#this fandom is TOO talented and it's wonderful but also a struggle to keep up with everything

[glitzbot]

Are you planning to post the list of fics that u love here? i would love to see it (i access the internet through a microwave so things like twitter are not available to people like me) and have you read the amazing "Cage Games: Truth of Dare" by the duo of tealvenetianmask and akiriwe ? Anyway have a good day please (you're making mine better every time)

(still soz if my English grammar is not git bevver)

I totally could post the list here! actually, I'd like to add more fics to it, so I'll put that together and make another one here soon

and I have not read that fic! my to-read list is absolutely massive, so I can't promise to read anything, but maybe someday!

[choppyama]

Tobio didn’t make fun of shoyo when he said he was a ball boy bc he fully supports his boyfriend’s wrongs.

also bc he would have done the exact same thing.

He would sneak into a camp uninvited, he would go to Brazil just to learn and get better at the sport. He’s just as driven, just as dedicated he simply had more opportunities. As in the chance to start playing vb and working towards his goals earlier.

I know the whole natural talent vs hard work discourse in this fandom gets tired so I’d like to avoid talking about it further but I still wonder how do so many people underestimate how dedicated Kageyama is to volleyball

when this is him

I do think the fandom is aware that kageyama is a volleyball freak but many don’t see him as inspiring in the same way they view characters like Hinata or Oikawa because his story isn’t told through an underdog perspective.

He succeeds really young and continues to succeed even bigger which often gets read as being handed things on a silver platter rather than perseverance.

In contrast we see oikawa struggle “for longer” he doesn’t make it to nationals, he doesn’t get everything he desires. So the audience feel for him, they project onto him. They admire him for “working harder” precisely because he doesn’t get to win until the very end.

Kageyama gets to Nationals, he becomes an Olympian at 19, wins countless time with his team. He even get to achieve his dreams of becoming Japan’s best duo with hinata when Iwaoi could never (I’m joking but not really)

seriously tho tobio’s success shouldn’t make his story any less compelling than Oikawa’s especially since they are basically two sides of the same coins. if you think oikawa’s arc is amazingly done? well…

More importantly the same qualities that people admire tooru so much for are traits tobio carries as well : they are both resilient, passionate, determined etc etc

Yes tobio has an advantage of playing vb since he was basically 0 years old but he also had a very challenging childhood, went though so much isolation and rejections, from not having anyone to keep up with him to losing his support system to his teammates abandoning him but he never once became discouraged or thought about giving up.

He always shows up at the gym to practice every single time despite EVERYTHING he went through.

It’s only a fair to note that Oikawa had his own kind of privilege. He always had his childhood friend by his side and never experienced the same kind of loneliness tobio did.

Kageyama’s serves are so amazing and that’s because it’s one of the few skills he could practice completely on his own. He became so good at serving because he didn’t have anyone to practice everything else with.

Oikawa also is naturally charismatic which makes it easier for him to communicate and connect with any of his teammates… a huge advantage for a setter and that’s something Kageyama inherently lacked. He had to work hard to develop those skills.

I could go on bc I do enjoy oikawa and kageyama dynamic a lot but I’ve talked too much already so here’s my favorite official art of tobio to ever exist

“kageyama who can afford to look up at the sky even in the extreme cold” FURUDATE LOVES HIM SM

[meizze-art]

Hello Meizze,

I´ve watched your blog here for maybe a year but finally I get courage to write you this appreciation message. I only would like to tell you that your art is simply amazing and my most favourite on the whole tumblr.

The essence of your Omi and Seb is just... breathtaking, magical, absolute perfection! For me there is no better artist than you in this fandom. No matter of this deboost bullshit - I´ve always find my way to your blog.

Please keep sharing your beautiful art with us, have plenty of wonderful (and hot) ideas and have a nice day.

Your fan Allilie

Oh Allilie, this truly made my day!

Thank you so, so much for your kind words. I’m still in awe, procesing the dopamine wave I can’t tell you how much it means to hear that! 💖 Knowing that my art still found its way to you despite the deboosting nonsense makes me feel incredibly grateful! ✨

I’ve never really shared this publicly, but maybe IT'S TIME! (especially for anyone who’s been feeling discouraged by poor reach, or frustrated watching lower-quality content blow up or perform better while your work gets buried):

Not many people know this, sadly, but it's not that you're doing it wrong or your art sucks: there’s NO such thing as one GLOBAL, FAIR algorithm for ALL users on most platforms. EVERY COUNTRY HAS A DIFFERENT ALGLORITHM (apparently, the moment you create your account, it gets permanently tied to the regulations and filtering systems of that country).

This means that visibility, censorship, and engagement can VARY DRASTICALLY between users depending on which region/country the account was created in.

Unfortunately, the algorithm tied to MY COUNTRY is one of the MOST CONTENT-CENSORING and VISIBILITY-LIMITING in all of Europe!

I used to believe EU-wide regulations were applied fairly across the entire European region, but nope, actually I’ve observed how easily artists from some Nordic countries (like Finland, Sweden, Norway, etc...) gain crazy engagementand and higher recommendation on people's feeds, even with quickly-done art pieces over the past few years, WHILE creators from France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, etc, struggle to be seen, no matter how much effort and details they put on their art. While SOME artists from those 'VIP' countries still love to think so big about themselves or believe that their reach is 100% talent, I’ve always suspected that it’s often just a lucky combo of their algorithmically privileged region/country + their opportunistic algorithm gaming account activity/management.

I sometimes wonder how certain artists' hyperboosted pieces would perform if I posted them from my own account... and vice versa! I bet the results would be kind of interesting and funny to see.

For example, right now, Japan currently enjoys the most favourable algorithm on X worldwide (and probably on some other platforms too). When an account is randomly blessed and benefits from their algorithm, it's posible for them to farm thousands of likes/followers easily within a short timeframe, even with simpler and minimal artistic effort (and for free! no premium account is needed for that extra boost). Also some people can post more 'questionable' content from their account while others get their posts automatically censored and deboosted by their country algorithm when posting a picture about a male chest!

While this is not anyone’s fault, it definitely makes the whole system feel pretty discriminatory and unfair! All because of bloody political decisions against self-employment and content creators! I really hope we’ll finally put a stop to this nonsense soon! (not to mention the content creators struggling financially because of this, without even knowing what’s causing it…)

Since January 2025, the changes have hit me harder than in previous years: my reach has gone down drastically, censorship has increased, and it’s really affected my commissions. I’ve had fewer clients than last year just for this reason!

I wouldn’t say I trust ChatGPT 100%, of course it has mistakes!, but just in case anyone is interested, this helped me piece everything together and the data about several countries aligns pretty well with my own research and what I’ve experienced myself (these screenshots talk about X):

_________

Thank you so much again, Allilie, for your kind words! I’ll definitely keep sharing as long as there are people like you who genuinely connect with what I do. Sending you all the love back 💫🖤

[persephoneprice]

gratitude for the new year

(inspired by @the-sun-and-the-sea)

over this past year, i have had so much fun on here with all of you. i appreciate everyone on here- the mutuals, the lurkers, the og trilogy fans that for some reason put up with the nonsense! all of you have made this year so much easier for someone who was struggling elsewhere in life <3

i hope we can all continue to be silly, fun, creative, and a little a lot unhinged into the next year. this fandom is such a lovely and supportive little corner. i’ve been inspired to do things i never thought i’d do- writing fanfiction, doing a fic exchange, unhinged cannibalism thoughts- the usual.

(under the cut for the gratitude things!)

- i want to start out by saying how much i appreciate anyone who sent me and ask over this past year! especially you my lovely anon friends! it’s been so much fun and in my…far too many years on tumblr i’ve never been able to interact with so many people! i cannot overstate how nice it is so have so many people will to engage about our silly little guys.

- i also want to say how much i appreciate the corso creatures discord as a whole! when we made it, i’m not going to lie, i really thought that would fizzle out quickly. so i’m so happy to see it thriving and everyone having fun on there together. thank you again, @coryo for helping make a place where can all truly be together and be ourselves!

now onto some people who have made this year so wonderful for me:

@the-sun-and-the-sea - i remember messaging you for the first time and honestly being so intimidated! you seemed like such a cool and popular blog + so many amazing fics and seemed wayyyy too cool to be talking to the weird tbosas girl. i couldn’t have been more wrong! you’re the sweetest, most genuine, and supportive person i’ve had the privilege of being friends with this year.

@felixravinstills - you have inspired me so much over the past year! before i started this blog i was so embarrassed by my interests and i felt so silly and stupid. then i met you, who was so talented and creative and insane about you little guy! and it made me feel more okay with being open about my little guys and to be a little weird about it! please forever stay the person you are <3

@fairyhagmother - my appalachian friend (in my head. you are one of us.) i was so, so excited when someone on here was so educated on appalachia and wanted to talk about it! i never would have thought at the time that in just a few months we could be talking about…coriolanus snow’s grandma’am and toxic yuri. i still think about that festus/pippa/liv ballet post you did btw. love u my friend.

@ylvisruinedmylife - hannah i couldn’t possibly fit how much i appreciate you into a post! i love bouncing off insane ideas with you and torturing hils together. i’m always amazed by how intelligent and creative and talented you are…and you’re still so friendly and supportive! your support, especially with my jessup nonsense, means the world. thank you for not killing you know who in you know what. i hope treemina never frees you.

@moreespressoformydepresso - fun fact: i also was lowkey intimidated by you for a while! imagine my surprise when you wanted to befriend me and dm and tell me about all of your fun aus! now, i couldn’t imagine my fandom experience without you. thank you for being so friendly and supportive and down to yap with me <3 you’ll never escape me 😤

@spiralling-thoughts - i love how you keep the tribute fandom alive and give so much life to all the minor tributes! you’re one of the first friends i had on here, and i really appreciate you sticking with my over this year! please always feel free to tell me all of your ideas, i love hearing them!

@majorsoapfan - AH you’re so sweet and talented! i love yapping with you in the dms and coming up with silly ideas! not to mention the absolute masterpieces of works you create!

@sparklebear11 - you fr are the maude ivory to my barb azure! you’re so silly and fun, please never change that about you. i hope the covey haunts you forever so you’ll stick around with us!

@keeperofsecretsunderthehill - i wish i had the creativity that you do! you’re always coming with such different, yet equally interesting, ideas! cranedove ceo always <3

@xtabithanala - not only did you create one of my favorite fics and help me love liv even more- you’re also so kind and supportive to me?? an angel! i hope we can talk more over this next year and get to know each other better!

i’m so looking forward to getting to know all of you guys better over this next year! @thatthingilovewith (can’t wait for more bobbin), @tumblingghosts (i miss yapping with you!, @meekmedea (always such a lovely presence but i’d love to talk to you more!), @little-de-vil (please keep yapping about the d2 lore in my dms forever), @ilovepersephoneprice (pippa friend!!!! we have so much more yapping to do!), @vampirehizzies (my mizzen sized mutual that i am so proud of!), @solar-halos (love u girlie let’s yap more), @mr-nauseam (you’re a great friend and your kindness and patience is amazing!), @ritalinrae (let’s yap more!), @threestargirls (i’m so looking forward to yapping with you in the new year!), @mollywog (we don’t often interact but i love when we do- i still think about that playground thing you said!), @jinglebellpeppre (how have we not yapped together about miz?), @julietasgf (talented artist queen) <3

if i forgot some please feel free to yell at me and i’ll tell you how much i appreciate you and why

(honorary mention to bel who i miss dearly)

have a lovely new year everyone <3

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

The Great Sotus Rewatch

Some personal reflections

Since the beginning of the year, the most fabulous @thebroccolination has been leading some of us in a Sotus and Sotus S rewatch, to prepare for the return of Krist & Singto in The Ex-Morning.

Side Note: Watching Key do fandom feels very akin to what I imagine it feels like as a 10-year-old with a new skateboard rolling up to a park to see Tony Hawk doing kick flips. It is impressive, y'all.

And this felt like a very cool thing to do, both because I like hanging out with awesome people and watching things, and also because Sotus was my very first BL.

When I first stumbled across Sotus, I had no idea BL was even a thing, or yaoi, or any of it.

I was already a fan of kdramas, with a particular preference for those of the "women pretending to be men" variety (gee, wonder why). I also had a tendency to hunt out gay indie content, and was always thrilled when I could find a cute little gay romance film.

But these treasured finds were few and far between.

Then, one day, it happened. I was scrolling through Netflix, and stumbled across a little show called Sotus. It caught my eye, I clicked on it. And, according to my Netflix data, I started watching on July 26, 2019, and then proceeded to binge the ever-loving fuck out of it.

Funnily enough, I still didn't discover BL this way. It was a few years later, when I was desperately searching around, presumably typing something like "gay romance media" into google, that I was led to a reddit thread that recommend History 3: Trapped, and the rest is, literally, history.

But as I've watched more, and learned more, and become a part of this community, I've always had this fondness for the very first one. And it was so interesting to go back, and re-experience it, with so much more knowledge of the genre, and the history of BL, and the production companies, and the actors.

So here are a few thoughts after revisiting where it all began:

(Note, this got longer than intended, so the rest is past the cut)

1. Holy shit, Singto and Krist are talented. I have always enjoyed their work, but seeing them again at the very start gave me such a renewed appreciation. I think people often undervalue the early BLs, but when you think about what a risky endeavor this was, and how much Krist and Singto had to play under the surface to keep the hets happy, it was truly an incredible job. They gave layers to their performances. There were scenes that straight people could watch thinking "oh what nice boys", and gay people could watch thinking "oh they're going home to fuck right now". Honestly, there were moments their subtle slyness blew me away. They clearly took it seriously, and are a major factor in why it worked, and why we have so much more BL today.

2. Not every BL ages well, but this one was still incredibly relatable. To be honest, Sotus S was sometimes a little too relatable to me in the workplace drama. I've worked with some of those assholes. There's a maturity there that wasn't present in all the college BLs of the time. Unlike something like My Engineer (with apologies to My Engineer fans, love what you love!) where I really struggled with the bullying dynamic on a rewatch, here the push pull with the feelings of romantic desire and the struggle of queer identity felt surprisingly deft on re-examination.

There is a fair amount of filler, of course, also in Sotus S, but when you drill down to the essence of the ArthitKongpob relationship, there's a deep sweet aching realness to what they are experiencing.

3. This series reminded me of how it is so important to appreciate the history of what you enjoy. Of course we don't all have time to be complete experts, but it does make me sad sometimes when I see people online taking so much of all of this for granted. I came from a time where there was literally none of this. None. Nothing. I grew up with so little good female representation (dear lord save me from men who try to tell me Leia, Sarah Connor, and Ripley were adequate rep), and there sure as shit wasn't any gay romance that was easy to consume.

Even when I first started watching BL, I was easily catching up on all the available series. And yet, just a few years in, we are absolutely swimming in content. I cannot keep up with everything. And there's so much more diversity in genre and representation.

Sure, the quality varies, but that's true of literally all genres. Sure, there are huge problems in the industry - I mean, capitalism fucks everything in some capacity, but again, that's true of all media. Sure, there's more ground to be gained, there always is. But that ground will only be crossed by what we're getting now forging the way.

Realities are not mutually exclusive from gratitude.

All of that is to say that this only reaffirmed my gratefulness for what we have gained. For those people almost 10 years ago who decided to take a chance on something with no guarantee. For these two actors who took on a huge challenge, and have matured into men who are so open and honest about their struggles. And for this community, which I never would have found without that very first step.

I am so damn excited for The Ex-Morning.

[musette22]

hey minnie,

How do you find quality stucky fics in this vast ocean of pornography these days??? These last few years, I swear I barely get to read a decent stucky fic. I don't mind smut but come on, one can only read much too much filth until all filth looks the same. every once in a while you find something worthwhile to read but most of the time it feels like it's 1:50

Hi there! First of all, I think I understand what you're asking, but I'm also just a bit confused, because the way you've phrased it makes it sound like smut fics (or pornography, as you put it) can't also be quality fics, and that just doesn't sound right to me.

Well-written smut, with good characterization, is incredible, in my opinion. Granted (although there's absolutely nothing wrong with it), I'm also less into smut that is purely smut, in which the characters feel like they could be interchangeable with anyone, but I've always found it easy enough to avoid those types of fics. But I love me some filth from time to time, and I write quite a bit of it myself, so you might not be asking the right person...

Moreover, in my opinion, what constitutes quality fanfiction is extremely subjective. There are many older fics that have thousands of kudos and oodles of comments, which I personally didn't rate very highly. Conversely, there are some fics out there that I consider absolute gems, but which haven't gotten much love or attention at all. So without knowing more about what type of fic you do enjoy, I can't really help you.

But if I consider your question in a more general way, I would say that for me, when it comes to finding quality fic these days (and I'm assuming you mean "new" fic, not older stuff), following the writers whose work you enjoy is a huge part of it. Not all of them will have a Tumblr, but I'd say most of them do, and if you find them and give them a follow (and/or subscribe to their work on AO3), you'll never have to miss another fic they post. There are definitely quite a few incredible Stucky writers still very much active in the fandom right now, so make sure you look them up and hit follow.

I personally haven't experienced a shortage of great new Stucky fic yet (in fact, I still struggle to keep up with newly posted work a lot of the time), nor do I feel like the majority of what's posted these days is pure smut, but then I do exist within what you might call a "fandom bubble" (i.e. a space I curated for myself, filled with people (whose taste) I trust, and whose recommendations often lead me to expand that bubble to include more talented and awesome people, including writers).

Also, I personally strongly believe that what you experience as a shortage of "decent" fics (by which I assume you mean well-written, longer works with lots of plot and complex charactization, as opposed to just light on the smut) is also very much connected to a very unfortunate development that's been occurring in fandom over the last few years, possibly due to the influence of Instagram and Twitter, and that is the SIGNIFICANT decrease in engagement from readers such as yourself. Of course, the Stucky fandom has become smaller since EG and that naturally entails fewer readers (and writers) etc., that's just how it is. But it's not so much about the hits & follows as it is about the amount of (positive) feedback, comments and love authors receive on their works, which has decreased disproportionately even to that natural decline. There are still so many wonderful people who do leave comments and love on their favourite fics, but it seems like those people are in the minority these days.

I speak from personal experience when I say that writers will write much more and share that writing much more freely if they feel like their efforts are appreciated and their enthusiasm is (noticeably) shared by others. If authors feel like they're just shouting into the void, they'll be much less inclined to continue writing, ESPECIALLY long, complex, multi-chapter fics that take a lot of time and effort to produce.

So basically, for a large part, the power is in your hands here, anon. If you can, please leave long, detailed comments on the works of your favourite authors. Make art or moodboards or playlists based on fics. Share their work by reblogging it, gushing about it to others in the fandom, send them asks or DMs about their work and let them know how much you appreciate them. It'll work like a charm, I promise you!

[94erz]

second to everything u said abt the future direction of their music, like they really need to leave the “armys are our everything borahae 💜💜💜💜” fansongs behind. and if not leave them behind completely, then definitely not make them the title track

songs like mic drop, dope, ugh, cypher pt 3 would go so hard in us festival type settings. not that that should be their goal to perform there but that i can see them having big gp appeal. this is why i love hobi’s setlist so much bc the base line hangsang airplane / pt2 mic drop baepsae ego lineup gets the audience so so hype like that’s what gets people going. they need to lean into that again

this may also be unpopular but i really dont want them to rush into making music. i’d be down to wait longer if it means better quality and more intention. since it seems like there will be more solo activities after june, i wonder when they’ll actually release a new single/album?

even if it’s not until 2026, that’d be fine with me. the constant churning out of mediocre music is what is so unappealing abt kpop

Fan songs can be saved for FESTA, that's where they belong. They can even keep leaving that to JK since he seems to be the only one who makes music for it anymore as has been the case over the last few years, I'm sure the fandom would love it. But I'm not worried about it anymore, I get the feeling that was a one-off specifically because they were enlisting and were probably banking on the fandom being so sad that they'd support it more, but that didn't happen either LOL

And BTS SHOULD make music with live performances in mind, I would think this is the most common thing in the world for an artist to think 'cause eventually when you're less popular and your music is streamed less or you sell less albums fans will ALWAYS show up for shows. Your long time die hard fans will pay to see you live until death do you part, that's why old ass groups can still tour 'cause they have a fanbase that will still pay to see them live!!! I know k-pop isn't on par yet with like, classic rock or pop groups and they don't have near enough history to see this play out yet, but if you care about music, and you care about your fans, the one thing an artist should always have is live shows, and so they should care about that! Even when they can't dance anymore 'cause they'll get old they can still put on a banger show, if old rock groups can do it, then I can imagine these k-pop artists can too, BTS especially, since they have the actual vocal talent needed to have a long career in music, some of these other people I don't have the same amount of faith in. But yeah anyway hard agree on this point LOL I want songs that get me hyped again and will be exciting to see live!

And I'm with you on this point too, I could care less if BTS release any new music well into next year. I could also see them releasing something right away too though because knowing them and that company they probably set aside a bunch of stuff before enlisting so they could jump right in once they were all out. Like I can't imagine that while Joon stayed back he was ONLY working on RPWP, I can also see him starting to work on some stuff for BTS at the same time, I also think Hoseok would use some of his time now to also work on stuff for BTS, and if Jin could write and submit stuff for his solo albums while enlisted on his phone whose to say Yoongi hasn't been doing that too? Or even the ML? I guess I can see it happening that way too. 'Cause otherwise, what is the group going to do for the rest of 2025? Nothing? Just promote the 10-year anniversary of HYYH? Just do a bunch of interviews about reuniting? Film some new Run BTS episodes? I think I struggle the most with trying to assume what they'll do ASIDE from making new music ASAP. BTS always films and records and writes so much stuff in advance that I can easily see them doing that this time too. I just don't know what it'll sound like, if anything I think I would look forward to their next project once they are fully established and really into it again, THAT to me would be more interesting. So for me that's why I would prefer waiting too, I think that will have more substance honestly.

[sevenmerrymagpies]

First fic tag game 📖

Thanks to @dodger-chan for the tag.

Pick a fandom and post an excerpt of the first thing you ever wrote in that fandom. Could be a scene, part of a scene, a couple of lines, whatever your first foray into writing for that fandom was. Feel free to include a link to the story it comes from if it’s been published (excerpts from WIPs count too).

Tagging @formosusiniquis, @cuips-not-cute, and @1lostsoul0fishbowl

Obviously doing this for Stranger Things. My first attempt at a fic is also the first thing I published in the fandom. The completed story is on Ao3 as Future Hazy Try Again. Although this excerpt was written early in the process and cut for the final draft. When I first wrote it, I thought the story would have a lot more flashbacks, to explore his powers and show Eddie and El's relationship. Then I realized I was already showing Eddie and El's relationship without the flashbacks AND I wanted to hide what his powers were for the sake of the story.

Papa had given them all Magic 8 Balls one day in the Testing Room. 

Ten loved the look of them, black and white, but mostly black. It was restful after the bright white glare of the world. It reminded him of the Void, the place where he went to find people. He liked that place too, it was fun and easy to get to. Not everyone had an easy time finding the Void, but it wasn’t too hard for Ten, not once they allowed him to keep moving. He didn’t need the tank just to find people. He could rock back and forth, close his eyes, and he’d find himself in the Void in only a few moments.  He could walk around the whole world, wherever Papa or one of the teacher’s told him to go.

Ten liked the Void, Ten liked the black of the Void, so Ten liked the Magic 8 Ball because it was black too.  

He looked around and a few of the kids were shaking theirs, flipping them upside down over and over again. These were the kids, Ten knew, who had lived outside the walls of this world before they had ended up here. He debated only for a moment whether or not to follow suit. He was curious by nature, but he was also a fidgeter and the urge to play with the ball was too much for him to resist. He was always being told to stop fidgeting and be still, by all the nurses and even by Papa himself.  

Occasionally, Two would tell him to stop fidgeting and then hold him in place with his powers, forcing Ten into stillness. That was not fun. Ten didn���t like being told to stop fidgeting, not when fidgeting felt so right and natural but being caught like that, like a bug in a trap was bad and scary. 

Ten had seen a bug trap once, placed against the walls of the hallway outside his room. He’d looked inside, curious to know the purpose of the rectangular box, and saw a tiny cockroach stuck in the glue. It had pulled one of its legs off in an attempt to escape. 

Once he realized what had happened, Ten had screamed, pushing the trap as far away from him as it could get with his talents. The younger nurse, the blond one who was always watching Eleven when no one else was, had found him and laughed. Ten thought something was off about the laugh.  hen the nurse told Ten to get back to his room and picked up the trap. Ten didn’t know where the trap and bug went but he was happy he didn’t have to see it again.  

When Two would force Ten to be still during lessons, he felt like that cockroach.  He would try so hard not to move, afraid if he struggled against Two, that he would rip his own arm off.  

Here, with the shiny black ball, however, no one seemed to care that people were fidgeting with it, so he knew he could get away with it, too.  He flipped the ball over. There was a window at the bottom! From the inky depths behind the window a blue patch grew, until it hit the other side of the window and the words “Ask again later” appeared. 

Huh. 

Ten flipped it over again, wondering if the same words would appear a second time. “Don’t count on it.” There were more words!  No wonder the others were flipping theirs over and over again.  

Papa walked in the room, and like everyone else, he stopped flipping his ball over and stood at attention.  

“Hello everyone.” Papa said.

“Hello, Papa,” they all said back, like they did before every practice session.

“Today we’re going to try something a little different.” Ten was excited.  He liked new things, different things. He liked his Magic 8 Ball already.

[leviathans-watching]

Hi! I really like your content, and I've been following you for a while but never done one of these before.

I was wondering if you had any tips for creating a writing blog?

thank you so much for the support! hopefully what I include is at least somewhat helpful!

first, i think it's important to note that a lot of my success comes from the circumstances surrounding the startup of my blog. i began to write for obey me during 2020, with my first work getting posted around may. this is important for two reasons: not only we're we in lockdown, leading to an insane increase in engagement from 2020-late 2022, but also since the game released in dec 2019, I was one of the first people to write for it, thus meaning I was filling a niche that had in increased demand. my point in this is to say that I attribute a lot of my success to these factors, and not necessarily to any actions that I took or inherent talent lol

also note that these tops are based in my experience and experience only, not in any science or data!

general tips:

don't expect to blow up overnight! i've been writing fanfiction since 2018 and i only started gaining traction in late 2020 haha. and in that time, don't be afraid to just throw stuff at the wall until you find something that sticks. set boundaries! if you get to a point where people are being demanding, unkind, leaving hate, asking for too much, doing anything to rub you the wrong way, shut it down. thankfully I've only had to do that like twice (as usually my followers are lovely and understanding), but it's important to remember this is your blog and your rules

writing tips:

play around with style, tone, themes, elements, etc until you find your groove. my works do span stylistically, thematically, plot-wise, etc, but commonly they're lighthearted and sweet, as I find that's what I like to write the best. find what you like to write the best! edit edit edit! once you're done writing, read through it once or twice to find typos/stuff you don't like, then when you move it from wherever you're writing (as I do not suggest writing in tumblr) look through it again as the new format and sizing will allow you to catch more. then, if you're still unsure, wait overnight and look through it again the next day before posting. but it's also not the end of the world to have typos if you get constructive criticism (given in a kind way ofc)... it's in your best interest to at least evaluate your work before deciding to take it or not. don't just dismiss it. reflection leads to improvement! when I first started writing I didn't even put dialogue into different paragraphs and without some nice comments who knows how long that might have lasted lol if you're struggling with writing block or can't seem to finish up a piece, give it a break. don't keep kicking a dead horse. I've had pieces that I start and don't come back to until like 9 months later lmfaooo

technical tips:

blogs that are centered around 1 (to 2) fandoms tend to do better. this is because ppl don't like to follow creators if there's also a bunch of random stuff appearing on their dash in between works. this is why I utilize sideblogs (i tend to post obey me and haikyu (to a lesser degree) on this one, and i have one for batman, one for another book series, and one for more personal poetry and stuff) a good and aesthetically pleasing layout is going to really go far. if you're blog and works look professional and attractive, they're going to pull people in. what this means is to come up with a blog theme/layout that is unique and fits the vibes of you and your writing, have a unique pfp (so not one of the of tumblr ones), and make sure your works are organized with a clear layout that's standard across your blog (this also helps create a 'blog identity'). feel free to look at mine for inspo obv or as you scroll through popular blogs/tags try to pick out elements that you'd like to incorporate. tagging is your best friend. i always start with the most important/broad ones (i.e. #obey me, #obey me game), then go into relevant relationships (i.e. #mammon x you, #mammon x mc), then characters (i.e. #mammon obey me, #obey me mammon), then anything else. this order can be changed if you have trigger warnings, which i'd say to put first. also, do not spam tag or tag thing's that aren't related in an effort to gain viability as that will actually make people less likely to engage. as with layout, try to standardize your process/blog specific tags so they create a 'blog identity' (such as my #leviawriting or #from: levi tags) be kind and interactive! if people leave you nice comments, respond to them! answer asks, have conversations, make new friends! this will make your experience much more fun and bring a lot of joy, and also make people want to talk to you

that's really all i can come up with right now! obviously if anyone has more tips feel free to tack them on and if you have questions send them my way!

[pmpmyread]

2024 in Two Half Steps: Thoughts from a new writer on Tumblr

An end-of-year reflection on the pmpmyread x Tumblr experiment thus far, in the form of some yapping absolutely no one asked for, "for posterity".

While the creation of this Tumblr blog predates June 29, when I published my first JJK fic, I consider today to more or less mark six months since I joined the platform in earnest, as a writer.

A few days after sharing that first fic, once the high began tapering off, I vowed to make the conscious effort to refuse to play the engagement numbers game, judging it to be too slippery of a slope for the little it would yield, particularly for someone who is prone to slipping into the mindset of a mentally exhausting day job ruled by OKRs and KPIs as a measure of success.

"Watch number go up" would certainly not be the energy I'd bring to this endeavor.

Having said that, I did quietly hit a few neat milestones over the last few weeks, both on here and on AO3, and these little quantifications of how people received some of my writing over the last six months, modest as they may be, are only incredibly encouraging to me. Even after the recent cleanup I conducted on my followers list for what appeared to be bots/ageless blogs, I was surprised by the number of people I was left with on my tiny island of the internet.

If you follow me, if you’ve ever commented on, interacted with, or even just took the time to read something I wrote, thank you! I appreciate it more than words could ever convey.

Now, here’s a numbers game I'm willing to play, as someone who was struggling to get anything down on paper this time last year:

25-30 is the number of original/non-reblogged posts I shared this year. I didn’t know how to tag when I first started and I don’t really have it in me to hunt them lol. They were likely yap anyway. 17 of those were fanfics, 3 were meta posts/character analysis 11 Nanami fics (rookie numbers tbh lol), 2 Gojo fics, 2 Geto fics, 1 Nobara-centric story, and 1 Yuji and Sukuna-centric thing 5 gifted written works total, 3 of which I haven’t shared here. The presence of this metric is mind-blowing in and of itself because there was a time in a not so distant past when I would not dream of being confident enough to gift anything I wrote to someone. 6 Destiny fics, 5 of which were re-shares and 1 that I actually wrote this year. This is also an achievement on its own considering the terrible writer’s block and general dissatisfaction I’ve had with this game this year. I’m grateful for this small but mighty fandom and its talented artists that keeping it alive, in spite of everything. $17.15 is the yearly hosting fee for the OC writing blog I registered a couple of years ago. Now that I’ve finally found my spark to write OC again, thanks largely to my fanfic endeavors, I can finally justify its expense LMFAO.

If you’re a writer or really just any kind of creator on here, I encourage you to take a short trip down the soon-to-be memory lane that is the year 2024 and take stock of what you’ve created this year. Zooming out to view your broader personal progress and accomplishments is crucial for maintaining motivation, reminding yourself of the “why” and of the passion behind your efforts. We truly only do this for the love of the game!

If you’re a reader and you’ve made it this far (here’s a medal lol), thanks again for being here, I hope this can serve as a small glimpse into the journey behind this account. I admittedly run this blog a bit like my social life lol; long periods consisting largely of keeping to myself, punctuated by short bursts of high social energy. That said, I’d definitely like to get to know you more in 2025!

Finally, if you’re someone who sits in between these two categories, here’s some food for thought: In the initial six months of 2024, I was only silently reading the wonderful works others bravely posted on here, hovering in that awkward area between a desire to share my writing again and an aversion to being perceived.

It was exactly halfway through the year that I took a chance to post something for the first time, and though I was nervous in the moment, it was the most freeing thing. Mainly because I did it and I didn’t die lol.

If you feel that nagging from an idea you have, and that flame of creativity, if you’ve been eyeing that half-completed outline, or even just have some scenes replaying like a movie in your mind, I hope you know that you already are a creator.

At the risk of sounding corny, I’d invite you to consider this upcoming new year to be a blank page and try putting pen to paper for some of your ideas, and see where it goes. If you’re so inclined, create a post, tag it and send it off to the world, whether here on Tumblr or elsewhere. It may feel daunting or even a bit scary, but I promise you’ll feel accomplished and relieved to have finally tried it. And when you do it once, it’s always easier to do it again.

Just please do remember to do this for yourself and for your enjoyment first and foremost, to find your own voice and style and to resist the urge to compare your journey to others’. The best way to dismantle the thief of joy is to prevent it from sneaking onto the premises in the first place. The rest will follow. 🩵

As for 2025, I do have some aspirations for this blog, though I refuse to label them as resolutions LOL. I want to explore some more ideas for JJK and D2, I want to incorporate my underrepresented identities into my stories, I want to start cross-posting my original content over on another dedicated Tumblr page, I want, I want, I want...

I don’t know how much I’ll realistically get to, because life is life and I am also looking to make some rather big moves next year. Tumblr is only a small piece of my writing journey which itself is only a small part of my busy day to day, but all in all, I am so pleased to have re-engaged with this hobby on this platform.

For all of its flaws, Tumblr has a distinct flavor in its interactive element that I have yet to see elsewhere, it’s connected me with wonderful people, provided a much-needed creative outlet, exposed me to wonderful works, and helped to keep me grounded during what was an otherwise pretty hectic year.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you a safe, healthy and very happy New Year!

(I listened to the Comic Bakery Title song while writing this. My future self will get the reference hashtag posterity)

[writingwhilecaffeinated]

Let me start by saying I am in love with you, your writing has me on chokehold. It has been only two-three months I have gotten the hold of AO3 because of bridgerton s3 and now I am in the rabbit hole of Benelope and Penthony all because of you! Your fictions has me obsessed with Benedict and Penelope, you write them so perfectly. I have read all your work and reread them so often, think about them every other day if not daily. Initially I was waiting for 'unspooled thread' to be finished but I could not, and I'm so glad for that. Just caught up with that yesterday and my god what you and @itakethewords has done!!(I love their writing too so much, you both are a force unmatched).

I mean I have to stop reading so many times to catch my breath because it is so so good!! I could feel every emotion radiating through words. Let me say I have never watched s1 & 2, I just watched s3 because of the 'wallflower' tagline as I'm a wallflower too. So Unspooled Thread IS MY CANON. Idk what anyone says, I am in so much love with Benelope, ahhhh they are so perfect!! You have given such a great gift, I have been struggling a lot mentally and your writings have helped me to keep myself sane, to have something to look forward to. I am not saying this lightly but maaaannnn what you did in 'The Becoming of Baron' and 'Many hearts,' I am in awe! I never thought I could read polyandry and here I am reading every reverse harem with Penelope! I love Pen so much, she has such a rich personality that it is so easy to read her pairing with anyone. But man oh man the benelope is just magnificent. Please never stop writing them, your talent is so powerful, your words make me feel so much, it feels so wholesome. You have become one of my favourite writers, and I am not just saying for AO3! In everything I have ever read. I am in awe how you craft stories and show the depth of characters. I was never willing to watch Bridgerton before s3, Idk why. But Nicola Coughlan had me fall in love with her, and Penelope is one of the most alluring female character with all her flaws. I love how your treat her as such, the depth she deserve. Your stories have kept me afloat, the reread value in them is just phenomenal. I could write so many words more but I think will keep repeating, so I just want you to know that your writing has made a change in world, in my life, it has hold me through toughest of times. And I so wholeheartedly appreciate your every effort is gifting us with such wonders. Thanks a million! I wish you and @itakethewords all the happiness in the world.

Hello!!

Oh my goodness, this is the nicest, highest compliment me and @velvetcovered-brick (itakethewords on AO3) could have! Truly, truly, thank you for your kindness and for reading our stories. It means a lot to us!

We understand how reading fanfic can really help when your mental health is suffering. Fanfic is one of the most amazing forms of escapism and I’m so glad and honored we have been able to help with that, even in a small way. ♥️

Also super glad you gave the poly fics a shot! They’re not everyone’s cup of tea, which is completely valid, but I’m so happy you enjoyed them and still found the characters east to love and connect with.

Also, welcome to the Bridgerton fandom! We are so glad that Nicola Coughlan bring the amazing actress she is, convinced you to give season 3 a try.

It’s a super high compliment that our version of s1 and s2 in unspooled thread is basically your canon. That’s incredibly sweet! We will be so interested to see what you think of our version of s3 is when we get there!! It’s going to be the most ambitious yet!

Seriously, thank you for your kindness. Me and @velvetcovered-brick (itakethewords on ao3) really, really, REALLY appreciate it!!

Also, look out for Halloween season! @velvetcovered-brick and I are planning a special Penelope treat… with a bite 🧛

[tagedeszorns]

Legion and/or Primarch ranking?

For me, such a ranking makes little sense, as I have found that I actually enjoy reading every Legion and Primarch if they are well written.

Of course, there are exceptions. I always look at my favourites with a sympathetic eye, even if they end up in the hands of less talented authors.

But in general, I believe that a good author can make any legion palatable to me.

So I can only speak of "currently I like less" when I say that legions or Primarchs don't interest me that much.

My favourites are clear - Emperor's Children, Word Bearers and Salamanders are undisputed at the top because I just love them as a whole package. Yes, their Primarchs all struggle with hard meme stereotypes. But what Primarch doesn't? I'm very glad that TTS never reached Fulgrim and Lorgar, and at least they didn't give Vulkan quite as bad a time as other canon characters (poor Cato and Calgar for example. Or Dorn. Damn, did they do a number on Dorn!).

Lorgar and Fulgrim come across as far too nice and harmless in the fandom at the moment. But I'm not here to dictate other people's headcanon. Gods forbid!

There are legions and Primarchs that I just haven't found any access to, come hell or high water. It's just because their novels haven't grabbed me. Absolute potential, but not written in such a way that I want to know more.

This definitely includes The Iron Warriors with Perturabo. And the Raven Guard with Corax.

Or the Lion and his Dark Angels. It's not good for him that authors drag him in different directions and break him in the process.

I also have a hard time with Sanguinius and his boys, because the authors just keep pushing into my head how wonderful he is, but never provide examples of why exactly. That creates too much dissonance for me.

What I like, on the other hand, is how Khan is allowed to be a defiant teenager. Feeling absolutely misunderstood by everyone and wanting to be cool (trying waaaay too hard), but then being offended when no one is looking. That makes him likeable. So while I can't find the White Scars particularly interesting as a legion, I can respect them.

I wish Horus would finally get some decent treatment. Just one or two novels that don't make him a caricature of himself. The man has the rebellion named after him - he needs a bit more shine please!

I hope it's clear now that for me there are no bad Legions, only boring/bad writers.

Hence no ranking. Just the fact that I have my favourites.

[littlemisspascal]

How do you find time and/or inspiration to keep up with your writing? I've read plenty of your fanfics and I love them!

I am stuck in this loop of trying to continue my fics, but I keep overthinking it and that silly voice in my head says that none else will read it and like it... Advice on that?

Hello Anon 👋 Thank you so much for reading my fics! That really brightened my whole weekend 💙

You're definitely not alone with your battle to continue writing fics, I know there's hundreds of fellow writers out there, very much including me, that struggle too! And I also know each of us has our own tips and advice for how to keep going, and what works for some doesn't work for others.

For me, these past 2 years in particular have been some of my worst when it comes to writing and resuming wips. And that's 90% because I let my insecurity--that irritating voice in my head--convince me that in a giant fandom of gems and talent, my stuff was somehow worth less compared to everybody else. So you'll see a lot of my stuff has remained frozen and untouched for weeks, months, years. The other 10% is because life got messy too, which also affected my headspace.

To keep a long story short, this year I wanted to be different. I got an app on my phone that I schedule my daily tasks on to keep me better organized and I learned in the process how much I love having structure in my life rather than just...kind of waiting to be in the mood for something. I've started scheduling 10 minutes a day for writing--because once a task is broken down, it doesn't seem so daunting anymore, ya know? And sometimes I find once those 10 minutes have passed, I actually am in a good enough flow to keep going a bit longer. Other times I'm stumped after 10 minutes or have something else to do and so I stop--and I don't get angry with myself or tell myself I should do better/more. That's just unnecessary negativity. Giving yourself credit actually goes a really really long way in boosting your overall confidence + mood I recently learned.

Also I got myself a really really sweet and wonderful support buddy in @beecastle 🐝💗 She's convinced my at least 800 times not to delete my stuff and/or that I'm not the worst writer in existence.

I still struggle a lot, don't get me wrong. And there's fics I may or may not ever finish, Idk the future. But that's okay. At the end of the day, the thing that matters most is you're writing the fic you want to read--and if that voice says no one will read it, well. You can yell back at that negative thought and call it untrue because you're someone 😊

[musette22]

Omg Minnie, I feel like this is a "first world problem" but there a so maaaany fics and so LITTLE time to read them 🥺🥺🥺

Oh my gosh nonnie, I KNOW 🥺 It's definitely a luxury problem and I'm so happy that this fandom is thriving and the people in it are so incredibly talented and creative, but I'm really struggling to keep up with all the new fic that's being posted these days too 🙈

Not that I'd have it any other way, and I'm not complaining, trust me! The new content is all absolutely wonderful and the quality is incredibly high, but that does mean that I want to read it ALL, and I just can't seem to find the time to do so and that makes me 😫 you know what I mean? Especially because I want to leave comments on everything too to let people know that their hard work is being appreciated, and because I don't want to accidentally miss anyone out!!

Fortunately I seem to have timed my own writer's block well so that at least I'm not also writing while trying to read all the new content 😅 I don't know how everyone else does it, kudos to them!! But please keep it coming, guys! You're all amazing and brilliant 🙌🏼💖

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Probably you've already written something like that but would you mind doing anything with s/o comforting Undertaker please? After a long day or because of something more important like related to bizzare dolls, it's up to you. Thank you again! You're amazing and very talented, fandom is blessed by your writings! <33

oh for sure, I’ve written some things with reader or S/O comforting Undertaker in the past!

buuuut you know what? I literally never get tired of writing the reader or S/O taking care of and comforting the characters, it’s one of the things I always love to write!

this counts, doesn’t it...? I think it came out sweet!

aLSO THANK YOU YOU’RE SO NICE LET ME LOVE YOU!!! <333

For a long while, (Name) has watched UNDERTAKER run himself ragged for the sake of his cause. Physically and mentally, he’s pushed himself to do everything he needs to do.

Now that he’s achieved his goal and Astre Phantomhive is alive again, it all seems to have finally caught up with their beloved.

They’ve heard of very busy people with demanding jobs who suddenly take ill while on holiday, as if their body decides that they have nothing to do, so they can relax… so they ‘have time’ to be ill. That seems to be what’s happening here; something (Name) has heard referred to as leisure sickness.

They had sympathy at first, when it wasn’t too terribly bad. After they caught Undertaker clinging to the banister as he tried to climb down the grand staircase and very nearly falling on his face, however, they’ve confined him to the manor’s most spacious guest room.

The struggle to keep him in bed is mostly verbal. They’re sure he could fight if he absolutely needed to, but he’s so weak at the moment, his will to get up crumbles when they give him a firm shove back onto the pillows. He’s running a high fever, can only keep down water, tea, broth, and small pieces of plain bread, and he doesn’t need to be stressing his body even more.

Honestly, why he’s so keen to be up and about when he’s currently losing most of his breath to bouts of coughing is beyond (Name) anyway. It’s frustrating that he doesn’t appear to want to simply rest.

“There we are,” they coo softly as they pluck the thermometer from between his lips. “Let’s see…”

In the few seconds it takes them to gauge the numbers, Undertaker evidently feels the need to make a joke. “Wot temp’ature am I up t’ now, love? ‘m I done yet? Need t’ turn me over?”

They give him the exasperated telltale look of not finding that funny in the slightest. “Don’t make light of this, Adrian! Your fever’s just shy of 39, so there’s nothing to laugh about.”

“Tch, 39… don’t fret so much, my dear. That’s room temp’ature f’r a Reaper, haha.” Of course, as if betraying him, a quick volley of barely-stifled sneezes makes his frame shake. Just like that, his already messy bangs fall right over his face again.

(Name) sighs. “Bless you.”

“… Damn,” he snorts, lifting a hand up to his chest. “Jus’ about cracked a rib with those ones.”

(Name)’s setting the thermometer down on the bedside table quietly might as well be a gunshot. “Stop holding them back like that, then.”

Before he can offer any kind of retort, the tickle in his throat flares back up, and he’s got his face in his hands for the millionth time, coughing hard enough to sound like he can barely even get a breath in just to cough. With his nails so close to his face, it’s a wonder his cheeks aren’t scratched up by now, and after a moment the coughs taper off into the wheezing of attempts to catch his breath.

One hand drifts down to his chest again, this time in a far less jovial manner. “Ah, Lord. Bloody ‘urts. I’m sick as a dog, ain’t I?”

“You are indeed, darling.” They reach over to comb his bangs back, a caring frown forming on their face when they feel his forehead is beaded with sweat. “Why don’t you just let me take care of you? I know this isn’t going to kill you, but I see how uncomfortable you are. There’s no reason to keep pushing yourself and make it worse.”

“The young ‘eir needs me.” Even as he tries to defend his persistence, his eyes flutter shut at the cool touch of their hand against his burning skin. “’e needs… I gotta…”

Another round of coughing cuts him off, and this time it’s so sharp it brings tears to his eyes. They glisten at the edges, making the fluorescent rings of green that much more prominent. At the moment, the glow of his eyes just looks… sickly.

(Name) leans down to press a kiss to his fevered brow. Their hand slips down, fingers filling the spaces between his. “You don’t need to do anything, my love,” they murmur. “I know how to take care of Astre just fine. You’ve shown me how to make sure he gets everything he needs. When was the last time you just let yourself do nothing? Your body needs to heal, Adrian.”

The only sound which fills the room for a moment is that of his ragged breathing, congested and raspy and crackling. His lashes are heavy, seeming to crave closing the more his beloved strokes his hair. Finally, he speaks up. “I ain’t been sick in so long. Not sure I even remember ‘ow t’ be.” Another joke, though the mirth is mostly gone from his voice and face.

They don’t say anything as he leans against them, but it feels like they’re suddenly bearing the weight of the world. “I’m so damn tired,” he admits at last.

They kiss him again, this time on the crown of his head. “Of course you are. How could you not be, after everything you’ve been through? After everything you’ve put yourself through as well? Even though you’re not mortal, you’re also not invincible. If a simple illness is trying to tell you to rest, you should listen. You’ve not rested in so long, I wouldn’t be surprised if getting sick is your body’s way of screaming at you that you need to just be ill for a while. If that’s what it takes to get you to slow down.”

He silent for a moment, prompting (Name) to pull away so they can check if he’s still even awake. “Adrian? Sweetheart?”

“’m up,” he mumbles. Now his voice sounds syrupy, groggy, like sleep has its cold claws sunken into him and is trying to drag him down. Stubborn man, he’s still fighting it.

They laugh, giving him a squeeze round the shoulders. “And that’s exactly the problem! You poor thing, you really don’t remember how to be sick, do you?”

All he can offer is a sheepish, exhausted smile. Then his eyes drift closed again. “Might come back t’ me. Y’ sure y’ can ‘andle all this?”

“I’m sure. You have to relax, my dear.” With that, one more peck is brushed over his head, and they gently guide him back down to lie in bed instead of sitting up. “Now, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. You’re going to snuggle up under these covers, and do your best to remember how to be sick.”

That earns a breath of a giggle from him, followed by a couplet of coughs. “Mh, no promises, but I’ll certainly take a stab at it, hee-hee.”

Ah, he’s so darling. “Good boy. You’re going to do that, and you’re not going to get up out of this bed. You aren’t even going to lift a finger. I’m going to go give Astre his afternoon transfusion and see if I can’t get him to eat something as well. Then I’m going to bring you a fresh cup of tea. How are we feeling about medicine? A tincture of quinine? Do you think that would go down without upsetting your stomach?”

“Mnhhh… s’pose I can give it a shot. Better get plenty’a sugar in the tea t’ wash the taste out, though.”

“Believe me, I know if it’s not more sugar than tea, you won’t even touch it,” they tease. Long as he’s able to keep it down, they can’t deny that request. At least he’s drinking the tea even if there’s enough sugar added in it to kill a small child. “Do you trust me to take care of everything, including you?”

Undertaker cracks his eyes open just a bit, just enough to peer up at them. It almost upsets him, that they have to ask if he trusts them. Of course he does. He doesn’t… know how to articulate exactly how he feels, how it is that it feels like pulling teeth to calm down and hand over control even though he trusts them with his entire life. “Course I do, darlin’. Y’ jus’… jus’ go on ‘n’ look after things, alright?”

His nails rake his bangs away from his face, a desperate bid for relief from the long locks making him warmer. “Got my word I won’t move a muscle. Let me know if y’ need my ‘elp, though.”

“I won’t need your help unless something goes really, terribly wrong, but thank you.” They step away from the bed after one more kiss, hovering by the door for a moment. “… Adrian? I’m… I’m only fussing because I love you.”

He smiles. Thank God for that. “Aaah. Never ‘ad any doubt, love. Y’ got my ‘eart too… guess I can show that by doin’ what y’ ask, right?”

They can’t help but smile right back along. Even when he’s more ill than they’ve ever seen him, he’s charming. “Get some sleep, sweetheart. I’ll check on you in a bit. And don’t you worry about a thing, okay?”

For the first time in centuries… he doesn’t. The candle by the door is blown out to make the room a bit dimmer, and the Undertaker allows himself to be lulled down into the dark embrace of peaceful sleep.

[jikookpancakes]

JIKOOK FIC RECS that no one asked for (2021)

but im giving anyway because THE TALENT IN THIS FANDOM IS INSANE

long post incoming!! this is probably just part 1 because i wont stop reading anytime soon so i’m inserting that link just in case i do make another one in the future

What’s a Soul Really Worth, Anyway? by thisneedsmorefilth - 130k words, fantasy, demon!jm, witch!jk, listen, this and the next one are my top 2 jikook fics of all time, so well-written, plot so exciting legit reads like a book, better than a lot of books tbh, the world-building is INSANE, jungkook and the gang accidentally summon demon!jimin and chaos ensue, especially for jungkook...and you know why!!!, so funny, angsty, cried so much, happy ending but listen to me: you gotta read the sequel too, YOU GOTTA.

Militat Omnis Amans: The Beginnings by edaen - 92k words, fantasy, werewolf!jk, vampire!jm, forbidden love, super slow burn but super worth it, JIKOOK IN THIS IS MY FAVORITE JIKOOK IN ANY FIC EVER EVER EVER, this is the ultimate all or nothing will freeze hell over for the other kind of love, and the way this is written is just so... how do i describe it. like you can just tell the author wanted to be very realistic with their feelings. you’ve seen the word count, this is SLOW burn. like you will legit feel their struggle to just be able to love each other and while it hurts, it’s also SO GLORIOUS. i love this one so much and if you like reading angst with happy ending but like cranked up to 200% then read this. bonus feels if you read the whole series

Until Dawn (series) by edaen - this is the long series where the previous one above is part of. highly rec if you love fantasy and you wanna read about bts being a rag tag group of supernatural beings fighting evil yay. also it makes the above fic more satisfying because you see more of jikook just being tgt and in love (with bonus angst because of course)

7 Signs by NamHyora - 27k words, secret spies au, abo, alpha!jk, omega!jm who is always used as a raven in their operations aka they use jimin and his attractive self to attract people and gather information or acquire targets and all that spy stuff, and his bestie alpha jk is not too happy about it hehe, friends to lovers, iove this one so much i wish it was longer but i think the author is planning to write a sequel!

Drop Like Confetti by annie_vi - 110k words, ceo!jk, age difference, age swap, ahhh i love this fic so much cause jimin smart and mature and has this no bs attitude, and he can keep up with jk despite the age gap and the difference in status/experiences, jk sexy dilf in this one eheh, i love it cause the drama/angst tackles a very real concern for such couples, like there’s no angst just for the sake of having angst, it really makes sense where they’re both coming from, they’re so whipped for eo too so love that for me

Fold it Up Like Origami by annie_vi - 99k words, gamer!jk, model!jm, same author as above and jk is so boyfriend goals in this one and in all this author’s fics in general like wow my standards are so high now i will legit be single forever just reading jikook fics (with no regrets), secret relationship due to their celeb status, well-written as usual, dialogues/banter in this author’s fics are just YES

The Tournament by kinkmins - 34k words, prince!jm, bodyguard!jk, abo, i’ll paste part of the summary here “Prince Jimin gets ready to hold a tournament where 50 alphas compete for a chance to court him, his father the king hires a new bodyguard who is a little too blunt and a little too talkative.“, i really love this oneeeee

Screwed Up and Brilliant by annie_vi - 113k words, escort!jk, jimin needed a date for a work event and in comes jungkook, escort extraordinaire with a no sex rule and jimin is just dasdkjfhasl, a lot of that “is this real or is he just acting” kinda angst, fluff smut angst

Like Everything Glows by annie_vi - 180k words, merman!jm, aquatic vet!jk, ok this is like my 4th rec from this author just read all their fics you’re welcome, this is their first fantasy fic but soso good, i rec’d this to someone who doesn’t really read fics and she really loved it and said “their love is so pure hhh”, she’s right

Track one: I love you by honeydice - 30k words, they’re “just” best friends, lots of pining it hurts, there’s some yoonmin and mentioned past jinmin in this so just noting in case, angst, denial of feelings, siiiiigh

InYou by edaen - 4k words, pwp :), abo, the morning after jikook mating, more sexytimes ensue + fluff

Falling For You Again by Rose_gold715 - 30k words, amnesia au, jk forgets about jimin and idk just something about this hits right in the feels. btw i don’t support the jk hated jm before in real life agenda so i don’t like this fic for that reason but i like this fic because i love me some good painful angst with happy ending.

The President’s Son by AmeliaBedelia - 55k words, bodyguard!jk, president’s son!jm, jk is assigned to shadow jm bc his life is under threat, and things develop :), jm is jk’s gay awakening :) :)

A Touch of Sin by pettey - 102k words, fantasy au, police officer!jk, supernatural!jm, shamanism, LOOK AT THE RANGE OF JIKOOK WRITERS YALL, this is such an interesting concept, so different from every other fic i’ve read, really well-written, sometimes you come across fics and you cant help but go “someone out there rly blessing me with this art for free”

Tears to the Tide by haromame - 65k words, abo, alpha!jk, omega!jm, honestly there’s not a lot of abo elements it’s focused more on jungkook having ptsd as he just came from war, established relationship jikook, he comes back home to jimin and things have just... changed. except their love ok THEY LOVE EO SO MUCH this made me cry so f much ugh so good tho.

Zero Hour by edaen - 5k words, canon compliant, a little drabble based around rosebowl jikook, it’s part of a series/collection of canon compliant jikook so if you’re looking for more canon compliant here you go!!, also if you can’t tell already i tend to like several things from a single author, i haven’t read their other fics im legit saving for sad days but i am confident enough to say their other fics are also rec-worthy.

Wonder by wordcouture - 7k words, im sorry in advance, mcd :( pls take care of yourself, i don’t like sad endings ok i don’t, but this is so popular and i was like, ok let’s see what the hype is all about, i get it now, :((((((((((((((((((((, well-written tho, bc the author will manage to crush your heart in just 7k words ha ha

The Omega Revolution by PinkBTS  - 158k words, abo, alpha!jk omega!jm, dystopian au, the hunger games more specifically mockingjay vibes, angst with happy ending but there’s some...things... lost along the way and i think that’s realistic for a dystopian war au, well-written

Blind Switch - 226k words, jockey!jk, rich spoiled brat!jm, jm gets exiled to his grandparents ranch where he meets jk yeehaw, im sorry for the yeehaw, anyway fluff smut angst enemies friends to lovers hurt/comfort slow burn happy ending, all the good stuff, ugh jk so boyfriend goals, also the amount of fluff in the later chapters thank u writer

Finally by Rose_gold715 - 12k words, abo, alpha!jk, omega!jm, angst with happy ending, jikook mate out of convenience and jimin runs away from jk and his pack feeling unloved and outcasted, but jungkook goes after him :((

Park Jimin’s Guide to Good Housekeeping by Ashlyn17 - 235k words, fantasy au, when i say jikook has the best fic writers i mean jikook has the best fic writers because THE WORLD-BUILDING in this one?, THE PLOT TWIST?, yesyesyes, jungkook is a powerful fae and jimin is assigned to be his housekeeper hehe, listen my entire fic rec has several that could be great netflix shows and this is definitely one of them

A Spell That Reminds Me of Your Name by Chimneycricket - 42k words, wizards!au, enemies to friends to lovers and the development felt natural, well-written plus the author sometimes makes art of their fics and other jikook fics and posts on twitter, both their fics and art are so good, i’ve heard good stuff about their other fics too :)

that’s it for now!

just a quick one about my preferences: idc about tops/bottoms, i read just about anything but i prefer fantasy and multi-chaptered fics, i love established relationship jikook so hmu with recs anytime, i don’t like reading anything with cheating and mcd, i love fics where jk and jm are just so friggin in love they are just IT for eo, and at the end of the day even if there are elements to the fics i wouldn’t normally read, as long as they’re well-written then i’m all for it