#my first team though... I can't get to 30k for the life of me

[cheriafreya]

everyone's complaining about the new PF and yet in my case this is the first time I've gotten this far, might even reach 3 stars in the last phase if I can get my first team to get a higher score

[flowersforthemachines]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

thank you @biowaredisasterbisexual and @basedonconjecture for the tag <3

tagging @cogandstar @dellamortethelesser @rookamell @whispersleo in a gentle non-pushy way

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Thirty-six! I'm a bit sad that I missed the last round number and didn't celebrate. Getting to the next one will take a while.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

256, 701. Mostly in one-shots.

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Shiva (258), What I'd Love to Hear You Say (233), First Bloom (188, E-rated; don't click unprepared), Something Comforting (155), Extra Steps (132; also E-rated).

None of the DA fics made the list... Maybe one day.

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Dragon Age, Persona 5 and 3, Zero Escape, Cyberpunk 2077.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! Though I personally find it quite difficult to do. I always feel I can never express my gratitude to the commenter in a sufficient way (their comment will probably always mean more to me than my reply could to them. that sort of thing).

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Yeahhhhh At the End of Her World is taking that title. Team S: Suspicion [A Dead End] is *very* close, though, but I consider it more violent than angsty.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Different Tide, but Still the Same Ocean, probably. Like, imagine getting back your lover who you thought was dead? That's probably the nicest thing I've done to my characters like ever. (note that the death was canonical, I didn't kill the guy. only brought him back)

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9) Do you write smut?

Smut makes up 30k words out of my total word count (scattered across 4 fics). Though I have a complicated relationship with all those fics since I typically write smut when I'm Going Through Things, and the association makes it hard to look at them afterwards (there is only one of these 4 fics that I can willingly re-read).

10) Do you write crossovers?

Do fusions count? I've written a Nier x Persona 5 fusion, and a Zero: Escape x Persona 5 fusion.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Hopefully my knowledge is correct ^_^

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I got a request for it once! Though I don't believe it ever went anywhere.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

There is a co-written draft about two characters exchanging letters (akesumi, btw). I wrote one character's letters (Akechi), and my partner wrote the other's (Sumire). Just a draft, though, it's not finished.

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

You can't make me choose, and I won't. (SilverV, probably)

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ghilasara & Illario fic (platonic. friendship only) ... At a glance, it looks like the hardest idea I have right now. I'm afraid the world may never see my vision.

16) What are your writing strengths?

An author whom I respect a lot (<3) once said this about my dialogue: "I feel like I’m watching an arthouse movie or listening to a fantastic radio play."

Which is how I've come to think that I'm good at writing dialogue. Probably.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Visual descriptions my beloathed <3

It's very hard to make my aphantasiac mind care for them. Like I can't see anything in my head anyway, why should I bother describing the appearance of things, it's all the same to me. I couldn't describe a landscape to save my life (though sometimes I try, out of obligation).

Aphantasia also makes it hard for me to write action scenes since, well, I can't imagine them taking place, so I always have the question "Is it even realistic for someone to move this way?" stuck in my mind. This also applies to simple action. I did once break down in tears trying to write characters sitting on a couch pondering "b-but where would all the hands go........."

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

Something I never cared about while I was writing for Persona, and something that I need to start thinking more actively about now. Still on the "gods, how do I put it in a fic in a nice cohesive way?" stage of thinking.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

I think that the first fandom would actually be Dragon Age. I have some drabbles about my OCs from around ~2018-2020, though those are just in my phone notes and I never published them anywhere.

First fandom I published a fic for is Mass Effect.

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I love all my children equal--At The End of Her World. Of course, it's At The End of Her World. Not in the least because I consider it my most successful imitation of the writing style that I really like (Another Country by James Baldwin marry meeee <3), so that's a point of pride for me personally. Plus, not to pat myself on the back, the concept is kind of cool. All hail the divorce ٩(＾◡＾✿)۶

[gil-estel]

~✨gil-estel’s long-promised spn rec list✨~

the general criteria:

(all fic will fit at least one, many will fit most)

✓ long (10k+)

✓ published after 2017

✓ canon-verse

✓ plotty and/or casefic

✓ nuanced exploration of dean winchester’s bisexuality

the fics:

Bender by vipjuly (destiel, 13k, rated E)

In order to protect a sorority from a vampire, Dean allows Rowena to transform him into a girl so he can go undercover.

He's still Dean. Just in a female body.

This is surprisingly easy.

Build a Home by domesticadventures (destiel, 20k, rated T)

After they save the world, Dean expects Cas to come back to the bunker with them.

He doesn’t.

Everything Comes Back to You by VioletHaze (destiel, 33k, rated E)

Dean knew better. Of course he did. But Cas seemed so charmed by the antique-filled bed and breakfast that Dean went along with it when the proprietor mistook them for a couple. Telling himself it gave them a strategic advantage to be so close to the crime scene, he agreed to the weekend special she offered them. When the case ended up being a bust, they stuck around anyhow because hey, the second night was free…

it never gets dark by vaudelin (destiel, 30k, rated E)

Normally Dean wouldn't get out of bed for a run-of-the-mill kidnapping, even without the hangover, but when Sam can't even write out the missing kid's name, he has to admit something's up.

Helping Sam, Patience, and Claire figure out who (or what) erased all traces of the kid is as good a distraction as any to get over Cas bailing from an abortive love confession. But when finding answers comes at a terrible physical price, the team is left with no choice but to call in any help they can get.

Like it or not, Dean and Cas have some uncomfortable truths to confront, and when worst comes to worst they'll discover what truly matters in the end.

Kelp! I Need Somebody by andimeanittosting (destiel, 27k, rated E)

It’s been a week since Michael was defeated and Dean freed, but Castiel can’t seem to get back on the horse. Dean, on the other hand appears to have bounced back completely, with one small exception: he no longer dares touch the now-human Cas at all.

When they receive a call from Jesse and Cesar to come investigate a series of mysterious drownings near their New Mexico ranch, Dean jumps on the job, much to Cas and Sam’s dismay. But more challenging than the kelpie they encounter, Jesse and Cesar’s relationship holds up a mirror, showing Dean and Cas the future they wish they could have. When Rowena and Charlie get involved, a shake-up is inevitable.

let me lay here so slow (i need never get old) by vaudelin (gen & bg destiel, 10k, rated G)

The day of Dean's fortieth birthday, told from Lebanon's point of view.

like moses and batman and james dean by saltyfeathers (destiel, 31k, rated E)

dean used to turn tricks. over a decade later, he met cas.

One Cold Night by xylodemon (destiel, 16k, rated E)

"Dean, are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm just —" Dean shivers again. His teeth clack together. "Jesus Christ, it's cold."

So Goes the Song by aeli_kindara (dean/lee webb, 21k, rated E)

The first time Lee meets Dean Winchester, it’s courtesy of a chokehold.

Someone Who’s Feeling For Me by ellispark (destiel, 46k, rated M)

Dean sees her for the first time in nearly six years in some no-name town in Idaho, and it's panic at first sight.

Lisa Braeden, the one woman Dean ever actually had a shot at a real life with, back from where he buried her in his mind. And her hand is on Cas's arm like it's no big deal, like it belongs there. Cas, Dean's dorky, sweet, badass, angelic best friend, and he's just standing there next to Lisa and not moving her hand away.

Dean feels the jealousy rising, and it's not directed where he expected it to be. Because it takes this exact moment for Dean to realize he's in love with his best friend. He's in love with his best friend, and Lisa is looking at Cas like he's the best thing since automatic rifles, and Dean is utterly fucked.

Suck It, Judy Garland by midrashic (destiel, 20k, rated M)

It had to be St. Louis. Or, the one where Sam and Cas get fake married for a case, and Dean loses his mind.

Superheroes by aeli_kindara (dean/omc, 4k, rated T)

"I fuckin' hate group projects."

Dylan gives Dean a wary glance. He gets it — he’s not the biggest fan of these things himself. But when you’re a group of two, “I fuckin’ hate group projects” is awful close to “I fuckin’ hate working with you.”

In which a teenage Dean Winchester makes a friend and leaves something behind, and Sammy doesn't know when to shut up.

Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic by MittenWraith (destiel, 41k, rated E)

Strange things were happening in a small town in Northern Maine that had gained a reputation as the most honest town in the world in only a matter of weeks. Residents were going out of their way to confess their sins-- everything from jaywalking to murder, infidelity to true love. Sam, Dean and Cas all have their own reasons for wanting to stay far away from an honesty curse, but with Jack and his natural bluntness serving as their last line of defense, they decide to investigate. The last thing they need is another Veritas situation on their hands. The honest little town might be enjoying their newfound liberty to speak their minds, but the cause of this particular curse might prove to be Dean and Cas’s undoing.

The Thirty Six Questions That Lead to Love by aeli_kindara (destiel, 13k, rated M)

“So I need you to be my gay dads,” says Claire.

Though The Course May Change by imogenbynight (destiel, 51k, rated E)

After a couple who went missing several years ago from an Oregon couples retreat are mysteriously returned on the same night that another disappears, Dean and Charlie plan to go undercover to find the cause--until Dean's foot meets his mouth, and he finds himself fake-engaged to Castiel instead.

The Tunnel of Love by xylodemon (destiel, 21k, rated E)

"We might," Cas starts slowly, pausing like he's choosing his words. "We might have to kiss."  

Dean just stares at him.

You Start to Grow Wings by FagurFiskur (dean/omc & destiel, 11k, rated T)

Dean feels his face warm up, suddenly all too aware that he’s sitting right next to his very male friend. He can’t make himself look over, too nervous that he’ll catch Eli’s eye and make this whole experience even more excruciatingly awkward. He wants to leave, but he also doesn’t wanna call attention to how uncomfortable he is.

He’s known gay people exist of course, but he’s never seen them outside of Very Special Episodes on sitcoms. Never seen something so explicitly, in-your-face gay.

At seventeen, Dean falls for another man for the first time. Twenty years later they happen to meet again and things are somehow much more complicated.