#s3 fix it fics

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi Steph! I hope you're well! I just wanted to highlight a fic I stumbled upon tonight that's STUNNING so far! The author is super accomplished, but this seems to be their first Sherlock fic so it's not getting the attention it deserves. It's a post-HLV case fic (with Mary having fled and no baby as two caveats to that) with slowburn Johnlock. I'm not sure how many chapters it'll eventually be, but there are currently 4 posted (24k words).

/works/56001043/chapters/142225180: the first time, a second time around

I wish I could tag the author, but I'm not sure if they have a tumblr!

the first time, a second time around by JustStandingHere (M, 24,267+ w., 4/? Ch. || WiP || HLV Divergence, Case Fic, Slow Burn, Lucid Dreaming, Mind Ghosts, Drug Use) – While resting and recuperating, Sherlock lucid dreams. John ruminates. In the meantime, two unconnected men have died in eerily similar ways in completely separate parts of London. It's a welcome distraction.

=====

OOOO!! This one sounds SUPER interesting!! I'm not sure if the author has a Tumblr, but hopefully they get a boost because of your recommendation!!!

Everyone go give this one some love!!! It's currently being written!

[bebx]

there’s a reason I always trust fanfic writers to understand and do the characters justice more than I trust canon writers

[tearpxff]

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS

If you haven't watched s3, do NOT read this post

Hyun-ju... deserves so much better.

She is so kind, selfless, graceful, and strong. Right from the start.

She saw the exit right then and there... but she always resisted and found ways to help others.

I know we should've expected it. That a lot of things in s3 were bound to be upsetting. but.

I wish they could've acknowledged her and the others more.

Near the finale- maybe it could've been narration style- John Wick style- I don't know how. It's just- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Our Queens ❤��‍🩹

[ilovebabygirls]

currently writing a fic for our favourite lying babygirl : kang dae-ho!! it will be hurt with comfort, where he survives the hide-and-seek game.

i need it for my own sanity.

it will have two or three parts (i already wrote 5k words and they are still in the waiting room of the hide-and-seek game), and involve other characters (especially hyun-ju *wink wink*)

here is my latest squid game fic (dae-ho x female reader) if you want to get familiar with my writing (i am really proud of this fic)

[plistommy]

Just… Steve and Billy swimming inside Steve’s pool during the summer of ’85, kissing and laughing as they let the night fall around them. And soon, the stars are up in the sky as they lay on the ground with a soft towel under them, bodies close and warm while Steve explains the star sings to Billy with a sweet smile.

And Billy?

Billy has never been this in love.

[winters-rose-daughterofcain]

I've been trying to phrase things eloquently and I really can't so here you go. Part two really felt like it was trying have its cake and eat it as well in a lot of ways, and it really didn't work.

You give Cressida a whole redemption arc and friendship and put her in an impossible situation and humanise and make you sympathise with her, then want me to hate her again?

You show how Pen uses LW as a coping mechanism and how it's not good for her or those around her and not have her drop it?

You want LW revealed to the ton but no real consequences?

You double down on how Pens family treat her only to have them all come together and be forgiven at the end?

You sideline Colin in his own damn season and butcher Penelope so badly I almost wanted less of her as well?

You can't have everything. Not in such a short time span at least, and it really suffer from it. If you wanted to give Cressida more depth and expend on her role why was she tossed away like nothing at the end? Why did Eloise abandon her? Why was she treated as awful in part two after being put in an actual horror show of a situation? I know they needed the blackmail plot but you can't just give her depth, make her the antagonist and then drop her storyline in the drain that's not how that works. That's not complexity that's laziness, and laziness they created mind you.

They didn't have to write Cressida the way they did this season, if they wanted to make it easy they could have had her marry off screen between seasons to a rich man, they could have had Eloise befriending her be a mistake and had a different arc there, they could have had her LW claim be for any number of reasons, and her blackmail because she still has it out for Penelope. They added this to the story, and as much as I was sceptical at first (I have seen far too many botched bully redemptions) I was glad they did it aded a lot of depth and character interaction, it created some interesting parallels between Cressida and Penelope and seeing Eloise in a different, less intimate friendship with someone who, ironically, is a lot more open with her was interesting. Incomplete, but interesting. It was good, or it could have been. But you can't just turn like that and have it still work. You can't just have Eloise abandon her and have it treated as the right thing to do. You can't leave her with that ending and consider it a happy one. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You didn't create a complex antagonist, you created a scared lost girl who was cruel because she was taught to be and you left her to burn.

You could have had Penelope and Cressida talk to each other, could have explored the ways the mirror and the ways they differ. You could have had Penelope struggle, but untimely empathise with Cressida and help her out, she could have forgiven her for her years of torment because she of all people understands why she did it. You could have had her forgiveness mirror Colin and Eloise forgiving her for LW. You could have looked at how Cressida's openness helped her friendship with Eloise and how Penelope might start to incorporate it. About how by nature of Cressida's openness Eloise is learning to see other perspectives and listen more even if she still has work. You could have done so much with female friendship and camaraderie and empathy and you just... didn't.

The Lady Whistledown this season was just... I think I have a thesis which is most of my thoughts on Polin.

Whistledown was meant to be the subplot to the Polin storyline, not the other way around.

Putting aside my own wishes to have her end Whistledown for her character and for her and Colins relationship, and her love of Colin, her continuing it isn't unexpected I was afraid of this and thought it might happen even if it's lazy. If that was it and if it was handled better I think I could begrudgingly live with it. But it's not. Not only was it handled so so poorly it was the whole second part and for what? Part one was Polin. Part two was Lady Whistledown drama with some cute Polin moments sprinkled in-between with some mandatory angst. Tell me the resolution to Colins arc now. Quickly. You can't he didn't have one, we barley even saw him through Episode seven and eight. There is so much romance in your purpose being the person you love, IF and only IF, it's reciprocal. Penelope literally says in season two, when she has been Whistledown for over a bloody year that she hasn't found her purpose yet. They were meant to find each other. To both have their writing as their passion and creativity and fulfilment, not Whistledown, but her manuscripts, his stories from around the word their joint and secret words. But their centre, their purpose, their guiding light was always meant to be each other. It's what kept Penelope sitting at that window, it's what draw Colin to her at every ball. They had all the potential and set up to be the most beautiful, genuine, heartfelt relationship. But no.

Colin deserved to be angry. The woman he loves has lied, has hurt him, has his from him after all the times he was venerable with her and so, so much more. They deserved to argue. Penelope deserved to be more upset over this than crying in the moment and walking past him later. That's the man she loves, who she thinks hates her, who she know if he did hate her she would deserve it and she wouldn't blame him for a second. They deserved time and space and Colin deserved explanations and apologies. They deserved a later, happier wedding, they both deserved to have their feelings heard and said and listened too. Is that not the core of their relationship? Listening to and seeing each other? Would that not lay the groundwork for some really good well earned conflict and a really rewording resolution? The groundwork was all there that's what's killing me. The set up was all there for something so good which is why I was excited. I know screen time is limited, I know there is only so many emotional conversations you can have on screen, but Bridgerton primarily just people talking on conversations, when it's there bloody season surely they can space out the conversations that need to happen in a way that works with pacing. And to be honest, the screen time defence only works when the screen time that they did have was allocated well. And I'm not taking subplots. Even if I think a few could have been trimmed, the screen time Polin did get was just used so so badly. Colin got dust and that didn't even feel like Penelope had the time, just a mouth piece for the writers.

Rapid fire stuff because I need to expand on the above in more detail later lol.

The acting was flawless give everyone on that set their flowers.

I really like the Mondrich's and seem to be the only one who likes seeing them lol, their sweet and always a good time they just need a better storyline, or you know, one that actually has a resolution.

Not what I would have done for Benedict and I still want to see him look at art again but let's hope season 4 is better lol.

Don't like the way Penelope's family stuff was done, specifically Portia but it is what I thought would happen. Disappointed but not surprised. I'm biased tho so I won't speak on it too much. I lose too much objectivity.

Hate hate hate the baby thing tho, it was fine as a subplot with her sisters but her having the boy was predictable and also dear god the girls nineteen for fucks sake. No. Hated that.

Francesca the absolute love of my life. I adore her and John, I liked the conflicted with Violet, loved everything about her storyline this season she was perfect, my favourite part honestly lol. Also Michaela Stirling get behind me NOW. Sapphic Bridgerton fans truly are the bravest soldiers cause istg. Also I don't trust this fandom with any actor or actresses period but especially not a Black actress who's "ruining" your favourite storyline. So I will be greatly enjoying everything I see of all three of them Francesca John and Michaela, while watching with a sharp eye for any bullshit.

Kate, also the love of my life it was so lovely to have her back even if just for a bit. Wish they did more with Anthony especially him and Colin tho, but again, wasn't expecting much more. I do wish they would write them out with a bit more subtly tho it's getting almost funny how obvious it is.

The Violet, Marcus, Lady Danbury plot I didn't actually mind. Could have been trimmed a bit but it was good seeing the adults in more depth, I haven't watched queen Charlotte tho so I kinda feel like I missed some things.

Overall, I liked certain parts of this season I really did, especially if I fully ignore the context, and I'm happy for everyone who enjoyed it truly, but it was have an entirely different ending in my head. I'll definitely write about at some point but who knows if anyone wants to see that lol.

[pastafossa]

hello!! this is a super random question and you don’t have to answer but how do you keep such a good track of the daredevil show timeline?? all of your fics are so coherent and seem to follow it amazingly well so i’m just wondering if you have any tips for that like it’s so noticeable how well you know the show when i reread trt and i really admire that :p

THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO READ CAUSE THE DD TIMELINE IS INSANE, SO THANK YOU. I've spent more than one night tearing my hair out over it and that appears to have paid off! 😂

So I have two things I did in order to really track the Daredevil timeline.

1. In order to reference larger Marvel events along with other Defenders events, I use this timeline by gamesradar which has both the movies and the Defenders shows on a year by year timeline. This gave me a rough idea of gaps between seasons along with when other characters might pop up.

But more importantly,

2. I created my own Daredevil timeline that goes episode by episode. I did this by going through a series rewatch focused specifically on the timeline itself. Every time day shifted into night, I noted it. Matt waking up? That's a new day. Indicator via dialogue that it's been 2 days? Add that gap. Season reference like Ben mentioning in late S1 that it's getting colder (thus a sign that S1 takes place from at least early summer to fall)? That's written down. With this I could roughly track not only how much time passes in each episode, but I also was able to have a general idea of how long the individual seasons last. Doing this allowed me to weave my own plotline in and out of canon and construct a concurrent TRT events timeline in a way that feels like it fits! I even added some sections on Matt's injuries so I could track not just when he's hurt but his heal times. This is in addition to a quicknotes sort of guide I made for each episode so I could quickly double check my references without necessarily having to boot up Dis+. Obviously some canon gets changed in TRT but when I do change things, I make sure the goal of those canon scenes are still met, whether that's clues or foreshadowing.

Now granted, some parts of the canon timeline I quickly discovered are batshit. S2 is supposed to take place in the course of about 2 weeks, for example, which is WAY too fast for that big of a trial, and Matt's healing period in S3 is hilariously short. Those are moments I chose to take a crowbar to and stretch out a bit (in TRT, jury selection for Frank's trial, for example, no longer takes 2 days; now it takes a week, and the trial itself will be a bit longer than in canon), but because I had my timeline of events, I knew there was a long gap after Elektra's death (summer, roughly) and the little bit at the end of S2 where he goes to meet Karen with his mask (I think it's early winter, if I remember my timeline correctly). So that's kinda how I know where I can fiddle with the timeline while still ensuring it all flows coherently and doesn't ram into anything!

[ohwatson]

i've signed up for fandom trumps hate 2025 yay!

i decided to take the leap and truly get back into fic writing this year, and after some deliberation and reading, i've decided that fandom trumps hate is a perfect way to do that and it's for a wonderful cause. i enjoy writing from a good prompt and am offering a story between 10 and 20k words for sherlock holmes/john watson or mycroft holmes/greg lestrade (bbc sherlock fandom, ofc!)

[onanightofwintryfog]

More Squid Game s3 thoughts

After thinking about season 3 some more there are so many endings and changes that would have elevated the season above the mediocracy it was.

give Junho a reason to be in the series in the first place. He was quiet a good police officer in the first season (at least he found Gihun and the island on his own, he was resourceful, he was deducing, he was sneaking around the island all by himself and survived) I refuse to believe he is that stupid to not suspect captain Park after Woo-seok tells him about his doubts. At least let Junho be more suspicious, and interrogate the Captain.

He was searching for 3 years and didn't think for a second that the person who saved him lead him around the sea in circles? No other boat was there, so just a happy coincidence that captain Park was there? I guess I can believe that he didn't suspect him at first, but even after what Woo-seok told him? I'm sorry, Junho's stupidity is just a plot hole or plot device. It makes no sense for his character to act this way.

Give Gihun some lines goddammit. He barely talked.

"Sit down, this could take a while." - that was just about a minute?? what was that line. Why was it there when they didn't have a confrontation? Gihun didn't find out who Inho really was. His one enemy he wanted to find for 3 years and he just leaves? I know I'm repeating myself. But a 5 minute dialogue scene was much needed between them. I can't believe they thought that would satify anyone after that build up?

Build ups and hype and fan expectations are hard, I get it, but that was just so pointless.

Gihun just accepting the games and the system now or what? He didn't even he try to argue? Why didn't he try to convince Inho to join him and they both take the island down? Inho very clearly wanted for Gihun and the baby to survive so that thought doesn't seem to far off? Gihun didn't have any fight left in him - and I get it that after what happend with the rebellion and later Daeho - but we see a slight change when he tries to protect Jun-hee and her baby. That should've been the point where his fighting spirit should've returned. He didn't chase the frontman and the games for 3 years to just accept to let an innocent child be a player in a game where they have no remorse killing a newborn.

The whole ending seemed so rushed. Gihun got a knife and didn't kill the players - to show what? That he isn't like Inho? But he killed Daeho? So why couldn't he kill player 100? So murdering one person is fine but more than that not? Just because he saw Sae-byeok? And if he saw Sangwoo? What would he have done then? Why was there just Sae-byeok for him to imagine? Why didn't we see more of his conflictiong emotions after killing Daeho? Why was there no callback to Sangwoo and what he did in their first game? He did it to survive, just like Gihun, so where was his character arc accepting this and accepting that Sangwoo did what he thought was best and so did he? Why was all his conflict internal and all we saw was LJJ looking distressed?

Gihun dies in the stupidest way possible. I get that he was depressed and beaten and hopeless and suicidal - but that could've changed with the frontman confrontation. Gihun realising they are going to die anyway and this is the only way to protect the baby and working together with Inho. Basically a Gihun corruption arc with excuse doing it for the child - which could've been so interesting. I don't understand how anyone thought that finale was a good ending to squid game?

I get that for Gihun sacrificing himself for the child seemed maybe like a good excuse to commit suicide for "a reason" but damn. It stills feels so stupid. I get that his search and goal to end the games was always doomed to fail - but I don't ask for a more hopeful ending. I'm asking not have the characters have a total character assassination between seasons.

There was so little interesting dialogue.

I know that HDH was fed up with squid game but still. They filmed s2 and s3 back to back. And the difference between those seasons is so extreme. S2 had great set pieces, so much tension and especially Gihun and Inho playing off of each other. And then s3 is just there to eliminate all the other players until we have a group of men arguing atop a pillar. Is that suppose to be a commentary on society? If so, it's not a very good one. The satire and bleakness from the first season was written so well. I refuse to believe it was the same guy writing s3.

Most of the character deaths are stupid. I think the only one that I really liked was Hyun-ju's because it was consistend with her character. She protected geum-ga and jun-hee since the beginning, she wanted to get them out there alive. So of course she would go back for them even if she could've saved herself. It was sad, it fit.

If the characters didn't get so much choice for the games (choosing the order in which to cross the bridge, choosing who to eliminate in the last game - just a time limit every time) it would be much quicker and wouldn't have led to so much pointless and boring arguing. Really those scenes draged on and on and I wasn't interested at all bc you knew what would happen - so why show all the arguing at all?

Inho could've raised the baby - in place of the one he lost and never met. But he brings it to Junho and fucks off to America? What? We never learned more about him. I really really really don't want a spinoff show (I would have to watch that bc of LBH, pls lbh don't do this to me, Iris was bad enough)

Gihun raising Jun-hee's baby would make much more sense than him jumping to his death in the hope that some of the so very nice people left on the island take care of it? I mean???? Sorry Gihun, I know they removed your brain for s3 but what? If we had gotten a scene between him and Inho in which Inho promises to take care of the baby if Gihun fails and dies I could understand it, kind of. But this? The VIPs wanted to kill the baby before Inho made it a player. I'm sorry. Why did everyone suddenly turn stupid?

I didn't expect for anyone to survive. I expected that not everyone got closure. Still!! They wrote the beginnings of those scenes (Frontman confrontation, Hwang brothers meeting) and didn't follow through. All their deaths felt cheap. And not in a "that's just how the system is"-way but in a "we forgotten how to write an interesting story"-way - maybe that was HDH revenge on netflix because they made him write two more seasons. Actually that is the only explanation that makes sense to me why s3 is the way it is - and the only one I accept. There was just plain bad writing and plot holes in it.

Also that cgi baby and dog were atrocious.

[crying-pan420]

Love Alice and Sam and the grumpy angry people they have crushes on

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Happy Wednesday! It's been 5 years since I've updated this, so if you have any new fics, please add them below!! :D

hello steph! first of all i'd like to say that i love your blog and from it seems like youre an incredibly nice person 💛 i would like to ask if there are any pining sherlock in tsot fics you would like to recommend? thank you!

Hi Nonny!

Aww, you’re too kind!! Thank you!

I’ve actually a MASSIVE Pining Sherlock Fic list here (Mobile Friendly Link, tap here) with over 100 fics on it, and I’ve actually a second list I’m putting together offline because I know people are inevitably going to ask for more! But this is pretty specific, so here’s what I have that are semi-related to TSo3 in some way, plus a few on my MFL list I added recently :P 

If anyone has any others they wish to add, please feel free to! Enjoy!

EDIT: I noticed while going through my pining Sherlock list I missed quite a few fics, so check out that master link, and scroll down to “John’s Getting Married” for some other fics I missed!!

TSo3-RELATED FICS

Something Old, Something New by Aztecwarfareandcrumping (K, 778 w. || H/C, Angst, Pining) – Sherlock and John share a quiet moment before John’s wedding.

Velvet by headlessjess (G, 1,155 w. || TSo3-Fic, Pining, Angst, Jealous Sherlock, Loneliness, Sad Fic) – It’s the day, the wedding day - John and Mary, getting married. And then there’s Sherlock, in pain and in love, without knowing how to deal with it.

L'Esprit D'Escalier by TheSoulOfAStrawberry (K, 2,011 w. || Ace Sherlock, Romance, H/C, Pining) – A lack of understanding leads to a misunderstanding, which in turn leads to two confused men dealing with something they should have sorted out earlier, rather than on John’s wedding day.

Unspoken by PipMer (T, 2,770 w. || Drugged John, Mutual Pining, John’s Missing Wednesday, Fluff & Angst, Canon Compliant, Gap Filler) – Sherlock wanted to test a hypothesis. About John. He wanted a question answered that he couldn’t just ask, at least not under normal conditions, because John would never tell him the truth about that.

Behind Closed Curtains by twisting_vine_x (G, 2,939 w. || Dancing, Angst, Pre-Slash) – Set loosely during season two, when Sherlock and John are still, ahem, dancing around each other. Sherlock teaches John how to dance.

John’s Missing Wednesday by PipMer (K+, 2,999 w. || Pre-Slash, Pre-TSo3, Non-Con Drugged John, Friendship, Experiment) –  “Now John I’d poison. … Sloppy eater – dead easy. I’ve given him chemicals and compounds that way, he’s never even noticed. He missed a whole Wednesday once, didn’t have a clue.” – The Sign of Three. This is the story of that missing Wednesday.

Out of Time by westernredcedar (T, 3,163 w. || Wedding, Angst, Pining John, Sad Ending) – Somerset is a lovely place for a wedding, but what John hadn’t accounted for was the getting everyone there.

Nineteen Seconds of Falling by EmmyAngua (T, 3,739 w. || Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Falling in Love) – Sherlock spends exactly nineteen seconds zoned out after John asks him to be best man. He retreats to his mind palace in the desperate hope of figuring out what he wants, unfortunately for him his mind palace is full of people who keep trying to give him advice.

The Dance Lesson by bittergreens (G, 4,596 w. || TSo3 Missing Scene, Dancing, Pining Sherlock, URT/UST, Romance, Angst, POV John) – Sherlock teaches John to dip. Part 1 of Goodnight, Vienna

I think You Need A Doctor by TheGoodDirector (M, 5,254 w. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Sherlock Whump, Mistaken Couple, Humour, Platonics, Mary is Nice) – John’s not been to Baker Street in four months and returns to find a bleeding Consulting Detective. John can’t help but take care and put up with him. Set after The Sign of Three/Before His Last Vow.

The Light of Day by allonsys_girl (M, 7,297 w. || First Kiss, Angst, TSo3-Fix-It, Possessive Sherlock, ) – Rewrite of the end of Sign of Three. John actually notices Sherlock leaving the reception early, and chases after him. Angsty Johnlock. Happy ending, for sure. Part 1 of The Light of Day

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w. || Pining, Love Confessions, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock POV, Eventual Happy Ending) – “For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face.” Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

MARKED FOR LATER

I haven’t read these yet so read at your own discretion.

About What Happened Yesterday… by Ewebie (M, 1,439 w. || Missing Scene, John’s Missing Wednesday, Sherlock is a Bit Not Good, Drugged John) – I think I’ve always wanted to know what exactly happened to that Missing Wednesday… You? Part 22 of Tumblr Shorts

I Want to tell you but i don’t know how by Lightofonesoul (G, 2,028 w. || Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, TSo3 Fic, Angst, Sherlock’s Violin) – Have you ever wondered, what’s happening at the 3X02 after John asked at Sherlock to be his Best man? What did they say then? “Can a soul be crushed? It’s very illogical but that is what it feels like to him. Sherlock feels like a violin, tensed and tight, scratched by an invisible bow, but without any sound. ”

The Eleventh Hour by EchoSilverWolf (T, 2,968 w. || Stag Night, Drinking, TSo3, Idiots in Love, Fluff, First Kiss, POV John) – Stag Night fix-it starting from the scene on the stairs. No case interruption. “Even in the eleventh hour, it’s not too late…”

If He Knows by shamelessmash (M, 4,513 w. || TSo3, Pining Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Texting, Internal Monologue, Pillow Forts, Bed Sharing) – I imagine mornings: John handing me a cup of tea, hair sticking out at odd angles. How he would bend down to kiss me, smiling fondly as he pulls away. The way his skin crinkles at the corner of his eyes, the way his skin looks in the morning light. The soft sigh as he sits in his chair with the morning paper, the way his toes curl in the carpet, the way he rolls his shoulders before sinking deeper into his seat. I watch him, how he is when he is content, as it should be. As he deserves. Happy. With me.

You Are The Reason by ICanDoThisAllDayy (G, 9,432 w. || Post-TSo3, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Letters, Bisexual John, Song Fic, Heavy Angst) – When Sherlock leaves the envelope for John and Mary at their wedding, he forgets to take out another piece of paper from it - the paper on which he poured his heart out while preparing the Best Man’s Speech at 221B Baker Street. He intended to burn the piece right after he finished writing, but he was too exhausted from the emotions and accidentally slipped it amongst his composition for the Waltz. As things work out, somebody reads his letter. That somebody is John Watson. Part 2 of Songs-inspired fic(let)s

[slytherheign]

let’s talk about the umbrella academy’s final season. HERE’S MY UNBIASED RATING AND NO SPOILER REVIEW FOR SEASON 4:

0/5.

i am serious about this. they ruined the characters we used to love. what i hoped would be the show’s redemption after a disappointing 3rd season turned out to be its ruin. kinda sad that the finale ended up like this. the last moments should’ve made me tear up or at least made me nostalgic, but no, i simply did not feel anything and was void of any emotions because of how they butchered the show. eps 1-4 were fun to watch but even then i can’t give it at least a 0.5 because of how they ended everything and made our favorite characters do things that they would never do. honestly, the last few episodes seemed like it was written by a 6th grader. i’d even go as far as saying that fanfic writers can do a better job at writing for this show. NOT WORTH WATCHING AT ALL. if you don’t want to hate this show, i suggest don’t even watch this season at all. just imagine what happens next in your head, trust me, it’s way better than what they have done. what hurt me the most was that they made me HATE the character that i LOVED so much for years. that was the final straw for me. i am not just disappointed, i am absolutely appalled.

they ruined everything. the story they built for 5 years resulted in an absolute garbage.

what an absolute shitshow.

i will pretend that the umbrella academy only had two seasons. only in that way could i even salvage even just a little love i had for these characters.

[rabbit-heart4]

currently researching how bread was packaged in the 1930s. the lengths i will go to for my boys.

[lilolilyr]

Avorah S3 Finale Fix-it, 1k words, rated G

[batsplat]

Hello Bat!! I love love love reading your thoughts on things, from motogp to terrible 2000s tv shows. You mentionned great Smallville Lex/Clark fic in a recent post, and I was wondering: could you please share? I literally just finished rereading the Astolat's and still hunger for more.

yeah sure!! I'm kinda coasting off my ao3 history here (apparently I spent the entirety of 30/10/22 Having A Moment) so it's like,, a very imperfect list

okay, I'm gonna start with a bunch of seperis fics but I'd genuinely check out... all their stuff. it's just a fun read of the characters!! also there's so much of it and it's a good time to work your way through

A Handful Of Dust 47k words

At the end of the world, Lex can't stop running.

quite a dark and sad fic but I think about it a lot and it really works for me. it's basically a post-apocalyptic fic where the apocalypse is caused by clark being pushed over the edge and succumbing to his god complex. he's hunting down his former friends and allies, including lex. I think this kind of premise can easily be like... edgelord central 'ooh what if the hero were actually the villain', but this one feels true to the characters and their relationship + is very engaging

Advanced Masochism 8.6k words

In which Lex is curious as to why he's become a proxy stalker.

a small series that consists of lex trying to make the whole clark/lana situation work while doing his best to suppress his attraction to clark. lex's internal monologue in this is fun and punchy - though a lot of it is about his age gap to clark, which never like... feels THAT extreme in the show because tom welling *gestures*. but if that element makes you uncomfortable, I'd give this one a skip!

My Usual Lie 4.1k words

He wants to be so much more than that.

ice skating!! kinda melancholic but also idk a little sweet. it's clark spending time with lex after he's already grown up and they've already grown apart and clark misses the way it used to be between the two of them... again also ABOUT the age gap. lex is such a fun kinda slippery presence here, funny and kind but also a little detached

Frantic 9.1k words

In which Clark does not get dinner. And then everything goes downhill.

oh yeah I really enjoy re-reading this one. clark finally is forced to reveal his powers to lex at an inopportune moment, when evil goo is attempting to kill them both. no angst, just bickering

Resident Alien 2.7k words

It's tax season in the Luthor household.

just short and sweet and fun! established relationship, does what it says on the tin, lex is very into taxes. he's also very into clark

Closer to Breathing 8.6k words

Christmas parties at Luthor Manor. Boys sharing thoughts with brandy. And other things.

really lovely read, tender and fun and just kinda... nails a version of lex who is so very good at what he does, who might be loathed but can charm the small town people anyway, and a clark who stands at crossroads between being part of the small town and not liking the feeling of seeing lex play people like HIM (but not him). gets into a lot of the inherent tensions of that relationship!! love lex the outsider

Vix Te Agnovi 36.8k words

Clark gets a late-night call and interesting things happen.

again, age gap-centric warning!! lex asks clark to pick him up from a sex party. very much about the tension between the worldly metropolitan lex and the country boy hick clark, and both of them kinda entering into each other's worlds... lex reckoning how he's changed, clark curious and awkward and frustrated at being treated like a child (which. he very much is)

A Life More Ordinary 4.1k words

It wasn't sudden, and Lex didn't know it was happening until it had. And then he did.

aggressively not ABOUT superman, it's just about lex and clark. about lex and clark being flatmates. soft and gentle and intimate

Two Paths 21.8k words

Everything decided in one breath.

man I WISH there were more of the series. the basic premise is the whole smallville lie falls apart and lex is trusted to like... get clark out of there and hide him. so basically clark becomes his ward!! they live together!! lex needs to be an Adult who Takes Care of clark, but again. conflicted. this is just fun like it's such a funky dynamic that feels like an absolute perfect nightmare for lex specifically

and fics by other authors:

The Olive Branch by tasabian, 3.9k words

It's the holidays...which means Lex Luthor is keeping Superman very busy. But what is Lex's hidden agenda?

lex does crimes to get clark's attention. they're cute idc

When a Strawberry Is Pushed into a Mountain by Thamiris, 33.1k words

Away at college, Clark learns to read between the lines and finds his future there.

college!clark!! a few misunderstandings and tricky emotions that serve as a backdrop for the care clark and lex show for each other... I quite like it when fic doesn't like,, cut out their terrible parents

The Butterfly Effect by The Spike, 11.6k words

Lex can't let this Cassandra thing go.

remember that old prophecy lady from s1? well, what if lex injected himself with something that gave himself the power to see the future too, and was horrified and traumatised by what he saw? feat. clark taking care of him and papa kent playing the role of the homophobic dog

Going Home by mskatej, 5.5k words

Lex has amnesia.

amnesia future fic! clark comes to the rescue a little too late and takes care of lex. warning: the amnesia creates some issues of consent

where the colors are by museaway, 10.3k words

After Clark rescues Lex from Belle Reve, they flee to Canada to start a new life. Although his age and the need for discretion limit his options, Clark does his best to support them. But despite Clark's loyalty, Lex continues to have nightmares of his time in the asylum and worries that one day, Clark will leave him—or that the rescue was entirely in his head.

this scratches a very straightforward itch: the one where clark successfully saves lex in season three and chooses him. kinda nice and comforting even in its melancholy of not being able to return home again... y'know, sometimes you want something exactly like this

light the torch and pass it on by ang3lba3, 19.8k words

Clark starts behaving erratically, and it's up to Lois and Lex to figure out how to fix him. Thankfully, the paper cuts off there. Clark is faint, sweating. He thinks he’s hard. He checks. Yes. Yes, he is. He flips the paper over. In a deep purple ink, almost black, is an unsigned note. I think we can come to a mutually satisfactory conclusion on this matter. “Oh my god,” Clark whispers, thrilled. “He’s blackmailing me.”

lex/clark/lois. clark is having like... a weird alien hormone situation and it means he's weird towards both lex and lois. lex knows clark is superman but they're still very much enemies here, so this is the push that gets them to change their relationship. this one's just fun! sweet, good banter between lex/lois, it's obvious beneath it all how much they care for clark and clark does for them

The Milk and Cookies War by Punk, 6.2k words

Lex Luthor's Penthouse for Wayward Boys.

college!clark shows up at lex's place and makes himself at home. my favourite scene in this one is a brief interlude where lex is bitchy to his father

m2m by rivkat, 2k words

For thefourthvine, prompt: Craigslist. Clark gets curious about all those superhero kink offers.

what it says on the tin. I think you can probably guess who's demanding a superman lookalike. this fic made me laugh

Risk Management by tasabian, 7.3k words

A bad day for Metropolis reunites Clark and Lex.

future fic where lex almost dying sparks the reconciliation. ... I'd also just rec checking out all their fics tbh

The Grope of Destiny by suzvoy, 19.7k words

Clark had no idea how he was going to explain *this* one.

clark and lex are physically stuck together, and it's what prompts the reveal. always satisfying!!

Candy Cane Hearts by tasabian, 4.6k words

A new brand of candy makes Clark unusually mellow; Lex finds it all very confusing. Written for the Under Mistletoe challenge.

another christmas-y fic, another fic where clark acts weird! basically whenever you remove clark's inhibitions, he whisks lex off. just sweet and charming

No Choice by mskatej, 4.3k words

Clark is in heat.

okay. listen. you need to un-repress them, right. again, this is taking license of some weird alien biology. lex's blend of caring about clark so much and also needing him and also feeling weird about it and also being very into the whole alien thing but also kinda freaked by it... the classic dynamic

The Hinge Moment by tasabian, 14.8k words

Superman has a bad day; Lex just happens to be there.

clark kidnaps lex! but like, in a nice way. a lot of these fics don't REALLY engage with canon all that closely, but this is a future fic that definitely does. gives them the chance to actually have some conversations, y'know. some days I don't actually want them to forgive each other easily, but sometimes it's nice to scratch the itch of having slightly older and more mature versions of them figuring out their issues. really well written

I might add some more at some point but I only had the energy to go through a few right now lol and well I imagine you'd rather like them now than in like. three months. also psa: pLEASE feel free to send in smallville fic recs to this account, I'm always happy to receive them

[shrinkthisviolet]

6, 13, and 21 from this ask game, pls? sending grand ~~ vibes ~~ and creative energy your way. 🍀🍀🍀 - ✨️ (@enchanted-lightning-aes)

6: do you have any kind of consistent writing schedule or just hoping for the best?

Definitely the latter lol I have tried, but it just doesn't stick. Mostly because even when I do set aside time...I'll sit down and just. Not be able to. So I've kinda settled on going with the flow.

13: talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

Answered here, but also...my OC AUs in general tbh. I am so very pleasantly surprised by not only the love they got when they were first posted, not only the love they're getting now, but also how that love keeps growing 🥰 it's so heartwarming. The Lucy AU is far from niche ofc (Skywalker triplet AUs are a dime a dozen, which is why I try to distinguish mine), but the Morgan AU is certainly pretty niche. So seeing how much love that's been getting and how the fervor keeps growing is so heartening!

21: pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about

Answered here! I would also, if it were possible to talk to someone who's dead, want to get tips from Agatha Christie, whose mysteries I so, so deeply admire. Or Suzanne Collins (who is ofc still alive 😅), who can worldbuild so expertly.

fic writer ask game!