#this is how the story ends in canon actually

[sharky-teeth]

anyone looking for more wincest fic recs?? nobody?? okay here you go anyway. i have a bunch of fics i couldn't fit into the other list, so i needed to make a brand new one with more variety this time around. i organized it by wordcount to make things easier, however i rarely read long fics, so these are mostly pretty short. once again this list got way out of hand...

(for mature or explicit rating, you can assume it's [sometimes implied] bottom sam, or it isn't discussed. for bottom dean or versatile samdean, i made a small separate section of my favorites.)

1k~5k

Remember the Mountain Bed by nigeltde (G, 1k): post canon. sam and dean jr. one of the only fics that have ever made me cry and with only a thousand words! this one is so very dear to my heart, heartbreaking in its details, yet warm and soothing at the same time. just gorgeous.

Are You by lovetincture (G, 1k): one of my favorite gen fics. i adore second person POV and this is a great example of how it can maximize impact.

I Was the Dirty Little Boy (E, 1k): a quick weecest sparring session turning into spanking... you know. the good stuff.

Stealth Run by LaughableLament (E, 1k): late seasons + established relationship + possessive dean + slutty sam. i love this author a lot.

State of Mind by lovetincture (M, 2k): the summary goes "It's legal in the state of Ohio." yes it is as good as suggested. the tension in this fic mwahh

The Euphoria Emporium by Laughable_Lament (E, 2k): sam and dean visit a sex shop and dean gets jealous. quick and nasty.

Be Mine by De_Nugis (T, 2k): first part of a short series. for people who love silly, goofy samdean. this is no plot, pure crack. the kind that actually makes you laugh out loud.

Dating for Dummies by sevenfists (M, 3k): there's not enough first time aftermath fics. this has ruined me because it is the exact level of lighthearted i love, where the brothers continue being brothers first and foremost, even after boning.

We Are Drinking Beer at Noon on Tuesday by whirlpoolsleep (M, 3k): neat outsider POV. always love seeing the brothers through normal people's eyes.

With Mercy for the Greedy by whiskyandoldspice (E, 3k): unmatched weecest pwp. the amount of hits/kudos doesn't always mean quality but for this one it absolutely does. this is pretty much flawless in my eyes.

August 5th, 2001 by coricomile (M, 4k): established weecest! this was cute and tender with the right amount of angst surrounding sam's imminent departure. bittersweet ending.

Run It All Over by runawaydr3amer (E, 4k): first part of a series. the classic "brotherly handjobs" scenario, but it immediately stood out to me. really on point voices and hot amosphere.

Dean's palm would be rougher by FrancesHouseman (M, 4k): hand kink! i think we can all relate to sam here. this has a scene that's hotter than many pwps i've read lol

Know when to walk away and know when to run by deirdre_c (E, 4k): brothers playing strip poker goes too far... set in s3. great sexual tension and a super satisfying first time.

At Least It's Only One Song by ADeedWithoutaName (E, 4k): dean-gifting-sam-a-lap-dance fic. another outsider POV with an instantly likable OC. she can tell there's something off about those guys...

sticks and stones and weed and bones by aeroport_art (M, 5k): sam seeing a therapist at stanford. really great character study and winchester family dynamics. the conclusion to this story is just... crazy. so well done.

Shadows on the Sun by Linden (M, 5k): soft weecest first kiss! the thing i liked most in this story is how protective they both are. nice brotherly feelings.

wretched creation (M, 5k): one of my favorite reads of last year! criminally underrated work with less than a thousand hits. angsty feels and an unsettling atmosphere. dean facing a demon who knows more about his feelings toward his little brother than he'd like.

Forty-One by themegalosaurus (E, 5k): angsty unnegotiated kinky sex with lots of hell trauma. the kind of porn that's so nuanced and well written it doesn't get me horny (that's a compliment!)

Monumentally Stupid by strive2bhappy (5k): dean helps sam shave and it was hotter than i could ever imagine. great banter, tension, and emotional weight.

Double Solitaire by objectlesson (M, 5k): post mystery spot. amazing character study through a very creative concept. this is one of the authors who really knew how to write dysfunctional wincest.

6k~10k

this bullet inside me by missroserose (E, 6k): who's up for angsty first time in a long time? if you enjoy hathfrozen (i'm sure you do), this will definitely hit a similar spot.

Belonging by strive2bhappy (6k): wifey sam. i repeat Wifey Sam!!!

Lucky Streak by merle_p (M, 6k): thirsty pining done so right. incest that gives you butterflies in the stomach, believe it or not.

You Can't Lose What You Never Had by nigeltde (E, 6k): nigeltde is an incredible writer. from beginning to end this fic is insane. angsty, desperate, emotional, shameful, this takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. top notch characterization.

How it Works by Dyed_Red (M, 6k): this is probably in my top ten fics of all time, peak codependent, obsessive, dysfunctional samdean. this particular fic really nails their dynamic and the most delicious, fucked up aspects of it.

Taking to Give by Dyed_Red (M, 7k): lovely character study. this one is a bit softer than most Dyed_Red works, it offers an emotional view of sam and dean growing up. heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Wire Inside Me by merle_p (E, 7k): the sam-is-carrying-lucifer's-baby fic. this story is great for how it deals with the pregnancy pushing dean over the edge. the first time tension here is excellent!

Dean is badass. Sam has always known it. by FrancesHouseman (E, 7k): very interesting dynamic with sam and dean playing mind games to see who gives in first. i like this cocky sam a lot.

Hush Little Baby by hellhoundsprey (E, 7k): CNC weecest. sam and dean go to a haunted house and get up to some nasty freaky shit. it's even better than you can imagine. fyi there's dean in a clown costume.

they said it was the fall of man by jukeboxhound (M, 7k): set in s6, the aftermath of sam getting his soul back through dean's POV. pure angst and overwhelming emotions, beautifully written, it hurt so good.

Man of Steel by glovered (T, 8k): THE lighthearted incest fic for me. along the lines of paxlux's 'Artery', at least to me. this borders on crack, a hilarious, feel-good story that always makes me smile when i think about it.

Disney Princess Hair by Dyed_Red (T, 8k): gencest/weirdcest in its best shape. sam as sleeping beauty! and obviously dean being very very very weird about handling the curse. i loved how this touched on the obsessive aspects of their relationship while keeping the tone light.

Architecture of Choice by Dyed_Red (E, 9k): yes another Dyed_Red work bc they're my favorite author. this one has one of my fave tropes (fuck or die) and it deals with sam's lack of bodily autonomy in a visceral way.

Pull over by jjtaylor (E, 9k): for my piss play enjoyers! this has lots of great tension and it goes way beyond kinky sex.

This Is All Very Meta by road_rhythm (E, 10k): loss of virginity roleplay fic. except it's sooo much more than that. i thought this would be fun and lighthearted, couldn't have been more wrong. the emotional depth delivered here caught me by surprise, but it shouldn't have, given the author. flawless characterization as usual.

God will forgive me but by sammyatstanford (E, 10k): weecest with lots of pining!sam and angsty yearning. brothers who need each other in sick, twisted ways. there was also a great amount of actual brotherly feelings, which is always a plus in my book.

>10k

Acid by Goshen (E, 12k): to this day one of the most insane things ever written. this fic is a classic, it's a surreal experience, a fever dream. dissecting the brotherfuckers, no stone left unturned.

Baby Blue by Edwardina (E, 13k): sam gets hit with a curse that makes him need to suck on a pacifier 24/7. it turned out to be way less sexual than i expected, this is for caretaker!dean lovers.

Learn to say the same thing by glovered (T, 14k): great case fic. sam and dean go to a single's retreat in the mountains for a case and eventually have to confront their incestuous feelings. every glovered fic just fills me with joy.

Supersize Me, Sammy by awabubbles (E, 16k): sadly one of the only size queen sam fics ever written, but it is absolutely perfect so i made my peace with that.

Only Natural (Be My Hands) (E, 17k): sam manages to break both his wrists so dean steps up to take care of his needs. and i mean all of his needs.

Relapse by ani_coolgirl (M, 21k): lebanon AU. i adore this fic, i'm in love with it, i think about it all the time and will think about it forever probably. everything here was done incredibly well, one of those fics that feel specifically made for me lol

Edges by glovered (M, 23k): amazing banter and lots of UST. set in stanford era but it's not really angsty. the tone was just perfect for me, this fic had me GIDDY.

Driving Down the Darkness by Nutkin (M, 39k): one of my faves in terms of Brotherly Feels. extremely well written and thoughtful, super slow burn. outstanding early seasons getting together fic that everyone should read.

Like a Ghost with Two Voices by Dyed_Red (E, 46k): my favorite demon!dean fic. some of the wildest scenes i've ever read. pretty disturbing and incredibly delicious. if you're into fucked up consent stuff, this is a must read. it has a happy ending!

bottom dean and versatile samdean recs:

Take Backs by saltandbyrne (E, 2k): swesson + switching. hands down one of the best PWPs i've ever read, which was to be expected from saltandbyrne. it really doesn't get filthier than this.

How to Wear Polka Dots by homo_pink (M, 6k): swesson. this one is so so weird. and so charming. interesting and refreshing writing style, i had so much fun reading this.

Here's Your Future by autoschediastic (E, 7k): weecest with teasing!dean for a change. loved the power dynamics here, and the intensity throughout the whole fic. desperate, guilty first time, badwrong at its finest.

Enduring Love by oschun (E, 7k): really enjoyed the relationship study here, insightful and well written.

there will be better days by deadlybride (E, 9k): my favorite heaven fic! so warm and peaceful and emotional, full of love and longing and happy reunited soulmates. just thinking about this story makes my heart ache in the best way. really really beautiful.

Yeah, I'm a Back Door Man (E, 22k): established relationship. dean's hell trauma. this was a rollercoaster, great character study, good mix of angst and schmoop as well. probably the best bottom dean i've read so far (along with a couple Goshen works)

Yesterday, minnesota by Goshen: (E, 29k): speaking of applecrumbledore... this fic truly rewired my brain. the queen of "fucking for years without talking about it until one of them snaps". brilliantly executed, one of my favorite deans ever.

yay it's finally over! still i wish i had more long fics to rec lmao do check tags carefully before reading! enjoy the wincest goodness!

[lilithofpenandbook]

Discrediting the canon because the author's a bigot is, frankly, rather stupid. You're not making it any less "problematic" by completely changing the characters' personalities, especially if you're still using the characters' names, and making them "queer". And I'd argue it's a very poor, uninteresting version of queerness, especially when you take the canon into account and how much more potential there is to explore those characters as queer.

Sirius Black, hyper-masculine to a serious fault. Aggressive, abusive, everything about his family that he hates but that he's not taken time to unlearn. Why not explore him, in his mid thirties, watching as everyone looks at him with something akin to pity, because poor Sirius, acting like this in such a grown age, poor man is rather pathetic, isn't he, and starting to question why. Why does everyone see him like that, and not how he wants them to see him? And he ends up slowly unlearning his toxic behaviour that way.

Or Sirius, being a trans man. The start of his battle with his mother over his very identity as a boy, not the perfect daughter she wanted. And it's established in his mind very early: womanhood, feminity itself, is bad. And he doesn't unlearn that in Hogwarts. He bullies Snape, who's clearly feminine in his very nature, unable to fathom why someone born a man would ever behave in that way, unable to understand his viewpoints are wrong, skewed by his childhood resentment and trauma.

Remus, he could so easily be queer, and had to hide it to fit in with his friends. Joining in with bullying Snape, as a way to make up for his "wrongness". Heck, even Peter could be queer and still in line with his canon personality.

Severus Snape? He's written like a female character. He is easily the queerest one. Heck, the bullying he faced even lines up with it.

Take those characters with their true flaws and faults, make them queer, and you've got a far more complicated story than the fanon version. Then again, perhaps they're too "flawed" for you. Perhaps they're too real, too human in those flaws.

This fandom is a fun place to do what we want, yes. But if you have to completely remove the characters' personalities, bring people in via the medium of ooc fanfiction, and even hound on people who actually point out the canon personalities of the characters and who want to see said canon, then you're in the wrong fandom. Full stop. And for all JKR's bigoted attitudes, she still wrote the story. You can't take that away just because she's a bad person. That's not how people work. Horrible people can create brilliant things. Bad people can create good stories, good characters. It's childish to immediately view something made by a bad person and ignore everything they made while still using it. You're not "reclaiming" it, or flipping the bird at JKR for creating this ooc fandom in any way.

You can like the series despite the author who wrote it. And if you can't, if you have to change everything to like it, then you don't like the series, and you need let go of the names taken from it. Call it an AU, even.

But don't go acting like there's no canon, and that people are wrong for wanting canonically accurate interpretations, because they fell in love with those characters, despite the author who wrote them

ppl be posting shit like "I miss canon Marauders"

Babes, there is no "canon" Marauders. Most of the shit ya'll think is canon, are just old headcanons that used to be widespread before other (usually queerer) headcanons gained popularity.

There is so little information about the "canon" Marauders - and even the info we have cannot be trusted because it's usually memories, influenced by a character's bias - that trying to make a somewhat comprehensive character out of the given material is impossible, let alone 4 characters.

Everything is fanon. Everything is headcanon. And that's the beauty of this fandom.

(Ofc my favourite part is when something actually is canon via the books or movies, and people reject it as fanon.)

[43501]

Opened my copy of Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases for the first time in a decade and man, I forgot this is a goldmine of info and Mello characterization. It lets us know what kind of person Mello is almost more than the source material. Every time he's on panel/screen he's always so intense, it's fascinating to see him write and kind of get this feeling of "oh, he is also a normal guy outside of those situations".

He says he had one extensive in-person meeting with L, which is backed up by this other post of mine where I point out that, in the anime at least, Mello references having spoken to L personally. If we take it as canon it means L and Mello met at some point between Kira emerging and L leaving England for Japan.

He expresses a strong sense he might die. I've seen people say that he's "narrating from beyond (heh) the grave" and it's nonsensical, but that's not what's happening here. He's just writing while anticipating his death and writing as if these notes may be discovered posthumously.

He thinks that, in the event he dies, Near is the one who will discover his writings. This is interesting to me because it suggests Mello either knows Near knows his whereabouts, or would figure it out and recover his belongings. I actually think this is outright supported by canon - we see Near eating Mello's chocolate in the manga's epilogue. I don't think he instructed his staff to go out and buy that same chocolate, I think that's straight up Mello's stash.

At some point he started identifying less with the "Mello" alias and calling himself Mihael.

He's so sentimental... ending the prologue simply with "Good memories and nightmares". Bro.

"Imagine you were going to kill someone. What do you think would be the most difficult part? .... The correct answer: killing someone." Damn, I love you Mello lol. Also fascinating when you remember that he achieved his status in the mafia by beheading someone. Yes, he would know how hard it is to kill a person.

Mello states that he and Near belong to the "fourth generation" of Wammy's House kids.

He expresses open sympathy for Beyond and his state, twice... based on his own narration and how he portrays B in the course of the story, he definitely relates to B's emotions.

"Perhaps these gods actually wanted a blood soaked world of betrayal and false accusation. Perhaps the entire episode exists as a lesson to teach us the difference between the Almighty and the shinigami." I can't entirely make sense of this, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but is "Almighty" capitalized here to definitely refer to the divine? Like, the Christian God but in a bit of a sidestepped, roundabout way? Wish I could see the original Japanese text for this line. If anyone has essays/posts about it, please show me.

And on a meta-textual level, the ambiguity of our role/perspective as the reader of these notes is also interesting. We're probably just an omniscient, unmoored observer being told about this set of notes Mello wrote and his line to the effect of "if it happens to turn into [a book]" is tongue-in-cheek. I know there's a slight, hanging implication that Near did in fact publish his notes, but I think that's unlikely since they contain so much sensitive/classified information.

[eddiediazismyhusband]

ik this is like my third post today about this, but…

“i don’t want buddie canon rushed” my brother in christ (gn) it has been SIX SEASONS and the season has TEN HOURS OF SCREENTIME LEFT i beg yall to get a fucking grip they have been developing something for years at this point it should not take Eddie more than two or three episodes AT MOST to work through his sexuality, and it should not take any longer for them to enter into a relationship with each other once they realize they have feelings for each other

some of yall are acting like they only met two seconds ago and haven’t been supporting each other as the closest thing to romantic partners they can be without actually being romantic partners for YEARS

some of yall are also acting like eddie still has to work through the shannon of it all as if he hasn’t gotten over her fifteen different times throughout the show’s run- realistically three episodes is dragging for a plotline for him because you’re telling me it would take more than three hours if screentime to work through stuff like that?

it’s like some of you don’t want them to be canon… you wanna keep seeing the pining and like, yeah, a couple episodes of that is fine, but i have not say through 8 years of this show for them to get 2 episodes of being together

pining is one thing, but what about everything they could go through in a relationship? lover’s spats? relationship hardships? showing the complexities of a queer relationship- esp one between two men of different ethnic backgrounds during a trump presidency?

yall act like them getting together is the end of their story but it’s not- do yall think tarlos shouldn’t have gotten together until the end of the show? no- because part if what made that ship so special was the before AND the after

yall act like this show isn’t a finite thing with an end date that none of us know when that will be- frankly, with how often the writers change their mind on things, if they continue pushing it off bc fans are screaming for “a full season of pining” (which again is like ~20ish hours of screentime) then it’s very likely that they would back away from buddie canon again

this show is awful at continuity in long-term story arcs, as we have seen time and time again, and giving buddie that kind of treatment would be a disservice to the past 7 seasons of buildup

them going canon withing 3 or 4 episodes of the new half-season is not a disservice, you just don’t understand how shipping works beyond the pre-relationship and that’s so disappointing that you have willingly put blinders on yourself, preventing you from seeing how an established relationship could elevate them to a whole new level of potential plotlines

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

you're so right about harlivy and can i be honest? the way the riddler story made him a shy virgin who doesn't know what flirting is was so boring too? it felt weirdly infantilizing to me (not being a virgin per se, ofc, but the way it was written) and like it also tried to erase the character's edges (no care for personal boundaries, too forward, the whole canon masochist fequenter of bdsm clubs thing) just like the harlivy story in favor of doing the played out awkward virgin nerd thing? also no 'canon' bisexuality acknowledgement but that was expected

the way that the story was going I genuinely thought they were building up to Eddie having a very special episode moment where he learns about demisexuality or being aroace or something, but it wasn't even that? he just annoys two women (couldn't even pull off a rule of three???) and then goes "oh well! at least I have my true love, Gotham City!"

which is like. okay. historically the Riddler's exact motivations and personality fluctuate as much as any other character, sure, but he's generally not in the game for a love of Gotham??? like he does this because he wants attention and money and to feel like smartest specialist little boy. if he's juvenile it's generally in the way he's self-centered and overconfident and prone to tantrums when he doesn't get his way, not because he's a sixth grader who's just learning that the other kids have crushes for the first time.

and like you alluded to, yeah, there are MULTIPLE iterations of the Riddler where he has clear Issues With Women not in the "uwu Eddie can't talk to girls because he's shy and awkward" way but in the "Eddie can't talk to girls because he's a fucking creep" way. particularly in recent years, several writers have been a very deliberate choice to give him traits lifted straight from pickup artist and incel circles to emphasize the their take on the character sucks in a way that's inseparable from misogyny.

which isn't to say every Riddler is on reddit crytyping about looksmaxing, of course, but those ones are certainly indicative of a persistent trend.

a couple of people had sent me asks about this story to ask if I'd read it, known Riddler enjoyer that I am, and included a quick description. I replied to one and said, mostly as a joke, that this is blowback from DC editorial against a valentine's story by Ram V published a few years ago, in which Eddie sends Batman on a valentine's-themed chase that introduced Batman to several of Eddie's past crushes and romances—including a male friend from college, which is presented as being as straightforward and unsurprising as any of the others. the story ends how you think it does: Batman lured to a romantic rooftop dinner with the Riddler, who complains about being unable to approach an attractive woman but is still very much on a date with Batman after casually peppering in that he's bisexual. I don't this there's ACTUALLY any kind of editorial mandate to quash the notion that the Riddler has a messy romantic history and maybe fucks guys sometimes, but man. how far we've fallen in just a few years.

[arliaeien]

This makes me think about my evolution as a writer.

My first long fic, as a new writer, I used to consider a chapter done around 2k~2,5k words. That's around 10 pages in Word.

Rewriting this same story one year later, it grew between 3,5k~5k. At the same time, as a reader, I was enjoying more and more the longer chapters (between 5k~10k).

There had been a long time while I only was writing one-shots, then engaging as a beta reader, making translations... To sum up: not writing stories, and even less, ones needing me to arrange a new story in different chapters.

Some years ago, I dedicated myself to the rewriting of my first story (the last I've done) and had those quite big chapters (around 7k), I was happy with, and that didn't make me think, except that one time, I had to cut one too big in two smaller ones. Those chapters were in no way a 'one idea, one chapter' thing like. The cuts were rather happening when there was a change about the place, and/or time passing.

And when I started writing the sequel of this 80k story, about the characters meeting monthly, I just wrote a one-shot for every month. Whatever it was 10k, 20k or even 30k.

It's not written in English and the fandom was almost dead for the last ten years. There were no readers (think like 30 hits in five years on AO3). So why should I have cared? The big one-shot was what I personally prefer.

Came year 2021. New fandom, existing fan base in English, no one in my mother tongue. And I've gotten this idea of post-canon story. One, nobody had done before me. Or rather, nobody had done it, the way I wanted it to be. It's this that has triggered me trying to write in English. ...probably succeeding, at some point. It is a 70k, in the end.

First long story in a while, whatever the language was different, I've kept the same tastes and methods, reflecting over the construction of the story, and ended up having chapter between 5k~7,5k. My goal was quite easy : three main ideas / scenes making one chapter. Providing long chapters to readers was what's important to me, because that's what I love myself.

Up to these last years. I'm working on a monster story (156k ongoing \o/). I didn't have any plan, starting writing it. My first chapter was a two-big-scenes, around 3K words, which I consider cool enough. Second chapter... was happening later, somewhere else. And I ended up having four-big-scenes, 7k words. Yeah, could cut this in two parts. Except number 3 was 3-big-scenes and 5k words. Go tear your own hair out. This was difficult to me. I couldn't work with chapters with sizes so different. It wasn't me. It didn't feel good. I couldn't see how anyone could actually enjoy such variations. How could it be considered otherwise than "Oh yeah, one long/short chapter!" / "Oh no, one long/short chapter!" depending on the reader's taste.

How long is not the point. REGULARITY was the point.

So my badly proportionate 'chapters' became 'arcs'. And every arc, was cut around 1,5k words. One idea, two maximum, and cut! I loved this. Writing fanfictions about one manga whose chapters were arranged to form arcs, it felt like respecting the canon better. Felt great!

...well, I was still myself. My goal of going between 1,2k~2k words for one chapter become 1,5k~2k. Then 2,5k. Today, I'm a little annoyed proofreading, having to fight against myself for some of them not going over 3k. Not too bad, but not what I wanted.

This to say: I'm living a paradox. The way I publish this story wouldn't suit me as a reader. 1,5k or even 2k a week is to me desperately slow.

I just can't. Re-reading some moments of the story for pleasure, or working on it, I usually go with 3 of them. Sometimes 4. All by instinct, not caring whether it's an arc or crossing two or more of them. Because the 5k~10k is what work for me as a reader :P

So, what's my point?

The ideal length doesn't exist. It's a matter of skill, and of feelings, but not only. My ideal length as a new writer was different from 2-years experience me, 5-years, 10-years, and now 18-years experience me. Sometimes I've cared about reader-experience, sometimes I haven't. I have loved the years producing the fattest one-shots. It's unrivaled freedom writing something. But even without arranging chapters, there were breaks, cutting scenes, the reader was able to breathe. And nowadays, publishing weekly for one year and a half, I use a format I wouldn't like myself but readers seems to enjoy (and that's strangely the same as the one I once used as a beginner : 2,5k per chapter).

...perhaps all this is a circle. ⚪

While looking for something else, I found an old ask I answered about "ideal chapter length" in terms of word count.

I've been asked this probably a dozen or more times, and each time I need to take a moment and adjust my thinking to take the asker's point of view into account. Because the thing is? The only time I ever try to factor the word count into how I write a story is when I'm aiming for a true drabble.

For whatever reason, this difference in thinking stuck with me today and I actually considered why that might be. And I think it's because I'm in my 40s and the first 25-30 years of my life, any stories I was reading were printed on paper and bound into physical books.

When I imagine a novel, I still think of a mass market paperback on my bookshelf. An average one would be maybe an inch thick, probably in the neighbourhood of 300 pages. A long one would be maybe as much as two inches thick and 500 or more pages long. A short one was always nice to have because it filled in the gaps in the shelf because 200 page books were so much narrower. Or so it seemed.

When I started posting my fic online, I still thought in terms of pages. I'd type them out in whatever word processing software I was using at the time, and I'd usually get a chapter's worth of ideas into 3 or 4 pages. Turns out that's about 1000 words, which makes sense with the number of 1000 word essays I wrote in high school. I'd been trained to encapsulate an idea into approximately that length.

And that's what it comes down to. The thing that always made that question seem weird to me. A chapter isn't about how many words there are in it, just like a cake isn't about how many cups of flour exist in each slice. A chapter is a an idea that helps make up a bigger idea called a story, and it needs to be however many words that idea needs to be to get it out.

[meanbossart]

Triple question here (started as one, then I got to thinking).

We've all seen Bhaalist Drow (that man can get it), but what would an Absolutist Drow look like? How'd he turn out if he controls the Elder Brain?

Alternatively, what would the dynamic between Bhaalist Drow and Ascended Astarion be like? Or AA and non-Bhaalist drow?

This is kind of a cop-out, but the supposed aftermath of the "control the brain" endings are really boring to me 😭 don't get me wrong, the actual cinematics and lines since patch 7 are AWESOME, but I can't think of any interesting followups after you become the literal absolute leader of the whole Sword Coast, y'know? Maybe that's a failure on my part.

Which is why in DU drow's evil ending I canonize that he can't fully control the brain with the stones - but he can keep it UNDER control and therefore uses it as a bargaining chip to further his own political games on the long-run and govern with fear.

Regardless of alignment, post-amnesia DU drow is always strongly opposed to the concept of the Absolute and relying on a more powerful force to achieve his goals (besides his own father). He used to be on-board with it pre-game, but that changes after everything that happens during the campaign and ESPECIALLY once he finds out how Orin used it to take him down.

So, basically, it's hard for me to come up with an answer to your first question because that would have to be a very different character. There isn't really a version of himself where he becomes that specific brand of evil without Bhaal's influence - even without Shadowheart or Jaheira to lead him down a slightly better path, a redemptive DU drow is more likely to become a full on murderer and cannibal rather than want to strip the earth of the ability to fight back - that's half the fun of it, after all.

As for Ascended Astarion, that's another branching path in this story that I'm still planning on exploring 😇 similarly to how we occasionally dip into the Bhaalist timeline for the drow.

An universe where both AA and Bhaalist DU drow exist would be tricky, since AA gives a tav the ultimatum of either being turned into his spawn or ending the relationship. I realize I could retcon this, but I don't want to - it feels core to that version of his character to want to have control over his partner IMMEDIATELY, and take the rejection as a betrayal. "Normal" DU Drow would never accept to be turned into a vampire spawn - Bhaalist DU drow would take the offer alone as an insult, not to mention do everything in his power to keep Astarion from ascending in the first place.

So, a romantic relationship between Bhaalist DU drow and Ascended Astarion simply wouldn't survive. In fact, I think they would very shortly after kill each other because of the ever-competing size of their egos.

Things wouldn't work too differently between normal DU drow and Ascended Astarion, save for the fact that DU would leave him alive and (hopefully) vice-versa. The person he fell in love with isn't there anymore and now encompasses everything he finds most irritating and off-putting - the exuberance, the pompousness, the thinly veiled desperation - he would lose his patience with AA right off the bat and from that point on they could hardly be in the same room together. Fortunately, Shadowheart and Jaheira would be around to keep DU drow from going off the deep-end after that.

There is one timeline where Ascended Astarion could really thrive, though:

I haven't gone much into the third possible outcome for a Dark Urge yet, but it is one where A.Astarion proposition would seem a lot harder to turn down - if not be the only choice he has left.

[bunni-v1]

Pls the thing with Jamil from your Yuu being wary of scarabia post and why he kept Yuu around like that. Elaborate I’m begging you it’s too interesting of a dynamic before and after. I can pay you in my adoration keep it up here!

🍓Okay so I really haven't touched twst in a long time, but this idea continues to haunt me. I think about it so frequently, and I've been into twst again because of Malleus statue, so I decided to revisit this concept. It's more of a big long ramble, but I do hope you like it <3

TW: Manipulation; Creepy behavior; Power imbalance; This IS written with implied romance (but it's pretty fucked up and toxic); Possessive behaviors; unedited

Info: Jamil x Reader; Angst

Disclaimer: Jamil is an incredibly complex character with very contradictory actions throughout the whole of book four. This is my take on his character, and it may not align with how you view him. It's important to note that the only canon interpretation of his character is what is in-game and official depictions.

Post referenced

Jamil is very aware of you far before you're aware of him. He makes it his job to know who to avoid, and you're very high up on that list. You have a reputation that he's pretty certain you're not fully aware of, and trouble seems to follow you wherever you go. It's not really something he wants to have to deal with.

For whatever reason, though, he does end up bringing you back to Scarabia. In part, this is almost a power play on his part. You make him have a sense of power he doesn't really have with anyone else around NRC, even as vice housewarden. You rely on him, and your naivety is something addicting to someone who craves power. Not to mention he also considers that you could help him sell his story much better.

Kalim abusing the magicless, helpless human from another world would only make his case for upheaval all the better amongst his dorm members. So to start it's all part of his plan, a means of stroking his ego.

However, the issue comes in when he makes a genuine connection with you. You are kind, generous, and understanding with no real ulterior motives -- a genuineness he hasn't really experienced before. Of course, he doesn't actually open up to you much. He keeps you pretty distant, despite how he does his best to play up that warm and welcoming persona. But he does give you crumbs of his real struggle, shrouded in manipulation.

He finds himself... attached. Jealous of any time you spend with Kalim, wanting to keep your attention on him, and desperate to sell the idea of Kalim as a monster to you more than others. It's an odd feeling for Jamil, who doesn't usually care for more than surface-level appearances and feelings. It's just another addition to his ultimate overblot, and he's quite terrifying when he does finally blot.

One of the very first things he does is isolate you from your "friends" (if you can count the tweels and Azul as friends at this point), making sure your attention is on him. He wants you to worship him, he wants that reliance that he craved so much in the time you spent together, he wants to feel powerful. Next to you, he feels so very powerful.

I don't even believe he would do anything violent or too cruel, mostly just worshiping and demanding attention and praise. It's not much different from what you normally go through, though a little less blatantly violent and aggressive. That's what makes it so awful to you, though.

Before everyone else was just blatantly being... evil. Jamil manipulated, lied, extorted, and so much more. You liked Jamil, you genuinely thought he wanted to be friends with you and meant well. He reveals otherwise in your time (sort of) alone with him, and it really shakes you up. It would shake anyone up.

What's worse is you don't have time to process all that terror and anger and betrayal. Everything happens in such quick succession, one moment you're being kidnapped and the next there's a grand celebration. It's all too much for your brain to process, and it only gets the chance to do so when Ace and Deuce -- your safe space -- come to get you.

Your reaction, on the surface, seems incredibly dramatic. Collapsing and sobbing until your throat is so raw you can't make noise, but after the trauma you've endured, it's wholly reasonable. Jamil falls into the former way of thinking, believing you're just being overdramatic and theatrical. You'd been through many overblots at this point, with much more powerful sorcerers... this reaction is a bit much...

After all's said and done, though, Jamil doesn't spare you much thought. Of course, there is a lingering sense of... something. Not quite guilt, not quite regret, just an ache that he doesn't have the time or energy to address himself. He's far too busy dealing with his own reputation and wellbeing to bother you.

Your sobs, though, they keep him up at night. He has dreams where he hears them tear through the silence, and they continue to ring in his ears long after he's woken up. He isn't sure why it's bothering him so much, it really shouldn't, but it does. It's a constant nag at his conscience, just a bug that he swats away when he doesn't want to think about it.

He doesn't have to confront it until he comes face to face with you during VDC auditions. The genuine terror on your face when he looks at you, like he might overblot then and there again, it's sobering. He'd seen that look a million times on his parents faces, horror as they face punishment from the Asim's. It's not a face he'd imagined he would be the cause of -- not a face he wanted to be the cause of.

It hits him hard in that moment just how... evil he was. He knew he was bad. He's fully aware he's selfish and the stunt he pulled was something unspeakable in a lot of ways. Yet, he never thought he would have to deal with someone looking at him like that, someone thinking of him the same way he thinks of his captors.

It's just his luck that he can't avoid you, ending up on the official VDC team and literally living in your space. It's not just you, either, both Ace and Deuce seem to hate his guts with a passion. Grim voices that anger all the time, and Kalim doesn't help the tension with his guilty puppy demeanor. You do end up forgiving Kalim, thanks to Kalim finally making an active effort by himself for once. Jamil won't lie and say it doesn't make him a little jealous, but he also fully understands he doesn't deserve your forgiveness.

He doesn't push or pull, he just allows you to do what you will. It's not his place to push or pull, you are the only person who can decide what you need. He won't apologize unless you seem to want him to by seeking him out, he won't ask for forgiveness unless you seem willing to give it to him. He just allows you to be, which is quite honestly the best reaction you've gotten from any former overblotees.

He, of course, ends up confessing this all to his sister. Heavily edited and censored, for her own wellbeing. Najma tells him he's a moron, but encourages him to make amends with you, or at least try to let you know he's sorry. Without him knowing, she even talks to you about it a bit when you visit the Scalding Sands. There is a notable shift in your comfortability around him after it, though he doesn't know why this is.

He does eventually get the chance to talk to you, though you have to approach him. It's a quiet night when it happens, and he just couldn't sleep and the warm air in the dorm was making his skin far too hot, so he takes a walk and ends up outside of your dorm. His guilt led him there like an idiot, a rare show of vulnerability.

You, who also couldn't sleep, saw him out there and invited him despite better judgment. He accepts, despite his own better judgment, and finally, you talk. He expects anger and hatred, but of course, you cannot manage that even against him. You are understanding and gentle, even with the way you tremble as you speak. He gets to apologize, genuinely, for scaring you and doing the things he did. Explains that he, at some point, was genuine about his friendliness with you. That he did like having you around, but all of that means nothing with what's already happened.

Whether or not you two fix things and are able to be friends is up to you, but you do both get closure.

[earthgrudgefear]

Hi, I'm a big fan of your blog, and also a Kakuzu connoisseur. Would you be willing to share headcanons or canon related thoughts about him?

i would love nothing more

1. very cool jaded old bounty hunter. he cares about money but it's not because he wants to be rich. he's not materialistic, he doesn't want to show it off, he doesn't even want people to think he has it. he cares about money cause it's reliable, it's permanent and tangible.

1b. which means i think in a modern setting he wears clothing until it's threadbare, as long as it's still wearable why not wear it right?

2. he is the kind of person to tell you to buy gold

3. fucked up he dies so quickly. kishimoto really introduced this character with so much power and so much story and then somehow we ended up with jack shit

3b. like i know shikamaru is a genius but there's ZERO chance that plan could have worked. there is just too much plot armor and people are scared of the truth

4. insane tsundere old man, likes his partner so much it makes him look stupid.

5. he has major trust issues but he's very loyal to the akatsuki, he really found a home there. it tries to say he joined for profit, but he would be making no less money if he hadn't joined. he's completely anonymous outside the group, but he sticks around still. think about it.

6. love that he says things like 'cash cow' and 'chump change' who talks like that

7. listen i didn't want to talk a lot about hidan because you asked specifically for kakuzu but they're too inseparable. they really were meant to find each other. they're looking for the same thing, but (of course) they go about it differently. hidan says the only thing you can rely on is religion, kakuzu thinks that's bullshit because that's just an idea, you need to put your faith in something Real, and money is real. they say this and zetsu tells them that actually the only thing you can have faith in is yourself, but that's not true for them, because actually they have each other. and they have so much faith in each other.

7b. i like their matching names also. i like that he spoke in shogi metaphors and referred to hidan as the rook which means he knew the whole time and definitely didn't tell him. they're so soulmates

8. why didn't we get to see him fight hashirama? how unfair

[yukiwhitetm]

5 Bat Family Must Reads: Former Robins And Their Kids +1 Undercover Dick Grayson

Find all my Batman – All Media Types fic recs here.

Find post 5 Tim Drake-centric Must Reads here.

Find post 5 Tim Drake-centric Must Reads: Animals/Non-humans here.

I know! A fic rec post from me that’s not fully Tim Drake-centric, who’da thunk it? Well, here it is in all its varied glory! Some of these are still Tim Drake-centric or have him as a main character, of course, but not all. Recs 2 and 4 focus on Jason and Lian (Roy’s daughter)! And the +1 story is all about our favourite Golden Boy Dick Grayson (with no child to be seen outside of cases). More than half of these are crossovers with TV series White Stuff or Criminal Minds but I have never watched any of these so you don’t need to have to follow these stories either. But make sure to log in to read recs 4 and 5 because they are locked to Ao3 members only. Enjoy!

1.

The Power of Family and This Stalker I Found by JackHawksmoor

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), DCU  

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, Work in Progress

18 May 2023

Tags:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne

Tim Drake, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Stephanie Brown

Tim Drake joins the batfamily, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne Mostly Succeeds, Janet and Jack Drake do not try to be good parents, They also mostly succeed, Angst and Humor, Fluff and Humor, Batfam Big Bang, Batfamily (DCU), Jewish Bruce Wayne, mentions of drug use by a side character

Summary:

'If Bruce had found Jason immediately after he was resurrected, how would Tim Drake have joined the batfamily?' AU. This involves Jason being a little more observant while running around rooftops, Tim unable to resist getting gymnastics training from the original Robin, macaroons, a minor kidnapping, and some light attempted murder.

Yuki Note:

I adore this story so much! I have often thought Dick would’ve been a better parent to Tim than (canon) Bruce so I love seeing that play out in this fic (and in rec 3 too). And Dick working a job that fills him with so much joy as a gymnastics instructor is just mwah! This fic is set a little more in the real world than some others because it’s about Tim joining Dick’s gymnastics class and so Dick slowly noticing everything off about Tim whilst emotionally adopting him. Does that emotional adoption become real adoption by the end? Well, you’ll have to read it and see! I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

2.

While You Were Missing by caffeinatedbasil

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, White Collar (TV 2009)  

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, M/M, Complete Work

03 Aug 2024

Tags:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Neal Caffrey/Roy Harper, Past Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen – Relationship, Lian Harper & Jason Todd

Jason Todd, Lian Harper, Peter Burke, Diana Berrigan, Clinton Jones, Elizabeth Burke (White Collar), June Ellington, Batfamily Members, Neal Caffrey, Jade Nguyen, Roy Harper, Mozzie (White Collar)

Neal Caffrey and Jason Todd are the Same Person, Accidental Baby Acquisition

but she's not actually a baby she's like nine, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Domestic Batfamily (DCU), Caring Batfamily (DCU), Neal Caffrey is a Batfamily Member, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Roy Harper is Red Arrow, Protective Jason Todd, Aftermath of Human Trafficking, Canon-Typical Violence, the reality of being a child of superheroes/villains, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Presumed Dead, fellas is it gay to fall in love with your best friend while he's missing in action, and you're raising his kid for him, that you may or may not have stolen

Summary:

A familiar redheaded child darts across the bullpen with a shout of “PAPA!” and barrels into Jason’s arms.

“Lian–” He breathes.

Jason's undercover work as Neal Caffrey is difficult for several reasons. He didn't anticipate that single parenting would be one of them, though.

Series

Part 1 of Triple Red

Language: English Words: 85,629 Chapters: 12/12

Yuki Note:

Oh My Gosh! Oh My Gosh! Oh My Gosh! This is such an amazing story! I love it so much! Please, give this read. Unless you dislike Roy/Jason, you are going to love this fic! I promise, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t watched White Stuff, you really don’t have to have watched it. as I haven’t either. This story just tells itself. I love Jason and Lian’s daddy-daughter relationship, I love how the White Stuff team and the Batfam pull together to support Jason looking after his new daughter, I love Jason pining after Roy (they’re not together in the beginning) and his and Lian’s quiet grief about Roy’s possible death. Just, this story is so perfect. Highly recommend!

3.

how to feed your local demon by InkpotSprite

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)  

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, Complete Work

02 Jan 2024

Tags:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne

Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Sebastian Ives, Bernard Dowd, Darla Aquista

Fluff, Angst, Family Feels, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Good Sibling Tim Drake, Tim Drake is a Menace, Dick Grayson is a Gift, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Protective Tim Drake, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Protective Dick Grayson, Alternate Universe - Succubi & Incubi, Incubus Dick Grayson, Supportive Tim Drake, Brotherly Affection, Sweet Tim Drake, Soft Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Dick Grayson Loves Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson Bonding, Tim Drake Loves Dick Grayson, Feral Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Family Bonding

Summary:

“Oh, don’t forget your–” A few papers fell out as Dick lifted it up, revealing pictures of Nightwing, Robin and Batman in the middle of a fight with Poison Ivy. “Files.”

“Ah. Those.” Tim laughed nervously, the sharp, citrus-like taste filling the air.

-

Dick is an incubus, starved for affection after the loss of Jason.

Tim isn't affectionate by nature but wants to help anyway.

Series

Part 1 of Batfamily Feels

Language: English Words: 14,572 Chapters: 2/2

Yuki Note:

Super cute! Fluffy! Family feels! A touch of fantasy with (non-sexual) incubus Dick! What more could you ask for in a relaxing two-shot read?

4.

Lian and the Amazing Guard Dog: A Story of Magic and Mayhem by Honyasbookshelf

Fandoms: White Collar (TV 2009), Batman - All Media Types  

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, M/M, Complete Work

30 Aug 2024

Tags:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Lian Harper & Roy Harper & Jason Todd, Lian Harper & Everyone. Diana Berrigan & Clinton Jones, Damian Wayne & Everyone

Diana Berrigan, Clinton Jones, Lian Harper, Jason Todd, Roy Harper, Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Reese Hughes, Damian Wayne

Neal Caffrey and Roy Harper Are the Same Person, Cute Lian Harper, Jason Todd is Lian Harper's Parent, Animal Transformation, Fluff and Humor, The Harpers: Baffling FBI Agents for Two Generations, Protective Jason Todd, POV Multiple, Jason Todd Being a Little Shit, Identity Reveal, POV Outsider, I didn't set out to write a comedy but here we are, Comedy, SO MUCH FLUFF, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Roy Harper is Red Arrow, Clinton Jones is so done, Tsundere Damian Wayne, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne is Bad at Feelings, But also, Secretly Soft Damian Wayne

Summary:

"'Don't you 'hey' me,' Diana hissed, hand on her hip and eyes darting from Jones to the little girl on his hip to the fierce-looking German Shepherd standing at his side. 'What the h—eck is going on? I thought you went out for a smoke.'

'I did!' Jones said defensively. 'I was standing in the designated smoking area, minding my own business, when this kid and her demon dog pop up out of nowhere. Thought the dog was gonna take my head off.'

The girl giggled, the first noise Diana had heard her make, and the dog woofed once, almost sounding as though it were laughing itself."

The White Collar office is thrown into turmoil when a little girl shows up, guard dog at her side, demanding to see Neal Caffrey.

Language: English Words: 10,133 Chapters: 13/13

Yuki Note:

This time it’s Roy undercover as Neal from White Stuff (also don’t have to have watched it to follow the story) and Jason being unable to care for their daughter Lian... because he’s been magicked into a dog! Jason and Roy are in an already established relationship (I think they are married!). This one is more of a bit of a fun, rather than rec 2’s more serious take. So, if you want a comforting read, then this is for you. Recommend!

5.

got my band and a light that won't go out by destiny919

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics)  

Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, Complete Work

19 Dec 2021

Tags:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon

Canon-Typical Violence, Gunshot Wounds, Blood and Injury, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Kid Tim Drake, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Yes you read that right, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Protective Jason Todd, Jason Todd is Tim Drake's Parent, unofficially, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING FROM ME, I contain multitudes, Slice of Life, but like. in a bat way., yes beta we are resurrected like jason

Summary:

"Nightwing has been shot."

Tim's eyes go wide and he stares at Jason, who's frozen in place. "And why would I care about that?" Jason says finally.

---

Dick finally meets Jason's Robin.

Series

Part 1 of Little Red

Language: English Words: 2,666 Chapters: 1/1

Yuki Note:

I actually want to recommend the entire Little Red series (but the series has so many tags on it that the first fic was easier to include in this post). It’s so good! It’s written non-chronologically but it’s good. The series is about Jason Todd as Red Hood adopting little kid Tim Drake as his kid. To clarify, Tim is a lot younger than in canon in this fic and he’s never been Robin but instead he had been following Batman around with a med kit to fix as much as his little hands can. This is such a sweet, fluffy with just a touch of angst read. The series is 18 fics long but, Goodness, is it worth a read! Recommended!

+1.

Dick Grayson: A Case Study by writersagainstwritersblock

Fandoms: Criminal Minds (US TV), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)  

Teen And Up Audiences, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Gen, M/M, Complete Work

25 Oct 2024

Tags:

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

The BAU Team (Criminal Minds) & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Wally West, Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Clark Kent

Dick Grayson, Derek Morgan (Criminal Minds), Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Emily Prentiss, David Rossi, Penelope Garcia, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake (DCU), Batfamily Members (DCU), Wally West, Clark Kent

Dick Grayson-centric, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Romani Dick Grayson, Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson Has PTSD, Dick Grayson Has Eldest Daughter Syndrome, Dick Grayson Has ADHD, Dick Grayson Has Self-Esteem Issues, Dick Grayson Has Daddy Issues, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Batfamily (DCU), POV Outsider, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), The BAU Team as Family (Criminal Minds), Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid Friendship, Good Friend Derek Morgan (Criminal Minds), Autistic Spencer Reid, Good Friend Penelope Garcia, Good Friend Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner is the BAU Team's Parent, BAMF Dick Grayson, Short Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Has Secrets, Case Fic, Minor Dick Grayson/Wally West, Dick Grayson & Wally West Friendship, Nightwing Volume 2 Issue 093, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Slade Wilson Being an Asshole, Creepy Slade Wilson, Non-Consensual Drug Use

Summary:

Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m mostly used to sparring with my little brothers, it’s kind of just habit, and I was having fun. I didn’t want the match to be over too quick.”

“Too quick?” Derek asked, eyebrows raised. “I’m twice your size, kid.”

Dick shrugged. “So’s Bruce and we’re pretty much tied at this point, or at least according to the score board the kids started to keep for Saturday spars.”

“Saturday spars?” Derek repeated, following him towards the locker room.

Dick flashed him a smile. “What? Don’t have any weird family traditions?”

“Not ones that include hitting each other,” Derek said

OR The BAU gets a probationary profiler who is a little more than he appears at first glance. Or second. Or third. Just how many secrets can Dick Grayson be hiding from a team full of profilers?

Language: English Words: 64,098 Chapters: 8/8

Yuki Note:

A riveting story of mystery and intrigue, as both the characters and us readers try to find the truth beneath in this fic. Whilst this isn’t a parental former Robin fic like the other recs on this list, it is a crossover like recs 2 and 4 so it felt like a good time to include it in a rec list. Although, the crossover is with Criminal Minds – a series I also have not watched so you don’t need to have either! Honestly, I don’t want to say too much in case I spoil this thriller of a fic. Dick Grayson: A Case Study will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. It is really worth a read. If you are considering it, then go for it! Highly recommend!

Enjoy! And feel free to explore my full AO3 rec list here.

[vampirestairs]

oh I LOVE this.

So she would also die as Robin, right? Tim and Jason both got beef with the Joker, but I think if Steph is taking Jason's story, then it should have something to do with Cluemaster, yeah? Like, I know we're thinking Black Mask as the obvious villain in this story, but think about it.

Jason's storyline heavily features him getting betrayed by his parents, first Bruce for blaming Gonzales' death on him, and then Sheila selling/betraying him. Stephanie's dad is already a villain and has already tried to kill her in canon (I'm pretty sure). But what if he succeeded? What if she is tricked into going after him and gets trapped, and oh! we can even pull in the Robin vote to make it worse!

So she dies, crawls out of the grave, trains with Talia (god bless, she gets proper training for once), and then she goes back to Gotham, finding she's been replaced. And timeline wise, that falls on Tim. Hmm, that honestly wouldn't change his story that much, so let's say this time, Jason's the replacement, literally another low income child brought into the traffic light costume. I think with Steph and Jason, it would be a lot more personal.

And in this version, Tim gets to be Spoiler, kind of? I like the idea of Jason finding Tim running around with his camera, he gets hit in the face with a brick, and then instant best friends. Then Tim gets the Black Mask treatment (yikes), and Jason takes back the mantle just in time to face Stephanie's full rage.

Not sure how that would look like in this context.

Also, because she isn't a trust fund baby, her being a Red Hood crime lord could be a lot more believable (seriously, every read of Tim as Red Hood makes no sense to me. WHY would Tim want crime alley?? literally what? He’s got no connection to it).

Anyways, Steph is better because 1) she's got that female rage, and 2) it would be personal, she became a hero to save people from villains (right her father's wrongs) but I think over time her run as Robin would shift from attonement to just bettering the community she grew up in, and Jason with similar motivations would be like salt in the wound. Like who the fuck is this kid on My turf, with My colours. Ya know? Or at least, I imagine Jason would focus in Crime alley but he'd also take care of East End and the Narrows because it resonates with him.

I don't actually know that much about Stephanie's motivations to neatly rearrange her into the role, so if anyones got a better idea of how it would run, please reblog!

I love the Reverse Robins au but everyone always forgets Steph, because if you go with the whole “second Robin dies thing” Steph as Red Hood would be sick as fuck. I’m begging someone to draw some Steph Hood.

[cynthiav06]

Percy's amnesia in SoN gave him the perfect excuse to build his confidence to where it should be and break up with Annabeth, with very few consequences, and I will always stand by that. Annabeth may be easier for the Greeks to back due to her history there, but she has nothing at Camp Jupiter, where he quickly and firmly established himself as a powerful, capable and trustworthy entity, getting promoted to Praetor within a week. I honestly believe that, after his SON quest and the "greeting" Annabeth gave him on their reunion, Percy should've broken up with Annabeth, stayed with Camp Jupiter and thrived there.

Not only would the structure help him long-term in the way it canonically did in the (maybe) three days we saw him spend there, but he has a proper support system without biases in favour of Annabeth. It would also provide a fun narrative contrast to Jason, which RR was trying to push in-story, where they thrive in the other's camp despite the shadow of a figure they kind of feel they have to live up to. Jason does better in the looser structure of CHB due to his having picked up many wolf-ish traits from Lupa, while Percy almost *relaxes* in the strict routine of CJ because it helps with his ADHD symptoms.

And this confidence he very clearly has in SoN, and the way he almost romanticized the possible relationship between him and Annabeth when he didn't have his memories, would lead to a very jarring experience when his memories are settled and he reunites with Annabeth. Because, woah, that was not just a subconscious bias from preferring his new friendships/camp structure, but she actually is like that.

Boom, he now has recontextualised memories and perspective of Annabeth, and a place where she doesn't have a stronger reputation than him, and he can fairly safely break up with Annabeth and escape attempts at retaliation.

He might wait until after the quest the Seven go on, so that he can immediately cut her out of his lfe, but this new perspective changes how he approaches her.

The canon would never, but fortunately for us, there are fic writers. If I get enough time somewhere in this month or next, I might end up writing this, but I will have to see, no promises.

Back to your point; you have covered mostly everything so I don't see what I should be adding to this exact scenario but yes it is one of the few perfect pit stops for a percabeth break up to happen. I am going to go down a slightly different avenue for this one as my thoughts vary a bit from yours, so bear with me. It is going to be long, but I need to recap and clarify a few things for others; I will get to your specific questions near the end. [Everything's numbered, so if you are in a hurry, just scroll to the final four points]

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The breakup could have been mutual, too, if Rick had written it well. If we follow the proper timeline, Annabeth was still hung up over Luke up until the end of BoTL and had just started to get over him at the start of Last Olympian. Percy had just been informed of the Prophecy and under massive stress between end of BoTL and start of TLO and was obviously arguing with Annabeth over it as she repeatedly got angry at him for reasonably freaking out over his then "assumed death" prophecy. To find some relief from all this, he was dating Rachel, who he really liked, had a kiss with, and overall a good relationship with.

Then the whole plot of the Last Olympian occurs in what can be considered to be a few months at best. Then both Percy and Annabeth get together but to recap the events leading up to this:

Rachel breaks up with Percy despite their good relationship due to understanding the role she needs to play in saving the Oracle.

Luke who had previously visited Annabeth to make her join him and who Annabeth was somewhat hung over still, dies.

The war ended up killing a lot of close friends and companions and was a generally traumatic event for everyone involved.

Percy is very high on mixed emotions, reeling from everything that's happened when he gets together with Annabeth, so neither of them have had any time to process anything that's happened properly enough.

They have their one month anniversary on September 18th[The Staff of Hermes short story], and Percy disappears in October. [Riordan.wiki has years and dates of important events].

So they have barely been together for two months, and Percy's already missing.

This is Annabeth's thought process when they do reunite. It implies she has been doing a bit of thinking about their relationship and might not be as sure about it anymore.

She also seems to heavily dislike Percy's initial idea of settling in New Rome and seems to have no intention of taking a break from quests like Percy does.

She also seems to dismiss Percy's unwillingness to go to NRU after the news of Estelle's birth and the events of CotG.

Those were a few key points of contrast between them both on their future plans. Not small ones either.

Now, back to their reunion and the events following; here are a few things:

She judo flips him in front of the Argo II and almost entirety of Camp Jupiter.

If Annabeth didn't know that Percy had lost the Curse of Achilles then she was judo flipping him on the small of his back where his mortal tether was located ; which she knew about and therefore would have killed him in her anger and hyper emotional state.

If Annabeth did know that he had lost the Curse of Achilles then she was still judo flipping her boyfriend who had been missing for six months after surviving an already very traumatic event where he barely managed to survive and was then put through kidnapping, six months of amnesia, and brainwashing against his will by a goddess and then thrust into an unknown land with enemies on his trail.

Further, she blames Percy for disappearing for all of the things HE suffered through against his will and HAS THE AUDACITY TO MAKE HIM APOLOGIZE FOR IT.

Annabeth says and I quote that she likes keeping Percy on his toes.

She also agrees with Piper that Percy needs to be leashed and controlled.

Then Percy's side gives us a few more concerning tidbits:

Percy repeatedly notes that he is scared of Annabeth or thinks she might hit him

He also says that she often brings up Rachel to make him uncomfortable.

Percy also doesn't feel comfortable confiding in Annabeth about Gabe or past trauma.

He repeatedly feels he isn't good enough for Annabeth, and obviously Annabeth's behavior consciously or subconsciously on her part enables his thought process.

He ends up almost killing himself because Annabeth makes him promise not to use his specific ability despite it being used in self-defense by Percy, which ended up saving them both because she was afraid of Percy's powers.

Yet another thing to point out is that Annabeth's fatal flaw hubris and her abandonment issues feed too much into her behavior, and until that is fixed, nothing can be helped.

Annabeth punched Percy in ttc just because he didn't ask her to dance like she wanted him to. She also gave Percy a very hard time just because he knew another girl (Rachel) and immediately acted controlling and toxically possesive towards Percy over Rachel and Calypso despite her and Percy not being in a relationship at any of those points. In fact, despite her supposed crush on Percy, she defended Luke all the way till Botl, despite his repeated attempts at murdering Percy, and even went as far as to say Percy was unreasonably angry at Luke. She also displayed rude and downright awful behavior when interacting with Rachel; and Rachel, being the better person, handled her with class and grace. This all is not even including her demeaning remarks against Percy's intelligence and condescending behavior.

We can conclude from all this that Percy and Annabeth are not compatible, with different future goals and clashing perspectives and most importantly due to lack of proper communication, terrible misunderstandings, and Annabeth's consistent toxic behavior.

But neither the characters nor the author and not even most of the fandom acknowledge any of these glaring issues, so nothing can be done, but their break up can go several ways:

1.

Percy and Annabeth both break up amicably with Annabeth apologizing and understanding the gravity of her behavior and her mistakes and consistently making up to Percy for all the things she has been doing terribly. This is only possible for pre Tartarus or pre MoA situation.

Annabeth could have had a good arc in overcoming all of her problems while Percy too dealt with his self esteem issues and past trauma and they could have given their relationship a shot again in the future; they are both too young right now.

2.

Percy confronts Annabeth on her behavior and breaks up with her. Things get ugly, and it ends up being horrible for both of them. This is a traumatic situation on both ends, but the reason why this is unlikely is that Annabeth and Percy have a case of trauma bonding, and there's hints of codependency more on Annabeth's end. Which makes Percy mask Annabeth's toxic traits easily and for Annabeth to ignore Percy's devolving mental health and self-esteem issues that she has been enabling unknowingly.

3.

The other likely option is third-party intervention. Sally or Poseidon/Athena or other campers.

I also disagree that the camp half blood would back Annabeth. Percy's their [CHB] unofficial leader and a good friend to all of them plus he is the reason the children of other non-Olympian gods have cabins and get claimed early so he definitely has a higher status than Annabeth does in both camps. Camp Jupiter also does respect Percy more than any other Greek, and he is the only Greek to ever be made Praetor. So in social or reputation terms, Percy's winning.

But I don't think other campers would dare meddle in Percy and Annabeth's business. Maybe the seven would. [Leo and Frank would never. Jason probably doesn't understand the whole situation. Piper’s misguided and would probably feed into Annabeth's behavior, so either Hazel or Reyna? Hazel would definitely help Percy understand, and Percy would totally hear Hazel out. Thalia, hmm, I don't really know what Thalia would do, but I don't think she would blindly back Annabeth. She does seem to care for and respect Percy just as much. Nico isn't touching it with a 20-foot pole, plus I don't think he is over his Percy crush at all, so he's not an unbiased party either. ]

4.

Last option and what probably is the most likely is that things continue as they are and Percy eventually snaps due to endless pressure and his mental health issues and Annabeth can't deal with it and then all their other issues which they have both ignored come spilling out and then it's just a clean break but it's going to be the most excruciating way out and given their luck definitely happening.

[lore-grandma]

How the dorm leaders would up realizing they like reader/ when their feelings started to change (idk anymore)

Notes: I’m sure some of these aren’t accurate, it comes with the territory. Yuu is reader. I think if you’ve seen my posts about these kind of games, that you’ll notice a pattern that the mc is always reader. Idk what else. Um i might do the other characters, I will likely make a cop out and make ortho’s section platonic. Also I’m pretty sure that night raven will accept students at any age as long as you can read. So the reader’s age with change depending on the canon character’s age. At minimum reader will be a year younger than the guys. Now let’s go.

Riddle

Riddle gives off such love at first sight vibes, but would be in such denial. I think realistically Riddle would come to terms with his feelings after his blot. I mean if the magicless student stayed while he was at his worst, then there’s a bond there. You basically saved him and even if his mother does not approve, in his mind he sees you as a worthy partner. It’d take the whole dorm to force him to confess, he’d only confess if he knew for sure you liked him.

Leona

Dear lord this guy would be such a slow burn. He definitely wasn’t fond of you before his blot. Of course after the beat down, he probably felt slightly indebted. Only a little. The he was probably was feeling those fuzzy feelings around the time you stood up for your friends. Like that takes balls, to risk it all. It’d take far too many close calls on both of your lives for him to finally confess.

Azul

Probably like a love at second sight. Like was definitely when he met you during the whole contract situation. Now he genuinely wasn’t considering it until the whole Jamil situation. Would’ve probably confessed after that, in his office, was basically forced by the tweels because of how much they teased him.

Kalim

Honestly despite how open he is, I don’t think he genuinely understands how love works. Shit just happens. Like somehow y’all are married. Probably got into a relationship a few months after Jamil’s overblot.

Vil

This one happens after a life long friendship, maybe starts to be planted in the ground during the training arc during his story. But it def took awhile.

Idia

It didn’t start because he knew you irl. I mean canonically reader doesn’t have much of an online presence, but I can’t imagine that idia makes any realizations during his whole overblot. Maybe his feelings start around malleus’s overblot but that story hasn’t ended yet so Ive yet to make that decision.

Malleus

I do believe he just either sees you as a friend or that human that he so happens to see on his walks to see gargoyles. Of course by the time that reader actually knows his name. Then malleus considers them a friend. I see malleus as oblivious to love but not in the way that kalim is. He’s probably more familiar with familial love than romantic love. The moment he probably realized it officially was when he realized he could lose his support systems i.e. lillia and you. Sure silver and sebek are fine company but there’s definitely a feeling that they’re treating him with respect because he’s their future leader. Also I know that so that I said that reader was going to be at minimum to be a year younger than the characters that’s being talked about. But like reader is human (I’m sorry guys) and doesn’t have any magic in their world, so unfortunately we’ll have to stick with a human age that would probably be a rough equivalent to the age of draconians. So likely ehhh 22 maybe? I’m not sure if the fae just age slowly or just age fairly normally (still slow but not to the point where in a hundred years malleus is still a literal baby) and matures mentally at different rates. Anyways I’m putting reader at a safe young age but not so old it feels like we’re pairing a teenager with an adult. Age is weird in these situations.

[valar-did-me-wrong]

Adar and Sauron are very different characters with very different motivations.

1. Adar wasn't the lord of Mordor for 3k years.. he spent those 3 k years trying to find a way to get his children to have a home where noone will experiment, torture & breed them like Sauron & Morgoth or kill them on sight like the elves & men.. that is a VERY FUNDAMENTALLY different reasoning to become a Lord of land than Sauron "power over flesh" The Dark Lord

Adar took over Southlands because he wanted a home & there was No Other Way for it.. Yes it was a horrendous way in which he chose to do it & that's why he isn't a Hero, he's an anti-hero.. he did many many wrong things..

But at the same time you cannot push a whole people into a corner to rot in torture & abuse for millenia, refuse any help or understanding & not expect them to hate you & fight back in desperation, so there's a reasoning beyond greed & power for his actions.. which cannot be said for for Sauron in most of the story imo..

Also he's the lord of Mordor literally from S1 to S2 not 3k years xD

2. We know for a fact Sauron wasn't kissing orcs on the head and giving them funerals, it's literally in the show's S2E1.. Sauron was experimenting on them like lab rats & the orcs hated him & Morgoth since the very beginning of their race.. mentioned in the books too.. they wouldn't have done that if he was giving goodnight kisses (seeing as they did not kill Adar untill he stood by them & actually cared about them instead of killing Sauron)

3. Orcs slaughtered him & left him in a cave to rot because he bred them like animals for millenia, kept them as slaves & used them as lab rats.. and tried to blackmail them into submission by making them believe noone will accept them ever so darkness is their only option, which was proven wrong by Galadriel in S2E8

4. Adar killed and tortured people. Yes bad. No doubt. No question. But for a bunch of people who love to find complexity in Sauron, I find it very missing in you guy's Adar character readings for some reason.. like there's this very insistent push for months to read a VERY clearly actively created morally grey character as the same as a Dark lord of 2 whole ages who choses to become & remain that way even after getting second chances..

To the point that you people actually go out and call the show writing bad instead of understanding that Adar's redemption required his efforts too instead of a simple magic ring..

Not very nuanced take

5. Adar killed all his enemies where?? He didn't kill much of his enemies??

He actively doesn't kill Elrond & Arondir in S2E7

Adar killed Sauron & he deserved that at that time.. rewatch the S2E1 flashback scene a few times you'll get it..

Celebrimbor was killed by Sauron.

Waldreg was killed by Sauron.

Glûg was killed by Sauron.

All the guards in Eregion who fought Annatar were killed by Sauron.

Bronwyn & that teen are probably the only 2 named characters Adar killed directly..

He did cause a lot of death indirectly but he interestingly didn't kill any elf directly in the series if I remember correctly..

6. Contrary to the comments & reblogs on this post.. Adar did much much better & different than Sauron. That's why the show gave him a way to redemption and not Sauron. That's why Galadriel accepts his offer of an alliance but not Sauron's..

That is the whole arc of S2 Adar.. The show again & again tried to show how he isn't exactly a villian & neither are his orcs just canon fodder evil.. so many scenes are there in the show just to highlight this..

I'm not saying Sauron is irredeemable forever, but in the Show's Story he isn't choosing redemption or healing or humbling but instead power & control..

While Adar since day one in the show has been shown to choose Love for his children (who are a result of his torture & who noone else loves in the world but still he does), he actually accepted his mistakes after wearing Nenya in S2E8 & was willing to put in effort to fix it & heal..

These are two very different characters.. both wrong in their own way for millenia yes, but only one of them actually on screen & canon tried to do something about it & the other deceived himself in the end & became a Dark Lord of Arda because redemption required actual self reflection and humility

Starting to see something more and more in other fandoms but it’s also brewing within Sauron fandom which is I don’t get villianfuckers who are deluded or in denial about the fact their fav is a villain.

Then woobify them to the gods until they resemble very closely of the “good” ML they hate lowkey which is funny.

Your fav did some pretty heinous fucking shit and should be either dead or punished severely for it and that’s what I advocate for in my villain favs cause I ain’t a PUSSY

Sauron is a villain. The reason we like him is because he’s a villain. He chooses villainy when he’s given many chances not to. I genuinely don’t get the urge of wanting to redeem him. Yes he’s complex with a lot of feelings and nuance but he doesn’t want to be redeemed. He’s not an ambiguous anti villain by the time we are in Second Age/Third Age. He’s not Adar

The serious woobification (not the semi-joking kind) needs to stop and frankly it’s lowkey insulting.

[l1ve-l4ugh-lov3craft]

PROPOSITION ☝️

au where barty joins the ministry as a fuck you to his father but gets into some very niche but surprisingly important branch of it and absolutely becomes the MENACE of the ministry while also having way to much influence for his own good

like imagine this absolute punk DEMON wreaking havoc in the ministry but also he’s surprisingly charming so most everyone loves him

and then at the end of the day he goes home to his husband who’s working on some new (definitely humane and not at all freaky) potionist concoction :)

[mohntilyet]

they hated illario because he was a d1 yapper who was bad at assassinating people and was so annoyingly drunk and grief stricken at his cousin’s wake that viago had to drug him to shut him up (so what if he was also the guy who set his cousin up to die/disappear) . and also for working with the venatori and selling out the antivan crows i guess.