#psych fic rec

[babywitchofthesouth-responds]

The Ultimate Psych Fic Rec List

Ft. 49 of the best Psych fics (imo) >>>

Four Floors Down, Use the Stairs in Case of Emergency by centipede

Shawn does something really stupid. Really stupid, really dangerous, and something that means he's really, really screwed. Which shouldn't surprise anyone.

Especially since no one knows where he is.

High Tide by LittleFairy78

It all started with a fight. Shawn leaves town for a few days, only to find his life cruelly changed upon his return. He tries to get to the bottom of what happened, but everybody else thinks he's just in denial. Shawn angst...

Fun in the Woods with Buzz McNabb by centipede

While searching for stolen bonds in the woods, Buzz McNabb wins babysitting duty for a certain psychic consultant for the SBPD. And Lassiter proves something he never meant to. As non-angsty as it gets because, seriously, this is Buzz we're talking about.

Judas In My Mind by PineappleHead

MacGyver/Psych crossover

Murdoc is looking for a new recruit for HIT. Shawn has all the necessary skills. Neither of them could foresee where their crossed paths would lead them.

"What have I become? Now that I've betrayed everyone I've ever loved, and pushed them all away? And I have been a slave to the Judas in my mind. Is there something left of me to save in the wreckage of my life? I'm becoming Judas in my mind..." -------Fozzy

What's The Story, Morning Glory? by Liviapenn

The first time Shawn ever kisses Gus it's goodbye.

Wednesday, March 3rd Of 2010 by lapsus_calami

March third of two thousand ten dawned much in the same way every day before it had. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Gus and Shawn were an unbeatable detective duo. The day after, however, would dawn much differently.

Shawn And The Real(er) Psychics Of Santa Barbra by Beaconbaconbison

Shawn isn't a psychic. He's just some guy who got struck by lighting and woke up having visions about things he couldn't possibly know. That seems on par with the rest of his life. Right? He really. Really. Really isn't psychic. Even if these visions are helping solve a murder. He's just very observant. That's all.

like a comet pulled from orbit by torigates

Shawn is good at half-truths.

Born This Way by redwolffclaw

Henry Spencer has started to realize that something is different about his three year old son Shawn and will soon need to use all his detective skills to figure out how to raise his rambunctious prodigy.

Familiarity by sebviathan

AKA the four times Shawn and Lassiter met before they actually met, and when it finally came together.

How many hats? by Abby_Gal

After Shawn kills a man to protect his best friend, he can’t stop his overstimulated brain from making him watch the man falling to the ground again and again. Luckily the man who has helped train his brain as a kid is there to help him calm down.

Baby Steps by Vanya_Instance

Shawn and Gus were celebrating the opening of a new nightclub near Shawn’s apartment. The night was turning enjoyable, drinks were reasonably priced, the music was deafening but danceable and with a magnificent feat of wingwomanship, Shawn had found Gus a girl. A true miracle indeed.

Not to sound smug, but this had been a brilliant idea on Shawn’s part.

But then Shawn wakes up in an alley early the next morning, covered in cuts and bruises, miles away from the club and her apartment, with no memory as to how she got there.

For the first time Shawn finds herself on the other side of the thin blue line, not as a suspect, but as a victim.

And Shawn is scared.

And Shawn thinks she preferred being the suspect.

Little Murder in the Big Woods by Anonymous

A totally harmless lie gets Shawn involved with Gus' work retreat... and MURDER.

To be fair, he'd probably be getting a front row seat to a murder somewhere whether or not he decided to pose as Gus' live-in partner in order to spend a weekend camping trip distracting him from team-building exercises.

Shawn Spencer: The Ultimate Reference by sottovoce81

Shawn Spencer was the ultimate reference. He was the go-to guy for a quick reference when the Winchesters were in need of something.

Burton Guster Gets Salty by Emachinescat

“Run! Don’t look back!” That’s what Shawn says to Gus as they run for their lives from a killer with a gun. But Gus does look back – just in time to see his best friend go down with the crack of the pistol.

Shawn Spencer is Nobody's Agatha by huckleberryzenon

After the disaster that is Lindsay Leiken, the FBI decides it's time to begin psychological evaluations of all the psychics who consult with law enforcement, starting with one Shawn Spencer. Shawn's confident he'll pass with flying colors, but what if the danger isn't in getting found out, but the person administering the test?

Another thing they'll never talk about by rosey_angel

He’s decided it. This is going to happen. Everyone at school is talking about weddings because Casey McClintock's mom is getting married and ever since then he’s been over the moon. Because he decided. He’s going to marry Shawn Spencer.

Thinking over the secret moments in their past, Gus can't hide his feelings about or for Shawn any longer.

Psy vs. Psy in the Sky (And Right Back Down Again) by Emachinescat

After being taken hostage by fake psychic Lindsay Leikin, Shawn finds himself tied up and on an unplanned skydiving adventure.

Thanks For the Memories (Or Lack of Them) by EclipseWing

They tell you that your name is Shawn Spencer. They tell you that you are thirty-three and that you live in Santa Barbara, California.

They don't tell you that you're meant to be psychic.

Fro-Yo? More Like Fro-No! by Emachinescat

No matter how angry he was, Gus would never hurt his best friend - not intentionally, at least.

But the hard truth was that intentions wouldn’t matter if Shawn ended up frozen to death in some ditch in Canada. Either way, it would be Gus’s fault.

Either way, he would have killed his best friend.

how you try by disastermovie

Gus always knew Shawn would come back to Santa Barbara. He didn't know when or in what state, but he always knew that one day, he'd find his best friend back on his doorstep, grinning like nothing had changed. That's just how Shawn is. And Gus would welcome him back because that's just what their friendship is. No matter how many years pass, no matter what shenanigans Shawn drags him into, they'll always be best friends.

That doesn't mean he has any idea what to do with a baby.

The Joker and the King by Castlewood_Bard

Shawn and Gus in a royal AU. That's all you really need to know.

Two Dead Guys, a Girl, and a Psychic by moondragon23

Life is great for Shawn Spencer. He has a cool job, a smart, beautiful girlfriend, and gets to hang with his best friend all day. What more could a guy want? When he gets his next two cases, a dead chemistry professor and a girl looking for her father, it looks like business as usual. Too bad things never go that simply when Shawn is involved.

I've Heard It One Way by NephilimEQ

Shawn Spencer just got his appendix removed...and, at the same time, he's just found out that he has another problem. But he's not going to tell anyone. Until, one day, head detective Carlton Lassiter finds out his secret. Will this bring them closer together or ruin their friendship forever?

A Tale as Old as Vegas, Baby by burglebezzlement

Gus would like to believe there's no way Shawn's been hiding their secret Vegas marriage for five years. Unfortunately, the marriage license with their signatures on it and the photograph of the two of them smooching in front of Elvis say otherwise.

Shawn Spencer and the Fate of the Furious by huckleberryzenon

an AU to Season 4, Episode 9: "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark." Rollins has a few tricks up his sleeve after his arrest, post Shawn's dramatic car-hopping rescue.

Shafted by MusicalLuna1

Only Shawn could injure himself whilst searching a cordoned off building with a faction of S.B.P.D. officers. Shameless Shawn whumpage.

GHOST TOWN by Vindicata

What are the chances of a guy on a Norton motorcycle running into a guy in a ‘67 Impala as they each crisscross the country? Pretty damn high.

"You're awfully perky for a guy who was just freaking out a couple of minutes ago."

"And you're awfully bitchy for a guy who just had his life save by a courageous bystander with fantastic hair"

“Time to roast a ghost?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Handlebars by Vindicata

Everyone thinks Shawn needs Gus and the SBPD to investigate.

They were wrong.

When Shawn works around the system to hide a case he’s working on, the secret might just blow up in his face... or show truly capable he is to the people who always underestimated him.

Guilt is a Funny Thing. Not in a “Haha” Way Though. by JenCM

“He called me, you know.” Henry choked out, distress obvious in his voice. “Kid…kid said he needed a ride. I told him to catch the bus.”

Carlton looked over, wondering if his exhausted eyes and ears were deceiving him. No, it wasn’t the fact that Henry Spencer was opening up to him, if he could call a random statement ‘opening up’ It wasn’t even the fact that the man looked him straight in the eye when he said it.

He scoffed with bitter amusement, “If it’s any consolation…” Carlton said with a sigh, “I told him he could walk home.”

Henry didn’t seem surprised at the revelation. He broke eye contact, his gaze falling back on Shawn, motionless in the hospital bed.

“Guess it goes to show that the kid still doesn’t listen to me.”

The only sound that followed was the hissing of the ventilation machine, and the beeping of the monitors. Nothing else needed to be said.

When Shawn ends up in a completely preventable situation that leaves him worse for wear, his father and Lassiter take a one-way trip to Guiltina while Gus tries to sell a ‘slightly used’ Lazy Boy and Juliet is just caught in the middle of the mess.

Phone Tag by windscryer

A demon hunter and a fake psychic walk into a bar . . . oh wait, that was the LAST story. This is what happens after.

A series of episode tags for both Psych and Supernatural continuing the adventures of Shawn and Dean and Sam (and eventually Gus and the others too, maybe).

How Much is that Body in the Window? by ZedPM, DinerGuy

It started as a vacation in New York City for our favorite psychic and his best friend, but when the duo stumbles upon a body (literally) they’ll need to lend a hand to Castle and the rest of the gang to solve the case before they head back to California.

A Bitter Pill by Psychrulz

Everyone knows Shawn has a tendency to get distracted. When he misses a clue and a murderer almost gets away, Chief Vick has had enough. She orders Shawn to get help and fix the problem- or else. Naturally, nothing with Shawn is ever that simple. When the fix turns out to be worse than the problem, the lives of his entire team are put in danger.

The Tangled Web by Collegekid06

Who tried to kill Shawn?

Someone cut the brakes on Shawn's bike. Now he's in a coma, and Henry, Jules, Lassiter and Gus are trying to find out who did it.

We All Go A Little Crazy Sometimes.... by Collegekid06

Shawn voluntarily commits himself to a mental institution.

How will Henry react?

How will Gus react?

And will the doctors ever let him go?

My Dinner In Hell: Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love A Good Steak by Collegekid06

Shawn.

Lassie.

Henry.

Dinner...

Need I say more?

The Longest Day by LittleFairy

Shawn knows it's technically not really his fault. Lassiter thinks differently. Emphatically so.

But they have to make the best of the situation together, no matter who is to blame. Because the bad guys are on their way to Mexico, the other bad guys are after them, they're in the middle of nowhere, and somehow they have ended up...cuffed together.

It's just one of those days.

Shawn and the Friendly Neighborhood Stalker by laytoncolt

It's another case that no one else believes a case, and Shawn would be figuring it all out a lot quicker if didn't have to deal with a break-in and a stalker, that may or may not be related.

The Dah Ling Store It Yourself by Nixa Jane

The bad news is that one of Lassiter's highest profile arrests has just escaped from prison. The worse news is that his best hope of tracking him down is a sleep-deprived Shawn Spencer.

The Pharmaceutical Psychic by Tardisgater

Being captured by a mad scientist is almost expected by this point. The mad scientist's experiments actually working is a whole 'nother thing. It's time to shake up the status quo.

You Have the Right to Remain...Dead by MusicalLuna

When an officer is murdered late one night while on duty, Karen forbids Shawn from getting involved, afraid he won't take the case as seriously as he should.

But since when has a little thing like being banned from a case stopped Shawn Spencer?

I'm Okay by light at last

The day that Shawn is supposed to graduate is the first time he manages to actually fool his dad. It will remain one of few.

Identification by veggiewoppa

Hitchhiking in the rain = bad idea

Getting a ride from a homical maniac = worse idea

Stopping for the night in a motel full of potential victims = Worst idea in the history of bad ideas

The Boy in Blue by Collegekid06

Shawn's nightmares all come true when he finally ends up at the police academy...and it's not by choice.

The Evidence Lock-Up by InsaneTrollLogic

All contents part of case 10329QXT—The Disappearance of Shawn H. Spencer. Property of the Santa Barbra Police Department.

Bouncing Around by PurpleMoon3

Cas finds God.

Note: I tossed around for a while deciding whether to include this because I had no idea what was happening in it 99% of the time, but it made such a strong impression that it would be criminal not to

Aquatic Equestrianism by trascendenza

The one where they're mermen, because clearly my brain is a weird place. "You are outta your damn mind if you think that dolphin wants to be ridden."

The Pilot of My Roflcopter by trascendenza

The one where Shawn talks like a lolcat to seduce Gus.

Molasses in January by trascendenza

The one where they're, um, snails.

[limeskittlesaredecent]

i wish Psych made Shawn suffer more. sorry but i like it when my favorite characters are subject to massive amounts of whump :(

like i really enjoy 4x09 (Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark) and 7x01 (Santabarbaratown 2) in particular bc they’ve got the physical and emotional pain. The Yin/Yang saga is excellent ofc.

that being said. this is why fan fiction exists 😄

if anyone has any h/c psych fic recs… i would love to see them :)

[aceofwhump]

Any good Shawn Spencer whump fanfic recs?

I haven't read a lot of Psych fanfics (god I really need to though) but here's some I've enjoyed:

Beyond Fair Weather by Collegekid2006reviews

Shawn is missing...at least, Gus is convinced he is. But will anyone listen?

Out Cold by X-parrotreviews

Hot on the trail of a criminal gang on a frozen mountainside, Shawn's bike skids out, and as usual it's Gus to the rescue. And everything goes downhill from there...

Sick Day by Raych Kreviews

Shawn is sick, why can't everyone just leave him alone?

The Fabric Of The Universe Is A Little Coarse (1 Out Of 5 Stars) by ObsidianCreates

A witness is brought in who reacts badly to Shawn claiming to be psychic. When she begins to describe why, Shawn experiences something... otherworldly.

Touch Of Hope by Aut189

Right after Shawn is saved by Lassie and the rest of the team. Shawn Takes A Shot In The Dark AU: Carlton visits Spencer at the hospital.

[purpleskittlessuck]

i am begging for psych fic recommendations PLEASE. i will take anything. preferably h/c actually but still anything!!! i’m begging!!!!!

[steddieficfind]

Introducing…

SteddieFicFind’s 1000-Follower Fic Rec Event!

In honor of the blog reaching 1000 followers, we’ve decided to hold a Fic Rec Event to celebrate! We’ve built an incredible community of people here over the past year and a half, and whether you’ve submitted an ask (or two, or three) in search of a lost fic, or put time and effort into helping find one, the blog wouldn’t be possible without everyone’s contributions. Now it’s time to show some love to the fics SteddieFicFind has introduced (or re-introduced) to you!

We want to hear about your favorite fic that you’ve found through the blog — maybe it’s a fic you lost and were later reunited with after sending in a request, or maybe it’s a brand new fic you stumbled upon while browsing the #found tag. Anything goes!

Submit your recommendations through the form here — we’ll keep it up for the next week. Feel free to recommend more than one fic, but please fill out a separate form for each individual fic, so nothing slips through the cracks!

Thank you to everyone responsible for getting the blog to this milestone, and we look forward to hearing from you all about your favorite fics!

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 心宅猎人/Psych-Hunter.

Psych-Hunter is a 2020 drama about a hot young amnesiac who, accompanied by a rich psychiatrist with major daddy issues and a rich girl who cosplays as a cop, uses his Inception-style psychic powers to solve crimes that are part of a shadowy conspiracy orchestrated by a mysterious figure.

True story: Once I couldn't remember the English name of the drama, so I called it "House Haunters," and now my brain insists that's the real English title. If only!

Do not, under any circumstances, labor under the impression that this show is good. It's not. It's incoherent. The writing is bad. The villain is absurd. The vibe is comically melodramatic. People make inexplicable and out-of-character decisions all the time. Countless complex mysteries get set up with no way to resolve them. There's a thin lampshade hanging over it that blurs the line between bad decisions made on accident and bad decisions made on purpose, but the net result is largely the same. This is the show that first inspired my wife to declare something dumb as a guinea pig in a roller skate.

But it's fun. It's a sea of colorful chaos with brilliant pieces that shine through like strange gems. It knows how to work an atmosphere and does so to create some legitimately creepy moments. It spins a wild yarn filled with bizarre and loveable characters. And it has some twists that truly have to be seen to be believed. In the mood for some beautiful nonsense? Here's five reasons that despite everything I warned you about in the previous paragraph, I think this one's worth watching.

1. Psychonauts for Jazz Age homosexuals

Honestly, that phrase alone should let you know if this is the thing for you. But just in case, let me explain the basic premise of the show:

Jiang Shuo, a man who has lost his memory and been adopted by circus folk, is capable of jingling his keys and diving full-body into someone else's subconscious, represented by lovely and thematic dreamscapes. He does this to solve crimes. Sometimes he takes along a handsome doctor who seems like he might know more than he's letting on, by literally tying their hands together with a red string.

Also, when they do this, they get gorgeous steampunk magical girl costume changes, complete with the cutest little pony nub you've ever seen.

This show can be stunningly beautiful. It knows how to manifest dream logic eerily well. Most of these cognitions are gorgeous, and many are done with primarily practical effects, like it's a stage play. ...And it's good it relies on that so much, because the CG it has is kinda cheap and terrible! So, yeah.

(Side note for the DMBJ fans: This is directed by the same guy who directed Sand Sea, which I assume is related to how this both is a visual treat and completely falls apart on the back end.)

The reason I'm a bit surprised that this hasn't taken off more among the creative set is what a great piece of worldbuilding this Psych-diving is. These boys (and, once, the girl) get to short-term manifest bodily in someone else's materialized mental state, where the person whose brain they’re in neither controls the experience nor remembers what happened after it’s done. Were you writing weird Arthur/Eames fic a decade ago? I got a new best thing for you. Can you say freaky dream sex? Because I can.

The base premise should be more than enough to get your gears going. Come ready to get weird with it. There's so much potential here, and so much of that potential is incredibly gay and wearing impeccably tailored suits.

2. Your friendly neighborhood circus family

As I mentioned before, Jiang Shuo lucks into the best possible fate that can befall an amnesiac: being picked up by carnies.

The troupe includes Ventriloquist Man, Really Big Dude, One-Eyed Acrobat, Other Acrobat, Cheerful Fat Girl, Boy Who Looks Like A Kid But Is Actually Played By An Adult So I'm Not Exactly Sure How Old The Character Himself Is Supposed To Be, and Silver Fox Circus Dad, who manages the whole crew. They're a ragtag bunch of performers who all live together in this cute little compound in some very nice slums, and sometimes they open the gates to their lavish compound and put on a circus show for all the common people!

Now: You know this is not going to be the wokest, most sensitive portrayal of body differences, because of course it isn't. But damn, it's pretty not-bad. The show treats all the circus members as valuable people worthy of affection, whose (occasionally exasperating) quirks are no more or less exhausting than those of the non-circus weirdos in the rest of the supporting cast.

I was half-expecting them to disappear after the first arc, but no! They’re a constant fixture through the show! They’re mostly there to support the show’s more comedic moments, but some of them get wrapped up in more emotional plotlines as well. And every now and then you get to see them actually do their circus shit, which is great.

I will admit that my fondness for them is related to how much I generally love fictional Freaks — you know, misfits who have banded together because society considers them unacceptably weird, but together their weirdnesses make them strong. When you find them, they’re usually the bad guys (e.g., the Gung-Ho Guns from Trigun, the Scorpion crew from Word of Honor) whose freak statuses make them formidable and occasionally sympathetic antagonists. But not so here! The Psych-Hunter Family Circus is good guy support all the way through to the final episode.

I know "found family" is a term that suffers from overuse, but that's the best way to describe what's happening here -- really, it's a family that's already found itself even before the show starts, and now they all live together as an unconventional collective of astonishingly flexible people. How did they find one another? Doesn't matter! What matters is that they all love and would do anything for their newest member, and they think it's great when he comes home with his attractive rich friends, who often arrive bringing snacks, which is really the best use for rich people, if you think about it.

3. Two hands, one ring

Now, if you've seen the series already, you know the moment I'm talking about. But if you haven't (and, statistically, you haven't), know that what I mean is the relationship between these two losers.

Together, Qin Yiheng and Jiang Shuo form the emotional core of the series. They're both drawn to one another because of mysterious circumstances that have started to align. Jiang Shuo's memory is missing, Qin Yiheng's dad has vanished, and all signs point to those absences as having something to do with one another.

Very early in the show, we see Qin Yiheng pull a "come with me if you want to live" on Jiang Shuo, giving the impression that he knows just what's going on in this crazy city. Except, no, he doesn't. Or does he? No, we're pretty sure he doesn't. Or he does, but he's forgotten what he knows, if he ever even knew it in the first place. Anyway, time to tie their hands together and jump into someone else's brain!

I'd say they're in love, but that's not quite it. Dr. Qin Yiheng, high-class homosexual, is in love with Jiang Shuo to the point where he's about to murder someone (possibly Jiang Shuo himself) out of frustration about it. Jiang Shuo, on the other hand, is much more sticking his fingers in his ears and going LA LA LA YOU CAN'T CATCH ME GAY THOUGHTS while trying get a girlfriend in an effort to pretend that all the shit they get up to together isn't tremendously romantic.

That is, until the scene that leads to the which-hand ring guessing game, at which point the burden of their relationship falls on Jiang Shuo (and the Inception parallels get unignorable) for exactly as long as the show will allow it to, before it freaks out and has to add another girl love interest just to make sure all the homos got no'd.

It's not textually gay, because seriously, have you met Chinese television? But it's pretty gay. Or, rather, I think Liu Dongqin (Qin Yiheng) is playing his character as a dedicated homosexual on purpose, and Hou Minghao (Jiang Shuo) is just ... kinda like that? I mean, everything I’ve seen him in, he gets real dreamy-eyed around strong men who pay close attention to him. Maybe it's just his thing as an actor. I'm not judging.

However, the main cast isn't just the two of them. One of the things that led me to this show was the promise of an OT3. And does it deliver on that promise?

Well ... sorta.

Qin Yiheng, Jiang Shuo, and Yuan Muqing are a pretty standard MFM not-love-triangle trio of Male Bestie, Main Guy, and Girlfriend (respectively). There's about five seconds at the beginning of the series where it looks like Yuan Muqing might be into Qin Yiheng, but no, that evaporates almost instantly and is never spoken of again -- and with it disappears most of their interactions with one another, period. So it's less an OT3, and more a case of bisexual cutiepie Jiang Shuo getting both a boyfriend and a girlfriend in a world where censorship will only let the latter relationship exist textually.

But damn if these boys aren't made for one another. Sure, there's a level of conscious comical queerbaiting to it -- I mean, there's straight-up an "only one bed" moment, so you know the show isn't stumbling into rainbow territory on accident. No matter how sexual or nonsexual or whatever you read it as, though, their dynamic is the spine that holds the story together. Really, it's almost sad how often the relationships are set parallel to one another, because when you do that, it becomes obvious how intense Jiang Shuo's bond with Qin Yiheng is, and how largely lackluster and comphet most of his canon romance with Yuan Muqing is by comparison.

Like so.

sidebar: The Girl

I am not going to go into a full-throated defense of The Girl this time, as I am wont to do, mostly because I think Yuan Muqing is full of potential in concept but so badly executed that there's really no hope for her. Her entire personality is whatever they need her to be in any particular scene. It's just that once in a while, what they need her to be is completely insane -- like, seeing-things-that-aren't-there insane -- and it's so great that it makes me mad! She could have been like this all the time! But noooooo

As it is, she has a perfunctory canonical romance with Jiang Shuo that's about as endgame as anything is capable of being (see point 5), and it actually gets pretty cute when it finally gets to the point where it's not just awkward obligation! But alas, it only does that so late in the series that it's not even worth it getting invested in it.

She is a creation of the show. She has no novel counterpart. Her entire function in the drama is to un-gay the dynamic between the boys. You can tell that she was initially supposed to have a different role -- to be the muscle of this trio -- but the narrative forgets pretty quickly that she's got that skill set, and she regresses to being The Girl. She makes dumb decisions that forward the plot. She gets put into danger whenever it's convenient. She demands Jiang Shuo do manly things for her because that’s what a girl is supposed to do, I guess? And then there are moments where she’s cool and crazy and it’s awesome! But they never last.

So if you are going to watch this, be prepared for the fact that the female lead is badly written to the point of frustration. I feel her actor is doing the absolutely best with what she's got; the problem is that what she's got is pretty crappy. Still, Muqing gets some pretty charming moments here and there, and I think it's worth hanging onto those and imagining the character she could have been, if the writers had cared just a little more, or even at all.

4. Powerfully surreal worldbuilding

I'm not even talking about the way people's psyches are structured according to dream logic -- the "normal" waking world is almost equally bizarre. The story takes place in sort of the real world c. 1930, except that a lot of things are off. For example, Japan and England are real locations, but China kinda isn't -- instead, the show takes place in a Shanghai-like city-state run by this moustachioed generalissimo with a faux Latin American dictator aesthetic. The place has its own flag and government and police force (where all the cops have coordinating surnames) and diplomatic relationships with other countries, so it’s clearly its own thing. But what that thing is? What it’s even called? Look, don’t worry about it. Nobody else is worried, so you shouldn’t be either.

You will, at every point in the series, be wondering if the show is trying to telegraph to you that Something's Not Quite Right Here, or if it's just making weird decisions for the sake of artsy weirdness. But don't worry -- there's absolutely no way to tell the difference between the two! Just roll with it.

There's a weird mix of universe rules happening throughout, where everything is mostly period-appropriate for a while, and then somebody builds a clock with levitating parts, or causes someone else to have very specific memory loss — or, again, swings some coins in front of a person’s face and gains the ability to treat their subconscious like a VR amusement park.

You can sort of reconstruct the evolution of this weirdness: The book has actual factual ghosts in it. Well, that’s fine for books, but TV isn’t allowed to have ghosts. But TV can have people who imagine ghosts, so long as it’s all in their heads. Okay, but you know jumping bodily into those imaginations isn’t actually a thing real people can do, right? Well, then let’s make it scientific. How can that be scientific? I don't know, it’s psychiatry. I don’t think that’s psychiatry. Look, it could be. Well, it’s definitely not psychiatry in 1930s Shanghai, and that’s the set we’re allowed to film on. Okay, what if it weren’t actually Shanghai? What if it weren’t actually 1930? What if all of this were at best a weird approximation of the period that adheres to no rules except the ones we want?

Once you’ve thought that, the sky’s the limit.

The show has a very inconsistent grasp on reality, and I am listing that as a pro instead of a con because I am choosing to embrace it as a deliberate choice rather than assume it’s the result of craven incompetence. There's something to be said, though, for how pervasively inconsistent it is. It'd be one thing if there were just a few plot holes here and there (and there are), but this is more along the lines of: We woke up in a mysterious boat and got taken to an island with a giant sea monster skeleton on the shore! What's that all about? Couldn't say! Was it real? Maybe! Moving on!

Let the number of "it's fine! who knows!" comments I've made throughout this rec indicate how much this is the kind of show you just have to roll with. If you are a nitpicker or someone who is troubled by unexplained nonsense, this is not the thing for you. If you love artistic magical realism and high strangeness, you will eat this up with a spoon.

And the lampshade that hangs over all of this worldbuilding is...

5. THE STUPIDEST POSSIBLE ENDING EVER

Okay, usually I am coy about when I think an ending has problems. I am going to drag this one out front and center: Psych-Hunter has an ending so jaw-droppingly, head-clutchingly stupid that I'm actually listing it as a selling point, because it has to be seen to be believed.

When I first watched it, I suspected the show ran out of time or money or something and just had to slap together the quickest possible ending ever. But no! This is the ending they meant! If you go back to the rest of the series, you can see that this is what they were (kinda) setting up the whole time! They just set it up so poorly and decided to make the twist hit at such a late point that not only is it complete nonsense, it actually renders moot the entire emotional stakes of the show! Absolutely incredible!

Now, as I've said before in other places, I don't begrudge the actual twist itself. I mean, it's stupid on its face, but I think they could have done something with it — if they'd had it happen halfway through the series, when the characters would have had time to adjust to the new knowledge. Instead, they slap it on at the last possible moment, when there's no time to have any reaction to it. It's just jarring and baffling, and then the whole thing's over.

I've seen lots of people say "season 2 when???" Season 2 never, friends. There was never going to be a season 2. The only reason you think this was an even remotely acceptable narrative move was that you were assuming that this would be the midpoint, not the end. You're having the same reaction I did, only I can tell this was always meant to be their spectacular dismount.

(To me, it's clear what happened: They J.J. Abramsed themselves into a cool premise for a mystery with no idea how to solve it, hoping they'd figure it out along the way. When they got to the end and still hadn't figured it out, they simply ... opted out of solving it.)

Now, if you want a normal viewing experience out of this show, watch to the end of the next-to-last episode, close your browser window, and have imagination adventures about how you think all the mysteries should resolve. But you're not going to. You are going to continue on to that last episode, and you are going to realize that nothing I could have said here could possibly have prepared you for this. And somewhere, I am going to feel the urge to cackle wickedly and not even know why. Except I'll know why. We'll both know why.

Want to watch this hot mess?

That baby's an iQiyi exclusive! But you can watch the first episode on YouTube, if you feel like getting a taste that way.

Look, I know I may have spoiled my pitch somewhat with that last selling point. After all, why would you bother watching a series if you know it has a shit ending?

I refute your objection thus: Knowing it has a shit ending changes the whole game, because it removes the feeling of betrayal that hits upon your discovering that the ending isn’t what you wanted. You know that already now, so there can be no betrayal. The ending goes from being an unpleasant surprise to being exactly the unexpected thing that you expected. With that in mind, you can dive right in (ha ha) knowing that you’ll never get the closure you crave, and therefore whatever you make up along the way is perfectly valid.

This is obviously a turnoff if you prefer shows that are like seeing someone start a magic trick, perform it without breaking a sweat, and walk off calmly, leaving you wondering how on earth they accomplished such an amazing thing. Think of this more as someone starting a magic trick, accidentally letting the rabbit fall out of their hat, saying “I meant to do that!” like thirty times, and suddenly vanishing through a trapdoor, leaving you wondering what the trick was even supposed to be in the first place — but they were really good-looking and well-dressed, so at least whatever they were doing was nice to look at while it was happening.

See? They're having fun.

[juliets-roller-derby-awesomeness]

does anyone have psych fic recommendations without spoilers? i want to read some so bad but i really really don't want to spoil myself because im loving watching the show for the first time

im at the beginning of season six right now, and part of me just wants to rush through these last episodes so i can start being a part of the fandom and watching the blooper compilations and video essays, but part of me just wants to go slowly and enjoy the moments

so like, even if it's like " this one is really good but you need to watch 6x14 so you don't get spoiled" it'd be something i can enjoy sooner than just at the end of the series

and ofc if you have stuff for after season 8 too im all ears but please please please tell me it's for after because i really don't want to be spoiled

[carlyraejepsans]

couriernew's deltarune fics are also really fantastic, the asriel camera one especially holy hell

YEAH. i read the one about the darkness growing in hometown a while back and just yesterday the one about kris and catti. their exposition and narration prose is nothing short of phenomenal. really good at setting very specific moods

[notalostcausejustyet]

I’ve screamed on here before about how @voluptatiscausa writes fic that will alter your brain chemistry. The most recent one is this.

Come for the absolutely top-tier smut. Like, GLORIOUS smut. Stay for the unexpected blistering insight into religion and the soul-searing catharsis of dealing with religious trauma. His imagery is poetic, and evocative. His prose is thought provoking and has a depth of feeling that is absolutely on par with, if not superior to, every bestseller I’d ever read.

[arrowheadedbitch]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for fics about Shawn's eidetic memory?

[veryace-ficrecs]

Psych (2006) Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Shawn And The Real(er) Psychics Of Santa Barbra by Beaconbaconbison - Rated G

Shawn isn't a psychic. He's just some guy who got struck by lighting and woke up having visions about things he couldn't possibly know. That seems on par with the rest of his life. Right? He really. Really. Really isn't psychic. Even if these visions are helping solve a murder. He's just very observant. That's all.

Gus Knows Shawn Knows That He's Telling The Truth by ObsidianCreates - Rated T

"Really?" Shawn looks at Gus, completely unamused. "The websites say they work." "Crystals." Shawn gestures at his desk. "You have covered my entire workspace with crystals. This is getting sad, man." When Gus asks Shawn how his memory actually works, the answer causes both of them to stumble into a huge realization. It will be used irresponsibly, of course.

Sounds Getting Softer by Corilyn_Winchester - Rated T

When Shawn Spencer was 15 his ears buzzed at night when it was quiet. When Shawn Spencer was 19 he was diagnosed with idiopathic hearing loss. When Shawn Spencer was 23 he got his first set of hearing aids. This story follows the life of Shawn Spencer, a Shawn Spencer who is slowly lossing his hearing due to unknown reasons.

as inexhaustible and unpredictable as real human beings by Princex_N - Rated G

Sometimes people don't always quite believe that Shawn is autistic. Sometimes they laugh like they're waiting for the punchline, or try to convince him that he's mistaken, or try to guess if he's testing the waters for Gus, or get angry like he's trying to lie. Shawn considers the varying reactions he gets when he tells people he's autistic.

Shawn Spencer is Nobody's Agatha by huckleberryzenon - Rated G

Oneshot set after "Psy vs. Psy." After the disaster that is Lindsay Leiken, the FBI decides it's time to begin psychological evaluations of all the psychics who consult with law enforcement, starting with one Shawn Spencer. Shawn's confident he'll pass with flying colors, but what if the danger isn't in getting found out, but the person administering the test?

Succulent Crab Cakes by PapayaK - Rated T

Gus knew his best friend's greatest fear: Shawn's mind was his super-power. He feared losing that power more than he feared death. Confusion was Shawn's kryptonite and he was staring it in the face. Poisoned by a neurotoxin, Shawn must fight the effects long enough to solve the case and save the day. Shawn whump, with lots of friendship and family thrown in. Rated T just in case.

same eyes as your father by ace8013, flashsideways - Rated T

“Hi, Dad,” Shawn said. Henry, taken aback, said, “Shawn.” Shawn’s always been tall but he was broad, now, hair cropped close on the sides and messy on top. His jaw had an edge to it now, he had a slight five o’clock shadow, and he just looked more like—more like himself. or Twenty-five years after his son comes out, Henry Spencer goes to a support group for parents of transgender children. Because they didn’t have this shit back in his day.

as you cut everything to size by flashsideways - Rated T

Shawn Spencer arrives in Santa Barbara on a nine-year-old motorcycle, in four-day old clothes, and with a bottle of painkillers in his backpack. He cracks his knuckles and asks, “Where’s the fire?” or, Shawn Spencer has bad joints. He doesn’t want to talk about it.

Too Many Hats, AKA: How Shawn Spencer Became a For Realsies Psychic by WalkerInTheMoonlight - Not Rated

Shawn Spencer was always aware of how many hats were in a room, whether he wanted to be or not. He didn't think anything of it until The Hat Convention incident that changed everything. Or: Shawn becomes psychic because he needs to count the hats.

[browniefox]

The Very Best Fics - 2

I am making a second 'best fics according to me' because it is very long. You can access the previous post from here.

On this list is: Daredevil, Disco Elysium, Trigun, Psych, Mob Psycho 100, Undertale, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII

Daredevil

My Guardian Avengers (Can I Get A Refund?) - prettybirdy979

Daredevil needs to protect a certain law firm in Hell's Kitchen. He's a little slack about protecting this Matt Murdock fellow though, and the Avengers are only too happy to step in to help. Matt is SO not okay with this. (Shut up Foggy, so what if it's his own fault!)

Prettybirdy979 has done 'Daredevil meets the Avengers' like ten times, and you know what? they hit it out of the park every time. Hell yeah! This one is just as fun, and it's always nice to read a new (uh, new-ish) fic from an author you love :D

Disco Elysium

Excerpts from the Case Notes of Kim Kitsuragi - Hosekisama

Excerpts reference Lieutenant Double-Yefreitor Du Bois' belief that he can (and does) "reload" his own life after failing, like some kind of video game character.

Disco Elysium plays with so many fun video game mechanics, like the 'jamrock shuffle', so honestly the idea that Harry would think in terms of 'reloading' is way fun! I love the ambiguity of whether or not there actually are saves or loads.

Trigun

Start here - AsterAspera ( @aster-aspera )

The first time he wakes, he is in a room. Heavy curtains hang over dusty windowsills and there are crumpled sheets on the bed and crumpled sheets on the floor. The world is quiet while his body screams. Every soft, fleshy, vulnerable part of him is on fire, writhing and roiling in unbearable agony. He wants to move, get away from the mattress that digs into his skin like fingers, like knives, like roots, but his body is frozen without his consent, time stretching endlessly around him as he fights an ocean of pain. And suddenly there are hands on him and worried grey eyes and he wants to scream but his throat is already scraped raw.

We love QPR Vash/Meryl/Wolfwood, and we love stories that drop you into something and you have no idea what's going on. Such a good and interesting fic that drops ideas of what has happened, but also you're not totally sure, and it really puts you into Vash's head for the fic.

I Just Want To Slow Dance With You by easternCriminal

"Wolfwood swears at the radio, and then finally the static parts like the sands after a storm and the warm, slow sounds of a guitar comes out from over the dunes and fills the small room." oOo A soft domestic moment, inspired by Start Here by AsterAspera

Inspired by the fic above, a scene between Meryl and Nicholas (and Vash) as they try and figure out what their dynamic is now. Wonderfully domestic.

Rinse and Repeat by easternCriminal (@the-east-art)

Somehow, Meryl can head the monotone flatline of his heart. And she wakes up again on the road. Meryl starts to realize what is going on.

Time loop, time loop, time loop! Time loops where you're trying so despeartelyl to save someone! Time loops where you start realizing some sacrifices have to be made! Time loops that make you hate and love someone like you never have before!

Press my Corpse against the Wall by Rayawastaken

Meryl kept thinking back to Tonis, small and still so young in his mothers arms. She kept thinking about the fact that if she held onto him a bit stronger, if she had more conviction, he might still have both of his arms. And about how if she had any less of it, Wolfwood might have not woken back up again in that bar. Surely, getting a bit scratched up was worth saving someone’s life. But that’s not how Wolfwood saw it. To him, she’d forever be just some defenseless little thing that stumbled around helplessly and had to be protected. And for all that he complained about Vash having a self-sacrificial streak, he'd rather bleed out on the floor than admit he had needed help. - Wolfwood almost dies, Meryl saves him and gets hurt in the process. They have a fight about it.

I love Mashwood, but the dynamic between Wolfwood and Meryl is often under represented. I especially love this fic's exploration of the fact that Meryl, of the trio, is the most human and the position that puts her in a lot of the time.

CHANGING NATURE (‘TIS THE SEASON) by ainosyn (@tristamp-gunpede)

“How could anyone kill you without killing a part of themselves?” and “I can’t help it, it’s my nature.”

An exploration of all the different ways the story of Trigun could have gone, or could have been told, and about what is inherent to someone's nature. I love this, such a great character study of Knives and Vash.

Never understood a single word he said by aboxthecolourofheartache (@aboxthecolourofheartache)

Meryl drums her fingers on the steering wheel, and Wolfwood gets the sinking feeling of spotting bullshit at a hundred yarz and being unable to do anything about it. “Is it really buried treasure? I don’t believe you,” Meryl sniffs. “You’re stalling or something.” Vash’s lips curl up at the corner and, yes, there’s that mischievous little dimple that heralds doom. “Only one way to find out. If it is buried treasure, next night at a motel is on me. What do you say?" “Hot showers and everything?” Meryl squints at Vash sidelong, she the very picture of suspicion and he of innocence. “Cross my heart,” Vash vows, making a solemn X over his chest. ~~~ A detour turned nightmare, water from the rock, Three Dog Night, and unconventional gestures of trust.

MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ!!!! Best Trigun Fic I think I've ever read, with perfect characterization of Meryl, Vash, and Wolfwood that all feel distinct and accurate, a lot of fun interactions, and just a hint of the good good 'Vash isn't human' stuff I live for.

Psych

All We Are by jumpfall

"I want eyes on Spencer ten minutes ago!" Shawn thinks that maybe another hostage situation is just what they need to bring the team together again.

Love when you find a fic that captures the vibes of the canon so well! The team-as-family in psych is so good and fun, it's what makes it all worthwhile, you know? The characters in Psych are really good, and I'll be honest I live for the times that Shawn manages to actually be selfless and care about others.

the robbed that smiles steals something from the thief by EclipseWing (@shadow-of-the-eclipse)

That one in which Shawn is a con-artist, a liar and a thief.

Hell yeah, EclipseWing, all my homies love EclipseWing! This one is so fun! It's nice to see a Shawn who doesn't get into crime solving but still needs to find something to preoccupy him becoming a theif instead, it's so in person I love it!

Mob Psycho 100

Come Morning Light by NotHereForIt

Reigen is standing in a world that exists, but doesn't, in front of a house that is Mob's, but not, with a man that's dead, but isn't. In which Reigen thinks he's dreaming, and he very much is not.

Dream walking time, hell yeah! In which Reigen helps Mob through is dreams. Poor Mob has PTSD, but at least he's not alone.

knife trick by ruthwrites (@ruemilley)

There wasn’t a rule, exactly, that said that Ritsu wasn’t allowed to spend time with his brother. It was just something that was understood, like how Ritsu understood he wasn't supposed to press his hands along the sharp edges of his mother’s kitchen knives. (or: an age swap where only Mob and Reigen's ages are changed. Shigeo asks his little brother if he wants to walk him home after school. Ritsu should say no. Ritsu does not say no.)

The ending of this one sticks with me, ugh it's so good. Swap au's are so interesting, and I love the way it's done here, especially with Mob and Reigen being swapped, but Ritsu still being the same age.

citrus by orphan_account

He can just barely see Reigen pacing, purposefully quiet. He’s not smiling or laughing like he usually does on the phone. He looks sad. No, he looks upset. Shigeo doesn’t get a chance to wonder why before Reigen is walking back out, eyes carefully trained on his phone before he flips it shut. “Mob, we have a client to go to. I would have taken you home, but your parents aren’t there.” “Why would I have to go home?” Reigen goes quiet for a moment. “We aren’t dealing with a spirit.”

Reigen getting to deal with big problems through his job, and baby Mob learning important life lessons, what more do you need?

I know who I am when I'm alone by RedWritingHood

I'm something else when I see you. The world revolves around the suffering of Kageyama Shigeo. It fails to anticipate the determination of the Greatest Psychic Detective of the 21st Century.

In which Reigen is in Mogamiland and is as stubborn as a mule - even if he doesn't know what he's fighting against or for. A great moment of Reigen being able to comfort Mob - more or less. There are struggles that come with trying to accomplish that.

Undertale

Second Contact by Ononymous

To the participants, monumental days in history rarely feel very monumental when they wake up that morning. A young man at his summer job in the middle of nowhere was about to learn this the hard way.

I love this fic, of Asogre and Frisk meeting the first human outside of the Underground, told from outsider pov. It's a fun continuation of the story, and of how a poor service employee has to be the one to deal with the mess first.

What Little Monsters Are Made Of by Mangaluva

Nobody understands why you keep Flowey. You're not always sure why you do. But you found a way to save everybody else.

A story about love, and a story about believing in someone or something, and about how it's never too late. Post-Game, exploration of the relationship that builds between Flowey, Frisk, and the rest of the monsters over the years.

Kingdom Hearts

Scar Tissue - mimiplaysgames

Terra doesn’t remember certain things. He’s not in control. Even after everything they have been through, he still has the Guardian to contend with.

A little confusing to read sometimes, but super interesting look into after effects of having one's heart stuck in various places, and how it impact Terra without him even knowing it. At the end of the day, Terra is a guardian.

Umbra, Penumbra - end_alls

Roleswap where Vanitas is the one raised with care and compassion in the Land of Departure, and Ventus… is not

A fun and interesting role reversal. In general, the concept of 'too much light' is not explored enough in Kingdom hearts, so a fic that goes into how Ventus is left so incomplete without Vanitas is great.

Affecting Eternity - b-na_hime

One new Keyblade Master. Two new Keyblade wielders. Three thousand ways it could go horribly wrong…

Riku trying so hard to train Lea and Kairi when he's never been formally trained either. Great relationship building between them and how each of them feels about being a keyblade wielder.

reflections, refracted. - vvingblade (@vvingblade)

It's been ten years since then. Time has passed, and wounds are slowly healing. Ven thought he'd moved on, that the memories no longer bother him. All it takes is a single muddled spell to prove him wrong.

Ven has some serious PTSD and it rears its ugly head. Also, Ven can kick ass when he believes his life depends on it. Great Ven characterization that fleshes out Ven a bit more than he usually is.

Final Fantasy VII

The Fifth Act by Sinnatious

Cloud has an accident with a Time materia, and finds himself in the middle of the Wastes at the start of the Wutai War. There are people to save… and for that, there are three people who need to die.

My favorite time-travel fix-it for FFVII I've found so far. Good characterization, fun interactions, and I love how much it grapples with the question of 'should Sephiroth die, when he hasn't done anything'.

A Feather's Edge by Boomchick

Rescue arrives for Sephiroth while he is still a child. It arrives in the form of a blank-faced blonde-haired hero who cannot look at him; Who tends his wounds, and speaks kindly, but whose eyes are filled with hate and fear. If only Sephiroth knew the rules of this world outside the labs, maybe he could figure out how to stop making Cloud so angry...

An interesting look into, even if Sephiroth was saved, how messed up he is since childhood and how that impacts how he views people, sitautions, and relationships with other people. Kinda wish it was a little longer, but also I think it ends where it needs to end, if that makes sense. Really love Cloud trying to grapple with being a good adult for a child while battling his PTSD over said child.

In the Woods, Somewhere - DoveFanworks

On an ordinary day, two against one would hardly feel fair. But today was not an ordinary day, and Gods damn if this man wasn’t proving to be worth every bit of their combined effort. It was ludicrous. Unheard of. Before today, he would have thought it impossible. But somehow, someway, this man, this stranger who had come from out of nowhere, was fighting off two of the most powerful fighters in the world. At the same time.

Unresolved Time Travel au where Cloud takes on the three Firsts and kicks ass! I love how thought out the fight scenes are, taking into account the abilites of everyone involved and what they're capable of. Wonderfully orchestrated, wonderful to read.

Rebound - emrald_writes

Genesis knows the moment that they step into the little town that whatever it is plaguing them it isn’t a curse.

I Love fics that have surprisingly in depth worlds that makes you feel like you're looking into a world so much bigger and more thought out than you expected. Such an interesting magic system and a fun mystery to boot. I will say, the ending feels a little strange, but the rest most than makes up for it.

As They Bask in the Material World - Traxits

Every year, Reeve tours the outer reactors. This year, Veld is unable to escort him, so Tseng gets the job. It's just his luck that the car breaks down, and perhaps the best idea was not to spend the night in Cosmo Canyon…

Hi welcome to the beginning of the 'brownie falls in love with reeve' section of this. Anyway, great and interesting relationship between Reeve and Tseng, and EXTREMELY cool take on how young Reeve would react to Cosmo Canyon.

Before She Hangs Her Head to Cry - Traxits

Reeve had been reasonably certain that no one was in his office. It seemed like a logical assumption to make, given that he was not there and that no one short of the President had a key. One day, he would learn to stop assuming anything when he counted the Turks among his friends.

Not enough people talk about Reeve and kidnapping Marlene! Love the backstory that is hinted at for Reno here, getting to see Reeve's thoughts and such, and how Marlene's upbringing shows up throughout her actions. The characterization is just, *mwah*, beautiful.

Little Birds by katineto

Marlene's Papa is gone, and she is scared—or, the kidnapping, from Marlene's perspective.

Reeve is terrible with children. I love seeing Marlene's POV in the whole mess, trying to make sense of what is going on and feeling so scared.

Through Another's Eyes by CorsairOriginal

Elmyra Gainsborough had only wanted to live a life in peace, but war keeps coming to her door. She had only wanted her arrangement with Marlene Wallace to be temporary, but now that she's a part of Elmyra's life she has to face the consequences of that decision. Director Reeve Tuesti didn't choose to become a spy, but orders from President Rufus Shinra are not to be refused. He didn't choose to admire a group of renegades, but now that they're a part of his life he can't walk away so easily. ~ "Through Another's Eyes" is an in-depth view of the major notes of Reeve's story in Final Fantasy VII, starting from Marlene's abduction by Shinra to the end of the original game--rewriting some concepts and adding elements from the Compilation of FF7, including Before Crisis and FFVII Remake.

THE PINNACLE OF REEVE FICS. So so so good! Great relationship of Reeve with everybody, and how he deals with the events of FFVII. The moment at the end when he finally meets everyone? FUCK YEAH, that's what it's all about baby! Fic that got me hooked on the inspire!Reeve characterization.

I'm Fine - WinterEvenings

“Cloud!” His eyes snap open, but it doesn’t do much good. All he can see is darkness anyway. They were trapped. It was his fault. It was all his fault.

Cloud is so fucked up as far as priorities and his own health is concerned. it's terrible and wonderful at the same time. Gotta love a good dose of whump.

[oflights]

hi! I was wondering if you could recommend WIP bloodweave fics that you’ve been following 😌 I love your bw fic btw!

hi!! ah thank you so much!

okay, here are a few things i'm subscribed to (and as always, terrible at comments, i need to get better, do as i say and not as i do, please comment on things if you read them!!)

Lookout, Kid by beyourlionheart; post-game kidfic!!!

A Future Unfathomable by CaptainNomad93; every post-game waterdeep fic is an instant read for me and this one is amazing.

beat slowly by zimiel; i love this canon AU twist of gale and astarion meeting before the nautiloid. astarion is so deliciously mean and perfectly in-character in this.

Circles by anarkissed and h4mpter; this is absolutely stunning, beautiful, incredible. gale is an artist in this and his POV is so deep and compelling.

Mosquito, Puddle, Pain and Torment (and Honey) by lavvyan; again, if it's a post-game waterdeep fic i am there, and this one is about them accumulating cats!!! it's probably embarrassing how many times i've reread these two chapters lol

that's all for now! there are more, but these are the ones i'm super invested in. there are a few others that have recently wrapped up that make me think i should just do another rec post soon; maybe when i'm back from montreal! for now, enjoy these and all the other delicious bloodweave fic that's getting posted right now. we really are eating so well for this pairing. 😌

[periodically-puzzled]

good news: im posting again

bad news: none y'all gonna know what the fuck i'm talking about

[juliets-roller-derby-awesomeness]

Hi!! Saw you are looking for Psych fic recommendations so here you go :) one of my favourite author is Rileyspork, they wrote five Psych fics for now, all of them are amazing!! They are all Shassie and non-sexual, just fluff, hurt/comfort and sickfics (avid consumer of all of these here lol)

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rileyspork/pseuds/Rileyspork/works?fandom_id=36230543

Feel free to pm me about any of these and for general Psych, shipping or whatever talk, I love talking about the show!!!

~fellow Psych fan <3

omg thank you so much that sounds adorable ansjajssj

[zaxal]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, feel free to tag five other writers to spread the love. 💗

thanks for the tag @ripeteeth !!! i've been sitting on this for a few days because i have not had the fortitude to say nice things about myself or my writing without also being incredibly critical, but i think we're there today.

all of these are the ones that i remember being the most fun to write, the most fun to reread, and the ones i'm proudest of :}

Breaking But Not Yet Broken - Psych, Shassie, M, ~8.1k, 2012

After being held captive and hurt, Carlton's relationship with Shawn starts getting complicated.

this was my first ever whump fic, and it was so fun to write that i have simply never stopped writing whump since lol. like, yes, technically this is me projecting on lassie for 8k words, but it is also an exploration of the loneliness of healing after trauma (even when someone went through the same traumatic event as you!) and allowing yourself to Be vulnerable when you already feel that all your defensive layers have been forcibly removed from you.

both shawn and lassiter are characters with a ton of these defenses, and they try to default back to them or find comfort in them (with mixed amounts of success) but even when they aren't working (and they can recognize that they aren't working), they can't simply Stop their bullshit.

Mistakes We Never Made (Until Today) - Psych, Shassie, E, ~3.6k, 2015

Things pick up from where they started. His marriage is on its last legs, and Shawn Spencer comes waltzing back into his life.

so this is a post-canon fic where happily-ever-after fails, the canon relationships break up (and it IS the men's fault to be clear; juliet and marlowe have never done anything wrong in their lives--), and these two decide to use each other to self destruct.

and i love it kdsjfksd. look. i love fluffy shassie. i love romantic shassie. i love slow burn shassie. but they are both capable of being such unrepentant assholes, and writing them being their worst selves is so much fun. an extreme vibe of 'bitter exes but they just started dating.'

everything lost - Good Omens (TV), Aziraphale/Crowley, Gabriel/Aziraphale (One-Sided, Abusive), E, ~33k, 2023

For two-thousand years, Aziraphale was sexually harassed and assaulted by the Director of Heavenly Operations. Years after Aziraphale and Crowley break free from Heaven and Hell entirely, Gabriel shows up on Aziraphale's front step with no clothes, no memories, no divine powers, and an inexplicable, unshakeable attachment to Aziraphale. Old and new trauma alike plague Aziraphale as he struggles to get rid of Gabriel without bringing the wrath of Heaven down on him and Crowley both.

i saw the GOs2 trailer and lost my mind. this plot bunny sprung forth from my mind fully formed like athena. she was written and published before the season dropped because i felt in my heart that gabriel would get a face-turn and people would get weird about dark!gabriel fics, and because i wanted it to be irrefutable that i knew nothing about the season before writing.

which didn't need to be a thing i was worried about at all lol. but i had a trailer, a poster, a feather duster, and a dream, and i made it work.

aziraphale whump, my beloved. love using aziraphale's kindness, pragmatism, and manners to keep him locked in a deeply unpleasant situation that's slowly whittling away at his nerves and sanity.

i also really love putting crowley in an outsider position. aziraphale hasn't told him what happened; it's supposed to be over. when crowley wakes up and starts to help him, the presumption is that they'll get this settled and then never see gabriel again, so what point is there in bringing up old hurt? i love writing crowley and aziraphale as a Team, but they spent 6k years pretending they aren't, and i like thinking about the residual habits that they're gonna have to work to get rid of.

Ash and Blood - Psych, Shassie, E, ~61k, 2015

A string of identical murders leads Lassiter down a dark and treacherous path.

in 2012 @inouken asked me to write a lassie vampire fic and i emerged three years later with a novel. like a normal person!

this is really long lassie whump with some shawn whump thrown in for spice. it could count as case fic, if you're good with knowing who the killer is in the first 5 chapters.

because this is one of zax's first wordcount monstrosities, i had a lot more room to play around with characters. shawn and lassiter's relationship develops fast, but i had more room for them to become serious about each other instead of it being right away immediately (even tho those feelings were already there). i played around with some OCs and tested them against the main ship. my biggest regret is not doing more with gus and juliet, but the bits of them that are in here really lead towards the strong relationships they have with their respective partners and are v in character and i'm proud of them.

but OVERALL i really love this fic. i feel like there's a good balance to psych humor vs being in lassiter's head (when babygirl is naturally grim and grumpy when he's Not dealing with suddenly dying and becoming a vampire), relationship fluff vs people dying and figuring out how to fight back, and developing an understanding of the OCs i introduced (feds and santa barbara vampires) and how they fit into finding/taking care of The Killer.

Lambs To The Slaughter - Good Omens (Book/TV), Aziraphale/Crowley, Lucifer/Aziraphale, E, ~142k WIP, 2019 - Present

An angel and a demon dance along the knife's edge of destruction together in an eternal waltz. The demon who had been Aziraphale and the angel who would be Crowley answer to powerful forces that care not for the individual cogs in their celestial machines. This will be their undoing.

twirling my hair, so this is lambs, my reverse omens fic where aziraphale is the sheep demon azram and crowley is the star-spinner seraph corvai. it's my pride and joy and wouldn't exist without @transfemmbeatrice for brainstorming, obsessing with me for YEARS, writing large portions of the middle-end and end with me, and making corvai and azram Real with me.

i go into many AUs with the mindset that i want to push my faves off script. i want them to still be recognizable as themselves, but i wanna see just how far i can twist them around the core of Who They Are.

and i went into lambs with the idea that i wanted azram to be someone terrible but not irredeemable. the idea that he would be simply 'evil' and written off as such didn't appeal to me. i wanted to ask Why a character like aziraphale (a blended form of book and tv; this is why god uses they/them pronouns to set them apart from both) would become harsh, cruel, possessive, sadistic, beyond just Falling and just Being that way after. and how to balance that with the softer parts of who aziraphale is (as said earlier in the bit about everything lost: kind, despite everything, and so capable of loving both crowley, humanity, and earth to his own detriment).

corvai is, similar to aziraphale, a good angel. she is what a good angel should be. unlike aziraphale, corvai is a punk with authority issues and a lot of anger at heaven, at god, and at themself. trade in canon crowley's anxiety for constantly simmering anger and a lack of experience dealing with demons other than azram that means corvai lacks crowley's defensive layers of cool. he's very open and earnest, even when he knows it's a quick way to getting hurt.

i originally wanted there to be some question about whether corvai was secretly raphael but i added the tag to clarify later that they're not. azram will take his time learning this, because azram is an idiot even though corvai, unlike the rest of the seraphim, cannot heal, and raphael is, famously, the healer.

i could keep going but i'm going to cut it off there bc this post is long enough and our power blinked so i'm scared if it'll even post and if you read this far, congrats! i'm sorry!

tagging: @transfemmbeatrice @anethara @andithil @alivingsaint @christocentricqueer