, knowledge was its own kind of reward, because he’d found out that some of Spider-Man’s tricks were possible, especially for someone with Matt’s pinpoint precision, reflexes and control over his own body. He just had to let go of caution and trust his senses.

Over the next few days, he didn’t miss a single one of Spider-Man’s shows. On TV, of course. Following through on his plans to go to one live was a luxury he couldn’t afford as a Columbia law major, not on his schedule and not on his dime. He loathed the thought of asking his dad for more money when he was already putting him through college, if he’d even agree instead of urging him to forget that Spider-Man nonsense and focus on his studies. It’d be hard to justify such an expense when, as far as he knew, his son wouldn’t even be able to tell what was going on. How to explain that he’d be able to follow the act better that anyone else there? Or the sheer need to stand in front of someone and sense their otherness, the way only like can recognize like? There was no way. He’d have to wait until he had his own job and no one to question him on his expenses.

One of those plans of mice and men. Not a month later, Spider-Man was making headlines for a whole different reason. He’d caught a murderer. Apparently, a home burglary had gone wrong and in a turn of events that only the man himself understood, he’d ended up bringing the culprit to justice. People’s minds went to the Fantastic Four, naturally. What did they have to say about a new superhero? Would he join them? Would he work solo, like that one scientist who gave himself ant powers? Could he be trusted with public safety? Was it even his plan to turn to fighting crime or was it a one time thing? Would his act continue? Tabloids said no, Maxwell Shiffman, Spider-Man’s producer (the most embarrassing part of the whole affair for Matt — having learned the name of a tv personality), said yes. Matt didn’t know what to believe. Of course, the news would make that assumption without any proof. What better way to cause drama, after all? “Everything stays the same, same old, same old” wouldn’t sell. But it wasn’t like Shiffman would admit the loss of the greatest tv sensation of the decade so easily. Anyone could be lying, or wrong.

As it turned out, they were both right, after a fashion. Spider-Man took to crime fighting, but he did go back for one last show, which Matt missed because it hadn’t been advertised as such, at all. After that, though, no more. Full-time do-gooder, was he. Matt wasn’t really bitter, but he’d admit to a bit of disappointment. Oh, sure, it was for the best, he was glad there was someone out there helping people. Still. He wished he’d gotten the chance to meet the now-hero.

He wasn’t quite thinking of that missed opportunity when he decided to buy tickets to his dad’s fight soon after, but the experience had left the lingering impression that it was best to grab your chances while you had them. He definitely didn’t spare half a thought to Spider-Man in the following months. It wasn’t quite outside of the realm of possibilities, though, that maybe, just maybe, when he devised his billy club and his preferred method of travel, some part of his subconscious flashed back to Spider-Man’s webs and thought, “that’s the way to go”.

There were also other people like them running around by then. Iron Man. The X-Men. The Avengers. A wizard, or something? There were rumors about people who knew people who knew someone who’d seen a Norse God fighting rock aliens going around, but Matt was a Catholic, so whatever. 

It would figure, though, that with all that new variety, Spider-Man would still be the first other superhero he’d meet, and that it wouldn’t be as Daredevil, but as Matt Murdock, blind lawyer and seemingly attempted murder victim. It was a bit of a let down, t he way it went down. He could have dealt with those crooks. He’d wanted to. Then again, maybe it wasn’t the feat he should judge but the form - it was all over and done in a minute, and it had taken Spider-Man longer to wrap the four of them up than to take them down. That was impressive. He couldn’t help but feel a bit cheated, though.

Boy, would he change his tune not one day later. Spider-Man, in an actual circus act! It was everything he’d hoped it’d be, if he ignored the part of him that had grown a little too much in the last year to appreciate it as he might have, back then. It even distracted him from the Foggy/Karen situation for a bit. Spider-Man had a whole host of apparatuses now, which made his act even more impressive, according to Foggy. The poor guy tried to keep him on the loop, despite the noise of the frenzied crowd, but he had enough trouble keeping up himself. Spider-Man’s movements were quick and fanciful and playful. Matt was sure he was making up the routine as he went, often changing his mind mid-air. His private chuckle every time he pulled a particularly complicated stunt (which were most of them), or thought of a new joke or trick with which to drive the audience to bits made engendered a sense of rapport in Matt. He acted like there was nothing more enjoyable than hurtling himself from beam to unsteady circus beam several feet above the ground, and he got it. God, did Matt get it. He had to resist the temptation to go up and have a bit of fun on the tightrope himself.

Not for long, though. He got his chance on the stage, sure enough, as he half tried to save a hypnotized Spider-Man, half tried to escape him. Despite the advantage of a clear mind, he barely made it by the skin of his teeth. Then, Spider-Man’s sincere gratitude and kind of corny promise that “a Spider-Man never forgets!” suddenly brought home how young he was. Barely older than he’d been when he’d been blinded and got his powers. He was so caught up between this realization and an odd feeling of validation, like he’d been officially accepted into the ranks, that he almost gave his super-hearing away with a careless comment. 

His insights didn’t change the fact that, when the other hero benched him so he could take his pound of flesh, clever little Matthew just went back to his seat. After all, who else could say they’d gotten two live shows from the Amazing Spider-Man?

He couldn’t resist a small barb, though. “I couldn’t have done it much better myself.” Yes, the guy was cool and all, but they were peers now. No need to get mushy.

[hp-crossgenfest]

2020 HP Cross Gen Fest Masterlist & Reveals

And now the moment we've all been waiting for…​ reveals!

Thank you so very much to everyone who has made this fest such an amazing success! Everyone who submitted stories and art, and those who read, reviewed and recced: You guys are the best! And an extra big thank you to those of you who made that extra effort to comment on all the wonderful creations. <3 <3 <3

It's been so much fun getting to post everybody's works and seeing so much wonderful support for HP cross gen; I hope you all enjoyed the fest as much as we did! 

Without further ado, here's a list of all the wonderful participants who worked so hard to create such glorious things for this year's fest!

ART

MyWitch drew absolution [Aberforth/Severus | Mature] Snape is released after a couple of years in Azkaban; the terms of his parole include apologizing in person to Albus Dumbledore’s brother. His stoicism falls apart in the face of Aberforth’s forgiveness.

@paulamcg​ drew A Portrait with Someone New [Luna/Remus | Teen] Luna and Remus happily expecting (in 2004).

@gee-nx​ drew Extra Credit [Hermione/Teddy | Explicit] Teddy has trouble concentrating in Prof. Granger-Weasley's class. However will he manage to make up the extra credit?

@defenestrationisthekey​ drew A day in the sun [Harry/Severus | General] Severus has been turned into a merman without his consent. Harry still accepts them and helps them reconcile the change, see its benefits, and get some of their own back.

@paulamcg​ drew One Bright Day [Amelia/Tonks | General] Amelia and Tonks meeting under an umbrella and a rainbow.

@motherofmercury​ drew What Lily Knew [Draco/Lily Luna | General] Draco and Lily attend the same adult art class, but it isn't until he sees her finished piece that he understands what Lily knew all along.

FIC

@ac1d6urn​ wrote Talk to Me [Harry/Severus | Explicit] Sentenced to serve his time in Azkaban after the Battle of Hogwarts, Snape is startled out of his depression by the inevitable fights during Potter's frequent visits. What will he say to the man when he is free to walk out into the Wizarding World and speak his mind?

@malenkayacherepakha​ wrote Everything he's ever wanted [Harry/Teddy | Explicit] Teddy had hoped that a few years in Australia would be enough to cure him of his feelings for Harry, but when he returns home and gets some unexpected news, he can't stop the feelings rushing back. The only difference is, this time he might actually have a chance.

ThePeanutButterKid wrote The Apprenticeship [Draco/Lily Luna | Explicit] Prompt: Draco always gets what he wants. Even if he has to take it by force.

@gracerene09​ wrote Battleline [Draco/James Sirius | Explicit] The wizarding world believes James Sirius Potter works for his uncle as a Curse-Breaker, but the truth is that he's one of the Auror Department's most effective undercover agents. After months of waiting he's finally got a new case, but this assignment involves him going in as himself, without the disguises he's come to rely on. More importantly, he's meant to be taking down the one person long-suspected of being the most influential wizard in Britain's criminal underworld: Draco Malfoy.

@theslytherinheart​ wrote Truth from Dare [Harry/Scorpius | Teen] During a late night game of Truth or Dare after a fun Saturday out with Albus, Rose, and their friends, Scorpius finds himself being kissed by Harry Potter as a dare. But it's just a game, right?

Evandar wrote we who walk in shadows black [Harry/Lord Voldemort | Mature] In which Harry Potter is a vicious little gremlin who knows too much, and Lord Voldemort adores him for it.

Lilian wrote Advanced Lunacy [Harry/Severus | Mature] Luna accidentally discovers something, and now the whole Wizarding World is abuzz about it. Meanwhile, Snape keeps appearing in Harry's dreams frequently.

@siriuslythatbitch wrote There's No Such Thing as Getting Out of Hand [Narcissa/Pansy | Explicit] When Narcissa Malfoy finds herself confronted with a tempting treat all grown up, will she quash her appetite or sink her teeth in?

@lordofthegoods wrote The Most Expensive Date [Harry/Scorpius | Explicit] Harry just wanted a quiet evening at home, instead he is being auctioned off at a charity event like a piece of meat. Prepared to have a terrible night, Harry is incredibly relieved when the highest bidder turns out to be none other than Scorpius Malfoy—a nice boy who couldn’t possibly have an ulterior motive... right?

@likelightinglass wrote the gentleness that comes [Harry/Severus | Explicit] There's something bothering Severus, and Harry wants to help. It's easier for Severus to let go when he's exploring his submissive side, so Harry plans a weekend to show him just how loved he is, and how much Harry wants to care for him.

@ivyentwined wrote A Technicality [Hermione/Rabastan/Regulus | General] A ritual to cleanse Hermione's new house has unexpected consequences.

@sistersblack wrote a little bit of grit [Draco/Severus | Mature] Draco is a contract potioneer who specialises in medical research. Severus is... not dead, for one.

@freddie-fox-baxter wrote Vacanze Romane [Harry/Scorpius | Explicit] When he let Scorpius help plan his vacation, Harry had no idea just how involved he would be.

torino10154 wrote Her Pleasure [Draco/Lily Luna & Harry/Narcissa | Explicit] He likes to please his woman.

ivermectin wrote no wrong answers [Harry/Remus/Sirius | Explicit] It's almost five years since the war ended, and after an intense bout of aimless wandering and travel, Harry's come back home and is living at Grimmauld Place with Remus and Sirius. Their relationship fills him up with warmth - they deserve to be happy, and it's obvious that he wants what they have. But maybe, just maybe, Harry wants more than a relationship like the one Remus and Sirius have. Maybe he wants that relationship. Maybe he wants them.

@sportivetricks​ wrote Gouge Away [Millicent/Victoire | Teen] The Weasley girl has developed a keen fascination with Millicent's woodworking shop. Millicent can't seem to get rid of her, no matter how hard she tries.

@articcat621 wrote Late One Night [Hermione/Kingsley | Explicit] Late one night, Hermione finally makes her move. 

slowroad wrote Hyperion [Harry/Scorpius | General] Scorpius is a Veela and Harry is his mate.

Evandar wrote Summer Rain [Harry/Regulus | Explicit] A rainy day gives Harry the perfect opportunity to seduce Regulus.

pauraque wrote Summer Heat [Lily Luna/Luna | Explicit] A unexpected visit from Lily's godmother makes a boring summer weekend suddenly a lot less boring.

@liladiurne wrote On the Deficiencies of Translation Spells [Harry/Severus | Explicit] Divorced, single, and free, Harry lives a completely unapologetic life in Paris. Between casual hook-ups and an easy, comfortable job, he likes to think he is as close to happiness as he'll ever be. And when he gets offered a teaching job at the prestigious Académie Beauxbâtons, he thinks he may have found exactly what was missing. But Harry is thoroughly unprepared for what he finds there - a familiar face that's been haunting his dreams for six years.

@goldenzingy46 wrote Save Me From Her Stone-Cold Gaze [Harry/Tom Riddle | General] Tom Riddle has spent years looking for the Chamber of Secrets, and he's glad he can finally purge the school of Mudbloods. At least, that was the plan. It turns out the basilisk wasn't happy to be controlled, and Tom is forced to make a deal with the Master of Death (and maybe fall in love with him).

@epsilonargus wrote break on me like light [Charlie/Sirius | Mature] When the Order brings Sirius Black to Charlie, the man is still covered in the grime of Azkaban. A story wherein Sirius is still a little broken, calls Charlie kid, and Charlie is far too sweet.

@lordofthegoods wrote Fire for You [Harry/Scorpius | Explicit] Nothing can make them keep their hands off each other.

@evenmyzefronposter wrote Waving Through A Window, Suddenly [Harry/Severus | Explicit] Severus Snape was alive and free and perfectly satisfied with his life. He stayed away from other people and he did what he wanted. And if he felt like he was looking through a window at everyone else, that was alright, because he didn't need them anyway. Until Harry Potter moved in across the street, that is. Suddenly, just looking through the window wasn't enough for Severus anymore.

azyxy wrote Trying not to think [Hermione/Teddy | Explicit] She couldn't even remember the last time her and Ron had left the lights on during sex, let alone the last time he’d complimented her, so watching Teddy struggle to keep his hands to his side while she stepped out of her dress was quite the ego boost.

mindabbles wrote Puddlemere’s New Man [Oliver/Teddy | Explicit] Teddy is willing to put in the work. He’s willing to practice twice as hard as anyone else, except that no one can out-work Oliver — a fact that Teddy finds he doesn’t mind in the least.

@clemandben wrote Maybe I'm Amazed [Albus Severus/Draco | Explicit] Albus Potter never set out to fall in love with Draco Malfoy. A small story telling how Albus and Draco came to be married. On their wedding night they dance, talk and make love.

@dwell-on-dreams wrote Learning to Fly [Harry/Severus | Mature] Post-war, Severus is found not guilty, but due to the stigma in the Wizarding world, he decides to live life as a Muggle, leaving everything (but his wand) behind. Harry is overwhelmed, barely having any time to grieve, he keeps being recognised in the street and strangers ask too much of him. He finds solace in the Muggle world, finally exploring who he is without the threat of death, he finds himself in a Muggle kink club watching Severus Snape tying up a young man, and he wants.

@theslytherinheart wrote Best Man [Harry/Scorpius | Mature] In the years since his divorce from Ginny, Harry Potter hasn't cared much for dating, let alone had feelings for anyone strong enough to pursue. Now that his son's wedding is on the horizon, the Best Man, Scorpius Malfoy, has been spending extra time getting input from the Father of the Groom. And Harry finds he doesn't mind Scorpius' constant company one bit.

hannelore wrote The Ache For Love Was Palpable [Lily/Minerva | Mature] Lily once had a crush no one ever knew about. She thought it was just a schoolgirl pash on a favorite professor, but working for the Order throws her and McGonagall constantly together. Even though she's a married woman now, Lily's feelings for Minerva come back in a rush, even stronger than before. "I didn't know then what I wanted, but the ache for it was palpable." - Sue Monk Kidd, The Mermaid Chair

@emansil wrote Fields of Strawberries [Harry/Remus | Explicit] As much as Remus has done for Harry over the years, this is the least he could do. Little did Harry know what he would discover about himself when he volunteered to marry Remus so he could keep custody of his infant son Teddy.

@avioleta wrote Writing Harry [Harry/Severus | Explicit] After the war, Harry Potter begins writing letters to Severus.

[throwing-roses-into-the-abyss]

Fic wrap-up

It’s been a shitty year for everyone, myself included. 2020′s really done a number on me, and my mental health is currently at the lowest it’s been in years. BUT I’m working on it, and I figure part of that is being proud of what I did do, the things I did make, despite it all. 

So this year, I somehow wrote (and posted) 10 fics, with a total of 21,507 words. The longest fic I wrote was 6K, the shortest just 827 words. I know in the grand scheme of things that isn’t much, but considering, you know, everything, I’m still happy with that. 

And I think y’all were happy with it too. Several of these fics got 1000+ hits! Considering for me usually anything over 200 hits is a success, that’s amazing.

I did learn this year that I am terrible at tagging, and at knowing what my stories are actually about. I think I probably write more hurt/comfort and found family trope than I realize. Also the usual domestic suspects like cooking/eating and sleeping together, I write those way more than I realize. If someone sees other recurring themes in these, let me know? I’d be really curious to hear what other people think these stories are really about.  

Thank you all so much for reading, and leaving kudos and comments! I still get an email almost every single day that someone left kudos, and it makes me a little bit happier every day. 

So just to share them once more, here they all are, sorted by fandom: 

Dan & Phil: 

mating calls  5 times Dan loved Phil’s subtle attempts at flirting through animal facts, and one time he didn’t. 1354 words, teen and up audiences  Tags: 5+1 fic, getting together, 2009 fic, fluff, mentions of family members, animal facts, gay animals, bad flirting through animal facts, making animal sounds, gratuitous abuse of artistic freedom when it comes to available technology, by which I mean I have no idea when phones got email just bear with me okay

House Hunters   Kath and Nigel go down to London to help Phil and Dan find a house to buy 827 words,  gen Tags: moving, POV Outsider, headaches & migraines, bugs & insects Just You, And Him  You first realize your feelings may have changed when you look at him pouring coffee, eyes bleary and curly hair flopping around chaotically as if he’s had a restless night again. Or, the one in which there is a lot of pining. 921 words, gen  Tags: POV Second Person, pining, yearning, food, getting together, oh my god they were roommates

and they were roombas  Dan knows that, as a manmade inanimate object, he should not be capable of talking or of feeling anything, let alone love. Not that it matters, because there’s no way Phil feels the same about him anyway. Dan is content to live his life cleaning floors and occasionally bumping into Phil, without ever doing anything about his feelings. That is, until one fateful day they get stuck under a table together…It’s a race for survival and love as time starts running out. Will they live happily ever after or will their love fade as quickly as their batteries? 2027 words, gen  Tags: crack, roombas, swearing, there’s a cat, I don’t....I don’t know what else to put here, the word war chat made me do it, I don’t know what this is either

Star Trek: Picard:

on this fresh morning in the broken world  Guinan has heard a lot of rumours about Picard’s latest adventures and the crew of La Sirena. She never quite believed them, knowing fully well how rumours tend to be exaggerated. Then Picard shows up to ask her to join the ship for a while, and Guinan realizes she’s never done learning after all. 3033 words, gen  Tags: guinan meets the sirena crew, canon divergent, holosquad, introspective, trauma, spoilers for picard, no I mean it there are spoilers here, do NOT read if you’re not up to speed on picard

HIStory 3: Trapped: 

Jack Tries To Become A Normal Member Of Society  After everything’s settled down and Jack has taken his time to relax and enjoy this newfound life with Zhao Zi, he decides it’s time to find a normal job. After all these years as a mercenary and working with the mafia and Interpol, how hard can it be, right? 3271 words, gen  Tags: shenanigans, comedy, some (threats of) violence, sex mentions, swearing, blood, menial labour, annoying customers, unrealistic scenarios, found family trope, quite possibly the single most self indulgent fic I’ve ever written

how two hands touch  Okay, maybe Tang Yi does sleep better when Shaofei is there. He’ll never actually admit that though.(a 5+1 fic) 2414 words, teen and up audiences  Tags: fluff, domestic fluff, food, banter about food, cooking, some angst and sadness but I promise everything will be ok, shaofei does go into the hospital again sorry about that, I figured he’s used to it, set from mid-canon to post-canon, not beta read My Engineer: 

Duen Holmes and the Case of the Missing Cupcake  While at the volunteer camp, Cupcake goes missing. Duen decides this is the perfect opportunity to try out some sleuthing.Or, the one in which Duen plays Sherlock Holmes, and finds out some very interesting things indeed. 6495 words, teen and up audiences  Tags: cupcake the lizard, camp trip, fluff, crack, so just like a regular episode really, canon compliant up to episode 12, spoilers up to episode 12

Unrooted  King has some thoughts on Ram's tattoos. 988 words, gen Tags: tattoos, introspective Unspoken  Ram has some thoughts on King and his plants. 1531 words, gen  Tags: introspection, plants

[theres-a-goldensky]

List of My Fic - 2020

Am I 17 days late? Why, yes. I am. But here is a list of all the fic I wrote in 2020, going chronologically, plus some superlatives as I look back on last year.

Total stories written: 18

Total words written: 100,130

SUPERLATIVES:

Favorite fic I wrote in 2020: Dream On (Win/Team)

Least favorite fic I wrote: Sorry A Thousand Times (Fighter/Tutor)

Story I think is the most underrated: Jumping Off the Deep End (Richie/Eddie)

Favorite moment that I wrote:  

“Fuck this,” Eddie said just as the elevator doors opened. He jumped in and pressed the button to close the doors again.

“Oh, no way,” Richie said and hopped in with him. When Eddie tried to get back out, Richie grabbed his suit jacket and held on. “Nope, not a chance.”

The others stood in the lobby staring at the two of them.

“Stanley, your friends,” Patty said as the doors slid shut.

“Believe me, honey, I know,” Stan answered.

- Fake it ‘Til You Make it

Favorite sex scene that I wrote: 

Kit’s first time giving a blowjob, By Myself With You

It turned out that watching Kit pace naked around his dorm room while he talked himself through giving Ming a blow job for the first time was so entertaining that actually getting his cock sucked was almost a secondary benefit.

Ming laid equally naked in the middle of Kit’s bed, his hands laced behind his head, and enjoyed the show. He could see his very smart boyfriend using his very big brain to come up with the best course of action. Knowing him the way he did, Ming had no doubt that when Kit said he’d done research, he meant both the fun porn type and the boring, informational type. Ming hoped there were flashcards involved.

Favorite pairing dynamic to write: Oblivious Meng Shao Fei and jealous, protective Tang Yi - I did some variation of that trope in all three of my HIStory3: Trapped fics.

Click through for a list of all 18 stories in 7 fandoms.

WAITING FOR A SIGN Fandom: IT the movies Pairing: Richie/Eddie Rating: Explicit Length: 6100 words Summary: Richie got tall. And broad. He had these wide shoulders and big hands that he’d gesture with emphatically when making some dumb joke about fucking Eddie’s dead mother. At one point, he poured Eddie a finger of Jameson and when Eddie tried to wave it off, Richie took hold of his wrist with one hand and pressed the glass into Eddie’s open palm with the other.

Eddie took a long sip as he had two equally shocking and mortifying thoughts in quick succession. The first was I want his hand around my dick, followed by holy fuck, I’m in love with this dirty asshole.

FAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT  Fandom: IT the movies Pairing: Richie/Eddie Rating: Explicit  Length: ~21,000 words Summary: “Then that’s it? You staged some pictures and now it’s done?” Eddie asked. 

“I wish,” Richie sighed. “This was just a test balloon to see how it goes over. If people react well, then we’re gonna make it official.”

“Official?” Eddie said faintly.

“You know what I mean. An official fake relationship. Artificially in love in that grand Hollywood tradition.”

SORRY A THOUSAND TIMES

Fandom: Why R U? the series Pairing: Fighter/Tutor Rating: Explicit Length: 3200 words Summary: The ride down to the beach had been pleasant enough, even if Tutor’s heart twisted every time his two friends discreetly traded shy smiles during lulls in the conversation. But Tutor made his choice, and he would have to live with it from now on. Whenever it felt overwhelming, whenever Tutor felt his fingers itching to pick up his phone and text Fight to tell him everything, he reminded himself why he was doing this in the first place. Tutor knew how important family was, and he wouldn’t be able to stand it if he ruined Fight’s relationship with his father.

JUMPING OFF THE DEEP END

Fandom: IT the movies Pairing: Richie/Eddie Rating: Teen Length: 7500 words Summary: He didn’t know what he expected to see when he barged into the room, but Eddie hooked up to a thousand beeping machines and smiling brightly at him wasn’t it. Richie skidded to a stop in the doorway, nearly causing a pile up behind him. His breath caught inside his chest at the sight of Eddie, his hair a riotous mess and his doe eyes wide and glassy. 

“Hey, guys,” Eddie said when he saw them. There was a nurse tinkering with one of the machines beside him.

They ignored her and huddled around Eddie’s bed. Richie stood near the back corner and drank in the sight of him. He squeezed his hands together and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying. Again. Jesus.

DREAM ON SERIES

Fandom: Until We Meet Again Pairing: Win/Team Rating: Explicit Length: 13,000 words over 3 stories Summary: “Team and Win, you’re in room 355,” Dean said.

Team rolled his eyes. “Why did I get stuck with you?” he hissed.

“Because I’m your senior, and you have to do what I say,” Win replied. Dream On Dream Team Dream Life

BY MYSELF WITH YOU

Fandom: 2Moons the series Pairing: Ming/Kit Rating: Explicit Length: 6100 words Summary: Oh, Kit,' Ming thought, hopelessly fond. This boy was going to ruin him.

THE MISSING PIECE

Fandom: HIStory3: Trapped Pairing: Meng Shao Fei/Tang Yi Rating: Teen Length: 4000 words Summary: “Tang Yi, I thought you didn’t like Coke,” Shao Fei asked. He gestured with the bottle and took a long sip.

Tang Yi barely glanced up from his work. “I don’t,” he replied.

“Then why is your refrigerator full of it?” Shao Fei pressed. When Tang Yi didn’t respond, Shao Fei shook his head. “What a waste of money, to buy something that you won’t even drink. Good thing I’m here.”

WHO YOU WANT ME TO BE

Fandom: HIStory3: Trapped Pairing: Meng Shao Fei/Tang Yi and Jack/Zhao Zi Rating: Mature Length: 10,300 words Summary: “You’re finally getting your wish. I’m leaving you alone.” Shao Fei waved a finger in his face. “But don’t get too excited. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“You’re going to help them look for whoever’s murdered those men,” Tang Yi surmised.

“A serial killer here in New Taipei City,” Shao Fei said. “It’s my duty.”

“Your duty,” Tang Yi replied mockingly. “They’re using you as bait.”

YOU CAN’T PLAY A PLAYER

Fandom: The Untamed Pairing: Jin Guangyao/Nie Huaisang Rating: Explicit Length: 1800 words Summary: If it wasn’t about his own amusement or pleasure, Nie Huaisang had no interest in it. Politics flew right over his head, waved away by the fluttering of one of his ever-present painted fans. That suited Meng Yao perfectly, as did the fact that he was obviously a cut-sleeve.

IN VINO VERITAS

Fandom: The Untamed Pairing: Lan Wangji / Wei Wuxian Rating: Teen Length: 5000 words Summary: Time stopped. Everything stopped. Wei Wuxian’s heart stopped. Slowly, he turned around to face Nie Huaisang.

“Lan Zhan is betrothed?” he asked carefully. 

Nie Huaisang paused with the bottle halfway to his lips. “Yes?” he said, sounding confused. “You must know that. Lan Qiren negotiated it himself.”

WEI WUXIAN VS. THE FEARSOME SUPER PANDA!!

Fandom: The Untamed Pairing: Gen Rating: Gen Length: 1300 words Summary: Wei Wuxian faces his most dangerous foe yet - the fearsome super panda.

MY BEST FRIEND Fandom: HIStory2: Right or Wrong Pairing: gen, Yijie/Shengzhe, Yijie + Shengzhe + YoYo Rating: gen Length: ~1700 words Summary: Even after over two years, Shengzhe is still uncomfortable around other parents.

FIVE YEARS LATER, THE WAY THINGS SHOULD HAVE BEEN

Fandom: HIStory3: Make Our Days Count Pairing: Xiang Haoting/Yu Xigu Rating: Mature Length: ~3400 words Summary: Yu Xigu isn’t at lecture, and the undergrads are worried. 

Yu Xigu rubbed his nose with the back of his hand sheepishly - so cute! How is he so cute?! - and said, “I wanted to get some work done.”

“You’re sick,” the guy replied. He placed one giant hand on Yu Xigu’s forehead and the corners of his mouth turned down. “You’ve got a fever.”

THE WAY TO A MAN’S HEART

Fandom: HIStory3: Trapped Pairing:  Tang Yi/Shao Fei (Jack/Zhao Zi) Rating: Teen Length: ~2000 words Summary: A new food truck moves in near the police station.

Tang Yi grabbed the bun and took a bite. It was incredible. “Well?” Shao Fei asked. Tang Yi shrugged and passed back the half-eaten bun. “It’s ok,” he lied.

MISPLACE MY HEART

Fandom: Until We Meet Again Pairing: Win/Team Rating: Mature Length: ~4000 words Summary: Team turned back to face him, and Win curled both hands around either side of Team’s jaw, kissing him softly before pulling back and gazing at him with a small, satisfied grin.

“Hia,” Team began, just as Win said, “I’ve gotta go.”

Team closed his mouth on the rest of the words, swallowing them down along with his disappointment.

SO ANNOYING  Fandom: Until We Meet Again Pairing: Win/Team Rating: Mature Length: ~9700 words Summary: Team deals with some very unwanted attention at a swim meet and some very wanted attention from Win. (TW: brief, non-graphic sexual harassment)

[albinokittens300]

Something Earned 

Rating: G/K, Gen-Fic, so no pairing. 

Summery:Tina is finally hired as an Auror, and she and Queenie celebrate the accomplishment. 

A/N- So, I got finished a couple of huge fics and wasn’t sure what to write. A friends gave me this idea to write something similar to what I wrote for Newt in Something New, but for Tina (hence, the kinda related naming scheme?). A bit of her story prior to where we see her in first movies. This defiantly came to mind and this came to exist in a few days :). It was awesome, and I defiantly needed something a little shorter which worked out in this case. 

Tina walks up the steps and hallway of her apartment slowly and carefully, making a great effort to be as quiet as possible. Hoping to not wake Mrs. Espisito. But it was difficult with her excitement, having just passed the Auror exam and been hired by MACUSA.

Though the exam was rigorous and she should be exhausted from it, pure enthusiasm and triumph has her adrenaline pumping. No amount of effort could manage to completely make her still or silent, and her shaking makes the door handle rattle as she opens it. Queenie reads her mind the second she crosses the threshold and gives her a grin. The two of them dissolve into laughter and quiet shrieks when the younger witch goes and envelops her sister in a close embrace. Pausing for only a second to get themselves inside and to close the door behind them.

“Oh, Teenie, that is so amazing! You did it, you finally did it. Of course you could but- ahh! I’m so happy for you.” Queenie pours out, while Tina moves to put a few silencing charms on their small space.

“I know. It took a lot of time...but they hired me! I start my first shift on Monday, I’ll get my badge, assigned to my precinct, and given my first case, probably.” Saying it, Tina spaces out for a second. Remembering all she did to get here.

Nearly three years ago, she was waking up at six in the morning to be the first at the MACUSA office to apply for a spot in the academy- fresh out of Ilvermorny just a few weeks before that. The dreaded three days before she was scheduled for an interview and being picked out by Graves to have a spot in the training program for new Aurors.

Through the next few years, she worked tirelessly- both training and keeping a paying job at a no-maj factory down the road. There were many failures and successes as she proved to her instructors, and at times herself that she had what it took to be an Auror. Sparring match after sparring match made her stronger and quicker with her wand than she has ever prepared to be. Dozens and dozens of cases explicitly made to throw off new investigators made her mind sharper and more critical than it ever had been. Honing the natural intuition that still tended to make her have snap reactions.

Until finally, more recently, she was allowed to take the final exam and get a job at MACUSA.

And being told by Graves and Piqirey herself, she was officially an Auror now. For the first time since Queenie warned her it was fruitless, her past silly crush on Graves didn’t fluster Tina in front of her new boss, and she shook both of their hands as they handed her the certification.

“Congratulations, sister. You so earned this, more than you even think.” Queenie’s bright voice chimes and draws her attention again. “Come on, dinners still warm, eat up. Then we’re gonna celebrate!”

“Queenie, no. I just spent three hours doing drills and another four waiting for news- I don’t think dancing is really an option.” Tina says. Knowing her elation was hiding the sore muscles and stiffness that came with testing her physical and mental endurance. Any other night going out would be fun, but she was already anticipating aching muscles in the morning.  

Her blonde sister gives a sly grin, moving to open a cabinet. “Who says we have to go out?” Revealing a bottle of Firewisky and Gigglewater.

“Queenie!” Tina tries to admonish, but starts to laugh. Of course her sister would bring something to celebrate home. “Thank you, Queenie, that’s thoughtful of you. Just, nothing illegal next time?”

“Cross my heart- as long as you’ll have a drink with me!” Queenie promises. Hoping to enjoy a night with her sister before her career as a rule enforcer starts.

“Fair enough.” Tina relents. She was going to be an Auror now, but she didn’t have to start enforcing anything just yet. Especially with Queenie, who was nothing if not well-intentioned at heart.

The two of them finish their dinner in peace, and pour several shots of giggle water in some wine glasses when they are finished, and enjoy the relaxing feeling of the laughter as they talk with anticipation about the way things will change now. Tina could quit her work at the shirt factory finally, as her job at MACUSA would pay a significant amount more than she is currently making. As well as having her wage be given to her in wizarding currency, opposed no-maj money. Her job as an Auror wouldn’t make them wealthy by any definition, but things certainly would be easier with the extra income.

Tina would still have become an Auror if it only paid dirt, of course. She didn’t train endlessly for years, just for a raise. But the thought of not having to worry about paying the landlord was nice.

Queenie was planning on quitting and applying for a job at MACUSA too. Perhaps as an assistant or the like. Just so they could work closer together, keep an eye on one another. Like it always had been. The idea of having Queenie around MACUSA made Tina feel even better- being able to look after her baby sister was always a plus.

Tina laughs again, even after her last drink is downed and the effects are worn off. Simply because she is happy and excited. Looking forward to the start of the next week and, hopefully, a long career.

[aelaer]

☕ Your writing. Tell me your impressions on it, do you think you've improved? Is it easy? Difficult? Fun? A constant pain? Do you think you'll keep doing it? Do you like reading yourself? Any or none, it's your choice to answer~

Do you think you've improved?

I've been writing fiction regularly since I was ten years old. I'd certainly hope it's improved!

So fun thing, to chronicle my time online I haven't deleted the majority of my old works in the fan fic world. So I don't even need to scrounge through my hard drive to find examples of my writing from 14. I have a one shot where I basically mixed sci-fi with fantasy and had a bunch of OCs discover Middle-earth as a dead planet and while it's not horrible, there's many parts in it that I find incredibly cringeworthy now. But that's a good comparison of where I was 15 years ago compared to what I've written this year.

I remember looking up some planetary systems mentioned in that story. I've always liked the research part of writing.

Is it easy? Difficult?

Depends on the day and scene. Some days the words flow from me, and other days I can only get a sentence out. I find outlining or doing dialogue on the difficult days best. By far the most difficult scenes are detailed fight scenes. Banter tends to be on the easier side.

Fun? A constant pain?

More on the fun side than painful side.

Do you like reading yourself?

I'm not sure if this question is asking if I enjoy reading in general, or if I enjoy reading what I have written. The answer to both is yes. I've always been a reader, though I read more online things than physical books these days. I write what I want to read, so yes, I like reading my stuff (though the content before 2013 gets a lot of cringes on my part as some of it is not very good. I can't read too much of my older work anymore unless I'm going to revamp it. I'm considering doing that for a series of LOTR one-shots I wrote last decade just to gauge how active the LOTR community on AO3 and tumblr are as it seems there is less and less Marvel content I'm interested in reading being produced).

Do you think you'll keep doing it?

I've been writing consistently for two decades now. I took a break from "solo" writing to do RP writing from 2011 to 2018, though. I'd like to do a bit of both but I burnt myself out on the RP level for now. If I do both I'll have to figure out how to balance it.

I can't say how long I'll be writing Marvel, however. Over the last year people who were very supportive of my endeavors at the beginning of the year seem to now shun me to the point that the biggest Ironstrange blogs will not reblog my Stephen artwork (despite reblogs of other artistic gen content). And to be ignored artistically by the majority of Stephen fans because I don't follow the ship in my writing just makes me uncomfortable. I was okay when it was just folks not bothering with my writing, but that they ignore my art too really made me begin to think about this fandom.

And I'd say at this point in time that the majority of readers looking for Stephen content are not looking for gen content, either. So yeah, I don't know how long this will last. I'm honestly losing the will every day I look at AO3. Just browsing through "Doctor Strange" gets me results like "Words: 30k, Comments: 200, Kudos: 1000, Bookmarks: 250" and "Words: 2k, Comments: 24, Kudos: 250, Bookmarks: 75" and my numbers are absolutely nowhere near that. I've built up an audience because I've written over 100k of Stephen Strange stories this year, but all my kudos added together is maybe a third of the individuals of that one 30k story.

I've told people in the past that you can't write wanting popularity because what's popular may not be what you enjoy writing, but if what I enjoy writing means that not only my writing, but my art is being ignored by 90% of Stephen fans on this website because I don't write Ironstrange? Fuck it. Time for a more supportive fandom where I can be successful as both a writer and artist and there isn't such splits for something as ridiculous as ships.

Sorry, this got more morose than I thought.

[hp-nextgen-fest]

2018 HP Next Gen Fest Reveals!

The time has finally come for the 2018 @hp-nextgen-fest​ reveals!

Thank you so very much to everyone who has made this fest such an amazing success! We were incredibly impressed with the overwhelming enthusiasm you all have for our favorite Next Gen characters. Everyone who submitted stories and art, and those who read, reviewed and recced: You guys are amazing!!

It's been really great seeing everybody's fantastic creations, and we hope you all enjoyed the fest as much as we did!

Without further ado, here's a list of all the amazing participants who worked so hard to create fabulous things for this year's fest! 

ART

@mzuul​ drew Sick Day [James Sirius/Teddy & Albus | General] Albus insists he’s not sick, James and Teddy say otherwise.

@fidgetyweirdo​ drew Every Christmas From Now On [Albus Severus/Scorpius | General] While decorating their flat for the holidays, the new couple discusses where they should spend Christmas day.

@julcheninred​ drew Deep Roots, New Growth [Draco & Teddy Gen | General] With Draco’s help, Teddy learns about his Black Family ancestry and helps to restore the damaged tapestry.

@gee-nx​ drew Ebb Tide [Rose/Padma | Explicit] Rose, normally very shy, finds the courage to get what she wants at a masquerade ball.

@nearly-conscious​ drew SHE ROCKS!!! [Dominique & Roxanne | General] Summer 2016. Roxanne and Dominique never get tired of playing Quidditch together. The rest of the family does get a little tired of hearing Dominique yell "SHE ROCKS!!!" everytime Roxanne scores a goal, but they don't say a thing.

@fidgetyweirdo​ drew On Holiday [James Sirius/Teddy | General] It's their first holiday together without the family, but they haven't done much sightseeing. Correction: they haven't done any sightseeing.

@nearly-conscious​ drew Pining [Lily Luna/Rose | General] It's a wonder no one besides Hugo has noticed that Lily Luna is pining for Rose.

ART + FIC

@maesterchill​ drew & wrote Swim To Me [James Sirius/Teddy | Teen] Nestled within the Lake District, among rolling green hills, spindly birch trees and tall pine trees, lay Teddy’s cottage, just a stone's throw from a serene lake; the perfect place to swim in the warm late-summer sun. There was just one problem: James’s fear of swimming. "I’ll teach you", Teddy said. "I’ll make it fun." James was sold on the idea pretty quick. Being in close contact with the half-naked object of his crush? It was a no brainer.

FIC

@nerdherderette​ wrote Drink Me [James Sirius/Teddy; Albus Severus/James Sirius/Teddy | NC-17] Before going to bed on his 18th birthday, Albus drinks one of Weasley Wizard Wheezes' newest wish-fulfillment potions, his gift from Lily.

lash_larue wrote Lavender's Iris [Lily Luna/Lavender | Teen] Lily does some hard thinking before her upcoming wedding. What she discovers is a bit of a surprise to her.

@letsdothepanic​ wrote Close To Me [James Sirius/Teddy | Explicit] “I can’t believe you want to suck your own cock.” “No, the other way around. I wanna see me suck my cock. It’s a world of difference, Tedward. Keep up!”

@gracerene09 wrote Activate [Draco/James Sirius | Explicit] Draco always figured he was a common Beta, and though he may have had childhood dreams of presenting as an Alpha, after forty years of living he's made his peace with his lot in life. He had a loving relationship with his late Beta wife, has an amazing son, and his work at his Apothecary and Potions shop keeps him occupied. Draco has a very pleasant life indeed, until one day his son drags James Sirius Potter into his life and everything gets turned on its head.

@maraudersaffair​ wrote Waiting for You [James Sirius/Teddy | Explicit] When James was sixteen, Teddy agreed to take his virginity if he made it to eighteen without losing it. He never thought James would make it the two years without shagging anyone, but now James is eighteen and asking Teddy to fulfill his promise.

@alis-anne​ wrote My Potter Boyfriend [James Sirius/Scorpius | Mature] Scorpius has a Potter boyfriend, it’s just not the one everyone thinks.

rillalicious wrote On the Same Side [Charlie/Teddy | Mature] Teddy is heading to Romania to protest a proposed anti-dragon law. He finds an interesting ally there.

@josiemoone​ wrote It's Just A Little Bond. Bond. [James Sirius/Teddy | Mature] When James and Teddy are pushed to the limits of their relationship, which include a bonding charm and several secrets, will they feel as strongly when everything is out in the open?

@thealmostrhetoricalquestion​ wrote Where The Apples Grow In Winter [Albus Severus/Scorpius | Teen] Albus was determined not to join in with the Owl Exchange at first, but he didn't count on the awkward charms of a sweet, lonely boy who, by history's reckoning, he was definitely supposed to hate.

@all-drarry-to-me wrote Mile Markers and Wizarding Wonders [James Sirius/Teddy | Teen] James plans a road trip to see the Seven Wizarding Wonders and Teddy ends up coming along. Cue weeks and weeks of bed sharing, accidental cuddling, Teddy's musical selections, a bit of stargazing and lots and lots of figuring each other out during long drives across Europe.

@violetclarity​ wrote Neapolitan [James Sirius/Scorpius/Teddy | Explicit] Scorpius never felt bad about fancying both James and Teddy, because he never thought he had a chance with either of them. So when it turns out that they both like him back, what’s a bloke to do? (Take advantage of the situation. Obviously.)

@call-me-hopelesss​ wrote Alt Er Love (Everything Is Love) [James Sirius/Teddy | Teen] There are sparks flying between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Albus and Scorpius are sure of it. So they do the most logical thing everyone would do in their situation: They ask James and Teddy for their help playing matchmaker. Thinking about love 24/7 comes easy for Albus and Scorpius, but for James and Teddy, it makes it harder and harder to pretend the feelings they hold for each other are strictly platonic... This is the one where the boys try to set Draco and Harry up five times and one time they don't.

@niakantorka​ wrote Love Our Way [Albus Severus/Blaise | Explicit] Blaise loves Albus. He also loves Albus' pale skin and how it contrasts so well with his own rich colour. Fortunate for him, it is just the same for Albus.

@fidgetyweirdo​ wrote These Hearts They Race... [Albus Severus/Scorpius | Mature] Albus thought that three weeks without his secret boyfriend had been hard enough, but now that Scorpius has arrived the lack of privacy in the Potter house may actually kill him.

@restlessandordinary​ wrote Show Me Where Your Love Lies [James Sirius/Teddy | Explicit] At 23 James is one of the top Seekers in the world, Witch Weekly's most eligible bachelor 4 years running and never far from the front pages of the paper. Oh, and he just so happens to be a virgin desperately in love with Teddy, both facts he plans to take to his grave. But when the Daily Prophet runs a story on "England's Most Eligible Virgin" all the secrets James has worked so hard to conceal begin to come out.

@sylviawitch​​ wrote Can You See Me? [Albus Severus/Teddy | Teen] Albus has been watching Teddy since he was fifteen.

randowskie wrote Dreams Do Come True [James Sirius/Teddy | Mature] Teddy has it bad for James, but he knows that James is completely off limits and not interested. When a date with James is being auctioned off for charity, Teddy realizes he may not be able to keep his feelings quiet.

titti wrote The Clock That Changed Life [Draco/James Sirius | General] James is reluctant to come out, but when Draco gets cursed, he realises what's truly important to him.

@goldentruth813​ wrote my youth is yours [James Sirius/Teddy | Explicit] At twenty-eight years old James is a respected Auror with a comfortable life. And alright, perhaps his love life is a bit lackluster and something has always seemed like it was missing. But he’s got a job he loves and Teddy as his Auror partner and best mate. That's more than enough for James. At least until an Auror raid gone wrong leaves James in his eighteen-year-old body grappling with feelings he thought he’d left in the past.

@littlerose13writes​ wrote Chess and Gobstones [Albus Severus/Scorpius | Mature] James sighed and shook his head. “You want to run with me because you have something you want to ask me. You’re not asking Scorpius, which means it’s about Scorpius. I’m right, aren’t I?” Albus scowled at his brother’s smug expression and muttered the most unenthusiastic confirmation he could. James’ grin grew wider as he started gesticulating with both hands. “So it’s about your boyfriend, and you’re not asking Mum, like you did when you needed help with his Christmas present, which means it’s about sex.”

@regblvck​ wrote Let it Bloom [Lily Luna/Pansy | Explicit] After their one-night stand, Lily had thought she wouldn’t be seeing more of Pansy. She’d never been so happy to be wrong. 

barry_manilows_wardrobe wrote They would have told me, right? [James Sirius/Scorpius | Teen] Albus had heard the rumours. It was hard not to when his best mates were the subject. He loved them. Scorp and James. He really did. But he wouldn't complain if they decided to take it down a notch, though. Snaps with the people they presumably actually dated. Maybe a statement to the press. But Scorpius would just laugh in that disarming way he had from years of PR witches' work to smooth out the awkward. We're just mates. And then turn around and he would have Jamie on his lap, handsy as only two boys living out of suitcases and Quidditch locker rooms could be. They were up in each other's pockets so long now, it was impossible to think of one without the other. The press had a name for that: Scames.

@faeheyjesper wrote The Boyfriend Look™ [James Sirius/Teddy | General] General reviews for Teddy’s taste in clothes include: a sartorial travesty (Albus Potter), absolutely painful (Lily Potter), very 80s (Hugo Granger-Weasley). James just sees Teddy.

@mykesprit wrote Love and Letters [Albus Severus/Scorpius | Teen] A series of letters between Unspeakable Scorpius Malfoy and Professor Albus Potter.

@cassiaratheslytherpuff wrote Rarely Pure and Never Simple [James Sirius/Teddy | Explicit] James really enjoys his life. He likes sharing a flat with his best mate, Teddy. He likes being work-partners with said best mate. He likes going out at the weekends and shagging random girls. At least, that’s what he tells people. The truth isn’t that simple, and when James accidentally manages to get hit by a curse that makes him unable to lie he learns that hiding the fact that he’s completely and utterly arse over tit in love with Teddy is more complicated than expected. 

@rose-grangerweasleyisbae wrote I Have To Tell You Something [Lily Luna Gen | General] Lily used to love family dinners until divorce, Quidditch contracts and one too many arguments ruined the atmosphere. Now that things were finally getting better, she's forced to bring her own problems to the table. Because even her tough-woman act isn't strong enough to hide the demons in her mind anymore. 

@nifflers-n-nargles wrote Everything He Ever Wanted [James Sirius/Teddy | Teen] James has had a lot of favorite things in his life...or has he?

torino10154 wrote Out of Hand [Albus Severus/Harry | Explicit] Al gets into constant trouble at school and Harry is at his wit's end. Maybe a firm hand will set him right.

@shiftylinguini wrote Hallo Spaceboy [James Sirius/Teddy | Teen] “If this mirror could talk,” James remembers declaring, already one drink down and trying to tidy up his ridiculous costume eyeliner, “it would say we look bloody amazing.” Teddy’s arm was warm when he wrapped it around James’s shoulder, pulling him closer. “We always do, love.” Teddy tugged on a long curl of James’s hair before tucking it behind his ear, then smoothing the whole lot of it back. “We’re the fittest blokes at the party, us.” James’d had to give up on the eyeliner after that; he was grinning too hard, flushed and happy and basking in Teddy’s attention (fit blokes, we’re fit blokes, that’s us), and he couldn't bloody stop.

@huggingscorbus wrote the salacious ideas of peculiar boys [Albus Severus/Scorpius | Explicit] Albus and Scorpius have never been lacking on the idea front, but this time, rather than trying to change time and consequentially resurrecting a great darkness and eternal gloom, they've decided to try out something a little more... sexually experimental. alternatively titled: fellas, is it gay to jerk off your best friend?

@mindabbles wrote The Frame [James Sirius/Sirius| Explicit] What are the ethical complications of falling for a person you're named after? How about the logistical complications of falling for someone who shouldn’t be alive? James would rather, he finds, not look too closely at either, not when Sirius makes him forget anyone else exists.

[yumekuimono]

[Spideypool] Stargazers

A/N: well, it’s been a while. I’m honestly surprised I found the time for this between uni work. anyway, whenever I read fic set in NYC that mentions the stars, I just think, “has this author...been to New York?” so I wrote a cute spideypool about it. yes, I’m going all the way back to those two

[~1k words; no warnings, can be gen or pre-slash]

Wade let out an exaggeratedly content sigh, of the kind that meant he wanted to pretend that whatever he said next was completely spontaneous but also wanted Peter’s full attention for it. He stretched, then flopped backwards onto the flat roof of the high-rise, arms above his head. “The stars sure are pretty tonight.”

Peter twisted around from his perch on the ledge to squint at Deadpool’s masked face. He knew when he was being set up. “What stars? We’re in Manhattan. There’s too much light pollution and smog to see stars.”

Wade pouted, just his mouth and chin visible. “That’s not true! I can see like, ten stars.”

“Where?”                    

“There’s the Big Dipper.”

Peter lay down with his head next to Wade’s to follow the path of his gloved finger. “That’s not the Big Dipper.”

“Sure it is. It’s big and it’s dipper-shaped. Bam: Big Dipper.”

“Yeah, but it’s not supposed to take up the whole sky.”

“How would you know? Have you ever seen the Milky Way? More stars than you can count on your fingers and toes?”

“No.” Peter had been to Island Beach State Park, and Connecticut when he’d toured Yale. Neither of those places were much better than New York for stars, although they had little enough light pollution that the night sky looked navy rather than orange. He’d gone camping upstate with Aunt May and Uncle Ben once too, a few months after he came to live with them. He didn’t remember a lot from back then. If he’d seen stars, it didn’t help him now.

“Well, there you go. You haven’t, and I have. So leave the constellations to the experts. Hey, do you think if you went to the countryside you could use your webbing to balloon across the fields the way baby spiders do? You know, ‘cause there’s no buildings?”

Peter ignored the question. “That’s only six.”

“What?”

“Six stars. In the Big Dipper. If that’s what it is.”

“No, there’s seven. Four in the ladle-bit, and then the handle goes up like that and there’s a faint one before you curve down to get the last one.”

“I don’t see the faint one.”

“Course not. You gotta look in the corner of your eye, where your night vision receptors are.”

Peter focused off to the right of where Wade pointed. There could have been a glimmer at the edge of his vision, but it  also could have been his imagination. “I don’t believe you. It’s not there.”

“Yuh-huh,” Wade said.

“Where are the other three?”

“There’s one over there.” Wade pointed across his body, to the gap between two skyscrapers further downtown. Peter propped himself on an elbow to look.

“That’s an airplane, Wade.”

“It’s not moving.”

“A helicopter, then. It’s got a red blinking light.”

“Fine.” Wade’s arm swung around to the opposite direction, nearly smacking Peter in the face. “What about those?”

Two bright points of light hung over the East River. Peter considered them.

“I don’t think those are stars, actually.”

“What else would they be?”

“Planets.”

“Pshaw, no one can tell those apart.”

“Sure you can,” Peter said. “Planets don’t twinkle because they’re closer to Earth. The reddish one’s probably Mars, and the other one could be Venus. Or Jupiter, maybe.”

“They still count as stars.”

“No, they don’t.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

“They’re celestial bodies of light! Therefore, stars!”

“But a planet isn’t the same thing as a star.”

“Spidey, this is Manhattan,” Wade shrieked. “We can’t afford to be picky about our stars!”

A horn blared thirty-six stories below, despite the hour. Traffic here still bustled at midnight. The streets wouldn’t empty until after two or three in the morning, when the bars and nightclubs closed. Even then, Peter would be able to hear the whisper of automobiles or the subway if he concentrated. This was the city at its most peaceful.

“I suppose you’re right,” Peter said.

“Anyway, you haven’t agreed with me,” Wade groused. “You’re supposed to agree that the stars are pretty.”

“And if I do?”

“Then I get to say, ‘Yeah, but you know what’s prettier?’”

“A hot dog.”

“Spidey. We had tacos.”

“That was before we went to the Bronx to fight a bunch of people. And then we came all the way down here. Also, I’m a college student. A college student with an enhanced metabolism, no less.”

“You’re a spoilsport.”

Peter nodded. “An enhanced spoilsport. Enhanced by hunger.”

“I think you just don’t want to hear what’s prettier than the stars. I’ll have to reconsider my evaluation because of that, you know.”

“Oh, so you think I’m the one that’s prettier than the stars?” Despite himself, something wavered behind Peter’s  ribs at the implied complement.

“Well now I’m not sure,” Wade said in his best properly put-upon voice. “You can certainly be prettier than the helicopter. But not the stars.”

“That’s a low bar,” Peter protested. “I’m at least as pretty as the planets, if not the stars.”

“Hmmmmm.” Wade stroked his chin with forefinger and thumb. His mouth pursed in a semi-successful effort to keep back a smile. “Hmmmmmm. No, I don’t think you’re at the level of celestial bodies of light anymore, sorry.”

Peter set one foot on the ledge of the roof and flattened his palms behind his shoulders to arch up into a backbend. His spine crackled satisfyingly when he pushed his weight onto his arms. Peter kicked up and over with his free leg until he stood upright on his feet. He held out a hand to Wade.

“What if I buy you a hot dog?”

Wade slapped his hand into Peter’s and let himself be hauled up. “I could reconsider over a hot dog. But no guarantees.”

“If a hot dog doesn’t do it, I’ll just have to keep working at it until I earn my way back to being pretty as possible, then.” Peter raised his eyebrows. A smirk hovered around his mouth.

Wade looked over both shoulders as if someone could be listening in. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Between you and me, I don’t think it’ll take you very long.” Then he straightened up with a grin. “You got yourself a deal, Spidey-boy.”

“Why, thank you very kindly, Mr. Pool.”

With that, Peter swung them both off into the night, Wade whooping and laughing the whole way.

[pebblysand]

I disagree with a lot of the points made in this, but I wanted to reblog it because I think it's all very interesting food for thought.

First, I think the phenomenon this person remarks about the content-ification of fic is very real. I agree with that 100%. It's hard for me to date it because I've only ever followed a pattern of being in fandom for a year or two, then falling off, then falling into it again, and usually in different fandoms. This being said, I've definitely noticed this change the last time I came back on in 2020. I initially attributed it to the fact that it was my first time in the HP fandom, which is a much bigger beast with different customs, but I now feel like the content-ification runs deeper than that. The conversations about monetisation have been constant. So have the conversations about hits and kudos and content. Some Gen Z members have also expressed confusion at the lack of algorithm on AO3, etc. This is a very interesting phenomenon and deserves to be talked about more.

This being said, I think where I disagree (and I know I'm in the minority - at least when it comes to the "older" - millenial - generation here), is the belief that this is necessarily a bad shift. Of course, it is a huge change, I'm not going to deny it. Of course, as an author of a (very moderately) successful fanfic in the HP fandom, I feel pressure to get chapters out and produce content in a way I never have before. I think part of this is due to the fact that I used to be in much smaller fandom where the audience wasn't as big, but the change in culture is also definitely a factor. And, of course, this isn't always nice. It's something I sometimes struggle with, and don't always enjoy.

But, as much as the above is true, I also think it is the natural consequence of a phenomenon that I am much more positive about, which is the mainstream-ification of fanfiction. Fanfiction is on its way to slowly becoming a "worthy" art form. We can talk about it now. We can write about it. In ways that were never possible before. People discuss fic on tiktok. The views on AO3 have never been higher. And, I feel like, as someone who has "worked" in this area for over fifteen years, I can finally start to stand up and be fucking proud of what I've accomplished without hiding my dirty, little hobby.

The reason why I think both are related, is that the observations about content-ification actually stem from the fact that we are now starting to treat fanfiction... like any other art form. As fanfic has become more and more prominent in society in the past few years, it has also gained those "content" traits so many people are annoyed at. Like: the fact that certain things are more popular than others. Or, the fact that certain people want (and only want) to write the things that are popular. That certain people get into bit because they want to build an audience/recognition. The fact of the matter is that mainstream fanfics now follow the same formula as airport thrillers. The authors write them knowing they will be giving the people what they want, and the people in turn give the authors what they want: love and attention to their work.

Firstly, I don't think this is a new phenomenon. I'm sure certain people wrote certain popular tropes for attention, before tiktok. But, again, I do agree it's probably more of a thing now. Yet, tbh, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. I don't personally read many airport thrillers but... they're good. They're nice. They're enjoyable. If I ever end up writing original fiction, I will probably not write them, but that doesn't mean I begrudge the authors who do. They are able to produce a book a year, sell them, cater to people's wants -- those are amazing skills that I believe ought to be recognised and celebrated. The same goes with the All the Young Dudes and Menacled of this world. And, I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with others wanting a piece of that. As Sally Rooney once said, I don't believe we only exist for ourselves, in a vacuum.

There seems to be this idea amongst some communities online that if fanfiction starts becoming mainstream, and if people advertise their work/treat is as a product for people to consume (or, god forbid, dare trying to monetise it), it will somehow lose its 'soul' or originality. I personally believe that is complete horseshit. For every mainstream artist who is successful, manipulates comms and the media, and gives the people what they want (hello, Banksy 👋) there are hundreds of thousands of people who ... don't produce that kind of content. Who are perfectly happy going against the system to satisfy their own creative urges, even if that means selling less (or not at all). The two can absolutely coexist, and one is not lesser than the other. It's just different skills, different people, different creative outlets. Of course Banksy's work is art. It's amazing art. But every one of his publicity stunts are very well orchestrated to give the people what they want from an artist like him. It's not a "bad" thing. And, the exact same thing goes with the fact that I - personally - will not promote my fic on tiktok. Because... I don't want to. But, if someone wants to and gets more success than me, I'm more than happy to acknowledge the fact that they worked - hard - and probably deserve it as much (if not more) than I do.

This goes outside of fanfiction, but the romanticisation of the "struggling artist" who only writes/produces art for themselves without anyone in mind bores me. Worse, it actually annoys me. Because it legitimises the fact that in the real world, artists don't deserve to be paid a fair wage, and in the online fanfiction world, that any hint of an admission that someone cares about their kudo count makes them vain. Writing something because you want attention and recognition isn't capitalism, it's normal human behaviour.

Of course, I write for myself. I write stories that I'm interested in, and that I believe others will like too. I make art because I want to connect with other people, as human beings. If there was no one on this earth to read what I write, I for sure would not be writing. This is why I've always given up on the original fiction I've written: because I couldn't post it online, and therefore couldn't get that boost of attention that would keep me interested. Of-fucking-course, I write to be validated. It is wild to me that this would be a negative thing. It doesn't mean that I attach the value of my work to the numbers of hits/kudos I get, and some of my favourite fics of mine are definitely not my most popular ones, but there is a very real difference between acknowledging that I write for engagement as a primary drive, and only writing for engagement. There is a huge spectrum of fics between All The Young Dudes, and the countless fics that have undoubtedly gotten published and read by no one. I find myself in that spectrum. A spectrum of writing things I like, and that I certainly hope will cater to the likes of others, too.

There is nothing wrong with wanting less than that. Wanting to write that giant squid/lockness monster fic that's been brewing inside you for years and that a grand total of three people will click on. If that makes you happy, you do you. What makes me happy is to comments telling me my fic meant something to my readers. And, what makes some people happy is writing Dramione fanfiction which they promote to get maximum engagement in order to build an audience. And Good For Them. Why does everyone online seem to shit on ambitious people who want to be mainstream?

The idea of writing primarily to get a big audience to read your stuff and the attention that goes with it is not a bad thing. I certainly hope that the years I've spent building mine will pay off if I ever decide to pursue original writing. Is it my primary motivator? No. I personally strive for genuine connection with others (ie people who tell me my fic has had an impact on them), not necessarily marketability. But, I definitely write for other people. I don't think that means I have "ask myself certain questions." Trust me, I'm a writer just the same.

your fanfic doesn't need to be Content

ok so thanks to this lovely anonymous message i've been motivated to organize my thoughts on the increasingly common phenomenon of fanfic writers treating their own fics like Content for consumption, the way an influencer on social media might (all of this is in the context of the marauders fandom specifically -- no idea how or whether it might apply elsewhere)

what i mean by that is, essentially, instances of fanfic writers playing into the idea that fanfiction is a product created for the consumption of readers (and thereby the idea that fandom is a community that can be clearly divided between "producers"/writers and "consumers"/readers).

some examples i've seen: people "advertising" their fics on platforms like tiktok, sometimes even before they've started writing said fic ("hey guys i'm going to start writing a fic with x y z who's interested??"), or making posts asking outright "if i wrote a fic with x y z would people read it??" i've also seen people share concerns that if they write a certain thing they want to write (i.e, heavy smut, heavy angst, etc) then it will make their fic less "accessible" to a broader audience ("i want everyone to be able to enjoy my fics!")

another recent example that comes to mind is the "jegulus strike." while i'm sure it was largely well-intentioned, a strike is a form of protest tied inextricably to a consumer economy, and positioning writers as laborers who are standing in opposition to readers demanding that labor reinforces the framework of a consumer economy in which fanfiction is a product for consumption.

something i want to make clear here--i'm not saying that any of these behaviors are like....Moral Failings deserving of Ridicule. i think we are all very much conditioned by late-stage capitalism + algorithmic social media to view everything, even our hobbies, within the framework of a consumer economy. this is just me observing some of the ways i see that mindset creeping into fandom spaces.

like. i think there's this unspoken assumption that art is only worthwhile if it has an audience; that creative pursuits only matter if you can profit from them. if people are applying this mindset to fanfiction, then it makes sense to see this impulse to advertise fics the way authors advertise their books on tiktok, or twitter, or whatever. it makes sense for writers to become preoccupied with audience perception, perhaps changing their stories to make them more palatable for a certain audience or even going into the writing process with the audience already in mind--an overhanging and ever-present anxiety, asking yourself "how will this be received?"

the problem is that fanfiction doesn't fit into this model. it has always been meant for a niche audience, never the mainstream, and it has always existed outside the profit economy. trying to turn fanfiction into broadly consumable content is antithetical to the medium itself, and, in all likelihood, will fail. the vast majority of fanfiction is never going to be read by hundreds of thousands of people. if you go into writing it with an audience as your end goal, you will likely be disappointed.

what makes fanfiction so wonderful and unique is that it is meant to be written, first and foremost, for the writer. fanfiction as a medium grew out of personal joy in creation, out of individuals who thought "I want to see this story for myself" and then wrote it. because fanfiction is specific, catered to individual tastes and niche audiences, it lends itself to a unique sort of community in which your work attracts other people with that same niche taste, making it easier to strike up a conversation or start a friendship by saying, "hey, i love this story you wrote for yourself! it just so happens to be the exact sort of thing i wanted to read."

so i guess at the end of the day, my question for other fic writers is: if nobody was ever going to read this, would you still want to write it?

and if the answer is no...i think that's something that calls for reflection! where is your motivation rooted? is it rooted in a desire to create, in the joy of creation? or is it rooted in a desire to be seen, to be validated? wanting to be seen and validated is entirely natural, and it is by no means a bad thing. oftentimes, both these impulses--creation and validation--will be part of the decision to write + post a fic. but if validation is your primary motivation, and if you have internalized the idea that validation means getting as many people as possible to look at the thing you're making and click a heart button, then you will probably end up disappointed. you will probably end up feeling like your writing isn't good enough, no matter how many people end up reading it--because no audience will ever be big enough to validate you if you aren't able to take pride in your creation independent of any metrics of consumption.

i'm not saying that you should never share your fics on social media. like i mentioned above, community is one of the best parts of fanfiction--but are you posting in search of community? or are you posting in search of an audience? i know the line can get blurry sometimes, but i do think those two things look different, and i do think it is productive to look inwards and ask what you are truly seeking when you throw your writing into the void of social media posts. and i think as writers it's important not to fall into the trap of acting like our fics are a product intended for audience consumption, because to do so contributes to the deterioration of a fandom culture that is separate from the profit economy. plus, i just think all of us would be happier if we started trying to actively unlearn the idea that art is only worthwhile if it manages to amass a huge audience.