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sinvulkt · 6 months

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20 Questions For Writers

Wow, thank you so much for the tag @fanfictasia !! I've wanted to participate in something like this forever!! 🎶✨️✨️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Right now? 66.

"Yes, as a star wars writer, I am very proud of that. No, I do not intend to change it anytime soon."

I really need to focus on (and finish) some of my WIPs, and that mean trying not to disperse my energy amidst one shots (no matter how much i love monthly challenges and fic exchange events). Also I'm very proud of that 66 count and want to appreciate it xd.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

321k words!!

(More or less 100k / year 🎶 little me would never believe that 0.0

My school exam results sure don't, with how they are dropping 🤣)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Star wars mostly (Vaderkin or my OC Sinvulkt), then Marvel (Dr Strange), Dream SMP (Dream), Le Visiteur du Future (Renard) and more recently Batman (Bruce Wayne) as well as Avatar: the last airbender (Zuko).

Plus the original stories I am supposed to write but almost never end up doing xd (the engagement in fandom compared to original stories make the switch hard xd).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Dreamt of a Never Ending Sky (Dream SMP)

669 kudos

2. To Fly Free Under The Morning Sun (Star Wars)

480 kudos

3. On the Edge of Twilight (Star Wars)

380 kudos

4. Scales of Embers (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

353 kudos

5. Crash Landing on Space Australia (Star Wars)

319 kudos

I'll never know how my Dream SMP fic got so much engagement. Good timing at a moment the fandom was in effervescence, I guess. Scales of Embers scoring so high is also a surprise 0.0. I discovered it had that many kudos today. It’s a shame the Dr Strange fandom is small because I think my Dr Strange WIP What If Doctor Strange Lost His Humanity ? would have deserved a place here. It definitely does in my heart.

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

I try to! As a reader, I always feel super happy when the author shows that they’ve read and appreciated my comments. I know that personality an author who answers make me more likely to want to drop a comment.

As an author, I absolutely want to show how much I love every single comments, so I try to answer them all. But I get a little overwhelmed sometimes, bcs lots of other stuff going on irl or another reason. As such, it can happen that I don't feel the energy to answer a comment on the spot. And if I don't answer it on the spot (using the power of the wiggy dizzy nice happy feeling of getting a comment), I don't necessarily have the energy to answer later on. I currently have something like 60 unanswered comments I think? TT.TT

But rest assured that whether I answered or not, I absolutely adore and cherish every single ones!! Comments are amazing! ✨️.✨️

(This kind of engagement is one of the only reason I managed to settle into such an active rythm of writing after years of trying then dropping the hobby~)

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

Glance at my fics.

Uhhh... This is a hard question here... Many of them have angsty endings XD

Mostly the ones at the beginning (the worst written ones xd). I wonder why~

Also a lot of them don' have endings yet XD

I'll say amidst the 'old' fics from 2021, Day 8 - Screaming (Star Wars) would be the angstier one (or most horrible one ig xd).

But as far as recent fic go... While I haven't finished writing it bcs its wordcount exploded in my face, I already plotted / drafted it a few months ago and I know the ending, so I'll choose:

Batman’s Downfall (To Stand Alone) (Batman)

I noticed my kind of angst doesn’t have much success around these parts 🫠🤣. Oh well. I cherish it all the same :3.

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

Sometimes I think I wrote too many fics. It's hard to select one.

Uhhh... My fluffiest works are one shots in Of Feathers and Freedom serie, but they are part of the series so it’s not really an 'ending'.

...

I'll answer for the crackiest story rather than the happiest ending bcs all my finished fics ending are ominous open ending at best xd.

The Blob Adventures Of Excentrics Jedi (Star Wars)

Because it's cute blob drawings of our crazy team of OC in taaoej, and I love them (although we are all angst lovers in taaoej, so it's more crack-angst, and we don't know the ending bcs there isn't really one. Not yet at least. Hopefully never).

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Just my own innervoice as far as I'm aware. But then I've always been rather clueless when people tried to 'hate on me'. The message usually just got lost somewhere in dreamspace immensity, never computing.

I've found the fandoms communities really welcoming at the very least!!

9. Do you write smut?

No.

I don't really enjoy reading smut. Nor romance for the matter. I don't think I'd enjoy writing it.

But maybe I'll try one day, for the sake of experimenting all genres.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I never did. I don't know why. Maybe I just never felt the need to mix characters and universes. There are amazing crossovers out there though, so who knows, maybe one day I'll try one.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. In all honesty, I don't think my works are nearly popular enough to get stolen xd.

My writing style isn’t that good yet, and my dislike of romance when the majority of the fandom community is ship-powered means I end up in a corner quite niche. (A corner I love, that being said. Yay Crack, Angst and Gen~)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but maybe I'll translate some of mine in french someday. Be it only so that I do write fiction in my native language from time to time.

Anyone that wanna translate my fics, feel free to!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes, To Fly Free Under The Morning Sun (Star Wars)!!

I’m still waiting for my co-author @purpleopossum to come back to me / get back in star wars mood to continue that one. 🫠

Can’t say my hopes are that high up after all this time, but it’s the redemption | healing part of the serie and I don’t really have fun writing alone redemption | healing part... i prefer doing the whole mayhem that create the injury in the first place. And with how long some of my fics hiatus are (and I got no excuse for those xd), it’s only fair for me to wait. (I did write more other works for the dragon Vader serie in the meantime xd).

I made an oath to myself to never leave a work unfinished though, so we’ll see. If in several years purple still doesn’t wish to continue it, or if she inform me she is dropping the story, I’ll try to make some kind of ending. It’s part of the game i guess.

Alternatively, the The Amazing Adventures Of Excentrics Jedi universe is a group of star wars OCs that we made together with @pat-the-togorian , @asteral-feileacan , @ct2002-rema and Xylian. I don’t know if that count as co-writing? We usually write our OCs pov.

But in all cases, co-writting is very fun and I’d definitely do it again if other opportunities arise in the future.

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

The absence of ship is my all-time favorite ship. Otherwise, "main character / digging their own grave" would be my 'favorite ship' since I tend to synch with idiots snarky jerks disasters.

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

To Fly Free Under The Morning Sun (Star Wars) that I mentioned for question 13? 🤣

More seriously, I'll answer On the Edge of Twilight (Star Wars)

Because it's my vent fic. I know the main plot line, I vaguely know the current arc, but no one can predict where the next arc will go. It's all pure impulse and while I have a vague idea of 'ending', I refuse to plan a path towards it. This fic specifically, I want to keep pure impulse. So I'd love for it to become some kind of "The NeverEnding Story". :3

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I write.

No seriously, it's not something I did four years ago appart from vent poems here and there. Writing is in itself a huge writing strenght!

Otherwise I'm also a bottomless well of idea. It's pretty neat.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

... romance?

Or dialogues. Lastly I have a lot of frustration around the transition from dialogue / transition / dialogue. I feel like I'm crap at properly timing that.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It's fun. I do it for games sometimes. Since apparently writing normally is not chllenging enough for my brain sometimes. It did teach me bits of mando'a.

Recently for Sēċan (Star Wars) I decided last minute to put the whole droid dialogue in morse, and I regret none of it.

I'm usually only doing it for one shots though, and never 'official existing' languages until now.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star wars :p

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Now that's another hard question, how am I supposed to select one.

I'm gonna answer the whole Of Feathers And Freedom (Star Wars) serie. Bcs wings. :3

Tag time~ (if you wish to)

@purpleopossum @pat-the-togorian @cinderfeather @beguilewritesstuff @purple-iris @dreaminghour @ravenite-void @trickstress333 @bluntblade @doctorgeekery @stewardofningishzida @jenae-0 @trickstress333 @kittonafoxgirl @pastelcourage @salparadiselost @kefalion @charlottevader @ravenstakeflight @starr234 @aelaer @sarcasticfirefighter @mckiwi @linzerj @sonderwalker @exomal @tonhalszendvics @nephilimswitchlight @firejay112 @only-here-for-the-star-wars @ajedilikehisfather @makaronik @chickadeechickadoo @dirtkid123 @numerousbees1106 @akizumy @25centsoda @udekai @wendingways @silvereddaye @in-company-of-misery @wisechaosglitter @kuraiarcoiris @alright-anakin @wyvunn you're more than welcome to join on the interview fun!! (Or to ignore the tagging if not interested xd).

I know I tagged. I lot of people. Some of you may recognise my pseud, some may not. But I thought it would be interesting to hear the answer of the various authors with whom I interacted on ao3 over the years, so I went and digged up those with tumblr I could find from my inbox 🤣

(Hopefully I didn’t bother any of you >.< - otherwise I apologize. Same for if I accidentally tagged a non-writer.)

I'd love to hear your answers! 🎶

#ask game #tag game #tagging game #20 questions #20 Questions For Writers #i got far too good at tracking down ao3 people's tumblr xd #it's the fault of the quotes under my tag fragments of imagination #since i try to always check if the author is on tumblr to tag them when i post one of those quotes #well i had a lot of fun #i love interactions XD #so that kind of ask game makes me happy #with it i can feel as a proud writer yay~#tumblr game #writing #writer on tumblr #fanfiction writer #yes this took me hours #wrll mostly the tracking and tagging xd #answering was worth it

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hlficlibrary · 1 year

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✤ Pet Cat Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find our other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ The One Where Harry Really Doesn't Have Ten Cats by LoadedGunn (T, 10k)

"Mate, you can dress him up in a tutu and upload it to YouTube, I don't care as long as he's alive when I come back."

Harry gasps. "How did you know I have three tiny cat tutus?"

"You sound like the crazy type."

Or, the AU where Harry is a pet-sitter for the rich and famous, and Louis is rich and famous.

2️⃣ Emperor's New Clothes by sunsetmog / @magicalrocketships (E, 92k)

The fact that Louis’s most precious belonging was a cat with a face like thunder and an uncanny ability to cover every single inch of Louis’s clothing with cat hair was something that Louis chose not to think about too much.

or: Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

3️⃣ Thought The Song Was Sung by @100percentsassy (E, 12k)

Louis never auditioned for the X-Factor. Years later, Harry's just another gay ex-boybander who lives alone with his cat... until Niall decides to take matters into his own hands and set up a profile for Harry on a dating website.

4️⃣ I hear you calling in the dead of night by Thelonelycoast (M, 72k)

No one really notices Marcel Styles. In fact, Marcel’s so invisible that if his teachers don’t call on him in lessons - and they rarely do - Marcel can go whole days without speaking to anyone other than his mum, his sister, Gemma, his cat, Dusty and the school librarian, Alma. And if he just so happens to have a tiny, miniscule crush on the footie captain, Louis Tomlinson, well, that’s no one’s business but his own. Until Louis notices him back...

5️⃣ knock knock, i love you by beautlouis / @thelovejandles (E, 86k)

“Well,” Louis says, searching for something to relieve this tension. “I think if a bloke gets kicked out of his stats exam for a knock knock joke, he deserves to hear the punchline, yeah?”

“Oh!” Harry says, beaming. “I forgot where we left off, what was it again?” He looks overjoyed to be exchanging a shit joke.

“Ah, you said knock knock, then I said who’s there, and then you said Noah,” Louis supplies helpfully. He hates that he's actually curious about the rest of the joke. “So, Noah who?”

“Oh,” says Harry, in a much different tone, dragging out the syllable. He looks bashful now. Louis cannot keep up with this boy, it's going to kill him. “Right, well.” He shuffles his feet. Fuck, what kind of knock knock joke gets a boy nervous? “Noah a good place we could get something to eat?”

[Harry and Louis get kicked out of a statistics exam for passing a knock knock joke note, and subsequently fall in love. Harry's a virgin, there's a cat, a hot cocoa date, a lot of sex, even more knock knock jokes, and everything is lovely and happy.]

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 The Changer and the Changed by @homosociallyyours (M, 59k)

It’s the spring of 1977 and Harry Styles has just moved to New York City after graduating college. She knows she’s a lesbian. She just needs to figure out how to meet other lesbians.

Louis Tomlinson works at a popular women’s bookstore in the Lower East Side, Womon’s Direction, where she spends her days reading feminist literature, writing poetry, exchanging friendly barbs with her boss Niall, and dreaming of finding someone to love.

When Harry and Louis meet, their connection is instantaneous. Slowly but surely, Louis welcomes Harry into her community of women. Stonewall veteran and old school butch Niall; Liam, a land dyke who’s moved to the city for love; and Zayn, a lesbian musician who’s been ostracized by a vocal part of women’s community for being trans, welcome Harry with open arms, ready to help her find her place in New York City’s bustling lesbian scene.

It’s a time of growth for everyone involved.

💎 Treat Mothman With Kindness by flowercrownfemme (T, 16k)

“Does anyone else ever think mothman is... Kinda hot?” “No?” Zayn squinted, frowning. “Louis? The fuck?”

In which Louis, Liam, Niall and Zayn are amateur cryptozoologists and Harry is the creature they find in the woods of a small north-western town. ft. lots of glitter and shrieking and a whole shed full of lesbian cats.

💎 Forever You'll Be There by my Side by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup (G, 4k)

If asked, Harry would say that he doesn't live alone; he lives with his lovely and intelligent cat Starberry. He lives on a street full of witches and wizards that he sees briefly before they apparate off their front steps, and his sister floos by unannounced quite often. If asked, Harry would say he lives a rather content life.

If asked, Harry would not say being practically run over by his new neighbour the first time they meet is a positive thing. He may even say that he wishes that new neighbour would stop following him around and let him do his produce shopping in peace.

💎 meow or never by velvetnoodle / @femslashy (T, 3k)

Harry is having a terrible, no good, very bad day.

He’s holed himself up in the back of the university library, stealing an entire sofa for himself. The fact that no one has said anything to him about it just goes to show how much his feelings must be on display. That’s nothing new; Harry’s always worn his heart on his sleeve. And cried easily. Not that he’s crying yet, but he’s close. It’s been a right shit day, and Harry just wants to go back to his room and bury his face in Evie’s soft fur. Unfortunately, he no longer has that luxury.

When Harry is forced to choose between getting kicked out of student housing or giving up his cat, a moment of self-pity leads to the discovery of a third, and much more appealing, option

💎 Zoey by @wabadabadaba (G, 2k)

Harry knew his first name, but he liked the way Dr. Tomlinson sounded more. Harry watched as Louis unclasped her harness and set it aside and pet her back and under her chin. Louis kissed the top of her head and murmured sweet nothings to her- mostly about how pretty she is and how well behaved she is. Harry wished it was him.

or Harry has a huge crush on his cat's veterinarian and finally decides to do something about it.

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otemporanerys · 1 year

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Spectre Requisitions ‘23 - The Rec Post!!

It’s that time of year again! I took part in the Spectre Requisitions Rare Pair Exchange @spectre-requisitions-exchange (link to the collection here) and man. SO MUCH good shit.

I can’t reveal what I wrote (yet) but I have been reading through the collection and here’s a few incredible works that I really enjoyed! Remember to kudos and comment if you find anything you like 💖

(NB: I focused on fic, but honestly every bit of fanart I’ve seen for it is also incredible, please go check it out)

Gifts for Me

I was SO lucky this year - loyal friends will know that I’ve been suffering from a massive dose of Lawkarian brainrot, and I got not one, but TWO long-ass Garrus/Miranda fics!!!! honestly still can’t get over it, incredible

Between the Devil and the Deep, Garrus/Miranda, 20K, E

Set pre-ME2, Miranda recruits Archangel for a job, fucks him to keep him sweet.

This is just. Pure filth, and I love it. Aliases, power plays, both Garrus and Miranda being amoral little weirdos. What more can you ask for?

The Woman in White, Garrus/Miranda, 16.9K, E

Set pre-ME2, Miranda recruits Archangel for a job, doesn’t really do ANYTHING to keep him sweet (but they fuck anyway).

:chinhands: This is just. GORGEOUSLY written, and the begrudging way in which they start to like each other (but not too much) is incredible. Top-notch Garrus POV

Gen

loose ends, Maelon & Mordin, 9.9K, T

Set during and after ME3, canon-divergent AU. Maelon finds Mordin in the wreckage after Tuchanka and nurses him back to health.

I love their relationship in this - Mordin’s so aware of Maelon’s weaknesses (or what he perceives to be his weakness) but there’s still so much caring, despite the huge gulf between them. Also the easiest way to make me a teary mess is a Urdnot Mordin cameo 😭

The Stories We Tell, Joker & Tali, 3.1K, T

Set during ME1. Tali forces Joker to be her friend.

Really great dialogue for everyone - it’s very cute and fun until suddenly it’s not!!! which is rude!!! but still very good, A+++

Care and Maintenance, Kaidan & Tali, 2.2K, T

Set during ME1. Kaidan and Tali bond over dads, tech and Shepard’s reckless driving.

This one was just nice! And also who doesn’t love a bit of Shepard driving slander

F/F

swear, this one you’ll save, Nyreen/Solana, 1.5K, G

Pre-canon: five times Solana has a secret about Nyreen.

I’m only slightly obsessed with these two, and this fic was so perfect. Childhood friends to lovers is a god-tier trope, and it’s so deliciously bittersweet

Real, Beautiful, f!Shali, 0.7K, G

Post-ME3, A morning on Rannoch.

The post-war fluff we deserve, imo!

A Knife in Starlight, Morinth/f!Shepard, 1K, M

Set during ME2. Character study with a side of smut.

I think Morinth is incredibly interesting as a character, but the real standout of this fic is the Shepard - Ruthless, stone butch, wonderfully jagged.

M/M

Collide, m!Shakarian, 4.1K, M

Set during ME2. Friends-to-lovers and mutual pining.

I love m!Shakarian anyway, but mutual pining?? Sexually charged pining?? LOVE CONFESSIONS?? Good shit

M/F

Change of Command, Garrus/Miranda, 3.6K, M

Set during ME2. Epistolary fic, a series of comms transcripts between Garrus and Miranda.

Yes, someone else wanted Lawkarian!! The (verbal) sparring is so much fun, and the format is perfect.

Beauty Like a Raging Flame, f!Shaeed, 6.2K, E

Set during ME2. Shepard gets into a fight in Afterlife, and Zaeed has to go pick her up.

There’s a lot of Shaeed this year! But this one is my favourite. The Zaeed voice is great (appropriately crusty, not too soppy, just the way I like it) and it’s nice seeing him paired off with a Paragon Shep. Plus, Zaeed’s turned on by violence. Smutty perfection

only echoes in the melody now, Kasumi/Keiji’s Greybox, 3.4K, E

Post-ME3. Bittersweet porn with feelings.

God, this one really blew me away. The prose is incredible, and there’s so many little bits that really land how fucked up the greybox concept really is. The ending is great, too. Can’t recommend this enough.

Longing Makes a Thief, Kasumi/Rolan Quarn, 17.7K, E

Kasumi and Rolan run into each other during a job, and realise they’ve met before - sort of.

This was so much fun - bubbly like a glass of champagne. The banter’s great, the smut is great, it’s all so good. Run, don’t walk!

Poly

An Unfortunately Sexy Man, Addison/Kandros/Kesh/Tann, 6.6K, M

MEA. Addison, Kandros and Kesh all have one thing in common: a devastating, inexplicable crush on Director Tann.

I’m not really one for crack, but this is definitely an exception. Genuinely funny, and the Tann voice in particular is incredibly on-point.

#spectre requisitions #spectre requestions 2023 #fic rec #mass effect fan fiction #mass effect rare pairs

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hovercraft79 · 2 months

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Writer Asks

I love doing these! They hardly ever come around anymore and I miss these. Thank you @bitchbrisket for sending this my way.

How many works do you have on AO3?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

664,309

What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly The Worst Witch 2017, but there’s also a couple of Bletchley Circle fics on there, as well as an unpublished Xena and a Rosemary and Thyme wip.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Divine

Into the Great Wide Open

One Thing Leads to Another

Ghost

Winter Song

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to always comment. Comments are a gift and I want to recognize the time someone took tell me they liked my work. Plus, I love talking about writing and stories and all that.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Life has enough angst already, I don’t need to add to it with my fics. I much prefer a happy ending. That said, since I’ve left everyone hanging on Stella Caeli for 6 months (I’m so sorry!) and it’s at a disaster cliffhanger, it would be that. I am almost done with the next installment, though, so hopefully soon it won’t be angsty either.

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

Maybe Divine? That’s the last part of Hecate’s Summer Playlist. Either that or An Uncertain Spring

Do you get hate on fic?

I haven’t yet.

Do you write smut?

It probably comes as a surprise to most of my readers, but yes. Just not in any of the stuff I’ve written for TWW or posted on AO3

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really, though I do enjoy letting Rosemary and Thyme make a cameo every now and then. I’m not against them, just haven’t done it.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I’m aware.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but Sparky probably deserves a co-writing credit for all of the work she’s put in to my fics.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

This is a toughie. Certainly, Hecate Hardbroom and Pippa Pentangle – or Hecate and Ada Cackle – or Hecate and Julie Hubble. Honorable mentions include Jean McBride and Millie Harcourt, Xena and Gabrielle, Jenny Flint and Madame Vastra, Rosemary and Thyme, Lady Hardcastle and Flo, SuperCorp, Laventon and Cyllene… The list really could go on.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

Probably my first fic – a massive crossover with characters from everywhere, a healthy dose of Mary Sue-manship, a bizarre premise that turned out to be not so bizarre when six months or a year after I started it, Galaxy Quest sort of had the main plot point.

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like dialogue is what I do best, followed by plotting.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action sequences. They feel very stilted to me.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Sure, write it. I've had bilingual characters.

First fandom you wrote for?

Not counting that first atrocity, Xena and Gabrielle – though technically it’s a Mel & Janice one.

Favourite fic you’ve written?

That is like picking a favorite child, isn’t it? Well, I shan’t be in denial about it. Hecate’s Summer Playlist holds a special place in my heart, closely followed by An Uncertain Spring and All Roads Lead to Home.

If you'd like to play, I'll tag @emiline-northeto @curlywitch14 @hydr0phius @cassiopeiasara and anyone else who'd like to join in.

Questions to respond to:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

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

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

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

8. Do you get hate on fic?

9. Do you write smut?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

#fic writing #writer asks #some fun

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dazedandinked · 1 year

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Steddie fic recs (2/?)

Part 1

In the last six month I've read, saved and commented an alarming amount of Steddie fics. I finally feel ready to share some of my favorite so far with all of you because I think all the authors deserve kudos and new readers!

I'm not much of a writer, but I hope you'll like my suggestions. Feel free to RB, leave comments and recs for me.

This second part took me a while, but hey I made it!

Buckle up, this time we have: some very good famous Steddie au, one of my fav Punk Steve fics ever, a very sweet coffee shop au and some LARP!

I have a lot of regrets about that by @hairmetal666

The thing is: I just finished reading "Daisy Jones & The Six" (which I strongly rec) and my scrolling brought me to this fic. It's destiny, there's no other explaination.

I really enjoyed the interview writing style, it's nice to get multiple POVs about the events. The feelings and the pain between Steve and Eddie are so sincere it broke my heart in a few moments.

The ending is just delicious to me.

***

New York Hardcore by @grandmastattoo

Before adding a short comment, I'd like to underline the fact that this specific is quite intense - or it was for me.

Ok, so. I'm not sure where to start with this fic - and the whole series. I really enjoy Punk!Steve in every shape and color, but this fic has something that really left me so raw and tender.

***

The pain and grief are described magnificently, the images are so powerful. The healing process is long and complex but oh, so freeing to read. I love Steve being a weirdo, loving with abandon and without restraints.

Kudos to the author because they did their research and it shows: there are a lot of great references to places and music. The punk in this fic is so real, not some pop punk stuff!

Red Eye by @alinafewwords

This fic is still in progress. Not everyone reads incomplete fics, but I do and I felt the need to rec this one.

I think I mentioned this before, but I'm a modern au avid reader.

I really *love* this particular coffee shop au because it's the right mix of fluff and caffeine that keeps me alive. I particularly enjoyed the growth of Eddie and Steve's friendship, the soft intimacy surrounding their moments together. Also, the spicy six get to be there and there a good amount of buckingham, which is definetely a lovely plus.

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The Shire in NOT on Fire by @kissesforcas

Is there someone out there who hasn't read this fic and loved it? I don't think so.

The idea of the Party joining a Reinfaire and LARP event is just so nice, I always love reading about them having a good time together - no trauma involved.

The idea of Steve and Robin being exposed to a whole world they don't know is just really funny, with all the costumes and roleplaying involved. Everything concerning Steve trying to resist Baby Byers when it comes to convince him to do whatever the Party asks him makes me cackle. I couldn't resist that puppy face either.

The plot is fun, the pining is delicious, the smut is even more delicious.

You don't know this fic already? Well, hop on the train right now!

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Slither by @mixsethaddams

This fic is still in progress. Not everyone reads incomplete fics, but I do and I felt the need to rec this one.

Also, I didn't really mind the tag before reading because the themes don't really trigger me. However, it may not be your cup of tea.

I must admit, it took a while for me to start this fic because the setting isn't one of my usual au choices. I don't really read influencer/youtuber aus, but this fic was a blast - I couldn't put my phone down!

I loved reading about Eddie and Steve's blossoming weird friendship, and the PLOT! Like, I didn't expect the many heavy subjects to be described in such a different-but-insightful way (altought the author did a great job mentioning all of them, mind the tags guys and don't be like me).

Chrissy is probably my favourite so far, I love her, Eddie and Gareth being a team!

Finally, AUTHOR I FINISHED CH8 AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE LOVE LAUGH IN THIS CONDITION.

That said, see you next part guys!

Daze

#steddie #steddie fic rec #steddie fluff #eddie x steve #eddie munson #steve harrington #steve x eddie #steddie fanfic

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generalluxun · 8 months

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Fanfic Author 20 Questions

Thanks to @erisluna35 for sending this along! 1. How many works do you have on AO3?

On AO3? Right now 63, soon to be 64(tomorrow probably) and a couple on FF.net

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,020,860 on AO3 plus another ~86K fic I never ported over to AO3, as my 'recent' stuff, starting back in 2021

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Miraculous Ladybug, I did others a long time ago before joining AO3, but that was a long time ago. I've considered a couple others recently too, but nothing yet.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

At The Gala- A Chlonette fic inspired by fanart, and actually the sequel to my #2 by Kudos. This is just a cute series of strange interactions with Chloe from Marinette's PoV, culminating in understanding and discovery on a fated evening.

Slippery slope- Little Chlonette ficlet inspired by a fanart. Very short, it's about how a single unexpected moment can change someone's entire world.

Ever After- A long chapter fic set more than a decade post-canon that looks into the idea that 'Ever After' can be a long time, and that expecting life to be solved at 14 is a recipe for eventual disaster. Yet at the same time life continues to offer new experiences, new possibilities, and new ways to grow. Ships include Adrienette, Chloadrien, and Felinette.

Showing Love- An alternate ending to Queen Wasp, where instead of reuniting Chloé with her horrible mother by highlighting everything horrible about her (seriously, what?) Marinette comes face to face with the reality that a mother really *can* not love a child. Being Marinette she can't let such a thing stand, even if it is Chloé. Marinette&Dupain-Cheng family goodness.

What Do you See?- Adrigami fic that kicks off right in the middle of Kuro Neko. While Adrien is struggling with the pain of giving up Cat Noir, one thing crosses his mind. He can finally give one important person the truth she deserves. After all, he *Was* Cat Noir, not *is*. The two both struggle to navigate the ramifications of this revelation, especially when Plagg shows up once more with the ring. (there's a little bit of eventual Lukanette)

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

I try to respond to most, especially any questions or curiosities. I love engagement.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh heck this is so not fair. I am in love with bittersweet ending, and have a couple of doozies.

I can't decide between three.

What Happened- The 'real reason' Chloé Bourgeois's redemption arc failed. What do you di when you do everything right, only to find out your happiness causes the end of the world, in every timeline?

A Modest Proposal- Marinette is happily impatient for Adrien to finally propose to her. Little does she know, a secret long kept is going to come back to haunt her. It's worse than you think.

The Risk Outweighs- A look into someone else's life during the episode 'Risk'. The courage to do anything finally gives Chloé the strength to break from the cycle. But the Ladybugs must set things right, and a few moments of clarity weigh nothing against a lifetime.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, lots with happy endings, though I prefer 'open' endings, so...hmmm

Cafe Noir- has an unambiguously happy ending, but I specifically set out to write a romcom so that feels like cheating.

Dog Daze- probably has the most comprehensively happy ending, Adrien's dad even managed to try to parent. They do go through a lot on the way to the happy ending though.

In Direct Opposition- My latest work, seems to end on a solidly happy note for all involved.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Ever After drew some upset people that expected their OTP to be the main ship. I never tried to deceive anyone, but a few people were just really upset.

I also had this weird thing where someone thought I was someone else, and stalked my comments for a while. That's why I use moderation now.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've done M rated fics. I'm not sure 'smut' works for them, even if there's lots of sex narratively, it's usually mentioned rather than being detailed. I did one single 'this will be a smut fic' fic. And even that ended up with like, 5K words mostly plot, and about 2 paragraphs of (I think emotional and important) sex.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nah, I've never had the crossover itch. I generally find each world intriguing enough on their own.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of...

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yep! I had someone ask if they could translate one of my fics to Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope. Talked about it before, but never went through with it. Not against the idea. I do a lot of rubber ducking for my friends though, so some of my ideas can end up in their finished fics.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I'm going ot have to go with adribrina, my goobers. I like exploring all kinds of ships, and these two I threw together on a whim but Oh, they're so comfy! I wrote Puppy Love to see how they would work, and then that evolved into Dog Daze, my Largest work to date. I had *intended* for them to amicably break up and Sabrina to be a wing-woman to Adrien in the canon ship of Adrienette.... but they just did not want to break up. Even if they wouldn't admit they were dating, they were just too *comfy* together. These two make me happy. (Marinette ended up okay though, she's happy!)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

A third fic in my Senti-Sentai AU. 'Worlds Collide'. It was set in 'vague eastern Europe country in the middle of violent conflict' and then that suddenly got too real, too quickly.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Character voice. I write third person limited, and I've been told many times that I do a very good job of writing characters as their canonical selves, just in different situations that bring about different outcomes or changes in them. I consider that a high compliment, because the characters are what I am here for.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Brevity. Even simplistic plots 'enemies to friends road trip' become detailed 'Marinette manipulates Chloé into chasing Adien and Lila across the globe to prevent Lila from wheedling an arranged Marriage out of Gabriel' and then that blossoms into a 98K fic.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I feel like my last of understanding grammar and colloquialisms for another language would have me sounding like bad google translate. Singular words used? Viable.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

SWATKats. My first ever fanfic was a 30K fic about that show.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

They are all my babies! This is so not fair. I've spoken about some of my favorites earlier though, so I'll use this spot to mention some other ones :)

He's Perfect- Gothic Horror Adrienette! It even has a sequel and an entire AU in my head if I can circle back.

The Orphan and the Marionette- Written to feel like one of Grimm's fairy tales. Chlonette(kind of) with a heavy dose of magic and a surprise appearance from Marianne.

There are so many more but I'll plug Dog Daze again, because I to like how it flows and the alternate S5 we get from it. It also inspired a raft of 'post story' one shots, and I have another chapter fic waiting in the wings to continue the AU. There's plenty of stories to tell here.

@taketwoinink Tag, if you would like to play.

#ask #fan fiction #fanfiction #writing #miraculous ladybug #adrienette #adribrina #chlonette #so many ships

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makeitastrength · 3 months

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1, 4 (for Slowly and then all at once), 9, 10, 13, 18 or 21 for Put me back together piece by piece (you choose which question), 25, 37, 40, 45

#1 and #10:

Answered here :)

4. What detail in [insert fic - Slowly and then all at once] are you really proud of?

More people quoted this line back to me in the comments than any other sentence I've ever written, and honestly, it didn't even stand out to me when I wrote it, but receiving all those comments made me really proud of it! "You don’t build an impenetrable wall if there’s not something fragile behind it that needs protecting"

9. How do you find new fic to read?

Sometimes I see links and snippets posted here on tumblr, but mostly I go to the Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen tag on AO3 and just scroll through, looking at things like tags and summaries until I see something that catches my interest

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

I'd say alternate versions of season 4 scenes, particularly those with Chris and Ashley... alternate breakup scenarios, jealousy, etc. There were a lot of good fics at the time, and I wrote some too, but now I just feel like it's run its course

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic - Put me back together piece by piece], what would it involve?

Oooh, interesting! I've never really considered a sequel, but now that so much has happened in canon since then, I could see being able to continue it in a canon-adjacent fashion and exploring how the rest of S4 and the beginning of S5 might have played out if they were already together

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

The Rookie episode transcript website is a lifesaver, oh my goodness! I use it when I need to quote dialogue or remind myself of details of specific scenes. I also often go back to rewatch scenes on Hulu. And I use Onelook as a thesaurus. Plus I google all sorts of random things

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Honestly, I'm not sure how to answer this. I feel like engagement in the fandom fluctuates so much, so I never really know what to expect or what's considered "normal." There was a definite dip in the hit count in January of this year, though. That being said, I get such lovely comments on my work and I'm so so thankful for every hit and comment and kudos ❤️

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

Oh 100% I re-read!

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

Answered here :)

Thank you so much for the questions!

#fic writer asks #quesera #asked and answered

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josiebelladonna · 1 year

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(re: i might have to revise the date of posting as the seasons grey, simply because i could lose the internet again - we're supposed to get even more snow come wednesday, delightful, i say - we've been getting snow as early as veteran's day, so you can imagine how i feel about it at this point. also, i wrote this about a week ago, so if anything sounds a bit weird or doesn't make any sense, it should explain why)

another reason why i think i might change the date is that i have this sneaking suspicion that the green druidess and temple are going to do something crazy when i post on that day, just knowing how they are. i feel like they're going to dogpile me like what happened with dead man walking and the apple shed because they’re not only paranoid, but they apparently think everyone following them is that gullible—knowing the sheer amount of people who use google docs to write their fics while simultaneously gripe about big corporations like google surveilling us all, i understand the logic there in a twisted way. doesn’t make it right, though.

how did i start suspecting this, you ask? very simple: whenever i say anything, either one or the both of them would update one of their fics, as if to one-up me and prove me wrong, which tells me they stalk my blog (why else would they be doing this?) case in point, as of writing (2/22), the green druidess’ account is essentially dead, there hasn’t been an update to anything since late january and her birthday (when i asked where she was, i was legitimately asking as well as testing the waters there). i noticed temple went quiet, too, about a week after she did. i did fuckuary and then i didn’t update anything simply because i needed to rest for a bit: i’ve been writing vigorously since late 2017, i deserve a break and do nothing but make art once in a while (so, if either of them say anything about me going quiet as if to imitate them… no. it’s just another lie on their part amongst an entire batch of lies). plus, some things came up in my personal life that needed tending to, and i didn't have internet the last four days: so, figure i'm going to be silent for a time. it actually wasn’t until i reblogged that poll about writing methods when i started thinking about the sheer amount of hypocrisy on here. this led me to thinking back to the aforementioned “clap back when i clap back” habit that temple and the green druidess do with me and i started putting two and two together. i wondered if they have something planned for that day, too. maybe they’re going to whup up on me and continue with the kvetching like what they did twice before. fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me; fool me thrice, i have a decision to make. naturally, i have to think ahead—winter weather at the peak of a mountain will put you in a “think ahead” state of mind for the foreseeable future.

to be transparent is a beautiful thing, but a little opaqueness will take you so far. it’s okay to be a little mysterious, especially now with ai watching our every move. i will not be surprised at all if my suspicions are absolutely correct; and i won't be surprised if they don't act.

yeah, i have this habit of jumping the gun, i’ll admit it. but it’s only because i just really love doing this and it’s exciting to post stuff on ao3. when temple republished "can’t lose you" on the green druidess’ birthday, it was odd to me at first, but when i thought about it, it sounded an alarm bell to me. it came immediately after those three posts. totally took advantage of a habit of mine: i gave kudos to sort of throw a cog in the machine (that's a really good way to mess with someone, too, doing anything that agrees to disagree with them), but i knew i needed something else next to it. a bigger cog. a wooden shoe. my own air conditioner and radar detector (if you’ve read now it’s dark, you get the reference). something to completely humiliate them both, make them feel the same way they made me feel in late summer 2020 but walk away from it in grace.

get revenge on the bully but do it in literally the most innocuous way possible and walk out the other side by living on and proving myself, as eddie vedder would say.

and like i said earlier, the loss of the internet for a time has been a mixed blessing with me. there just has to be a way to get inside their heads somehow and put an end to this ridiculous feud that i literally didn’t even want in the first place. i have to put an end to something that has gone on for far too long for everyone's own good: really, the only person to put an end to it is me. i can move on and walk my walk all i want, but this shit needs to stop, and it has to stop by way of my thinking ahead and making them fall flat on their snotty, spoiled, entitled fucking faces.

i hope all of you reading this can understand where i’m coming from with this and you can understand my logic behind it because it’s not like the smartest and most emotionally intelligent of people are following them (or are on here for that matter: look no further than the utter prevalence of those cancerous, brain-dead posts about mutuals, or the rise in ai art, either. we can add "reading emotions" to "critical thinking" on the list of things that tumblr absolutely sucks at). it's imperative to stick to your principles, absolutely, but sometimes principles take a backseat when it comes to standing up for yourself, especially when your opponents are two of the most emotionally dim, insecure-in-their-sexuality writers here at the granular level.

i read the first six chapters of like loving the dead and aside from that one chapter that pretty much trashed joey, i literally don’t remember anything other than a line at the end of chapter six kind of letting us know that lizzy is cruel and manipulative (art does imitate life once in a while after all). i read them twice and i only remember a couple of things that happened: same story with louder than love, even with as much as i liked it; i barely remember anything past the first six or seven chapters.

these are the women who are trying to destroy me, writing fics that i can't remember unless i make fun of them. and by the way, i really wish this hadn't been made into an issue of internalized misogyny because... it's not.

at least, not on my end, it isn't.

#text

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army-of-mai-lovers · 4 years

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ATLA Fic Recs :))))))

Ok no one asked for this but I’m doing it anyway. In honor of me reaching 100 kudos on a fic for the first time, I’m doing fic recs!

1. Spirits Help Us, There’s Two of Them by hopepunk on ao3 (not sure if they have a tumblr) ngl if I had to pick a favorite zukka oneshot at gunpoint this is probably the one I’d pick. Sokka and Zuko being weird together is just so amazingly satisfying and I love it so so much. I can barely understand what they’re talking about most of the fic but also somehow I can?? It’s weird. I love being let into their little world like this.

2. The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris on ao3 (again, not sure if they have a tumblr) While I do love a good romantic soulmate au, let’s be honest, platonic found family ones are a million times better. I legit think about this fic all the time. Platonic gaang bonding? check. The gaang finds out about Zuko’s scar? check. A BACKSTORY FOR SUKI OUTSIDE OF HER RELATIONSHIP WITH SOKKA???? CHECK. CHECK. ALL THE WAY CHECK. I also just really love how the author develops the soulmate stuff? It’s really original (as far as I know anyway) and just really compelling. I could literally go on forever about this fic I’m OBSESSED with it.

3. spark from a flame: courtyard rights and other tales by @pianjeong this would be a woefully incomplete list if it did not include a killer rarepair fic and this one is the literal best. I’m not going to lie, of the three rarepairs I ship (bakoda, yueki, jetko-kinda, and pianjeong), pianjeong was the one that took the longest for me to really fully ship. I liked it fine, but I didn’t really *see* it until I read this fic. It’s so soft??? Like so soft???? Jeong Jeong is also a shy icon we stan for life. The writing in this is so so pretty, and ugh the chemistry,,,,, the tension,,,,, also Jeong Jeong knowing everybody’s names and being super polite to everyone? I love him. Piandao not being impressed by someone’s celebrity? I love him. this is truly beautiful, top-tier content.

4. paint it red, they’ll cover it up anyway by @bluberry-spicehead this fic is the reason I ship jetko-kinda. the whole kindergarten au is simply top-tier, but the jetko angle--really exploring the dynamics of it and dedicating time to watching both of them grow better--is really amazing. Plus the first chapter was from Smellerbee’s perspective and like any self-respecting ATLA Jet not-quite-apologist-but-I-do-believe-he-deserved-better I ADORE SMELLERBEE. The writing style is also super interesting and dynamic and I really just love it a lot.

5. where we go for each other, we go together by @herglowinggirl the way I SOBBED reading this fic. the way I felt ALL THE EMOTIONS. Oh my goodness. Rangi is such a good character????? Kyoshi is such a good character???? Them???? Parenting???? You know how when you watched Lady Bird it reminded you so precisely of your exact relationship with your mother even though you’re not a cishet white girl living in Sacramento? This is that. I’m never going to be the Avatar’s Firebending master/lover/co-parent to a little girl we found on the streets but I felt this fic so deep inside my soul. It was BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN and deserves ALL THE KUDOS.

edit: I just read the most INCREDIBLE Azula redemption arc fic and I’ve decided to add it to the list, it’s called where the stars do not take sides by WitchofEndor on ao3 (couldn’t find a tumblr). I’m not going to lie, it’s really hard for me to get into multichap fics (ironic considering I write mostly multichap), but the first chapter was so incredibly written I was like all right I have to read the second chapter and I ended up reading like eighty percent of it in one sitting and the only reason I didn’t read 100% of it in one sitting is because it was 3 am and I had class the next day. This is the first canonverse fic that I’ve read that shows Azula’s whole redemption arc (and honestly it’s only the second fic I’ve read, modern, canon-compliant, or canon-divergent, that gives Azula a redemption arc period) and it’s done so remarkably well. Seeing Azula and Zuko’s bond grow throughout was just so beautiful (the way Zuko said he didn’t want to be anywhere without Azula? I’m crying. CRYING.) Azula was just so so so well-written in this I believed every second of it (and I have HIGH STANDARDS for fics with Azula). Also obsessed with the idea that Zuko didn’t want the throne so they plan to give it to Azula, a fourteen year-old girl like wow iconic. There’s also a zukka subplot in this that’s incredibly sweet and UGH they both need to learn how to communicate my goodness.

#fic recs #zukka #gaang #pianjeong #jetko #rangshi #I'm really proud of this list actually #I did manage to get a fic on there that has less than 100 kudos #in the future I'd like my fic recs to consist entirely of fics that have less than 100 kudos #but you know #baby steps #plus i really do love these fics they deserve every kudos they have #caps tw

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jennagrinsoverml · 2 years

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hey, i love ur fic recs! i am wondering, what exactly is ur strategy for finding the fics specific to the pairing/trope that you want to read when ur putting together ur lists? like when u are searching, how do you sort it on ao3 to find what you are looking for in good quality ig? idk if this really makes any sense but when i search for something that i want to read based on how im feeling idk how to start? like should i go by most kudos?? etc. sorry if this makes barely any sense lol

Thanks, anon! 😊😊

Haha, my strategy is a little all over the place? Generally I start with my bookmarks and scan through to see if there's any fics there that fit the parameters of the request. And sometimes as soon as I read the request, a fic will come to mind and I'll go looking for it.

I'll also usually check out my favourite authors to remind myself of what they've written that I haven't bookmarked that might fit, since there are certain authors where pretty much everything they write is gold: @carpisuns, @chatonne-rousse, @coffeebanana, @emsylcatac, @kasienda, @lnc2, @karkalicious769, @ladyofthenoodle, @ominousunflower, @sariahsue, @somethingvaguetodo, @gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights, @thelibraryloser, therealjanebingley, @trashcatontherooftop...to name a few. There are tons of amazing authors in this fandom, those are just some of the ones where I consistently enjoy everything they post! (Or at least what they post for my fandom/ship haha)

Anyway, at that point, depending on how specific the request is, I often take to browsing the tags on AO3. I search within the love square tag with all of my exclusions on, which are based purely on my preferences, notably filtering for polyamory, the Luka and Kagami threesomes and foursomes, as well as MCD and rape/non-con, since I don't want to read those. I also do complete works only since, while I will read and rec WIPs, I don't want to take on a new WIP when I'm looking for recs. I also generally filter out works under 800 words. Nothing against short fics, but there's a lot of them and they tend not to be for me. Plus it catches a lot of the fic finding posts that annoy me. I'll then add in additional tags based on the request, like "soulmates" or an episode title or additional character.

And then I just scroll and read...a lot...

Sometimes as I'm scrolling I'll recognize a fic and then I'll flip to the comments to see if I left a comment, which is the best indicator that I liked a fic and should rec it.

When I find a fic I want to rec, I email it to myself with a line of what rec list it's for. Then, when I'm ready, I compile them all into one of my posts!

I do sometimes sort by kudos, but I'm not a huge fan as the oldest fics in the fandom are the most kudos. And, honestly, there are some very highly kudosed fics that I just don't like. I will sometimes set a minimum kudos threshold, filtering out works with less than 50 or 100 kudos depending on how many works my search is returning (I'm not scrolling through 800+ pages of fic...I think my limit is around 100). But I'm loathe to set it too high since, as I think I've shown with my hidden gems recs, there are some seriously underrated fics in this fandom, and I'm always excited when I can bring attention to a fic that really didn't get the love I think it deserved.

I also don’t finish every fic I start to read. If I see a giant block of text, it’s an instant back button for me. If I start reading and get bored or don’t like the characterizations or really for any reason at all I’m just not enjoying it, I just exit out. Reading fic is supposed to be fun, so if I’m not having fun, I just don’t do it. And again, taste is completely subjective. I’m actually incredibly picky in my reading! I don’t owe it to anyone to read/finish their fic unless, like, I’ve agreed to beta. I have an incredibly demanding job and three young kids. Frankly, my time is too valuable to spend on fics I’m not enjoying. At the end of the day, it’s a hobby. But sometimes, especially with all of the posts floating around demanding engagement, there can be a lot of pressure to continue on. I often have to remind myself that I don’t owe engagement to anyone. I engage with fics because I enjoy doing so. If I’m not having fun, it’s time to stop.

In terms of finding fics to read for you personally, I suggest that you adopt my approach to reading fic in a new fandom. Find an author you like, and go through their bookmarks. When you like a fic, check out the author's works to see if they have more like it. Then check out that author's bookmarks and so on. And feel free to back button when you discover that you and the author have wildly different takes!

And if you're looking for great fics bookmarked by an author with impeccable taste, here's your best jumping off point 😘

When I see it all written out like this, I realize how ridiculous my process probably looks. But I really do enjoy looking for recs! I love to read fic, and the requests help focus my fic reading so I’m not just aimlessly looking for more fic.

#my thoughts #jennarecsml

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calltomuster · 3 years

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Star Wars Fic Recs Part the Fourth

[first fic rec list] [second fic rec list] [third fic rec list]

Been a few weeks since I've done one of these and I've read/reread some great fics recently so let me share them with you now!

And I Fear Nothing by @maiseey (Obi-Wan/Cody, WIP, 11/? chapters, 43.4k words) Picture this: I am sitting in the parking lot of my local grocery store, having just bought a load of perishables. I get the email that And I Fear Nothing has just been updated. What do I do: run home to preserve the food I just paid for, or sit in my car and read the new chapter right away? The answer is obvious, of course! That is exactly the situation I found myself in last week when chapter 11 dropped and I did in fact choose to read it in spite of my groceries, that's how much I love this fic. In this fic, Obi-Wan and Cody are raising Luke and Leia together on Tatooine, and they've got so much trauma, and new + old wounds, and love for each other and the children they're raising that it both warms your heart and tears it apart. But that's not all, this fic expands beyond just the small home in the middle of the Jundland Wastes and explores Ahsoka and Rex and their journey to de-chip as many clones as possible. I love this fic because it doesn't shy away from hard conversations, but it does it in a way that makes you want to cry and give everyone involved a hug. Plus, there are some fantastic minor clone characters that you will 100% want to die for by the time you finish reading. Cannot recommend this fic enough.

Obligate by @communistkenobi (gen, one-shot, 23.9k words, Obi-Wan & Anakin & Ahsoka) Just when you thought the Deception arc didn't have enough pain, this AU sees Anakin fake his death instead of Obi-Wan! My heart is physically ripped out of my chest just thinking about this fic, so imagine what it'd do to you actually reading it. Anything @communistkenobi writes is so well-done and I've gone through his works list on AO3 multiple times, but somehow I missed this when it was first posted and it was like a wonderfully delightful surprise when I ran into it the other day. So, so good. Highly recommend!

Moirai by damonkey (gen, WIP, 4/? chapters, 9.2k words, Obi-Wan & Qui-Gon) All I can really say about this fic without giving anything away is that it's a Phantom Menace AU and it's so intriguing. The author is very deliberate in having a vague summary and only tagging as the story progresses, so I truly have no idea what's ahead of me but it's so -- as I said -- intriguing that I'm happy to strap into the ride. Ahhhh I'm skimming through the fic and there are so many things I want to mention but I don't want to give anything away!

Almost Home by @frunbuns (gen, one-shot, 5.2k words, Obi-Wan & Anakin) You know, every time I recc a Modern AU I'm like "I don't usually like Modern AUs but..." and then proceed to gush over the fic. I went and checked and I've recced a Modern AU on almost every fic rec list I've made! Maybe I do like Modern AUs?? Or maybe the fics are just that good -- and this fic is definitely that good. In this fic, the first of a planned series of fics set in a modern Star Wars universe, Obi-Wan is reeling from the loss of his adoptive father Qui-Gon and has to care for a young Anakin. Ooooooof. Definitely hits you right in the feels, this one. Love the non-chronological storytelling too!

Naked and Not Paid by biscuitlevitation (Obi-Wan/212th Attack Battalion, WIP, 6/? chapters, 14.9k words) This fic is essentially ~15k words of the clones thirsting over Obi-Wan and it is the funniest thing I have read all year. I'm not kidding, I just read the last chapter which features space-church-lady!Anakin and I laughed so hard I cried. I'm cracking up just thinking about it. I promise you will have a good time reading this fic. And if the tag "Obi-Wan Kenobi/212th Attack Battalion" puts you off, let me just say there's no sex in this at all, it's just thirst. And it's hilarious.

Full Disclosure by @trixree (Obi-Wan/Cody, WIP, 2/3 chapters, 7.4k words) ROTS AU in which the Force bonds Obi-Wan has formed with a few members of the 212th save them from the chip and Order 66, but it doesn't stop the devastation from happening on a mass scale and they all have to try and deal with Mustafar and Luke and Leia. This fic manages to be both extremely soft and extremely gut-wrenching at the same time, and I wish I could leave more kudos. Full disclosure (get it, little pun there for ya), I will be dying until the final chapter comes out. Time to go listen to Olivia Rodrigo and reread this fic and just live in my feels.

Thirteen Days by @ewanmcgregorismyhomeboy12 (gen, one-shot, 4.1k words, Obi-Wan & Anakin) Post-Zygerria arc, Anakin dresses an unconscious Obi-Wan's injuries and struggles. Ahhhh this fic is one of my favorite Zygerria arc fics, and given that that's my favorite arc, that's saying a lot! Obi-Wan doesn't say a word in this fic, but his presence is very much there, if you know what I mean. And the descriptions of injuries here are pretty graphic at times, but it's so good that you'll want to keep reading even if you have to do it through the fingers covering your eyes.

brother, let me be your shelter by @kenobilovebot (gen, one-shot, 1.6k words, Obi-Wan & Anakin) This fic packs so much tenderness in a short amount of words. It covers an AU in which Obi-Wan's issues from Zigoola never really resolve, and Anakin finds out when -- well, you'll just have to read for yourself. I love Zigoola because it is such an excellent whumpfest for poor Obi-Wan and this fic is great for that, but also highlights Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship.

A Padawan At War (Again) series by @itstimeforstarwars (gen, 3 parts, 100k words, Obi-Wan & Anakin) In this series, Obi-Wan and Anakin are transported from The Phantom Menace into the Clone Wars and have to deal with all that comes with it: fighting wars, discovering a Padawan you never knew you had, dueling your grandmaster who apparently is a Sith Lord now(?!) and all the rest. This series is a great ride, and I look forward to every update. Note: the first fic in this series is a one-shot that was expanded upon, and it drops you in media res. The second fic is a prequel that shows how they got to that point, and the third fic is the sequel that shows what comes after.

The Desert Storm series by @blue-sunshine-mauve-morning (complete, 24 parts, 1.144 million words) There has never been a better time to start reading this series. If you read Star Wars fics on AO3, then you've definitely seen the Desert Storm series before, but maybe you were daunted by the high word count, or felt like it would be too much effort to go all the way to the beginning of a series but couldn't just jump in halfway. Let me tell you, it's 100% worth it, and now is the perfect time to read this series if you haven't already. This series is complete, but it turns out it's all just Act 1 of the larger story, which will continue in the Rise and Fall series. @blue-sunshine-mauve-morning is taking a break right now before starting the next series, so you have ample time to get caught up, and YOU REALLY SHOULD. Let me tell you, this series had me on the edge of my seat more than any other piece of media I can remember. With the most recent chapters, where everything that has been building for a million words came to a head, I would get so worked up after each chapter that beforehand I would have to queue up calming things to watch afterwards, and it still wouldn't be enough and I'd be too full of feelings to get anything done the rest of the day. Seriously, this series is amazing. And if you HAVE read it before but haven't reread, now is the perfect time for that as well. I've reread this series multiple times and it's so rewarding because the author sprinkled in so many hints as to what will come that you only understand the second (or third) time around. I know I've written a lot for this rec but this is a long series and it deserves it. Go read! Now!

If you like any of these fics, please consider reblogging so they can get more exposure! And if you noticed I missed someone’s Tumblr account, or linked the wrong one, please let me know!

#star wars #fic recs #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #commander cody #qui-gon jinn #commander rex #jedi order #sw tcw

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duckmumbo · 2 years

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Hello! Anon from the last ask game here, I'm just here to say that writers are cool and amazing and talented and other things like that :]

You guys are an inspiration to others and deserve all the kudos in the world!!

(this was supposed to be longer but i'm not good with words so yeah just drop your fav fics below! /nf)

- 🐇

Anon are you trying to get me to cry because let me tell you you are very close to succeeding /pos

But honestly it's readers like you that make us have the motivation to keep writing and share our stuff with others, getting positive feedback is honestly one of the best feelings lol

Fic recs under the cut because I have absolutely no self control and enjoy way too many fics

recs are in no particular order, though most of the dsmp recs ended up towards the top and most of the hermitcraft ones ended up towards the bottom somehow

If You Give a Bunny a Carrot by ImperialKatwala

Origins SMP setting, Bunnyblade has a tragic backstory and learns to trust again, incredibly cute and I may or may not have almost cried

the world of clinic (series) by bonesandthebees

dsmp hero/villain au, SBI (minus Tommy) are villains, Ranboo and Tubbo are vigilantes. Lots of found family, finally read it after seeing all the posts about it on twitter and omg it's so good I fully understand the hype

Healing Is a Four Letter Word by Hypno_Cat

Hermitcraft, Watcher Grian ends up becoming the local forest cryptid and relearning how to be a player

(Dragon) Riders in the Sky by SilverWing15 (or honestly just about anything by them)

dsmp dragon rider au, Shroud is a baby dragon. Mushroom Henry is a dragon. Friend is a dragon. Need I say more?

Platonic Divorcees and Going Out To Lunch: Purpled's Guide to Adopting an Alien by KiwiFruitWritings

dsmp, Purpled centric, Quackity and Techno both try to become father figures to him, honestly absolutely adorable and I need more of this in my life

The Life and Times of Michael Underscore-Beloved by ImperialKatwala (honestly the entire series but especially this one)

dsmp, just complete fluff, sbi and bench trio are all Michael's family and it honestly made me cry a few times

No time like the Present by LuckyPhantom

dsmp, Phil adopts Techno directly from the Nether, absolutely adorable and i love the piglin culture in this fic

Plumage by SamWasNeverHere

Hermitcraft, Mumbo grows wings after eating Grian's soul and has to learn how to use them. Absolute fluff, plus winged!mumbo my beloved

"the wheels on the bus" by sparxwrites

Hermitcraft, it is a terrible day in the void, the Watchers have found you, and you are a very, very pesky bird

of broken pasts and healing hearts (series) by sky_blue_hightops, Spannah339

Hermitcraft, Grian recovering from the Watchers, lots of hurt/comfort

quis custodiet ipsos custodes by andtheuniverse_said

Hermitcraft/HBG, Fruit asks Grian/the hermits to help Illumina, Watchers are up to shenanigans again

the slow and lengthy process of un-traumatizing your local birb friend (series) by HaloRocks1214

Hermitcraft, yet another "Grian recovers from the Watchers" fic, except this time he ends up with an emotional support dragon, need I say more?

The Lone Wolf and the Hermit by SilverWing15

Hermitcraft x dsmp, Tommy ends up in season 7 and is also a wolf for reasons i do not remember. very funny and also cute

i can be the one you call (series) by mayflowers07

Hermitcraft, hurt/comfort series revolving around every single hermit, basic premise is the hermits have a code phrase that, when said, causes everyone to drop everything and rally around the hermit that said it. one of the very first mcyt fanfictions i read, and honestly still probably one of my absolute favorites, i cry when reading a good chunk of this series

this better be good by raiiyynn

Hermitcraft x dsmp, Purpled ends up in hermitcraft and causes chaos. told entirely through chat messages, and is a WIP but it's still really funny

Anything To Hear You (Say It One More Time) by mgrnn

Hermitcraft, Etho ends up in a life threatening situation and calls Bdubs so he won't die alone, Bdubs is determined to save him

A Day Off is Needed by Sharo

Hermitcraft, the hermits just have a nice fun party and chill, very nice vibes

Sticker War by darkleweather

Hermitcraft, hermits play "put the sticker on the doc", need i say more?

puddle-jumping by Sixteenthdays

Hermitcraft x Empires SMP, HC!Gem ends up in Empires after escaping from the moon, Empires!Gem tries to help her get back

One Quiet Day by TheNightSkyObserver

Hermitcraft, Xisuma just vibing on top of a mountain, absolutely adorable

Lost in the Void's Embrace by ambered

Hermitcraft, Xisuma-centric, the world glitches and Xisuma ends up with amnesia, Scar ends up missing time, and Iskall ends up with major headaches. Surely this is all a coincidence?

#fully meant to answer this earlier but i havent had a chance to hop on my laptop until just now sorry #listen this isn't even all of the fics i could rec theres still ~150 dsmp fics i have bookmarked i could look through #but this was getting incredibly long so i decided to cut it off there #ty for the ask!#ok tag time #fic recs #answered #🐇 anon my beloved #honestly most of these i feel like a good chunk of y'all will have already read #but does that matter no im reccing them anyway :)

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earlgreytea68 · 3 years

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Tagged by @setting-in-a-honeymoon!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

An even 200!

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

Um. 3,328,002

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Six:

Inception in the lead with 67 fics

Sherlock with 56

Fall Out Boy with 36

Doctor Who with 14 (this number is incorrect, I have written waaaaay more than that, they just live on LJ and DW)

and then one each for Sports Night and The Office (UK)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Nature and Nurture

Saving Sherlock Holmes

Working on the Edges

The Radovljica Apicultural Museum

John Watson’s Twelve Days of Christmas

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

I try to! Sometimes I get busy or depressed or sick, etc., and I fall behind, but I try to respond, for a number of reasons - they give me so much joy that I want to acknowledge that they have brought my joy; it is so wonderful to see what people to respond to and love and laugh at and cry over, it definitely makes me a better writer, and so I want to acknowledge that, too; and comments when I’m in the middle of posting a fic are especially helpful to me because they often result in me tweaking what’s coming next in response to questions I see people have that indicate I’m not being clear enough, or maybe I’m not hitting the tone I want, etc. And so I like to respond to be like, “Thank you! You have no idea how important and wonderful this is to me!”

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, wow. While I actually think I can write good angst, when I do it I try to have it in the middle of the fic, so that it gets properly resolved to give you a nice, happy ending. I’m sure someone’s going to be like, YOU ARE FORGETTING THIS HEART-WRENCHING THING YOU WROTE, but all I’m coming up with right now is that, in my long Doctor Who ‘verse I wrote, I did a fic in which their family dog died. That was pretty angsty. (omg I just scrolled down to see how I ended this story and OH MY GOD ahahah I forgot that I wrote this after I’d broken up with the Tenth Doctor and so it ends with Brem being like, “Plus, my father is useless so I have to hold the entire family together all the time” hahahaha what an extra-angsty ending, Brem, my love lol)

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I do sometimes! I feel like most of my crossovers make some amount of sense. Like, okay, maybe you wouldn’t think to cross Inception with Fall Out Boy (this was a special request) but I think the premise of the fic makes total sense. And I once crossed Oliver with Brem, but those were my first two beloved precocious fic songs, so that made some sense, too. And I still think Inception and Sherlock crossed together made SO much more sense than actual seasons of Sherlock lol. So I guess if I had to choose the craziest I would go with the Doctor Who/Gossip Girl crossover I wrote lol. But wait, that one actually also made sense as I wrote it, I think, so I’ll go with the Sherlock/Fall Out Boy crossover because that was just bonkers.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. I wrote a fic that was really horrible to Mary in “Sherlock.” I hate Mary. I feel like I can say that now. I haaaaaated Mary. But in those days “Sherlock” was an incredibly tense fandom to be part of and if you didn’t say that you loved Mary all the time forever and always then people were like !7@((!*(@(!& at you. I have a million massive warnings in all caps all over the fic, like, DON’T READ THIS IF YOU LIKE MARY, and people still would leave rude comments on it lololol. And then we wonder why I left that fandom lol. (I mean, many people in the fandom were wonderful, and I don’t always have REASONS why I leave fandoms, it’s not like anything is that logical or rational. But it wasn’t a very fun time to be in Sherlock fandom. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do. My smut almost always has to be advancing some kind of emotional beat in the characters’ relationship. I’m never super-explicit because usually the whole point of the scene to me is what the characters are thinking and feeling, not really what they’re *doing.*

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Sometimes my fics show up somewhere without my knowledge. People are really good about letting me know when that happens.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yup!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes!

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

This is like asking who my all-time favorite child is.

14. What’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have this high school Peterick AU that I started at the beginning of the pandemic. For some reason, when schools shut down, all I could think about was all these bands that wouldn’t get formed because the kids couldn’t go to each other’s houses, like Pete Wentz couldn’t just show up at Patrick Stump’s to hear him play. So I started this story where Pete and Patrick meet right before the pandemic hits, and then everything locks down and they’re stuck Facetiming each other and coming to the realization that their soulmate is on the other side of the screen.

Anyway, I actually think this fic is super-hot?? And I never think I write hot things, but it’s got a hot phone sex scene and I’m really happy with it and I would love to finish the story...except that the pandemic turned out to be...this. And in my head, Idk, I thought there’d be this triumphant moment where everyone would be like, “Yay! We can see each other now!” and Pete and Patrick would reunite, and instead everything petered out into, “Can we see each other now........????? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ “ and I didn’t know what to do with that in my fic, it made it not as neat as I was wanting it to be.

But I hate to lose that hot phone sex scene hahaha. And also after the hot phone sex scene Patrick adds “Hotline Bling” to his and Pete’s shared Spotify playlist they’ve been working on and I’M SORRY, I FOUND THAT SO CHARMING, PATRICK STOLE MY HEART WITH THAT MOVE, anyway, as you can see, I love so much about the fic and I really want to find a way to make it work and maybe someday I will the end.

15. What are your writing strengths?

My dialogue.

Also I think I write the same story over and over (person realizes that they’re deserving of being loved for exactly who they are), but I think I’m REALLY GOOD at that one story lol

Also I like to think that I write family relationship stuff fairly well, like, Idk, I love doing that stuff, whether found family or biological.

Oh, and I think I usually get the ratio of angst::happy ending pretty good (in my view for my personal preference lol).

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don’t think I’m especially good at smut. I’m terrible at paying attention to things like setting, what the characters are wearing, what the characters even look like, etc. As mentioned above, I tell the same story over and over and over, and I’m okay with that, but yeah, I’d be bad at telling a story where people aren’t, like, nice people who you’re rooting for.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think I couldn’t do it, because I don’t speak any other language, but I’m always happy when people translate my fics!

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who. Although maybe, like, New Kids on the Block self-insert stuff counts from junior high??? But Doctor Who was first published.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Please see above re: favorite child lol

I tag every writer who wants to do this and I hope every writer does this because I always think these are fascinating!!

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on-maars · 3 years

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The perks of being set up by a ten years old

This fic is inspired by this post (kudos to these people for being hilarious) because it made me laugh and also because I love Christopher Diaz with my whole heart.

Hope you’ll like it.

Read on AO3

Christopher sighs as he looks down at his hands.

There are a lot of Legos bricks around him. They’re all spilled on the carpet but Christopher can’t find the right one. The one he’s looking for is very small, it could maybe be hidden underneath his bed or maybe even behind his big firetruck but he looked everywhere and he can’t find it.

He tried to classify them logically like Buck does every time he plays with him but he doesn’t know how to do it as efficiently as him and his head is aching. He wants to ask his dad for help but he knows he probably doesn’t have the time to build this small castle with him. It’s a lot of work and his dad is already very busy today. He needs to do the cleaning, the laundry and the grocery shopping and when all of this is over, he also needs to help him with his homework.

Plus, his dad’s shoulder still hurts and he needs to rest. That’s what Buck told him before leaving two days ago. And if Buck said it, then it means he’s right. Because Buck cares about his dad a lot.

Christopher presses his small hands over his forehead and sighs a second time. He needs to fix this on his own. Or maybe he could ask Buck to help. Buck is always happy to spend time with him and if Chris goes to his dad and asks him to talk to Buck on the phone then maybe Buck would come? Yes – he decides. It’s worth a shot.

He stands up and takes a few steps toward the living-room but stops dead in his tracks when he sees his dad. He seems sad. He’s seated on the couch and he’s running his hands through his hair and Christopher knows he always does that when he’s nervous about something. He’s not the only one seated on the couch. Ms. Ana is with him. She seems sad, too. Christopher frowns.

He doesn’t really understand what’s going on but then his dad starts speaking, and Christopher knows he should probably go back to his room and close the door behind him because it seems to be an adult conversation but he does none of those things. He stays there and listens.

And Christopher is a good kid. Or at least he thinks he is. Sure, sometimes he does some bad things but doesn’t everyone? His dad does bad things too. Buck as well. If you don’t do them very often then maybe you’re okay – he thinks. And his dad is sad and if his dad is sad then doesn’t he deserve to know what it is about? To try and make him feel better? Yes. That’s the best thing to do. He takes another step and hides in the kitchen, listening carefully.

“Does he know?” It’s Ms. Ana who’s talking. She’s very quiet. She seems nervous. Christopher doesn’t like it.

“No. No, of course he doesn’t. It’s just me, I- I guess getting shot really put things into perspective, you know? And he didn’t- Don’t blame him, he’s never-”

He? Who’s he? Christopher thinks.

“Edmundo, I’m not blaming him.” She says and her voice is soft, like she’s smiling. “How could I? He’s been there for you every day since- since you got hurt.” Christopher closes his eyes and sniffles. He doesn’t like to be reminded of that day. That day was very scary and he’s lucky Buck was with him because he doesn’t know what he would have done without his best-friend.

“He took care of Chris. He drove him to school, cooked lunch, helped him with his homework, all of that while still working as a firefighter and processing what happened to you, I can’t even begin to realize how much energy that must have taken him.” Ana adds.

They’re talking about Bucky – He tells himself and can’t stop himself from quietly nodding to himself. Because Ms. Ana is right. Every time he was coming back home from school that week, Buck was here to welcome him. Except when he was working. When he was working, Carla was there until he came back. And even when it was late, Buck made sure to go see him in his room and tell him a story, using different voices for each character.

“He was exhausted. Carla and I could see it and we tried to help. I tried to help but it was like talking to a brick wall. He can be very stubborn, but I'm guessing you already know that, right?” Ms. Ana says and Christopher can hear his dad huff out a laugh.

“Yeah. Yeah, that does sound like Buck.” He sighs. “I’m really sorry Ana, I really thought- I really thought I was doing the right thing but- but even then I think I was trying to prove something to myself. I mean, you’re- you’re everything I should want. Everything I should dream of but then I- then I saw him in the hospital and it’s like-”

“It’s like I didn’t exist anymore.” Ana finishes for him sadly. “Don’t try and deny it, Eddie. As soon as you saw him in that hospital, I knew that whatever we had wouldn’t last. You looked at him like he was your whole world, Edmundo.” She says. “You know, you always say you’re not very good with words and I have to admit- I quite agree with you. But you don’t need to be. You don’t need to be because your eyes always say it all.”

“I-” His dad starts but Ms. Ana cuts in. Christopher lowers his eyes to the ground and stares into space. He shouldn’t be here. This conversation is very private and Christopher almost feels bad for his dad.

“If you’re in love with him then you need to tell him, Eddie.”

Chris opens his eyes wide and a small smile stretches his lips. His dad is in love with Buck.

That’s not news, though. Christopher already knew that. That’s why he got so mad at his dad when he told him he was dating Ms. Flores. She was nice but she wasn’t the right person for his dad. Bucky was. He still is.

“I’ll try. I promise.” His dad says and Christopher’s smile only gets bigger.

“I hope he’ll make you happy.”

Of course he will – Christopher thinks. It’s Bucky.

“I’ll say goodbye to Christopher and head out.”

As soon as these words come out of her mouth, Christopher stands up as quick as he can and sneaks out of the kitchen, sitting back on his carpet to play with his Legos.

He only pretends, though. His mind is far, far away from that castle.

He even forgets about the missing brick.

***

The next time Christopher eavesdrop, it’s definitely not an accident. It’s a situation he willingly put himself into. And maybe he was feeling a little bit guilty the first time but he’s not anymore. He’s involved now, and if his dad’s happiness lies with Buck, then isn’t it his duty as his son to make sure that everything happens according to the plan? Surely, it is.

He’s reading a book about space on his bed. A book Buck bought him a few weeks ago. Christopher really likes it but he finds it very hard to focus. Still, he tries because he knows Buck has already finished it and he really wanted to discuss it with him this afternoon. But his attention span is short and five minutes later, someone is knocking on his door and Buck is peeking inside his room with a large smile.

“Superman! How are you doing?” Buck asks and Christopher smiles.

“Buck! I need your help with the castle.” He says, pointing at the amount of Legos bricks scattered on the carpet. “I tried to build it myself the other day but it was hard and I didn’t want to ask dad because he’s still tired and his shoulder hurts him.”

“Well I’m very happy you waited for me, superman, you can’t be having all the fun on your own, it’s not fair.” Buck pouts and Christopher huffs out a laugh. The smile doesn’t leave his face. “I’m just gonna go talk to your dad for a bit, he wants to tell me something very important but then I’ll- Why are you smiling like that? You know something I don’t?” Buck asks.

Christopher shakes his head frantically but his smile betrays him. This makes Buck smile and the next second he’s rolling his eyes at him. “Alright, you definitely know something I don't but I don’t want you to spoil me the surprise so I’m gonna head to the kitchen and I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Alright, Bucky.” He says and waits for a few minutes until he’s sure Buck cannot hear him. Only then, he steps out of his bed and tiptoes until he reaches the door. He opens it very carefully, making sure it doesn’t creak. He closes it behind him and crosses the hallway; he can hear voices coming from the kitchen but he needs to get closer if he wants to understand what they’re saying.

He steps in the living-room and makes sure his body is pressed against the wall. Otherwise his dad might see him. He’s closer now, close enough to hear the conversation but still mostly hidden so that his dad doesn’t notice him.

In the kitchen, Eddie is seated at the table, his fingers twitching. His body is buzzing with a nervous energy and this doesn’t go unnoticed by Buck. This one is leaning against the fridge and looking at him with a concerned expression plastered on his face. There’s a tension in the atmosphere, mixed with a sense of urgency that Eddie doesn’t like. It makes his heart flutter and his head aches and he wishes he could run away so he doesn’t have to look at his best-friend in the eye when he says these next few words.

“So what’s up, Eds? Is it serious?” Buck asks and Eddie huffs out a laugh.

“Yeah.” He nods. “Yeah, I’d say it’s pretty serious.” He adds and bites his lower lip. Buck only frowns and takes a seat next to him, taking his hand in his. Eddie whirls his head around at the gesture and for a few seconds, his mind goes blank, the only thing he can feel being the way Buck’s thumb traces small circles on his skin. It’s too much. It’s too much but it also makes him hopeful. Because surely two friends wouldn’t act that way around each other?

Or maybe his definition of friendship is just completely outdated and tainted by all the stereotypes and the prejudices he had to face when he was young. He doesn't know anymore.

Either way, he takes a deep breath and squeezes Buck’s hand, in the hope that it gives him more courage.

“Huh I- There’s something you should know. About- about me.” He starts.

“Okay?” Buck says, and Eddie can feel that his best-friend is growing more confused by the minute. “It’s not bad, is it?” He asks. “Not another one of your weird urges to punch people in the face for fun?” He says, trying to lighten up the mood but Eddie only grimaces, not exactly glad to be reminded of that period of his life.

“No” Eddie laughs. “No, nothing of the sort, that’s- no. I think I’ll stick to the punching-bag from now on.”

“Good.” Buck answers while huffing out a laugh. “Then what is it, Eds?” He asks and his voice is so soft it makes Eddie want to run away again.

“You’re not busy, right?” Eddie ensures. “I’m not keeping you from anything? Not… Not keeping you from… From Taylor?” He asks.

“Huh no.” Buck answers, motioning to the air around him. “I mean we do have a date tonight but that’s – you know – tonight. So go ahead. I’m all ears.” He says, signaling him to go on but Eddie’s entire body tensed at Buck’s words and his hand twitches and it’s like all the air has been knocked out of him.

“Date?” He says. “You- you’re dating?” He asks. “I thought- I thought she was just a friend? I mean that’s what you- that’s what you kept saying.”

“Yeah well… She kissed me. Back when you were in the hospital.” Buck says, looking down at the table with one of his sheepish smile that drives Eddie crazy. “So maybe – and I say maybe, don’t let that go to your head, man – maybe you were right about something, for once. I’m giving it a shot.”

Eddie huffs out a nervous laugh but his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. How can it? How can it when he spent the entire week working himself up to telling his best-friend he’s in love with him while this one was starting a new relationship with that reporter? It can’t.

But Eddie’s heartbreak is quickly replaced by a deep sense of panic as his eyes urgently shuttle back and forth on his best-friend’s face, desperately trying to find something else to say and salvage whatever is left of that conversation.

On the other side of the wall, Christopher is frowning. He didn’t understand everything Buck said, especially the part about his dad hitting people. Christopher knows his dad and he wouldn’t hurt other people. He wouldn’t, and doesn’t. He saves people. That’s what he does, that’s why Christopher thinks his dad is a hero.

And usually, this would bother Christopher a lot but not this time. No, this time Christopher is angry with Buck. He’s angry with Buck for kissing another person than his dad. He doesn’t know who that Ms. Taylor is but surely she doesn’t measure up to his dad. She can’t.

He’s also angry with his dad for bringing that Ms. Taylor up because if he hadn’t then maybe he would’ve had the time to tell Buck he was in love with him and now that he did, it’s too late.

It’s too late and Christopher suddenly doesn’t care about the rest of their stupid talk. He steps out of the living-room and goes back to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He knows he shouldn’t because his dad is going to hear him but he doesn’t care. Buck ruined everything and it’s not fair. It’s not fair to his dad and it’s not fair to him either.

Christopher is sitting down by himself on the carpet when Buck opens the door slowly, peeking in just like the first time.

“Everything’s okay in here? Ready to play some Legos, superman?”

“No.” Christopher says, crossing his arms on his chest. “I don’t want to play with you anymore.” He adds, his tone cold.

“Okay.’ Buck says, carefully. “What do you wanna do, then?”

“Nothing. I’m very mad at you right now.”

“You are?” Buck asks, sitting down next to him. “Why is that? What did I do wrong, Christopher?” He inquires and Christopher doesn’t want Buck to be sad but he also doesn’t want to talk to him right now.

“You hurt my dad.” He explains. “You hurt my dad and I can’t tell you why but you did and he doesn’t deserve that. My dad is the best.”

“I know. I know he is. And I’d really like to fix what I did wrong because there’s nothing more I want than for your father to be happy buddy, but I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s going on inside your head, alright?” He adds. “So? You think you can tell me?”

“No.” Christopher only repeats. “I want you to leave.”

His tone doesn’t leave room for a choice.

***

“What’s going on in there?” Carla asks a few hours later after knocking on the door of Christopher’s room. “Your dad told me you were upset.” She adds, taking a seat on his bed.

Christopher is still mad and he doesn’t want to talk. He wants to stay in his room. In silence. But he knows Carla won’t stop until she knows what happened. She’s very convincing and she also has very great advice when he has a problem.

And this is certainly a big problem.

So maybe she can help after all – Christopher decides.

“He told me you got mad at Buck.” Carla adds and the way she frowns at him makes Christopher feel bad. It’s true he wasn’t very nice to Buck but he’s pretty sure he deserved it. At least, for now. He’s not going to stay mad at him forever. He can’t. He loves Buck too much for that.

“He hurt my dad.” Christopher only says, sticking two Legos bricks together.

“He hurt your dad?” Carla repeats. She seems confused and Christopher is not surprised. He would be too.

“Dad is in love with Buck.” Christopher explains like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and Carla’s face softens. She doesn’t seem very reproachful anymore. Only concerned.

“How do you know that, Christopher?” She asks and that’s why Christopher loves Carla. She never tries to make him feel bad. She never acts like she doesn’t believe him like a lot of adults around him seem to do. She always takes him seriously even if he’s still a kid who doesn’t know as much stuff as grown-ups do.

“I heard him.” Christopher shrugs. “He was talking to Ms. Ana. I knows I probably shouldn’t have listened but I was too curious. I’m sorry. But I don’t think they’re together anymore and that’s because my dad is in love with Bucky. He told her. She seemed very sad and I was scared she would get mad at him but she didn’t. She was very kind. She told my dad he should tell Buck how he feels and I thought that was a great idea because you’re always telling me that when we love people, we should tell them.”

“And did he? Tell him?” Carla asks. “Is that why you’re mad at Buck? Because he didn’t react very well?”

“No.” Christopher shakes his head as he adjusts his glasses on his nose. “No, my dad didn’t tell him.” He exclaims. “He couldn’t. He wanted to but then Buck told him about his stupid girlfriend and now my dad can’t tell him anymore! I want him to but I know he’s not gonna do it.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Carla tells him, wrapping her arms around his back. Christopher sniffles and hide his face on her chest, closing his eyes. “That’s why you’re mad at Buck, then? Because you think he broke your dad’s heart?”

“I don’t think, I know.” Christopher clarifies. “And I also know Buck loves him too and I don’t understand why they can’t be together.” He complains. “They love each other. I know they do, they just don’t say it. It’s stupid. They’re stupid.”

Christopher moves away from Carla’s embrace and wipes his tears with the sleeve of his jacket. His glasses are all steamy and wet and so he takes them off to clean them, avoiding Carla’s gaze. He doesn’t like it, looking at her when he cries, because then she wants to comfort him and that only makes him want to cry harder.

“Can I tell you something very important?” She asks and Christopher nods. Because he wants it to make sense. He wants to understand why something so simple can be so complicated. “I know that sometimes adults can be very confusing.” Carla starts.

“Not sometimes.” Christopher whispers. “All the time.”

Carla lets out a small laugh and nods gently. She waits a few seconds and then she speaks again.

“Your dad and Buck love each other very much.” She adds. “You were right about that. But sometimes this kind of things can be very scary.”

“How so?” He asks. “They’re already very good friends. That must make it easier, right?”

“Yes and no.” Carla answers. “They’re very close, you’re right about that part. And Buck already spends a lot of time in here, doesn’t he?” Christopher only nods to that because it’s true and he doesn’t know what to add. “Your dad and Buck are probably just very scared to start something new because things are so simple right now and they don’t want to complicate everything.”

“But why them being together would complicate everything?”

“Because when you’re in a romantic relationship with someone, you have a lot of expectations and sometimes, things get very messy. And I’m not saying that it will be the case with your dad and Buck but-”

“It won’t.” Christopher shakes his head. “Buck won’t let that happen. And my dad won’t either. They’re already spending all their time together and they never fight. Sometimes I can hear my dad argue with Ms. Ana but he never does with Bucky. Never.”

“Yeah?” Carla asks, softly.

“Yes.” Christopher repeats. “I want Buck to stay here forever. But maybe they’re not ready yet.” He admits. “That’s okay. I’ll wait. I know they’ll figure it out.” He adds. “But you’re right about one thing.”

“What is it?”

“This is very messy. Being a kid is easier.”

***

Christopher knows he said he was going to wait. And he is. Waiting, that is. He is, but what if they need a little push in the right direction? What if they can’t do it on their own? What if they need some form of external help? It’s not forbidden. Christopher would even say it’s greatly recommended. After all, he’s doing it for the greater good. It’s not really cheating if it’s for a good cause, right? He promised Carla he would try and be patient but he never said anything about playing by the rules.

He’s seated on the couch in the fire station and Buck is with him, seemingly very engaged in a conversation with that Ms. Taylor everybody keeps talking about. Christopher doesn’t know what the big deal is anyway. She seems friendly, and she’s very nice with him but that ends here. And he knows his dad tries very hard to hide his sadness from everyone around him but Christopher is not easily duped.

He knows his dad well enough to notice that he looks miserable whenever Buck is with Ms. Taylor. He smiles less, he’s more withdrawn but more importantly his eyes are always sad. They certainly are, now. They don’t have the same glimmer of light. That makes Christopher upset. That’s why he decides it’s time to act.

“You wanna hang out at my place tomorrow?” He can hear Ms. Taylor say besides him.

“He can’t.” Christopher answers before Buck has the time to do so. “He’s already busy with me and my dad, tomorrow. We’re going to the space museum. Right, Bucky?”

“Huh yeah that’s true buddy. Sorry Taylor. I did promise him.” He confirms apologetically and Ms. Taylor only smiles. “Maybe on Sunday?”

“On Sunday, you’re also going to the house, Bucky. We’re building the Legos castle, remember?” He asks, and ignores the reproachful look his dad sends his way. “Maybe another time.” Christopher adds, looking at Ms. Taylor in the eye. “My Bucky spends a lot of time with me and my dad."

“Chris.” His dad says and Christopher knows he’s using his warning tone.

“Because we make a great team.” He goes on. “Right, dad?”

“Yeah we do superman, but Buck is also allowed to spend some time with Taylor, alright?”

“I guess.” Christopher agrees. “Ms. Taylor, when did you meet Bucky?”

“A little over two years ago.” She says with an amused tone.

“My dad knows him for a lot longer than that.” He argues and frowns when Buck huffs out a laugh next to him, shaking his head in disbelief.

“What’s gotten into you?” Buck asks him.

“I just think it’s very important for Ms. Taylor to know that.”

His dad is watching him again with that same knowing look on his face. I know what you’re doing and you need to stop right now, alright buddy? That’s what his father wants to say. Christopher knows that. He’s become an expert in knowing how to read his father’s face by now.

And that’s why he also knows that his dad isn’t really mad at him, deep down. Because he may have a disapproving look on his face and his voice may seem cautious but his eyes say a different story. There’s a flicker of pride shining in them, and his lips only slightly stretch up at the edges, the kind of smile you only see if you’re paying attention. And Christopher does pay attention. He pays attention a lot.

And so he decides it doesn’t matter. He gives him a large smile, making sure his dad notices how proud he is of himself, and when his dad huffs out a laugh while rolling his eyes at him, Christopher knows two things.

1. He’s not getting grounded tonight.

2. His dad knows he knows he’s in love with Buck.

Christopher gets up from the couch and takes a few steps towards him. He wraps his arms around his neck and lets his chin rest on the shoulder that doesn’t hurt. He knows Buck is busy talking with his girlfriend again and that’s why he whispers the next few words in his dad’s ear.

“It’s gonna be okay, dad.” He says. “He loves you too. I know he does. And soon we’re gonna be a happy family. The three of us.”

“Thanks god you’re my kid.” His dad whispers against him, running his hands through his blonde hair. “I have no idea how you managed to figure that out on your own and we’re gonna have a serious conversation about it later tonight but you’re too damn smart for your own good, Christopher.”

“I’ve known for months already.” Christopher simply answers.

“Of course you did.” His father laughs. “Don’t be too mean with Taylor, alright?” He asks, his voice even quieter than a few seconds ago. “She has nothing to do with it. And Buck seems to be happy with her, right?”

“Not as happy as you would make him, though.”

“Oh, definitely not.” His father answers cheekily and Christopher laughs against his shirt. “But we don’t have to tell him that just yet. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

***

The first time Christopher hears his dad and Bucky fight, he’s watching Scooby-Doo in the living-room. It’s a Saturday morning and Buck usually watches the episode with him but not today. Today, he’s in the kitchen with his dad and Christopher knows better than to ask him to join him. They seem to be having quite a serious conversation and he would usually be tempted to eavesdrop but Vera is about to reveal the identity of the villain and he doesn’t want to miss that. Plus, he also knows that Buck is going to ask him questions about the episode so he needs to follow everything going on on the screen if he wants to give him a detailed report.

It’s getting harder to focus, though. Not because it’s too complicated to understand. In fact, Christopher is pretty sure the villain is the owner of the big hotel where Fred and the rest of the team all chased ghosts the night before. He usually always guesses it right. Buck doesn’t, though. He gets it wrong every single time and that makes Christopher laugh a lot.

It’s hard to focus because the voices of his dad and Buck are becoming quite loud. He can’t understand what they’re saying though, because there’s also the sound of the TV.

Buck seems mad. Or maybe he’s just confused, Christopher doesn’t really know for sure, but he sounds just like his dad when he keeps asking him to pick up his Legos but he’s too lazy to do it.

“You don’t need to act so petty every single time I mention her, you know. Why do you hate her so much anyway? What did she ever do to you?” Buck says while stepping in the living-room. Christopher darts his eyes towards him but quickly focuses on the episode again. Vera just unmasked the Villain and Christopher smiles when he sees the face of the hotel’s owner. He’s been right about it again.

“I don’t- I don’t hate her.” His dad says.

“Oh cut the crap, Eds!” Buck exclaims and Christopher doesn’t like how loud his voice is. It sounds too serious, too intimidating. “You’re always making sure you’re not in the same room as her. You get so weird and quiet, so passive-aggressive. And the worst part is that she kept telling me she wanted to get to know you better because she knows you’re my best-friend but you never made it easy, man.”

They’re behind him, now. Christopher is pretty sure they both think he’s too engrossed in the episode to notice they’re fighting but they’re both really loud and he couldn’t focus on anything else even if he tried.

“I’m sorry.” He can hear his dad eventually say. “I’m sorry, I- I’ll try harder. I promise.”

“No need to try anymore, Eds. We broke up.” Buck answers and Christopher whirls his head around. His eyes fall on his dad and he seems to be just as surprised as he is.

And Christopher knows he probably shouldn’t be happy about that because Buck must be really sad but if Ms. Taylor is not around anymore then it means that his dad can finally tell him.

“When?” His dad says.

“Last week.” He answers. “I think we both realized we were better off as friends.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” Buck looks down and Christopher can see his hands fidget with his keys, just like he does with his pen when he doesn’t understand his homework. “Whatever.” Buck adds. “I’m heading out Eddie, I’ll see you at the aquarium.”

“Buck-”

“Just drop it, Eds.” Buck cuts him off and he’s about to open the front door and Christopher suddenly panics. His dad can’t let Buck leave. He can’t let him leave without telling him why he doesn’t like Ms. Taylor very much. Buck would understand. Christopher knows he would. But his dad doesn't say anything. He stays silent and so Christopher does the only thing he can think of. He moves to action.

“You need to tell him, dad.” He says urgently, getting up from the couch.

“Not now, mijo.”

“Tell me what?” Buck asks and his voice is softer now. Christopher is pretty sure it’s because he noticed he was also in the room and he doesn’t want to scare him.

“Nothing.” His dad says, motioning to the air around him. “It’s not important.”

“But it is!” Christopher exclaims. “It’s important, dad. You waited three months and now you can tell him.” He adds, and ignores the way his dad shakes his head. "Tell him, dad." He repeats. "Please."

“If Christopher says it’s important then I’m pretty sure it is, Eds.” Buck argues and Christopher frantically nods.

Buck can't leave.

But his dad says nothing still. He stays quiet and then Buck sighs and turns toward Christopher instead, smiling warmly at him.

“I’ll see you at the aquarium superman, alright? Your dad and I are going to be okay. We always are.”

“But-”

“I’ll see you later, buddy.” Buck cuts him off and his fingers lower the handle.

“He’s in love with you, Bucky!” He blurts out, and from the way his dad opens his eyes wide and looks at him with a disapproving look on his face, Christopher knows he probably did a huge mistake. But at least Buck stopped moving. He's not leaving. That’s the most important part. It makes the 'being grounded later' part more bearable.

The room is very quiet now and for a few seconds Christopher thinks that maybe he just did something very bad but then Buck speaks and he doesn’t seem mad at all anymore. There’s even a small smile on his face and he looks at his dad and his eyes are shining. Christopher decides that it’s a good thing.

"I- what?" Buck only asks.

“Dios." His dad mutters under his breath. "I can’t believe I’ve been set up by a ten years old.” His dad says and Christopher watches Buck as he laughs.

“Well, he’s always been braver than you.”

“Yeah that’s- that’s an understatement.” His dad answers, looking at Christopher softly.

“How long?” Buck asks and Christopher thinks that maybe he shouldn’t be here anymore. But neither Buck or his dad tell him to go wait in his room and so he stays right there. He really wants to be there for that conversation because he knows it’s very important and also because it’s a bit thanks to him that they’re finally talking.

“I don’t know. A long time, probably. But I just- I didn’t realize until I woke up in this Hospital. That’s why I- That’s why I broke up with Ana.”

His dad doesn’t watch Buck when he talks. His eyes are fixed on the ground. He seems very nervous. Christopher wishes his dad could look at Buck though, because then he would see that there’s no reason to be scared. He would see that Buck is smiling and that he’s not mad. He even looks happy.

“I’m so stupid.” Buck eventually says, huffing out a laugh. That seems to catch his dad’s attention because he suddenly whirls his head around until his eyes fall on his friend. “Sorry. Sorry I- I know it’s not funny but-” Buck marks a pause, and speaks again. “Everything just makes sense, now.”

“How... How come?” His dad asks, shyly. Christopher doesn't think he ever saw his dad being shy before. It's weird.

“I was going to ask you why you didn’t tell me before but that’s what you were trying to do that day, isn’t it? After the hospital. We were in the kitchen. You kept saying it was quite serious but then I mentioned Taylor and you just became really weird.” Buck adds. “I thought you were having a stroke.”

His dad huffs out a laugh. “Asshole.”

“Dad, that’s a bad word.” Christopher intervenes with a proud smile. But it quickly disappears when he thinks about that day. “I’m sorry I got mad at you, Bucky. I- I just knew that my dad wanted to tell you and I was angry. I didn’t mean to be rude with Ms. Taylor either. She was nice. And I also didn’t mean to make you sad but-”

“You were only concerned about your dad.” Buck finishes for him. “I get it, superman. But you should know that your dad is the most important person in my life, alright? After you, of course. And I’ll do my best to keep him happy from now on. I promise. I’m sorry I hurt him.”

“That’s okay, Buck.” Christopher smiles. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose.” He adds. “But maybe you can tell him you love him too now because you promise we would make pancakes before going to the aquarium and I’m hungry.”

“Chris.” His dad warns him again but Christopher smiles cheekily at him.

“Nah you know what superman? I think that’s a great plan.” Buck agrees, taking a few steps towards his dad. “Eds." He says, smiling softly at his dad. "You're an idiot." He cups his cheeks with his hands and makes him look up. "I love you too, you goofball. I only dated Taylor as a vain attempt to get over you.” He says and Christopher has to look away when he finally sees Buck kiss his dad.

“Ew. Gross.” He grimaces, making his dad and Buck laugh.

“Alright, alright, let’s make some pancakes, superman.” Buck says, looking at him with a smile so big. “What are you the most excited to see in the aquarium today?”

“Sharks!” Christopher exclaims.

“That’s a good one, buddy” He answers excitedly and as Buck tells him all about the different kind of sharks that exist, Christopher also notices that he’s holding his dad’s hand the entire time. He only lets it go to prepare the pancakes but even then they stay close and Buck even kisses his cheek at some point. That makes his dad smile and that’s when Christopher knows that this day is just the very first day of the rest of their lives, as a family.

#buddie #9-1-1 #911 #buck x eddie #my writing #buddie fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #christopher diaz

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