#so i only leave kudos on fics i really like

[hlficlibrary]

✤ Camboy Fics ✤

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

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ with nothing but your t-shirt on by pinkgelpen {E, 34k}

Louis knows that I’ve seen you fuck yourself with a vibrator should not be the first thing that comes to mind when he meets Harry Styles.

(Harry is a camboy and Louis has been an avid subscriber for a while before he finds out they attend the same university)

2️⃣ don’t even need to touch me, baby, just breathe on me. by ballsdeepinjesus {E, 7k}

About three things Harry Styles is absolutely positive. First, he definitely did not read all four Twilight books. Second, there is a part of him – and he knows exactly how potent that part of him is – that wants to test the science behind sucking Professor Tomlinson’s brain out through his dick. And third, Harry is unconditionally and irrevocably in lust with his Professor.So yes, Harry Styles is a cliché. He’s seen this plotline unfold in porn all the time. He’s not sure if leaning over his desk and offering up his arse for a spanking will yield the same results, however.

[louis is harry’s professor. harry is a cliche.]

3️⃣ you've got my head spinning, no kidding by hilourry {E, 3k}

Louis is the new intern. Harry wants to fuck him.

4️⃣ Until I Found You by dimpled_halo / @comebackassholes {E, E, 45k}

Harry Styles is the popstar of the century, or so the media proclaims. He’s linked to every omega he’s seen with, donned as an alpha lothario who isn’t ready to settle down any time soon. His team works hard to publicise him as an alpha who can’t keep his knot in his pants, but not everything is as it seems.

Louis Tomlinson, an aspiring musician working as a porn star and camboy, is waiting for his big break. When he meets Harry Styles he can’t stand the alpha that only uses his power and fame to bed as many omegas as possible. He runs into him at a party and hopes to never see him again only to find that Harry’s assistant is dating Louis’ best friend. To make matters worse, Harry’s about to embark on a world tour and is in need of a guitarist at the last minute, an opportunity Zayn uses to put in a good word for Louis.

What happens when the opportunity that Louis has been waiting for finally comes, but at the price of having to share the stage with one Harry Styles?

5️⃣ Could Be Kissing my Fruit Punch Lips by thecheshirepussycat / @the-cheshire-pussy-cat {E, 4k}

Harry happens upon a porn site that specializes in live videos and sort of falls in love with the cute boy he only knows as Kitty.

And then he gets the surprise of his life when he finds out Kitty attends his university...

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 need your grace by @juliusschmidt {M, 30k}

“I can’t wait to kiss you,” he says, softly. “With, like, tongue.”

Louis closes his eyes. This afternoon on the train in, he would never have guessed that at the end of the night he’d have Harry Styles- the Harry Styles- beside him, begging to be kissed. With tongue. Jesus Christ.

💎 Camboy on Lockdown (series) by @reminiscingintherain {E, 12k}

While Louis was working on the final draft of his thesis for his Master's, the world went into lockdown around him without him realising. Now he's trapped in student accommodation, and needs a way to earn some money...

💎 Pretty Please by Kikiberoski16 / @larrysballetslippers {E, 9k}

Before a tear rolls down his cheek, his alarm goes off. He takes a look at his phone and his smile brightens. It’s finally Saturday, eight p.m, he waited a month for this. Louis almost trips over one of his boxes as he searches for his laptop. He runs to his bed, which is really just a mattress on the floor at this point, grabbing a towel on the way. Louis places the towel on the mattress and arranges himself on the bed with his laptop propped up on a moving box. Starting up, loading and logging in feels like it takes ages, his fingers are shaking so much from the anticipation that he even types the wrong password at one point.

When he’s finally on the right website and has snatched some tissues, Louis waits for the count down. ‘Five, four, three, two, one, play’. Louis reads the familiar screen.

“Hey daddy.”

or the one where Louis moves into his new apartment, not knowing that his favourite camboy is his new neighbour.

💎 camboy au (series) by localopa / @voulezloux {M, 4k}

the adventures of omega camboy louis and his alpha friend harry

💎 A XXX-Mas Miracle by @fallinglikethis {E, 2k}

Harry's favorite camboy is doing something special for Christmas. He can't exactly miss it, can he? Absolutely not.

[elleldoe]

I don't mind at all! I love a good discussion and you made some really good points 💛​

Absolutely, a fic doesn't have to meet all those criteria to be enjoyable, obviously nuance is important here, everyone has preferences, but imo the beauty of fanfiction lies in the creative freedom that comes with it, compared to, for example, traditional publishing that has to follow strict rules. I can't for the life of me remember what the fic was called or who the author was, but I remember reading a oneshot years ago that was part of a writing challenge that didn't allow spell-check or rewriting, so it was riddled with typos, etc. Now, was it good by traditional standards? No. Was it a brilliant piece of art that made my day? Yes!

Tags and summary are the two main factors in my decision-making process. Usually the tags leave me with only a handful of works anyway, or I don't even get as far as narrowing it down because there's only a handful to begin with. Here it might be worth noting that both the things I write, and the things I actively seek out to read, are niche (fandom and/or themes). I have reread my own work countless times simply because I filtered and lo and behold I'm in the only one in the tags (or close to). The other thing would be recommendations, as you've mentioned, people with similar tastes actively recommending works, or passive recommendations by means of bookmarks, reading other works by the same writer, etc.

I definitely see your point on how additionally filtering by kudos/bookmarks/etc., helps when there are lots of works to chose from, tho.

Overall, the idea that things need to be popular to be good, or, on the flipside, that things have to be a certain level of good simply because they reach a certain level of popularity, isn't new, but I feel like there has been an increase in that mentality in fandom spaces over the last years.

This might be a controversial take, but as much as I love Ao3 and consider it superior to other fanfiction sites out there, there is one thing that FFnet did better. Public vs. private stats. I love how the hit count isn't public, only comments, favs, and follows are. And, I love kudos on Ao3, but imo they shouldn't be public either.

[jerreeeeeee]

its mind boggling to me that people actually look at and judge fic by the hits/kudos ratio. i cannot imagine looking at tags and a summary that interest me and then skipping it because it doesnt have enough kudos. what a privileged (JOKING) way to find fic. i feel like if i want to read anything at all i can’t afford to be that picky and its not even like this is a small fandom

[elvisqueso]

Pocahontas/John Smith Fic Rec List

In light of my recent inability to be chill at all about this ship or the movie, I've put together a fic rec list for the perusal of anyone wanting to dip in the waters with me.

I generally kept to one fic per author, but quite a few of these writers have some impressive catalogues of fic; and although I picked one personal fave per author for this list, there are a TON of excellent picks on these authors' pages, so please, please check them out!

[ big thanks to @revangerang for being the lead witness to me absolutely losing it for the past, like, 2 weeks. ]

One Shots:

The Royal Progress by babyb26 [ ff.net | Ao3 ]

When Pocahontas tries to escape the love triangle between her head and her heart by traveling with the king and queen on their royal progress. What could go wrong? What happens when a mysterious stranger claims her as his Queen of Love and Beauty? Can one dance alter a seemingly unhappy future? A wee bit supernatural. Dedicated to SunRise19 and HC247 Rating T-M

Tags: Romance/Supernatural, Solstice/Midsummer, Ritual Sex, Tarot, Love Confessions, Court of King James I Rating: M Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 12,871 Published/Updated: 12/25/2019

Notes: I love me some supernatural elements, and this one-shot is a nice change of pace for this ship, since it focuses on bringing in old spiritual practices of the Isles. This author has a much broader catalogue of fic, so be sure to check out their page!

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When Hearts Meet by WishingDreamer5 [ ff.net ]

The moment he locked eyes with her, John Smith was utterly lost.

Tags: Romance Rating: T Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 324 Published/Updated: 8/11/2015

Notes: Just a short, sweet little one-shot. <3

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Deleted Scene by fokkusu94 [ ff.net ]

You know how John Smith never tells Pocahontas that he loves her in the movie? Well, for whatever reason, the writers left it out. This is that scene.

Tags: Romance Rating: K+ Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,473 Published/Updated: 1/24/2014

Notes: What is says on the tin; fluffy and sweet!

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Light My Candle by HC247 [ ff.net ]

Pocahontas and John run into a bit of trouble on their wedding night. Fun, fluffy, romance. For Sunrise.

Tags: Romance/Humor Rating: T Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 936 Published/Updated: 12/27/2009

Notes: HC247 is another author with a massive selection of fic to choose from, so it was hard to single one out. This was probably the first one of theirs I read, and it's still a favorite I like to revisit.

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Sweet Sorrow by guardyanangel [ ff.net ]

"What pain? I've had worse pain than this." It was somewhat truthful. What was worse than the pain from his physical injury was the emotional agony he felt knowing he'd have to leave her. Nonetheless… "I just can't think of any right now." JS/P Oneshot

Tags: Romance/Angst Rating: K+ Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1,503 Published/Updated: 10/8/2010

Notes: Hope you like pain. I do. ಥ_ಥ

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Dream Giver by EnInkahootz [ Ao3 ]

After the events of Pocahontas, John Smith and Pocahontas reunite in a dream.

Tags: Romance, Ficlet, Dreams Rating: T Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 665 Published/Updated: 3/3/2020

Notes: Another bit of wistful fluff <3

Completed Chapter Fics:

The Path to You by Cherriepixie27 [ff.net | Ao3]

This is a fix-it fic in which Pocahontas and John Smith end up together. Ignoring the end of Journey to a New World because I will go down with this ship. Lots of angst and eventual smut, hence the M rating!

Tags: Romance/Angst Rating: E Chapters: 2/2 Word Count: 6,931 Published/Updated: 7/20/2021-9/9/2022

Notes: I love the characterization in this fic. It's got a great balance of angst and yearning and romance. Just two people, finally finding each other again.

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Shadows Cast by doodlegirll [ ff.net | Ao3 ]

What if, at the Hunt Ball, instead of a bear baiting, there was a prisoner? ..:Dedicated to my friend Kayla:..

Tags: Romance/Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Whipping [John Smith Whump], Angst with a Happy Ending, Racism/Racist Language, etc. Rating: T Chapters: 13/13 Word Count: 39,103 Published/Updated: 7/10/2013-1/12/2023

Notes: doodlegirll is another one with a collection of fic. She goes back quite a ways, and she's experimented with a lot of different styles over the years! This re-vamp of the non-canon sequel is more recent and action-focused. I have an affinity for it in particular bc I love me some whump ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Battlefield by SunRise19 [ ff.net ]

After Pocahontas II. It is often said you can't have life both ways, no matter how you wish it so. No one expects a battle of inner desires and words to be started during a ball. When the lines are drawn, can one foolish act be enough to make peace? PLZ RR! For HC247…COMPLETE

Tags: Romance/Drama Rating: T Chapters: 3/3 Word Count: 11,000 Published/Updated: 10/1/2018-1/1/2019

Notes: fCUk the writing in this one is so good! I'm a little [a lot] obsessed with the way John is written in particular. And SunRise has a TON more fic; there's a little something for everyone on their page, so be sure to check it out!

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Painting with the wind by Psyche Blue [ ff.net ]

A series of one shots following the second film, exploring the lives of John Smith and Pocahontas. Like the film, it is loosely based on historical events.

Tags: Romance/Angst Rating: T Chapters: 42/42 Word Count: 20,379 Published/Updated: 2/14/2013-3/3/2013

Notes: *deep breath* aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA *deep breath* When they say angst they Mean It, but it's WORTH it. The story is intense and so beautifully written, I can't recommend this one enough (although, if you need a happy ending for P/JS...you can always stop a chapter short of the end and Pretend :'D)

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Meeting His Match by RhapsodyinB [ ff.net ]

John enjoys being a carefree bachelor until someone causes him to rethink his lifestyle. His version of the classic.

Tags: Romance Rating: T Chapters: 2/2 Word Count: 4,897 Published/Updated: 11/21/2012-11/28/2012

Notes: As the summary implies, this is a John-centric lil character study. A heartstring-tugger, with a dash of canon-divergence.

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Choosing Her Own Path by Lahiwe [ ff.net ]

Pocahontas never thought she'd be able to listen like her mother had. The gift of understanding was just that, and it hadn't been given to her. But when she meets a man from across the sea, she learns that the gift is more a part of her than she knows.

Tags: Romance/Adventure Rating: T Chapters: 9/9 Word Count: 13,294 Published/Updated: 1/2/2012

and,

The Collected Writings of Captain John Smith by Lahiwe[ ff.net ]

It's been a while since Thomas Ryan has had anything to do with the New World. Still, memories of it have never left him. Five years after his return to England, however, he receives a strange parcel and a letter from none other than his old friend, John Smith. Read the story of Pocahontas from Captain Smith's perspective-perhaps you'll learn things you never knew you never knew.

Tags: Romance/Adventure Rating: T Chapters: 10/10 Word Count: 32,124 Published/Updated: 6/9/2012-12/31/2014

Notes: I included these two fics together because they're really a two-part series. They're both wonderful character-focused fics I just adore.

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Disney's Pocahontas: an extended retelling by best obsessed [ ff.net ]

A retelling of Disney's Pocahontas, now complete. The idea is to see if a serious treatment of the whole story can work. Disclaimer: though some of the characters are my own, most were given their present form by the Disney Corporation.

Tags: Romance/Adventure Rating: T Chapters: 25/25 Word Count: 110,703 Published/Updated: 4/12/2009-5/29/2009

Notes: This is an EPIC and, if I were to pick, like, a 'Citizen Kane' of P/JS fic, it would be this one. Basically, it's an expansion on the world of the film, and reframes the story a little more realistically. It's got EVERYTHING. It's got a deep study of both leads, complex political maneuvering, John Smith's Pretty People Problems (obsessed with this), gay lil Thomas having a Lot to deal with, Pocahontas being smarter than everyone, and romanceeeeeee. *muah* c'e bella.

Incomplete Fics:

Glory to Glory by pearl037 [ ff.net | Ao3 ]

When John Smith returns to England, Pocahontas is left as the mediator between the settlers and her people. When a bad growing season forces them to cease trading, the new captain will stop at nothing to ensure the survival of his colony. Meanwhile, England prepares for war. Multi-perspective. All rights belong to Disney and history. Part XIII is up!

Tags: Adventure/Romance Rating: T Chapters: 14/? Word Count: 42,731 Published/Updated: 4/6/2019-6/22/2022

Notes: There's some wonderful characterization in this, and an excellent exploration of grief that just gets me in the gut. It's more-or-less an alternate sequel, and builds up the setting around both the denizens of Jamestown and John's gang of fugitives (queen behavior).

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Burning Bright by typewriter33 [ ff.net ]

This is a continuation from a "Pocahontas" fanfiction 'The Burning' published in 1999. He had never dared hope to see her alive and laughing, vibrant and beautiful. T/M

Tags: None Rating: T Chapters: 5/? Word Count: 21,349 Published/Updated: 7/30/2020-7/2/2023

Notes: I'm not sure where the predecessor of this fic is (although I'll continue to try). It's a rare modern AU, with a twist. You can piece together what happened before the fic, and the intensity of the universe it happens in. To keep in line with the setting, Pocahontas has a different name, which can be jarring, but once you get past it the premise is interesting and the story, compelling.

Honorable Mention:

The Magic of Hogwarts by orphan_account [ Ao3 ]

"The wall clock reads fifteen minutes till eleven. The newspapers indicate that today is the first of September. King’s Cross Station is bustling... Here our fairytales begin." Excerpt from Prologue. Betaed by the lovely and amazing Crystal (niuniujiaojiao). Please read the notes at the beginning of this fic. I will eventually update.

Tags: Disney/Harry Potter Universe Crossover, Modern Setting, Mentions of Underage Sexuality [see Author's Notes abt this], More Tags to be had Rating: T Chapters: 21/27 Word Count: 112,028 Published/Updated: 4/11/2016-1/10/2020

Notes: I didn't include any crossovers in the main list, because I hadn't really broken into that set of fic, yet. But I felt this one deserved a spot on the list. It's a wide, wide fic, and includes interpretations of a TON of Disney characters. I included this because the Pocahontas/John Smith subplot absolutely fucking wrecked me, and I needed to share. The last update the fic got threw me in the back of a van and beat me with an aluminum baseball bat. This fic is unfinished as of now, but even if it's never updated again, it's worth a read. Just be sure to read all of the author's notes!

[orchidyoonkook]

Saw this today. And I kind of just sat for a moment in shock.

A fic with over 640 THOUSAND words.

A fic with over 84 THOUSAND hits.

And less than 1000 kudos??

Less than 250 comments??

This isn’t it guys. Fic is dying by the looks of these numbers. This author is putting their all into this story and not even 1000 of the 84000 people who opened the work could’ve been bothered to click one button to leave a kudo?

And this isn’t me bitching about me. If you know me you know I never expect likes or comments or reblogs on my work. But when I get them I’m over the moon. I’m showing my friends, my partner, my mom even my grandparents on occasion. I’m ecstatic.

But I don’t need them like other authors might. Like other authors may need them to know to keep going. To know their work is appreciated. To know what they are doing is worth doing and to stick at it.

So remember to be kind today. Leave a kudo. A comment. A reblog with a “I love this” in the tags.

It may not be much to you.

But it is everything to the writer.

[allwaswell16]

I just want to talk about the power of commenting on fics for a minute.

I have my main fandom, but when I read in other fandoms, I don't know many of the writers. So I usually just find fics by looking through the tag I want. And if it's a tag I'm really interested in, I'll read every fic in the tag. And if there's a fic I really liked in there, I'll start reading everything by that writer.

So what this means is I'm sometimes reading fics or writers that don't have tons of hits/kudos/comments on their fics, but I found them through some obscure tag I wanted to read. And so I'll get back some really incredibly sweet replies to my comments.

But then, something even more incredible started happening. I'd be reading WIPs by some of these writers and they'd literally start writing the rest of the fic for me. They started asking me what I hoped to see happen or if I had any requests. And when the fic was finished, one of them said the only reason they kept writing the fic was for me.

Sometimes there can be such a lovely connection between the writer and the reader just because you decided to leave a comment. And sometimes you as the commenting reader can become the lone reason why a fic makes its way into the world for all the other readers who come after you.

[magpie-murder]

okay we need to have an intervention.

i've noticed that people don't leave the same kind of unhinged compliments under fanfics that visual artists usually receive (eg, "i want to eat your art"), so i've come up with a list that you need to start employing when your friends send you their WIPs and when your favorites update on ao3 but you're having a hard time commenting something that sounds intelligent and you still want to support them

"you're like if [famos author] (eg, Victor Hugo if the fic is angst) was into [fandom]"

"well THIS has been added to my pre-sleep daydream schedule"

"this fic invaded my mind and consumed my brain like a spore"

"I'M LOSING SLEEP OVER THIS ONE, FOLKS"

"yOu'Ve AlReAdY lEfT kUdOs HeRe"

"this fic has me scratching at my yellow wallpaper, it's so good"

"this fic has me checking under my floorboards for the heart of a kind man i murdered, it's so good"

"i'm making my parents read this"

"i know only one chapter is out so far, but i'm going to print this out, staple it together, and put it on my bookshelf next to the canon material"

"this fic gave me another mental illness"

(you can only do this one once) "i made an ao3 account specifically to bookmark this"

"i'm going to print this out so i can eat the words on the paper"

and a couple that are just nice (without the feral nature):

"i made a custom playlist to listen to while i read this fic"

"this fic reminds me of [song]"

"i really liked the part where [x], it really stuck with me"

"i really liked this line, [quote the line,] it was so well-written!"

artists: draw fanart of the fic!! it doesn't matter if you think your art skills are good and it doesnt matter if it's just a sketch!! let the author see it!!

make a moodboard!! for the fic!! let the author see it!!

[sitp-recs]

re - your last post, as a writer i find that to be an absurd take. people who write exclusively for validation probably shouldn't. if discovering your work is enjoyed and loved - just privately - is a dealbreaker for you, i think there are probably bigger issues that need to be worked through. the idea that we write fic for free and yet this discussion about "payment" through kudos/comments persists is so backwards and obnoxious.

sorry to tag you on this, obv you have nothing to do with op, but i just wanted to say - as a writer recs are a HUGE deal. to know that you liked something enough to share it with others is the biggest compliment for me personally. thanks for doing what you do.

I’m happy you reached out because this is a really interesting perspective. I definitely see increased messaging around comments = payment that pressures readers into thinking they are required to leave comments, and I agree that there are many layers to this convo that point out to a not-so-healthy relationship with fandom.

I find it hard to join this discussion not being an author myself, because I only have the privileged perspective. I understand how important feedback can be to boost newcomers and those who don’t feel part of the community. We all deal with insecurity in different ways and it’s hard to navigate a big fandom when you don’t have a group of friends to rely on. In the end the fandom experience is about a sense of belonging and it saddens me to realize that I might be part of the problem since my recs can only reach Tumblr and my ao3 comments are far and few in between.

It’s funny because my blog has always targeted other readers: at the beginning I didn’t even tag authors and did not expect them to find or engage with my posts. Over the years the recs became more and more personal, until I realized I was writing them for myself. Sure, they are love letters to the fic and might help more people find them, but at the end of the day this is my little therapy corner where I can let go and babble around to my heart’s content 🙏🏼 I’ve always been proud of this blog and seeing that post gave me mixed feelings about it for the first time, so thank you for your message!

Again, I think this discussion has many layers and I’m a bit wary to get involved being a reader, but I’d be curious to see how others feel about it…

[kiwiana-writes]

Not kudosing fics you enjoy: why?

Inspired by a discussion I had earlier today and my own rampant curiosity. If you are someone who regularly doesn’t leave kudos for fics you read and enjoyed, why not? I totally get why people read without commenting (even if I love and treasure all comments, as a writer) but as someone who leaves kudos on pretty much everything I make it to the end of AND hits the kudos button on rereads just in case I accidentally missed it the first time, the idea of not kudosing fics I liked is one I’m struggling to get my head around. Help me understand!

Y’all know the drill: reblog for reach, don’t be an asshole in the replies, etc.

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 8!

in which my thesis proposal got accepted(!!), i made banana bread, and read some brilliant fics <3

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

at long last | tigersharks | 15.8k | E

Buck thinks, I want to be the one giving him pleasure. I want to make him feel good. I want to service him. service top buck <3 this one captures the buddie dynamic so so well!!

can i go where you go | heygirltimeformorning/@heygirltimeformorning | 2.6k | GA

Eddie gets crushed by a mudslide & confesses undying love. this is so beautifully written!! such lovely hurt/comfort while also having some really cute funny moments <3

cheeseburger in paradise | Bookworm0303/@insertlovelyperson | 20.2k | E

Eddie plans a vacation for the first (and likely last) time in his life. listen you don't even need me to convince you to read this. what you need to do is click that little link up there, read the excerpt in the summary, and then lock in and read all 20k of this glorious fic in one go. trust me, that's what you gotta do. i promise you won't regret it <3

fallacy of the local body | littleghost/@ghostlandtoo | 22.7k | E

Christopher is gone for the summer and Eddie is—aimless. Drifting. Everything is different, and he can't fix any of it, much less himself. He wishes he were different. Someone that doesn't have as much baggage, or misery, or so much empty time on his hands. Naturally, he wakes up one morning as Buck. oh, how much i love bodyswap fics <3 such a beautiful fic!! i love how this characterises eddie's reaction to the bodyswap so so much

i don't wanna miss you like this | rainbow_nerds/@rainbow-nerdss | 9.6k | T

Eddie Diaz was living in El Paso—miles away from his best friend who needed him, struggling to cross the invisible distance his son was keeping from him. There was no quick fix for either—but he was working on it. And in the meantime, he could do something to help Buck feel better from afar. the loveliest fic <3 i especially loved reading the letters (and their formatting is so cool!)

i know that you need it | midnights/@rcgersromanoff | 12.7k | E

to say Buck is pent up would be an understatement. so Eddie gives him what he needs. truly an incredible fic!! so hot, so buddie <3

just a group of objects | teaspoonmoon/@young-waverer | 4k | T

Buck helps Eddie pack; Eddie spirals about how many of Buck's belongings they find, mixed in with his. They kiss about it. such a wonderful look at how intertwined buck and eddie's lives are <3 so lovely!!

love language | Daisies_and_Briars/@cal-daisies-and-briars | 3.8k | T

When Eddie reluctantly reveals he can speak Swedish, Buck ends up learning a lot more about him than he bargained for. listen this fic has my heart and the diaz parents can have my fists. great banter and such a good buddie dynamic <3

not doing this alone | carpediaz/@sofa-king-lame | 27.4k | M

The one where Eddie hires Buck as a nanny for Christopher and has to navigate falling in love with someone he shouldn't want (who definitely wants him in return). nanny buck <3 i love his love for puzzles and how easily he slides into the diazes' lives!!

tell me that you'll never let me go | farfromthstars/@doeeyeseddie | 5.2k | T

Eddie goes to Texas. Buck is being weird. It only takes them both five days to crack. love how this one captures eddie and chris!! and i loved the feelings realisation <3

the shapes that you drew | 061828 | 3.4k | M

Eddie comes home from Texas to find Buck in his house, and life continues on from there. i'm such a sucker for buck being in eddie's house when the diazes are in el paso, and this is such a brilliant example of that <3 so good!!

whistle, baby | ameliahart/@melliehart | 5k | E

There, on Eddie’s screen, is a stilled video of a blue eyed man with a cock in his mouth, cheeks hollowed as he stares down the camera. Across the top in bold letters reads the words “Hot Tattooed Hunk DEEPTHROATS and SWALLOWS [Blowjob POV]”. they're best friends and they're in love and i love them so much <3 i especially loved the pro/con bits in this one!!

your gravity (my depravity) | idiotsinkdaisies/@idiotsinkdaisies | 13k | E

Buck has always been good at telling when people want him, spent his later teenage years and early twenties honing this particular skill set. And now he’s learning how to recognize when men want him, how it is entirely the same yet entirely different. His boyfriend wants him. (This, he knows.) Eddie wants him. (This, this is new.) this fic is so so fun!! i love the firefam dynamics here and the buck characterisation is so good!!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not having time to read my mutual's writing?

Met a mutual on here, bonded through fanfic, have been tight with them for a few years with pretty much no bumps in the relationship, just overall had a really good time hanging around them when I could. We both write a lot and share our writing, and occasionally we talk about that writing/workshop it in passing.

In the past few years I've gone through a ton of life changes. Most notably I went from a multi-person household to a single-person one, and I've been living alone in a prohibitively costly city for a while now working 40 hour weeks and barely scraping by. As soon as the transition started I spent the last of my free income on a shitty little laptop so I could still write, putting down words on my bus/train commutes in the morning and quite literally writing on my breaks at work because I feel insane when I can't create. I bring this up to really stress that I don't have the time for the hobby, I force myself to make the time and even then it never feels like enough.

The only thing I can really stand to do with my 3 hours of free time at night is hang out with my moots online. I'm an extrovert so being around people recharges me. If I don't have designated social time I get super depressed and can pretty much feel my soul withering away. I also feel like I should probably mention that I kinda have a slew of mental issues, personality disorders and PTSD and AuDHD and the works. Point being, shit is rough my dude, but I am a person who likes to work hard and face challenges head on and even though we strugglin, we doing it with a positive outlook.

But! I am an incredibly solution-oriented person and I have found what I personally believe to be a good balance. No one should have to live like this, but I do, and I have found a way to be happy. My writing and my social time is all load-bearing. It is not something I just choose to do on a whim, it's all planned and scheduled and I adhere to those routines very strictly because, I cannot stress this enough, I will go fucking bonkers if I don't.

I'm mutuals with a lot of writers obv, and I sadly don't have time to read their work anymore, unless I get some extra time on my days off or something gets cancelled or like, I end up taking a vacation. I carry a great amount of guilt for this, though, even though I logically know it's reasonable. I try to support them where I can, cheer them on when I see them writing and tell them how cool their ideas sound, hype them up even when I can't actually read & review.

One of the things I do is sometimes I leave a kudos on fic I haven't read. I'm not trying to be ingenuine, and if they asked me I'd tell them like 'Oh I didn't read it yet, just wanted to show support!' but to me it's kinda like ripping a paper tab off a poster so that other's feel inclined to do the same. Plus my pals get a little email and a hit of serotonin.

Except one of my acquaintances, the one I mentioned at the start here, saw that I left kudos on a couple pieces another mutual of mine wrote this year. They more or less blew up my DMs with a ton of accusatory (like, literally presented like a 'GOTCHA!') stuff about how I was selective in who's fic I read, more or less implying that I secretly held some sort of grudge or negative feeling toward them and was making the conscious decision not to read or interact with their writing because of. Something, I don't actually know what they were trying to say. They also told me they vented to their friends about this MULTIPLE times, but they never once approached me to let me know they were feeling paranoid or neglected, they literally just took the most bad faith reading of it possible and then presented that to me like it was something I intentionally did, while the whole time I was unaware.

I tried to explain to them the kudos thing, that I didn't do it to every story, just ones I caught/noticed in my busy schedule. And I laid all this out and asked, multiple times, what free time am I supposed to read with? They didn't answer, and doubled down, kept trying to show me 'proof' that I was shorting them and no one else. Once they started to realize how wrong they were they backed down, but they didn't really apologize, or admit they were wrong, and they tried to end our relationship and left every single server we were in together. Because of some other unrelated stuff going on in my life, I didn't really consider them to be a close friend, but they were someone I really held dear and would've walked through hell for if they'd asked.

I still feel like there is something I'm missing here, and that's why I wanted to ask if I'm TA. I'm a pretty good communicator but one of the things I told myself when talking down my disordered thoughts (guilt about this prior) was "no one in their right mind would use reading fanfic as a metric for friendship." Now that I've had that exact thing happen, I'm starting to think maybe those thoughts weren't so disordered. Maybe this IS a big deal, and I should think about it more, but I don't even know what the solution to that would be. I just. Don't have time to read something lovingly crafted and appreciate it for what it is. All the hours in my week are used up, I'd have to lose sleep for this and with my mental health the way it is that is not an option.

Feel free to be a brutal, my skin is thick. Thanks!

What are these acronyms?

[space-mango-company]

Stranger | Chapter 5

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

TW: Descriptions of Violence, Mentions of Cannibalism

Tags: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Atreides!Reader, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, POV Second Person, No use of y/n, Original Characters, Canon What Canon

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Not proofread!! Holy moly. Here it is, folks. The scene that inspired this whole fic. I had fun writing this so I really hope you enjoy it. Once again, I appreciate everyone who likes, comments, and/or leaves kudos so much. I really started this fic for myself but good golly, that dopamine rush whenever I get a notif might be more addicting than spice. I'm glad to be part of the bald man brigade.

Also, I can't believe I'm only now questioning why I decided to write this in the second person? I guess maybe I thought this fic would be a lot shorter and not that deep, lol. At this point 'y/n' probably has enough personality to just be a straight-up OC. It's funnier because I don't even find second-person or y/n fics any more engaging either. I always detach myself by giving 'y/n' her own name and only seeing her as a character in the fic.

ANYWAY, sorry to ramble. Stay safe and have a good one, ya weirdos.

You step out into the dark cul-de-sac of the guest hall, illuminated only by the large suspensor lamp in the middle. Feyd-Rautha looks you up and down, seemingly entranced by how the dim light casts his shadow on your modest dress. Atreides green, he recognized.

"Trying to sneak into my rooms again?" you say arms crossed, leaning on your door. "I didn't appreciate the last time, by the way."

"It's my house," he says cooly, "and I did knock this time."

You stare at him indifferently.

"Quite the display from you yesterday morning, using The Voice on me." His voice low and raspy, "I should have you drawn and quartered."

You scoff in his face. "You almost choked me to death. Are you trying to start a war?"

He takes a step closer and his face is inches from yours, you can feel his breath on your cheek, "I didn't think I'd like you this much, little hawk."

"What do you want, Feyd-Rautha?" you had no patience for him right now.

"Ah," he steps back, a dark smile on his face, "I've been waiting to hear my name from your tongue." His hand reaches for your lips. "I've grown quite tired of 'na-Baron'."

You grab his wrist before he can touch you. "If you're only here to toy with me, I would rather be left alone to prepare for bed." You release his hand and turn to open your door.

Feyd-Rautha props an arm against the doorway to block you. "We're to be married in three days," he says, "and I just can't seem to bring myself to let go of my 'harpies', as you called them." He meets your gaze. "You said you'd kill them. Did you mean that?"

You look up at him with steely eyes. He towered over you but your heart felt no fear, "Yes."

His coy smile returns. "Good. Come to my training hall tomorrow," he says, walking away.

"What?" you call after him.

"Dress to fight," he says over his shoulder. "I want to see what you can do, Atreides."

You needed no help from Zora in putting on a loose shirt and long pants. The plain beige outfit certainly wasn't as elegant as the dresses you had been wearing so far. But it was comfortable and you could fight in it, which was all that mattered. Still, you look yourself in the mirror. The soft, airy fabrics draped over your figure well but perhaps you were not in the best shape as you once were. Your muscle mass is much less than your brother's and he wasn't particularly built himself. You admit you did wane off your training sessions with Gurney and Paul leading up to your departure from Caladan. Nevertheless, you were still a skilled warrior. Another secret you've been keeping from the Harkonnens.

You were 14 when you started learning the blade. Watching Paul, 2 years your senior, practice with the Atreides Warmaster lit a fire in you. You didn't hesitate to pester your father to let you train with them and of course, there was nothing he could deny his darling daughter. You were a fierce and determined student. Gurney Halleck was a man you genuinely believed to be one of the best fighters in the Imperium, along with Duncan Idaho. Gurney would train you and Paul on even days. On odd days, your mother would teach you the Weirding Way. These lessons, much like the rest of your mother's teachings, your father wanted to know nothing about. After becoming decently adept at Prana-Bindu and gaining almost complete physical control of your body, Lady Jessica insisted that you also be skilled in the Bene Gesserit style of combat.

You were far from mastery in either but the combination of both trainings made you a formidable fighter. Despite this, you could never seem to beat your brother in a sparring match. A fact that frustrated you to no end, though you appreciated that Paul never went easy on you. You'd always blame it on him having trained for longer than you have. But in truth, you knew there had just always been something special about him.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Zora's soft voice wakes you from your thoughts.

"Hm? Right. Yes, let's go." You quickly tie your hair out of the way and grab your father's dagger from atop your dresser.

There was no fanfare when you entered the hall. On one end, the na-Baron's concubines sat chained on the steps of the shallow recessed pit in their leathers, their glares piercing through you. Your eyes linger on them as Feyd-Rautha and his Warmaster greet you.

"I was starting to think my lady bride was bluffing," Feyd-Rautha says as you approach him. The older man beside him offers you a polite bow.

"Perhaps she wasn't so keen on your brutish games," you bite back. "Your lord uncle won't be joining us?"

"No," Feyd-Rautha crosses his arms, "but he'll be hearing about your victory. Or your demise."

"Right. Well, I assume you'll be releasing them from those chains," you nod towards his pets "Not sure why they're necessary."

"Oh, trust me, little hawk. They're necessary." Feyd-Rautha motions to a servant.

"Your blade and shield, my lady," they bow, presenting you with a knife and a small device you recognize as a Holtzman shield.

"I've brought my own," you unsheath your father's dagger. You contemplate taking the shield but remembering that the na-Baron forwent it during his gladiator fight, you decide to do so as well. "They've no weapons anyway, the shield seems pointless."

Feyd-Rautha shrugs, "If you insist."

You take a deep breath, "Let's get this over with."

You lightly stretch as you walk down the steps of the shallow pit to stand opposite the na-Baron's concubines. You had come into this on the pretense of righteousness. For Iassa, you told yourself. But you've known her a mere two days. A part of you wanted to show off. You were good and you knew it. You could probably kill anyone in this room, even Feyd-Rautha. You craved the respect of the people here: the Harkonnens, the people of Geidi Prime. You figured this was one way to get it.

Feyd-Rautha walks around the pit to one of his concubines and kneels to whisper something in her ear. You assume a fighting stance when he moves to release her from the chains. When you meet her eyes, they are filled with feral bloodlust.

Suddenly, you weren't so bold. The veil of courage you have maintained since you arrived, even when Feyd-Rautha had your neck in his grip, is torn apart when you face this woman. You could tell no part of her would hesitate to rip your throat out with her bare teeth. You were almost relieved they were unarmed, but you weren't sure if that would make them any less lethal.

Fear grew in your chest and you had less than a moment to recite the Litany in your head before the concubine lunged at you.

You crouch down in time and slash at her abdomen as she approaches you. You turn to face her on the other side of the pit and she wastes no time in attacking you again. She attempts to grab your armed hand but you take hold of her wrist first and move to pin it behind her back. Quickly, your blade drags across her throat and she falls to your feet.

The kill has not yet registered in your mind but your heart is racing. You can almost hear your blood coursing through your veins. You held your arms outstretched, your eyes focused ahead, ready for the next one.

Across the pit, Feyd-Rautha licks his lips, smiling as he releases his second concubine. This time, you walk toward her while she moves to attack you. You clock her head with the pommel of your dagger and knock her a few steps back. She reaches a hand to wipe the blood beginning to drip out of her nose. After examining it, she snarls and bares her sharp teeth at you. Your mind is blank now. She dodges your first slash then manages to land a blow to your jaw. You seethe from the pain. You spit out the mixture of blood and saliva filling your mouth. The anger at the hit drives you to rush at her. Seeing an opening, you duck down to her waist and stab her twice. As she falls to her knees, the look of determination doesn't leave her eyes until the very last moment.

When you turn around, Feyd-Rautha has already released the last concubine. The ruthless scream she lets out disorients you. She pounces and knocks you over. She straddles you and pins your arms to the ground, your blade sliding inches away. She screams again in your face at the death of her sisters. You wedge your right knee between you and her abdomen, the only thing keeping her teeth from reaching your throat. You grunt as you struggle to free your hands. In your periphery, you see Feyd-Rautha, wielding his own blade, take a step into the pit.

"GET BACK," you roar, and he is powerless to refuse.

You turn back to your opponent still on top of you and you butt her head with your own. She loosens her grip and you kick her off to hastily crawl to your weapon. When she reorients herself and attempts to grab you again, you hook a knee under her arm and flip the both of you over. With your weight on her chest and both your knees pinning her arms down, she thrashes underneath you, claws digging into your right ankle. You take your blade in both hands and her screaming is silenced when you sink your knife deep into her heart.

When you rise, the room is quiet. Your chest heaves. The stark white ceiling lights don't help the lightheadedness that begins to wash over you in the post-adrenaline rush. Feyd-Rautha says something from behind you but his speech is garbled as you reel from the thrill of what just transpired. You were electrified. You almost... wanted more.

Then, the realization of the revolting scene you are in settles upon you and you are knocked off your high. You look at the leather-clad bodies scattered around you, the grotesque way they lay on the floor, the red blood pooling around them made brighter by the sterile grayness of the room. You did this.

A hand on your shoulder snaps you out of it. In reflex, you turn and raise your blade at the offender.

Feyd-Rautha holds his hands up, "Whoa, easy, Atreides. Trying to kill me? Don't want to start a war, do you?"

You yield your weapon. Your eyes dodge his as you look to your feet and try to steady your breathing.

"Enjoy your first taste of blood?" Feyd-Rautha says, the look in his eyes indecipherable to you. He raises a hand and swipes his thumb on your cheek. It comes away covered in crimson.

You gasp and reach for your face with your own hand. You don't even know if it's your blood or theirs, or when it got on you. Your heart pounded, unable to decide whether you were repulsed or proud.

"Look at you," he says licking the red off his finger. You could not help but stare at him through the strands of your hair that had come undone in the fighting. "You're beautiful like this," his hand reaches for your face again.

"No," you say low and quiet when you swat his hand away, "you're sick." You didn't know if you meant him or yourself. You calmly turn to leave. No one stops you when you make your way up the shallow steps of the pit. As you pass Iassa—no, Zora—by the doorway, you tell her flatly, "Prepare a bath."

You had never taken a life before. Today, you took three. You were glad you didn't know their names. You decided you'd never find out.

After Zora pours a final pitcher of hot water into the bath, you tell her, "You may go. I'll dress myself later, thank you."

She bows and makes her way out of your rooms.

In your solitude, you bring your knees to your chest. You had been quick to wipe the blood off your cheek before you even reached your quarters. Now, you cup the water into your hands and rub it into your face, the slight sting of the heat comforting you.

He was a cruel man, your betrothed. This is what you've decided. Having you kill the concubines he claimed to want to keep so much. But wasn't it you who threatened to kill them? He started it, you argue with yourself, when he had Iassa killed. You felt like a child.

When you used to hear of Feyd-Rautha's exploits, you had to mask your disgust. And yet now, you had killed so easily in that pit as he had in the arena. What was this place doing to you?

When you left Caladan, Paul had never killed anyone either. You wonder if he ever does, would he feel the same exhilaration you did when you slit that first concubine's throat. No. Your brother was fierce but, like your father, he had a good heart. You beat him by three. You hoped it would stay that way.

You think about your future here, marrying Feyd-Rautha. Producing heir after heir under the Baron's watchful eye. You were a broodmare. Despite all your fancy training and education. Despite your little demonstration earlier. It was the bitter truth.

You missed home. You missed walking along the beach at night with your father. You missed your mother's gentle hands brushing your hair. You missed the banter and teasing with your brother. You missed Gurney, and Duncan, and the cold breeze on your balcony, and getting to roam free and going anywhere you pleased. When the tears come, you sink deep into the bath so they might fade away in the water.

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Taglist: @torchbearerkyle @austinswhitewolf @dreamlandcreations @emeraldsgirl @strawberryfieldsforevermore @bornslippys @vexis-world @aoi-targaryen @alexandrainlove @mamawiggers1980 @sstardussty @aboutthenabaron

[aingeal98]

Stephcass long fic recs

Brought to you by me realizing if you filter the stephcass tag by 20k or larger fics and then by kudos, the first 20+ fics are all not steph or cass centric despite the tag. So I went through the tag myself to actually get the stephcass fics.

These Small Hours series by Hinn_Raven - Starting off with one of my fave fics of all time. Steph-centric trans!Stephanie fic and the stephcass throughout this entire series is solid.

Meet Me Where You're Going by Hinn_Raven - Where would we as a fandom be without Hinn_Raven. Stephcass fic set after Bruce came back from being dead, and how the two of them work things out after the canon tons of miscommunication, running away and you know. A death or two.

she does pretty well with fiends from hell by Hinn_Raven WHERE WOULD STEPHCASS NATION BE WITHOUT HINN RAVEN. Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU where Steph is the vampire slayer and Cass is.... well you gotta read to find out :D

uptown girl - In a world where Jason didn't die, it's a different take on how Steph became Spoiler. What I really love about this fic is how real and lived in Gotham is through Steph's eyes. It feels like an actual city instead of just a machine spewing out supervillains.

Enigmas of Family by Apathetic_Abstract_Apotheosis - A young Spoiler Steph agrees to take a summer internship with the Riddler to help her mom pay the bills, and things spiral from there. WIP but fun so far!

The Haunting of Wayne Manor by Nokomis - Really cool gothic horror stephcass AU, where Steph gets a job at Wayne Manor being Damian's governess and Cass is her usual spooky self but with added historical gothic vibes.

Leaving Gotham by brokenmimir - AU where Cass's fight with Babs in Batgirl 2000 happens before Bruce fires her. Steph finds out Cass has been fired and together they decide to run away and become heroes elsewhere.

Girls Against God by cookiesncrows - An AU where Kate ends up living with Cass and Steph during Batgirls. On indefinite hiatus.

BONUS: The Robin Remonstration by waterunderthebridge12 A Jason and Cass fic with only minor stephcass but this person writes the best goofy fic batfam I've ever seen like it's what fanon SHOULD be and the entire series is wonderful but this installment was pure delight to me.

[vash-the-trans-catboy]

The problem with the current culture of ao3

Recently I’ve noticed a huge lack of interaction from readers on ao3. The ratio of hits to kudos and comments is usually sadly low. Personally I think we need to de-insta and de-TikTok how people use ao3. What I mean by de-insta/tiktok is to try to move away from the culture of being afraid to interact with a piece of media. I know especially on insta people are afraid to interact, like, and comment because they don’t want to be seen as weird or a stalker for liking all of someone’s post. Same goes for tiktok. Another thing about other social media culture that is dangerous for ao3 is being afraid to interact because now the algorithm will show all your followers what you interacted with.

With the younger generation using ao3 (and just people in general), these fears associated with other forms of social media have followed over to ao3. I think the lack of interaction on fics is incredibly draining. Not that fic writers only write for likes and attention, but it is very hard to stay motivated when you put a lot of work into a fic then get little out in return.

We need to shift the culture of ao3 back towards user interaction. Please give kudos if you like a fic. Please leave a comment, or two, or as many as you’d like. Fic writers would love so much to see that their work is being appreciated. By interacting with a fic, it shows the writer that people like their work and often gives motivation for them to write more. It is really easy to get burned out if you feel like no really appreciates your work. Also with comments, a lot of writers love interacting with their readers! Giving an opportunity for a writer to talk about their work is so important. Even if they don’t respond, I can guarantee they read all the nice comments about their work and get a lot of joy from seeing them.

Yeah so basically in summary ao3 is not your standard social media like insta and TikTok. Interacting with fics by commenting and leaving kudos means so much to fic writers and helps with motivation and feeling appreciated

[alwaysakin]

The Vampire Diaries Universe Fic Recs

Once again putting my unhealthy amount of fanfic knowledge to good use. Here's my list (non-exhaustive) of the best vampire diaries & originals fanfics. Includes Klaroline, Bamon, Kolvina, and more.

Bamon Fics

Before I Take My Flesh Away by Orig1n - the fic where Bonnie and Damon are cosmically bonded, and she hops around in his timeline pre (and during) the series. Tragically unfinished, but completely incredible! Kudos for developing Stefan and Damon as brothers and making me not hate Lily Salvatore. Also love the Arthurian lore.

if you love me (don't let go) by sarcastic_fina - this is a heartbreaking deconstruction of Bonnie and her victim mentality, and shows the strength of not only her romantic relationship with Damon, but her friendships with Caroline, Matt, and Tyler. So sad, but so good!

Bloodstone by cactusfinch - Bonnie time travels to 1864 (with all the problems entailed). Her relationship with Damon is done well here, and her friendship (sort of!) with Katherine is fun as hell.

rest for the wicked (hope for the weary) by castelia - Damon and Bonnie go on a road trip together after the prison word. I am a sucker for mutual pining, and this fic does it so well!

Fifty-Five Years by turningofflights - written from Elena's perspective, after she reads Bonnie's diary entries and learns how Bonnie and Damon fell in love. A bittersweet, believable love story for Bonnie and Damon.

Other Bonnie Bennett Ship Fics

The Edge of Night by Szajnie - a crossover between season 3 of the Originals and season 7 of the Vampire Diaries, where Bonnie goes to New Orleans. She's absolutely in her element here as the most powerful New Orleans witch, takes the supernatural world by storm, and everyone has a happier ending because of it (including her!). Absolutely love her friendships with Davina, Vincent, and Freya, and shout-out for being the only fic to make me care about Cami! Truly, this is great. The NOLA gang is the family Bonnie deserves, and the Bonnie/Klaus is so believable.

Kai Parket Screwed Us (Until Bonnie Bennett Screwed Him) by hysteriaww - exactly what it sounds like. Bonnie shows up to help Josie and Lizzie deal with the prison world and her and Kai's insane relationship weirds everyone out. Deals with the Gemini Coven in a really interesting way. Hilarious, and with mild Damon and Alaric bashing. BonKai.

Season One, Epsidoes One-Three by BorgiaBabe - a rewrite of the first three episodes of TVD with Bonnie as a proper main character. Her love interest is a softer Kai, and it's great! Bonnie really deserves better.

the night light hits off, turning kisses to bites by donutworry - an insane, dark, twisted Bonnie and Kai romance, where they're the only ones in the prison world from the start. I absolutely love the Gemini Coven lore in this fic.

Klaroline Fics

Make them bow by for_darkness_shows_the_stars - Klaus appears in season 1 of the vampire diaries. it's Klaroline, but still super gen, and all the characters get their own compelling arcs in it. Especially love the way Elena and Stefan are written.

One of A Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers by Phandancee74 - Caroline is an ancient nymph who was erased from memory by Malivore. She still helps the Mystic Falls gang out (and her relationship with Bonnie is great)! The Klaus/Caroline is angsty and lovely.

Calling on a Friend by Phandancee74 - 5 year old Josie gets Klaus's number. Shenanigans ensue. Short and cute as hell.

Sanctuary in their Hearts by thatsanotherlovestory - Caroline leaves before the season 8 wedding, and heads to New Orleans with Klaus. A fun story, but still so sad Bonnie didn't get her happy ending in it. The twins are so cute in this.

Let's do the Time Loop again! by kcatdino - on the night of the sacrifice, both Klaus and Caroline get stuck in a time loop. It's so funny to watch them get more and more deranged.

sweet present of the present by VintageLilac - it's Caroline, not Rebekah, who raises Hope while New Orleans is at war. I absolutely love Katherine in this fic, and though Hayley gets the short end of the stick it's written quite well.

The Wolf by Yokan - a witch version of Caroline is the one pregnant with Klaus's baby in the originals. And while season 1 doesn't change a lot because of it, the later ones definitely do! I love the Klaus and Caroline relationship, and Caroline & Elijah friendship.

Elena Gilbert-Centric Fic

The stars were brightly shining by adlyb - a fic where Elena is pregnant with Klaus's baby. It's so hard to describe! A little twisted, a little sweet, and a thorough depiction of Elena's mental state.

The Forgotten by MissNMikaelson - Elena time travels and gets dropped in the middle of Klaus and Kol's war in New Orleans, circa 1914. The flashback scenes in the fic are great! Eventual Kol/Elena.

blame it on the stardust by allwritenow - the fic that looks into if Elena's doppelganger nature affected her more. And a truly beautiful Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena friendship.

Off by a Single Degree by Tarroko - when Elena's phone dies, Damon walks her home and never compels away her memories, and her parents never die. This softer, sweeter Elena is so believable, and I love the way canon immediately shifts. Amazing development of her parents, Anna, and Enzo. Delena.

Katherine Pierce Centric Fic

afflictions eclipsed by glory by passionesque - in 1864, right after the fire in Mystic Falls, Elijah finds Katherine. They team up together against Klaus. This deals with Katherine's trauma and cunning so well! A slow build to Elijah/Katherine, involving him acknowledging his faults.

General Mystic Falls Gang Fics

in another life (i would let you go) by sarcastic_fina - Elena wakes up in a world where she isn't the doppelganger and no one knows her. An interesting deconstruction of the affects she's had on her friends... Manages to be both Elena-bashing and sympathetic at the same time. Minor Steroline and Bamon.

Originals Family Feels

It All Comes Crumbling Down by AlwaysAkin - can I do a self-rec? I'm doing a self-rec. Hope is born a century earlier, and grows up in New Orleans with the Mikaelsons. I'm particularly proud of my Hope-Marcel bond and young!Hope voice in this one.

A Twist Through Time by fandom_lover_101 - Hope is sent back in time to the Vampire Diaries season 3. She messes everything up. Absolutely love the slow Hope & Klaus relationship built here, and her friendship with Elena is cute too. Minor Klaroline, Delena, and Handon.

Always & Tomorrow by Viretta - another tragically unfinished fic. Set after Hope jumps into Malivore in Legacies, it involves the dead Mikaelsons being resurrected, and the kids from the Salvatore School travelling to New Orleans (with a newly activated tribrid Hope). This is a Mikaelson family story in the bloodiest, best way. Has Handon and Klaroline in addition to the canon Originals couples.

if no one in the entire world cared about you (did you really exist at all?) by nevermore_evermore - Elijah is erased from the minds of everyone he loves. Kol is (eventually) there to help him through it. An interesting take on Elijah's place in the family.

A Million Mistakes by mon-amour-eternel - a fic where Caroline is also an original, and her and Klaus are Marcel's parents. Sadly unfinished, especially considering the rarity of Marcel-centric fic!

But Stand Brave, Life-Liver by crownjrose - A Hayley-centric fic! Her foster parents come to New Orleans and see the way her life turned out. Interesting closure for Hayley, and a sweet Klaus/Hayley relationship.

Kolvina Fic

(finally) you and me are the lucky ones by yorkes - a long one-shot where Kol and Davina are soulmates. It's cute as hell! And Kol and Davina really grow into each other in this one.

The Vixen and the Fox by BlueBooThalassophile - be warned, this read is long as hell. But it's also great. Davina time travels to the Vampire Diaries season 4, gets involved in the fight against Silas, and everything goes sideways immediately. Love Davina's friendship with Hayley and bond with Marcel in this one. Every character in both shows appears in this one.

[miriadalia]

Things you can comment on the fanfics you love when you have no idea what to say

From what takes less time to what takes more

~show those writers your love, please!! They do it for free T-T and they deserve better

1. Emojis

You know the vibe of the fic you're reading, chose the ones that suit it better.

❤❤❤

💔💔💔

🙈🔥🔥

You may think this is kind of stupid, but trust me, it is NOT for the writer. It shows you've read until the end of the chapter and that you liked it so much that you decided to say it publicly. Your presence means A LOT.

Also, leaving kudos or votes takes literally just 1 second, what are you doing NOT doing that?? 🤨🤨🤨

2. Simple phrases

I loved it so much!!

Can't wait for the next chapter!!

This was just so good 😍

Amazing as always, keep it up!! 🙌🏼

Writing is a lonely work if you think about it. When I'm in a writer's block, just one sentence can hype me up for the rest of the day and give me the spirit I need 💪🏽

3. The emotions you felt

Yes, you DO matter. That fanfic author cares more about your opinion than your stupid ex so you better write to them instead 🧐

The plotwist was so unexpected, I'm shocked 😱

You can't end with that cliffhanger, how am I supposed to wait another week??

Excuse me, I will now lock into my room and cry all night, thank you 💔

I've read some people saying they won't comment how they felt because they feel ashamed or shy. Take it as if you were about to post a tweet or comment on a friend IG's story 👍🏻

4. One piece of dialogue/prose that really amazed you

Oof 🔥 this happened to me a few weeks ago and that comment still lives in my mind rent free. There's no better way to compliment a writer's work than to highlight something they wrote that left a true impression on you.

And it literally takes no time:

[Insert piece of dialogue], oh she didn't just say that, imma throw hands 🤬🤬

[Insert piece of a description], I could really see it with my own eyes, loved how you described it!

5. Hopes and wishes for future chapters

C'mon, you're going to comment this anyway with some of your fandom mutuals or friends, why don't let the writer know that too?? COPY AND PASTE IT ✍✍

I just need Chatacter A and Chatacter B to kiss, how long is it gonna take?? 😩

Watching that scene in [Canon series name] would have been awesome!! Maybe in future seasons 👀👀

I hope [Ship Name] don't break up in the next chapter, they are so cute 😭

6. Character discussion

Okay, we're entering deeper waters here.

But the truth is: if you love that fanfic that much is because the characters really resonated with you. So express your first thoughts without any fear:

[Chatacter Name] is so important to me, like you have no idea. All the things they went through... But they still manage to be a better person ❤

[Chatacter Name] was so forgotten in [Movie/Series Name], I'm glad they're getting the development they deserved here!

7. Scene discussion

Again, you might think the comment section is no place to start "fangirling" over the stuff you liked. But IT IS!! And the writer wants to know your thoughts on their work, especially if your opinion is all positive 💞

This will take more time, sure. But if you're going to write it anyways for other people, COPY AND PASTE AGAIN, hon!

8. How this story is impacting your fan life (or even personal life)

You don't need to overshare, but simple comments like:

Your fic has really changed the way I think about [Character Name]'s decisions, I feel like I can understand them better now.

This story has motivated me to rewatch all the episodes again 😢 the nostalgia!!!

What you did with [Character's situation] was incredible! I've been there myself and I could have not explain it better 😔

... They will be the ones the writer will remember the most, I can assure you that.

9. A simple THANK YOU

At the end of the day, fanfic and fanart creators only have your feedback to rely on when the block or discouragement hits... This is about showing appreciation to someone you may not know at all, but that has brighten your day with their creations and efforts ❤