#this list is incomplete so please feel free to add to it if you got any good ones

[deadpoetsandlivinglegends]

Wlw couples that dps mlm ships remind me of

Anderperry - Tara and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer mixed with aspects of the relationship Anne and Diana from Anne of green gables have

Chadd - Tara and Darcy from Heartstoppers

Chameron - mix between catra and adora from shera princess of power and Luz and Amity from owl house depending on how the person handles the rivals to friends to lovers like sometimes Charlie is catra and Cameron is adora whereas sometimes Charlie is luz and Cameron is amity

Chetknox - Regina and Emma from Once Upon a Time

Knarlie - Brittany and Santana from glee

McKeating - Stef and Lena from the Fosters

Mittsie - Robin and Nancy from Stranger Things

Narlie? Cheil? - Carmen and Ivy from Carmen Sandiego

Stalton (because I refuse to call them cheeks) - Velma and Daphne from Scooby Doo

[litnerdwrites]

Justice for Nesta recs (AO3)

Most, if not all, of these recs are in the Justice for Nesta/ ACOSF rewrite/fix-it vein. It will be updates as I find more fics, but feel free to send any recs you have.

TRIGGER WARNING! Many of these fics will be very dark, with references to suicide, ptsd, misogyny, and IC BS. However, I'll be sure to add specifics where applicable.

Fics For Those Craving Nesta JusticeI put all the fics I found into one collection on AO3 that, as the title suggests, are for those craving Nesta Justice. Please read the relevant tags for each fic, as many of them contain reference to PTSD, SA (both past referenced and in story), and general IC BS.

I'll also list every fic in this collection bellow, just to keep them all in one place. Feel free to also add your own finds or works if you have any. The collection is open, but moderated.

Those the Stars Cannot Hear by @kataraavatara An ACOSF rewrite where Mor makes good on her threat to leave Nesta in the CON.

Baby, now we got bad blood by Pumpkinspice_Lou They say you should never come between a male and his mate. Rhysand should've known better. Aka Cassian finally choosing Nesta. Completed two-shot.

A Court of Vice and Victors by Wishcamper Acosf rewritten by a therapist. Need I say more? Incomplete.

You Made Her Like That By BookWorm77071 A few days into their Hike from Hell, Nesta is able to form one coherent thought: I don't want to do this anymore. So she stops. Three chapter short story. Completed.

Nesta becomes a baby by Theladyofbloodshed Exactly what the title says. Oneshot.

A Court of Tangled Flames by Theladyofbloodshed A Neris fic where Nesta gets the love story she deserves.

ACOTAR snippet collection by Theladyofbloodshed A collection of Acotar what ifs.

Nesta vs. The Buffer by Theladyofbloodshed After Nesta finally snaps at another 'family' dinner, calling Cassian and Mor out on their shit, she begins to heal and fall in love on her own terms. With a certain shadowsinger. Completed. Nezriel fic. Anti IC but they kind of redeem themselves at the end. Completed.

AU Where We Pretend Acosf Didn't Happen by Theladyofbloodshed An alternative take to ACOSF, starting from post ACOFS. Nesta ends up leaving Velaris, starting herself on a journey of self discovery and healing. TW Beron Vansera, implied/referenced SA, IC being assholes.

Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream by This_Immortal_Hope Nesta was a wolf. So, much like a wolf, she bided her time, accepting her exile with ice in her and determination in her heart. When she was ready, she tore their Court of Dreams apart with their own hypocrisy. One shot. No ship. Rhysand is thoroughly put in his place. Oneshot.

Second Chances by miryamdev Cassian apologises to Nesta after the HOFAS bonus chapter.

A trick of the light by closet_monster There was nothing condemning about madness or paralyzing fear. Nesta was familiar with both — they seemed to be a recurring theme in both womanhood and life in Hewn. Oneshot. TW Depression, self harm, and implied abuse. Please double check the tags before reading.

Burn for Eternity by rosemai Nesta is defeated and broken down by the words of her sisters and the IC, so she takes matters into her own hands and meets a group on individuals who could give her the help she needs. Incomplete.

Nesta's Truth by grovellingboyfriends After another year of leaving Nesta alone, Cassian finds Nesta in her apartment on Solstice, standing over a dead man. TW for implied SA, parental abuse, Elain is a bitch. 3/5 chapters published as of making this post.

Daylight by Flowerflamestar Nesta Archeron, banished and betrayed, ran from cold and hatred straight into the light of Day and found a place where she could belong. Completed.

Might I Suggest You Don't Fuck With My Sis by MacabreGiggles The intervention rethought, where the Archeron sisters decide to stand up for one another and put the IC in their place. Incomplete.

I died. I will die. It's alright. I don't mind. By MacabreGiggles Nesta resorts to other means to cope, like drugs. Incomplete. TW. Abuse. Alcolism. Suicide. Sexual assault. Drug abuse.

The Veil of Silence by Hrizantemy There exists a veil of silence, it shrouds our voices masking our truths, muffling our cries, our voices are muted, and dreams whispered. Incomplete.

You're a crisis of my faith by porque_nolosdos Nesta and Elain leave the NC, and upon seeing the IC's reaction, Feyre decides to ditch them too. Incomplete.

A thousand cuts by adelindschade It finally clicks for Cassian just how badly Nesta was hurting (it only took three TW suicide TW attempts), so he decides to try thinking of what Nesta would want. This decision leaves a ripple effect that will change the NC as we know it. Incomplete.

The consequences of normality by TheTeaQueen After the events of ACOSF, things seem relatively normal. Until Cassian realises that Nesta doesn't ask for things, or that self hatred still grips her, or the facade she puts on for her family. When she starts cutting back on training and work in the library, he begins to worry. Maybe things aren't as perfect as he thought. Maybe their methods in helping her weren't as effective as he thought. Incomplete.

Three little words by TheTeaQueen Cassian finally says those three little words that Nesta needed to hear. Oneshot.

Like fire, she raged by TheTeaQueen Emerie stands up for Nesta and puts Rhys and Feyre in their place. Completed.

Of Death and Resurrection by TheTeaQueen Part 1 of In the name of healing and happiness. Nesta was ready to die. So to save Feyre and Nyx, she did. Can Rhysand, the only person who can save her, bring her back from the brink? Completed. TW Implied suicide, rape/sa, anti Elain.

Of Shadows and Light by TheTeaQueen Part 2 of In the name of healing and happiness. Technically more of a Gwynriel fic, but does have some Nessian since it follows the aftermath of Of death and Resurrection, only Azriel, Gwyn & Elain are the main focus. Ties up a lose thread or two from part 1, and is 100% Anti Elain. Completed. TW Implied child abuse, implied suicide, torture.

Of Reopened Wounds and Retribution by TheTeaQueen Part 3 of In the name of healing and happiness. A trip to the human lands to discuss the treaty leads Nesta to face Thomas Mandray again. This time, she has family willing to go to hell and back for her. Incomplete. TW Implied rape/sa, panic attack.

Lady Death and Her Kingdom by TheTeaQueen Amren pushes Nesta too far, causing her to awaken a strange new power. TW Implied child abuse. Incomplete.

The Hike, Alternatively by TheTeaQueen An alternative take on The Hike from Hell, where Nesta attempt to TW commit suicide TW, and Cassian realises just how messed up their methods, and the events leading up to the hike are. Written for Suicide prevention month. Completed. TW Self harm, suicide, The Hike.

To Pay a Debt by TheTeaQueen When Nesta sees that Feyre didn't include her in any of the paintings, she does the only thing she can think of; Run. Incomplete. TW, attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, mentioned sa.

Burning from the Inside out by TheTeaQueen An au where Nesta's secretly lived with Chronic pain her whole life, only for the cauldron and her new powers to exacerbate it. Complete. TW Implied/referenced child abuse, suicidal thoughts, ableism, internalised ableism.

The Whole Truth by TheTeaQueen An alternative take where Nesta's deepest secret comes to light when Elain explodes at the dinner table one night. This forces the IC and her sisters to reevaluate their perception of her. Incomplete. TW: Child abuse, suicidal thoughts/ideation, forced prostitution, sexual assault (underage!!)

Set my Soul Alight by moodymelanist Nesta finds solace in Autumn. No Nessian. Completed. TW Implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced rape, implied/referenced torture.

Falling by becauseofreading Another take on what happens after Cassian tells Nesta that everybody hates her. Incomplete. TW Self harm, suicidal thoughts, blood and injuries.

Destruction and Renewal by Vorbi Nesta is given the opportunity to form new alliances. Initially, she scoffs at the idea, but after a small, final act of disrespect from the IC, she decides to see where this new path leads us. Incomplete. TW Implied/referenced abuse.

No One Likes A Mad Woman by Separatist_Apologist You made her like that. Nesta has had her choices tripped away, so when Eris offers her an out, she takes it. No happy ending for Cassian. The Night Court gets no sympathy. Completed. TW Domestic violence

A Cup of Tea by shaziskhalid After realising that the Cassian of her dreams isn't the Cassian she's mated to, everything changed. (MCU! Wanda, modern Au). Incomplete.

Promise by Daughterofthesea Begins during that scene where Cassian follows Nesta, and ends with him understanding just how much pain she's in, and deciding to actually help her.

Stay here (I love you, but I need another year) by littleplease Nesta is tired, and losing the will to even try. Complete. TW Apathy, depression, vuage suicidal thoughts.

What you did to me (I'll spend my life trying to rise) by filthymouthedslut Nesta is done with the IC's holier-than-thou attitude. No ship. Incomplete (3/4) as of updating this post.

Everybody hates you by Booksandsushi A different take on the time Cassian tells Nesta that Everybody hates her. Incomplete.

Change is good by Booksandsushi Nesta figures her life out on her own. Complete.

Truth of the Heart By TheFreakPanda The months after ACOFAS leave Nesta presented with some new opportunities. Full of therapy and dancing. Completed.

I've Always Liked to Play with Fire by catalyste After her village is destroyed and family killed by Hybern following Feyre's revenge mission, you wake up healed in the NC. After Lucien leaves you there, you find yourself trapped with Nesta Archeron, who turns out to be an unlikely ally. The two of you plan your escape with the help of Eris Vansera. Polly, Neris/reader, with IC bashing, and dragons. Incomplete.

The relapse by Janes_Melodies Something broke in Nesta when she learned about the results of the vote, knowing it was a tie until Feyre. She was trying for her sisters and for Cassian, yet they still think she's cruel enough to create a whole new trove just to kill them all. For the first time in months, she gave into her desires. Incomplete. TW Alcoholism, Implied/referenced self harm, suicidal thoughts.

You're safe now by annieleonhardtsring Rewrite of the scene where Nesta falls down the stairs, and Azriel stands up for her. Complete.

Love her how she should be loved by julemmaes Cassian overhears his family making some not-so-subtle comments about Nesta, and it pushes him over the edge. So he goes to bat for her, blaming his friends for everything wrong with their relationship with his girlfriend. Modern AU completed.

The Nest World - The Next Life by bat_called_phil ACOSF canon divergence fic that starts with the intervention, but diverts when Nesta takes a stand for herself, and Feyre starts holding Rhys accountable. TW Implied/referenced suicide, Implied/referenced abortion.

A Court of Spite and Isolation by xxTAO Nesta choses the human lands, separated from the IC and the distractions from her trauma, she spirals. Incomplete (4/6) TW Suicidal thoughts, Implied/referenced alcoholism, Suicide attempt.

Come Home by Rhysanoodle Cassian learns how Nesta's been living since she came to Illyria, and which fears haunt her the most. Complete.

[choicesmonthlychallenge]

Choices Reheated : November 29 - December 7

This idea popped in my head and I figured I'd share it.

As the year is winding down, I was thinking of how many wonderful events and prompts there have been this year and how many WIP I still have for a lot of them. l'm sure I'm not alone with this.

So, inspired by Thanksgiving (and all the leftovers that come with it), I thought it would be fun to host a quick event where we can share any unfinished pieces from previous Choices events. Whether it’s a half-written story, an incomplete artwork, or an idea you never got to finish, this is the perfect chance to share it with the community!

There are no original prompts for this event but I am providing a couple categories:

Reheated: Works you've revisited and were able to finish for this event

Repurposed Recipes: Works that were inspired by an event, but took a completely different turn

Almost Done: Works that are not quite done, but you are happy where they are and want to share

WIP Appetizer Bites: Works that might be in any state of completion from a one sentence head canon, to a series of image inspiration, to dialogue, sketches, drabbles, and more

Second Servings: Works that you posted/submitted for a previous event but have since made some changes/improvements

The Trimmings: Everything and anything else

Guidelines

Works should be inspired by or connected to a past fandom event, it would be nice to tag the event host, I'm sure they'd love to see your creation too!

Submitted works will be featured on an event masterlist, following the event

Every form of creative work can be submitted: fanfiction, drabbles, moodboards, edits, drawings, poems, songs, sketches, and more—all are welcomed.

Work from any book and story from the Choices (and Pixelberry) universe are welcome (new and old alike)!

You can participate as many times as you want during the week long event

Clearly list the prompt/event your work is based on

Please add a cut to avoid long posts and exposing other fans to triggering/disturbing content.

If your work is NS*W please label it as such and use appropriate warnings. Adult content should be hidden under the page break.

You must be at least 18 years of age to submit and interact with adult content.

No AI generated content, please

Can be combined with any other prompts and events

Please tag @choicesmonthlychallenge​​ and #choices reheated; if you’d like to add me you can do so as well~ @lovealexhunt​​​ (feel free to DM me your work too since Tumblr tags are fickle)

[twirlymarimo]

since you've read a lot of zs fics, could you recommend some? like specifically ones that you think are underrated 👀

hi! this ask is so exciting to me, thanks for sending! i’m fairly new to the zs fandom but been reading fics for about 8-9 months straight so yes haha you could say i’ve read a lot 😆

to preface my recos, i like zsz so i dont mind anything 💚💛

anyway, here’s my list of underrated fics (underrated for me is like under 500 kudos and please mind the tags on some of them):

1. him by lostmathmajor - one of my first parenting au fics and i think about this fic from time to time. it's incomplete sadly but i'll wait for the author to update forever! what i love about it is how you feel zoro's desperation and pining for sanji through his actions and it extends to sanji's daughter. ugh you just have to read it.

2. at last, i see the light by anxietyismymoralcompass - tangled au! this was such a good adaptation of my fave disney princess movie <3

3. never grow a wishbone by peacesigndisasterbi - set post laughtale where sanji and zoro reaches their goal. i loved the angst and yearning in this plus the fantasy plot was so good too!

4. a sip of sunlight by greenyogurtelephant - such a cute little oneshot. very summer-y, i read it recently when i was in the mood for something bright. i imagined like an italian countryside or some wine country areas in northern california.

5. stuck in your throat by fruityumbrella - val writes one of the best dialogues ugghhhh read everything they write!!!

6. let's go to bed by fantasmagorial - so soft and fluffy....very comforting. i read this when i was having trouble sleeping lmao

7. i got this feeling by harubo - i know, this author is very popular in the fandom but this one fic of theirs is not as popular i think. i really loved it cause i have a pet as well and used to run an IG page for him so i related hahah

8. tin lover by riotoftime & aevv - ongoing, im kinda shy to add this but i am hooked....the writing style and dialogue are so good and distinct because each character is developed/written by different authors!

i unfortunately don't have an ao3 account so i've lost most of the fics i've read but i've learned to keep track now! if anybody has any underrated fic recs as well, feel free to add!

[marty-parties]

Happy September 15th! Which, if you didn't know, is 'leave a comment day.' I could be wrong though, since my source is a poll i took on my other blog - either way, i've come up with a fun idea.

In honour of ‘leave a comment day’ i’ve made a list of all of my favourite fanfics/authors that I can think of atm, and I wanna leave a nice little note about them and their work! This isn’t in any particular order, tbh it’s mostly me going through my AO3 bookmarks and re-reading all of my fav fanfic, haha. 

I honestly had no idea 'leave a comment day’ was a thing, and if you didn’t either, show your favourite authors that you appreciate them! Anything from a heart emoji, or a key smash, or an insightful/heartfelt comment will do wonders in terms of showing/being appreciated.

A lot of these fics below have influenced me in some way, big or small, into how/what I write today. I guess I wanted to give thanks where I could. (It’s also just really sick to make a doc full of your favourite things,and I highly implore you to do it too, even if you don’t wanna post it. (That's totally fair, no pressure.) I keep going over in my mind what I like about each fic and ‘oh, this fic is different from that, but it’s still fantastic, oh and this fic, too,’ etc. it’s such a fun little snowball effect of positivity, i definitely recommend you do this if you have time and need a pick me up, haha.)

Little note, here, If you’ve seen that I’ve read your fic, but found you’re not on the list - it’s not that I don’t like you/or work! I probably very well did enjoy it! I found as I was making this list it was taking a lot of my free time. (Free time that i’d rather like to use writing or reading more, haha.) And, I feel like this list is already so wickedly long ‘cause I can't shut my mouth to save my life, to add more might be a little bit much to read all in one go. 😅

So, please don’t be upset if that’s the case! ily *mwah* 

Also, there’s a few nsfw fics mention at the end, so if you’re a minor, pls buzz off,  that content isn’t for you! I also recommend you check the links on some of these fics. I think I’ve included warnings where I think they’re due, but you know yourself better than i do. And, who knows, I might’ve accidentally missed a tag or two - So, please take care of yourself out there! 

You’ll notice i’ve either included a source for either the authors tumbr, or AO3. I originally was going to try and do both, but i lost steam. Each story is linked to their author, on some site, promise. 

Last thing, most of these fics are in the undertale fandom, tbh. It’s been my ride or die since highschool, so i’ve got a lot of love and things to say. You won’t find any frans or foncest here, i’m a reader insert girlie, simply put, and I don't care much for those tags on the fics i read. 

Quick legend here:

Complete = complete work

Ongoing = still updating / i think they’re still update

Incomplete = either hiatus, or just incomplete

So, without further ado- 

 Road Side Attraction (Ongoing, teen+ rating) and Dirty Laundry (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Popatochisp  (AO3) / popattochisp (Tumbr)

I’m going to be grouping together fics by author. Usually when I find one I really like, i really lurk around their tumblr/AO3 for others, haha.

–AND because I can’t think of one fic without the other. I find myself going back to read them both quite frequently, usually on rotation,  they’re my little bedtime stories i keep on repeat in my mind, lol. 

I mean, if you’re in the undertale fandom how can you not know about pop? For me, them (and luluwrites, among a few others i can’t remember rn,) –were really impactful to me growing up, as I think it was to a lot of people. (Tbh they’re still impactful, actually. I find myself going back even pretty often to read the same fics I read in high school.) They’re like the one piece of media you read in English class in high school that sticks with you throughout your adult life. (Looking at you, monkey’s paw.)

Pop has like 1,000 different au’s to choose from, all with fantastic and deep characterizations and lore.( I don’t know how they do it, i’m only writing a/b ONE skeleton rn, and i feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to get his characterization right.  I couldn’t imagine doing that for every single au they have. God damn.) 

I especially love Roadside Attraction, because of how easily i can relate to it? I’m deep in the sticks, a town more populated by livestock and people. When I read this, I can really put myself i MC’s shoes - b/c i’ve been there! (Hah, maybe not the dating skeletons part, granted, lol.) But it’s such a fantastic read, I love any and all media that has a vibe that it could take place in like a   rural Montana. (think scenes in Twilight. Tall spruce/pine trees, misty morning, the possibility of seeing bigfoot, that sorta thing.) 

And Dirty Laundry? Come on, dude. What a love letter to the swapfell universe, truly. If you haven't read it, you gotta. The world building, and the changing POV’s are so damn good, that every chapter feels crisp, and like you’ve got a really good inside scoop of each character. You can’t knock the characterization in this one, fellas. All the dynamics are so dead on - how Sans and Papyrus interact, how Sans and Alphys – dude, even how Sans and Toriel interact read so deeply in character. Everyone’s motives and ideas make sense to each character and the conflict that it  brings. Big fan. 10/10, will definitely read again and again. (There’s also a ‘Menswear addition, where the reader has he/him pronouns if that’s your cup of tea!) 

Bones Picked Clean (Incomplete, teen+ rating) and) Apéritifs (Ongoing, Mature rating)

By Skelezbian (tumblr) / luluwrites (on AO3)

Woof, where do I start?? I think Bones Picked Clean is another one of the first fics I remember being a really impactful piece of undertale fanwork that stuck with me. I know they’re not the one who created the whole ‘lodge’ scenario, (if you know, you know. Thank you @Tyrant_Tortoise, we’ll be seeing you next,) but they put a spin on it that is so interesting to see. The problems feel very realistic, like something that can easily happen in a house full of busy bodies with not enough communication. And, ohmygod the MC. My first love, truly. You get to see each set of skeleton brother’s, and watch how MC’s befriends them all. Granted, they have a track record of putting themselves in dangerous situations, for reasons revealed in the fic, but they’ve got a heart of gold, and a PHD in being a sweetheart.

The horrortale boys really shine here. I haven’t read much horrortale centric fanfics, but I really like the soft horrorale’ spin. The healing after the damage, the sunshine after the storm, watching the fauna overgrow, etc. I love watching characters grow when love is shown, and here, you can really see it here. I love domesticity, and using food as a love language– which is something this fic has in spades!

(I also love love swapfell characterization in this fic, chapter 13 does a REALLY good job of walking you through the mindspace of sf pap. But in terms of favourties, i’d have to say that would be Chapter 18. You get to see sf pap’s relationship with his brother!  You really see/understand their dynamic, and how they really act as brothers behind closed doors. The other reason it’s a favourite is the inherit domesticity! Maybe I’m a sucker for the normie, slice of life, but how MC and sans chit chat at the start of the chapter is so cute! )

Warning: mention of past cannibalism, past murder, past abuse? I think that’s it, maybe check the tags to be sure. They sound scary, but I promise it’s a very sweet story. 

Ohh, Apéritifs. First of all, what a clever name! I’m a sucker for word play, and this title alone really did it for me, haha. (if you don’t get it, please google ‘define Apéritifs’, and you’ll be just as jazzed as me.)  They’re three stand alone one-shots featuring a  different skeleton each chapter. I will say, I think chapter 3 is my fav. It’s actually heavily inspired me to make one of my one shots - it’s that good! I love the world building in it, as well. Really, you can’t go wrong. (Lulu really knows how to nail flirty dialogue, in very funny ways. ‘“so, you a fan of spare ribs, or just mine?”’ (ch. 3 – Apéritifs) KILLS ME, oh my god, what a funny flirty little one-liner. 

Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Tyrant_Tortoise (AO3) tyranttortoise (Tumblr)

Man– SSLL walked so we all could run. The amount of ‘lodge’ type fanfic dynamic i’ve seen, BECAUSE of this fic is wild. I might be wrong in saying this, but I think they were the one who came up with the whole ‘lodge’ type scenario, like all the reverse harems with all the au’s. 

I haven’t read anything of theirs in a long time, but I wanna pay my respects where respects are due. Tyrant made one hell of an influential fanfic, enough so, that I’m pretty sure if I had a timeline of fandom evolution on undertale alone– I think there would be a noticeable difference in the before and after SSLL.  Which, is so sick!! To have influenced a whole fandom with a concept that we’re still seeing it years later? (I get that trends sorta tend to last longer in fandoms than they do irl, but isn’t that such a neat thing to think about?) 

I’m going to age myself (and maybe you, reading this a bit, but–) the first chapter was posted in 2017. 2017! Isn’t that nuts to think about? I was literally 17 at the time. No WONDER it stuck with me, my teenage brain was looking for all the  serotonin it could get from fandoms.  (wow. Things haven't changed all that much for me, haha. 

Skeleton Ex Machina (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By Cryptid_jack (AO3)

Ohh, okay, for all the SSLL fans out there, you probably already know who cryptid_jack is. And if not, I'll gladly tell you!

They’ve made this cool ass AI AU (it’s a LOT cooler than it sounds, I promise!) in their words, ‘a fanfic of a fanfic’ that’s actually in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady (see above.) I’d recommend reading SSLL to fully understand this - although, if you’re good at picking up context clues, or maybe don’t mind missing some context, I don’t necessarily think you’d have to, since jack does a really good job of showing the reader everything that’s going on. (although, i really  recommend you do.)

I think this au is so cool, it’s literally tagged as ‘Quarantine Sans’ (which, i’ll be the first to say, that maybe that name didn’t hold up too well, with recent 2020 events, an’ all that. Pandemic aside, it’s a cool name for an AU!) 

It’s also really fun to see two friends in the fandom interact with each other's works like this. Even reading the note at the start of the fic, you can just feel the camaraderie and care that went into paying each other's proper respects. 

Big big ups, hats off to proper manners and friendship!

All’s Fair In Love and (Prank) War (Incomplete, teen+ rating)

By torrikor (AO3)

Ohh, this is a short and sweet 2 chapter read. I don’t the author is going to circle back to it, but i suggest you read it anyways! the idea is so so good! In essence, MC and sf sans are roommates, and MC starts a prank war. I love love love their dynamic, their bickering is a real treat to read, that, coupled with their size difference? Sign me up!

My Favorite Thing (Complete, teen+ rating) and A Conversation Starter ( Complete, teen+ rating) 

By peachwhimzy (AO3) peachwhimzy-things (Tumblr)

I’m a slut for their characterization of sf pap here, oh my god. Both are so so good, and i know  i must sound like a broken record by saying I love how this author interpreted his character - but i can’t help it! So many people have good ideas and ways to showcase a character! Sue me.  

A Conversation Starter is another one that’s inspired me to write a little one-shot. It’s so fantastically written, sf Papyrus and MC are at a bus station, both the first human and monster either have met. The world building is subtle, but wonderfully done. MC is so damn cute in this, and so is Papyrus, who’s really just trying to keep the conversation going, lol. There’s a delightful slice of life aspect to this. 

Honestly, a lot of of Peach’s work feel very domestic, and sweet, and romantic. Sorta like i’m reading a studio Ghibli movie. Do yourself a favour and go check em out!

Late Night Shift Romance (Complete, teen+ rating)

By Inumaru12 (AO3)

The one fic on here that’s not a romance,how about that. (I guess that’s not technically true. There's possibly something budding, if you squint. I always read it as platonic friendship- it’s fanfic! Read it with whatever context you’d like!)

Burgerpants and MC are at the same convenient store late at night, and there’s a robbery. Friendship ensues. I love seeing the background character of undertale, and honestly, who doesn't relate to Burgerpants? Perpetually working shitty minimum wage jobs, trying to chase his dreams - that’s rough. I appreciate a character who can give a nod to class solidarity.. I think Inmuaru12 did so well writing his character, it feels like he was plucked out of the game himself, haha. 

My Dearly Detested Delivery Man, (Complete, teen+ rating) and Black Coffee (Complete, general audiences rating) 

By Little_old_lady (AO3)

Lol yet another set of swap fics, haha. (Yet another great example of different interpretations of the swapfell au!)

My Dearly Detested Delivery man is so  fun, I love an ‘enemies to friends to lovers’ type of fic. I love the dialogue, it’s so funny! Like almost sitcom-esk with how good the one liners are. I think my favourite thing about writing fanfic is the dialogue- but reading what other authors have cooked up is such a treat, too. I love seeing authors with a certain brand of wit/cleverness they think the character would have, and seeing their own comedy bleed through, too sometimes. Little_old_lady does a good job showing the reader what you can gleam from the characters with how they talk to each other, in a way that sets the tone for their relationship. (whether it’s platonic, romantic, etc.)  There’s so many ways you can show friendship, but I think the “passion” (lmao I don’t know what else to call it!)  that’s at the heart of any argument is what can create the difference between friends arguing, vs two people who could be more. (Better put, I think what I like about two characters arguing is the sorta obvious chemistry it can create.) 

Black Coffee does a good job about that too! I’ll be the first and last to say that I love any characters whose love language is ‘argue’ (lol even though irl I wouldn’t last long in any relationship like that, haha. ) I can be hit or miss with a soulmate au, but there’s another layer that I think undertale adds another level to in a soulmate au-since the game established that monsters and magic are real— that it almost feels a little more plausible of an au, than say, a soulmate AU of parks and rec? (no hate on the au or parks and rec, haha. I guess it just feels more “realistic” being that undertale is already a world made of magic, that magical soulmates, is one more step into weird that also makes sense?) I also love the bro-ship mc has with pap, in this one. Coming from someone who’s constantly worked retail/with customers one-on-one, somedays you want to go ape shit, so it’s nice to see an MC who can.

Half Your Age Plus Seven (Complete, teen+ rating) 

By KassyKins

Ohhh, what a little treat this was to read. Tragedy! Romance! Love-rivalry! (NOT a love triangle!) People just Trying to do their best, they’ve got it all! This is another MC i’m in love with. They know what they love, and what they’re passionate about, but when push comes to shove, they’ll choose their family over themselves every single time. I think it’s a very admirable trait to have, integrity, and the ability to self-sacrifice.  I think those two tropes/characteristics can really lead a story in so many interesting directions - weather it be an MC who’s too self-sacrificing, giving parts of themselves to everyone, leaving nothing for themselves, or an MC who’s pushing themselves through the ringer trying to do what they think is right according to their integrity, burning them up in the process.  In this particular case, it’s maybe a little bit of both, coupled with (sad) a slice of life meet cute, with a healthy dose of growing pains. 

There’s something about it that always hits extra hard to me, the ‘thrust into the lime light, or power, or a position they have no business being in. But, they’ve got people on the line, their people to take care of, so by god they’ll try.’ There’s something so tragic and poetic about it – but who knows, maybe I'm waxing poetic about the eldest daughter trope. 

This fic really nicely written, and there’s so many fun hijinks and shenanigans in there to make you chuckle. Featuring another MC who’s able to shout at their boss and get away with it- big ups from me, lets goooooo working class!

Fair warning, this is a notable age gap from MC and swapfell gold sans. It is talked about in the story as well. I personally don’t mind it too much, but if that’s a no-go from you, you’ve been warned. (Maybe just check the tags on this one, (spoilers!) I know someone gets pregnant later. But, I know that can freak some folks out, so, heads up.) 

There’s some smut mentioned, but it doesn’t go into detail about it, so i’ll leave it above the NSFW section. Just fair warning! (Maybe not a story for minors? I don’t know, read at your own discretion if you are?) 

For the smut mention, be warned that I couldn’t find any age in their bio, do with that what you will. 

And Now It’s Crystal Clear(Complete, teen+ rating)

By nighttimelights (AO3)

Oh, man. What another banger read. 

Fun fact- i read this in . . . highschool? But i forgot the name of the fic,and it took me FOREVER, im talking YEARS before I found it again. I actually gave up the hunt, and just found it again one day– what an utter joy that was for me to rediscover it. I felt like I ran into my highschool sweetheart at the grocery store after not thinking about them in years. 

It’s really cool concept on the whole ‘machine gaster’ situation. I respect someone so damn much who incorporates a bit of sci-sfi in their fics, I have no idea how to write it, but I love to read it/see it in media. So to see it, and understand it, and how it’s relevant to the plot is a real treat!

I also love the ending.  :)

Wish Bone (Ongoing, Explicit rating)

By timeofjuly

I could not, in good conscience make this list without including my bestie, the OG and probably the reason why I'm actually posting what I'm writing today. I really can’t sing their praises high enough – but for the sake of comment day, I sure can try, haha.

July really does a good job of creating a wicked atmosphere in her works. The stark difference between Wish Bone (a political romance drama) and Resisting the Currents (reverse harem, but the gf likes you too. It's linked in the nsfw section, please check it out if you can.) is so incredible – they’re really an author that can do both, haha. Even though both fics are so different, what they have in common is their ability to get you right in your feelings, in whichever way the story calls for. 

In Wishbone  – Flint (the MC) has a bad case of being a massive asshole, that’s verging on becoming chronic. Their paranoia has caused their head to permanently be a swivel, and they’ve developed a taste for their own brand of Justice (however malicious as it is.)  That sounds like the start of a vigilante story, but in all truth, Flint is a dick. Which, is another thing July is great at! Writing MC’s who are assholes! You love to hate them, you hate that you love them! 

This is a MC x sf Pap, and later X sf Sans as well, If you’re hoping for a sappy romance, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a reluctant soulmate AU fic, a fantastic spin on the traditionally very romantic au, a meet ugly, sort of vibe. If you love arguing, political drama, fantastic world building, and a very, sad, broken MC – you’re going to love this. Hell, even if how I described it doesn’t sound appealing to you – I implore you to check it out anyways. July will absolutely knock you on your ass with her writing. By god, there’s themes, motifs and symbolism that I'm not smart enough to analyse, let alone talk about. Whether July intentionally put them there or not, I have no idea, but they’re there and it adds another layer of depth in a delightfully, painful soul crushing way. 

Go, see what I mean for yourself! 

Tbh, i feel like I could go on forever about what I love about their fics, and my little personal theories on them – but I feel like I already look pretty unhinged. For the sake of my ego, i’ve gotta move on. 

In terms of warnings, I think I sorta covered them? There's Plenty of anger, and hatred, ummm monster phobia? There might be some sorta nsfw stuff down the line, thus the rating, but as it stands now it’s smut free! Just a heads up, I suppose. 

 In Two weeks time and Red is my favorite color

By who_wants_a_muffin (AO3) 

My other current ongoing fav, in two weeks time! Another swapfell sans one, to the surprise of absolute of no one, haha. 

This MC is a dude! A man! Which is a refreshing change up, I don’t think there’s many many fics out there with a male leaning/male dominant MC’s. The characterization of MC is very good, 

is so so good, it’s and X sf sans, and he’s got the exact right amount of snark and sass to keep you coming back, haha. (Or, I guess in this case, he keeps coming back. MC works at the pool he frequents.) Their banter is really fun to read, bordering on bickering, really. They’re almost like a little old married couple, haha. Which is to say, you can really feel the chemistry they have even though they’re basically strangers. 

sf Papyrus is such a little shit in this one, i love it. He’s perpetually the youngest brother, and how Muffin writes him is so snarky and funny, and very endearing. 

The chapters are short and sweet, enough so that you can read it a few times in the same day and still enjoy it, even though his updating schedule is crazy fast! I don’t know how he does it, but they’re just motoring along, haha. I get excited whenever I get an email saying Muffin updated. It’s like a little treat to brighten your week.

I’ve been reading a bit of his other stuff, and he just gets it! Like the dynamic between MC and fell sans in Red in my favorite color, is just perfect. I love the soft!underfell au, and he does a really good job of capturing how underfell sans straddles the line between being a bad boy, and a boy that's not all that bad.

I also love the notes he writes, ‘Hello gays and other assorted sillies!’ (from Chapter 2 in Red in my favorite color,) Like COME ON, that’s so funny! 

– Undertale related 

Bonley Hearts Club (Demo available, Ongoing, teen+ rating) 

Bonely Hearts Club (tumblr) 

owl-bones (tumblr) is the Developer and Director and (self proclaimed! I’m not being mean!) Lead Nerd.  Here is a link to their cast, although it might not be fully updated. (It’s  \a big one, so I'm going to leave it as a link.) 

I don’t even know how to begin to explain my love for Bonely Hearts Club. It’s a fanmade game, made entirely of love, which you can tell, even before you play it. The sprites are so cute, and fantastic, and the writing is so in character and on point, do not get me started on the voice acting - which is also incredible. I’m not kidding, when I first played the demo, I immediately followed the voice actors on tumblr after, haha. 

This is the kinda piece of art that you just stand back and look at it, and just go ‘wow’. It’s such a big undertaking! I know very little about game development, but from what i vault remember from my comp sci class - is that is’s hard. Mad respect from me to Owl, and everyone a part of the team/process. 

This is off topic, but I wonder if Toby Fox has read any of these fics, or played the demo of this dating sim, like in the same way Alex Hursh has played a bit of Swooning Over Stans: A Grunkle Dating Sim. I’d pay serious money to have Toby play the dating sim demo. God, could you imagine the energy in that livestream? It would be goddamn electric.

[ Soul Redacted ] (Completed, teen rating) and The Great Noodle Jape (Completed, teen rating) 

By nighttimepixels (game jolt) nighttimepixels (tumblr) 

// active twitter lethalhoopla  

//active tumblr lethalhoopla

Good god, talk about a . . .what, triple, quadruple threat? There’s nothing nighttimepixels can’t do. They write, they make art, they’ve made two complete games, (and the beginning of another,) and they animate!! Like oh my god! Another love letter to the fandom, everything they do is so so good. 

[Soul Redacted] is a very cool rpg sidescroller explorer/mystery, and i’d say a touche of sci-fi in there, too. It has fantastic writing, and features Q! (from Cryptid_jack au, in Skeleton Squatters and The LandLady fromTyrant_Tortoise  fic! see above for all!) Truth be told, I got a little scared playing this. Granted, I played it at like 2 am in the dark - and I am a coward lol. I don’t think the average person will get scared, but fair warning anyways, haha. 

They’re not into the undertale fandom anymore, I don't think. Which is sad to hear, but also understandable. It’s not fun making art and other creations if you’ve lost that spark there. However, if you’re a mass effect fan, they’re making a bunch of art on their other bog. I personally really love their art style, so i’ll gladly keep checking back. Also, there’s so much undertale content on their blog that you’ll be good for a long while. And if not, you can always go back and look again! If you can’t experience it for the first time, the next best thing is to experience it again. 

Warning: I think there’s some flashing lights at some point? Maybe double check the tags on that one if that’s a concern for you. 

The Great Noodle Jape is so damn cute. As night put it, ‘a visnov style silly whodunit’, which I think it captures it perfectly. The writing is so fun, all the characters feel very well written/in character, and i love how they all interact with each other. As well, the sprites are so fantastic! Night has that kind of art style where you just know it's theirs without needing to confirm. 

No warnings that I could think of, other than you’ll be wishing for the experience of playing it for the first time once you’re done.

– non-Undertale related fics - 

Cult of the Lamb—

The Rehabilitation of Death 

By bamsara (AO3) / bamsara (Tumblr)

WOOF. I am an ‘happy ending angst’ lover, and a ‘energies to lovers slow burn,’ and this fic takes the cake on both regards. Truly, who could pine better than a god, who’s named literally ‘The One Who Waits’? What an aptly named character for one of the major troupes in the fic, haha.

But for all you freaks out there (lol me) who don’t mind horror some of the time, I recommend reading it! Even if you’re not into CoTL, the pining is so goddamn good! (Considering it’s about gods, they’ve been pining for hundreds of years without even knowing it–  the slowest of burns, like oh my GOD.) Bam also is known to post longer chapters- so if you like a read that lasts a couple days, PLEASE do yourself a favour and check it out. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but they’re getting to the part where the main couple is starting to be nice to each other, plus, the subplot B couple is starting to sorta shack up too. There are so many good, funny dynamics that are in this fic, that I don’t have enough words to properly explain them. 

They also make fantastic artwork and sketches for just about each scene in their fics - which for all you visual girlies out there (myself, haha.) I think you’d appreciate it! I wish I was that type of triple threat, but I think i’d burn out too quickly if I was also drawing scenes of my fics – which is why I think it’s so impressive when other authors/artists do it! 

 They do art streams pretty frequently, too, and they make stickers too! A true triple threat, 

Just, fair warning-  like Cult of the Lamb (the game the fic is based off,)  this fic mentions a lot about gore, and death, and mention of cults and religion. So if any of that is a turn off, or something you don’t like to read about, this might not be your cup of tea. 

Non-fanfic Undertale fandom related material– 

FNAF—

Solar Lunacy (Incomplete, Mature)

By BamSara

(I kept these two separate on the account they’re different fandoms, lol) 

I was very briefly into the FNAF fandom, I only read a handful of fics— but Solar Lunacy really stuck with me!

Robots with trauma! An overly curious MC! I think what I like most about this, is how driven mc is? Usually it gets them into trouble, haha, but I love that troupe where the MC really puts themselves through the wringer looking for answers. (I.e like ford and bill from gravity falls.)  

What’s not to love? For all you robot fans out there, it’s pretty sick! I’m sure if you dig deep enough on Bam’s tumblr you’ll find all their old DCA fanart, and draw parts from this fic. 

Fair warning! Scary robots, the regular tags of the fnaf fandom (past child abuse/past child murder), robots don’t understand boundaries, maybe check the tags on this one, just in case. 

Sleuth Jesters (Series!) (Complete, teen+ and mature ratings, depending on which fic in the series you’re reading.)

By naffeclipse (AO3)

This was the other FNAF fanfic that really stuck with me when I had the robot bug. (lol)  I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not overly into the whole ‘mafia boss’ side of self-ships, but if I had to choose one to read for the rest of time –  it would definitely be this one. It’s like a detective noir, where mc is the vigilante who’s only law they follow is their grey moral code - but usually it’s for the good! So you can’t really feel to bad about that, haha. 

Tbh it’s almost hard to verbalise what I like about it, it’s one of those fics that give you a feeling you can’t name, and it’s so frustrating to have this unnamed feeling you can’t quite pinpoint! (PLEASE tell me some of ya’ll know what i’m talking about!)

I feel so tragically for the MC, if that makes sense? They’re constantly putting themselves in harm's way for answers, and for others.  They’re selfless, yet selfish, and they never let anyone too close, except for when they do. There’s some heavy themes and very toxic relationships, but there’s a happy ending! 

Ahh warning for a very possessive, toxic robot, and kidnapping in later fics - i suggest you read the tags just in case! Bam is really good at tagging triggers accordingly, 

Fair warning: blood and injury, very possessive character, toxic relationships (one sided), mention of injury, violence, kidnapping, guns, gunshot  wounds, shootouts, broken bone- probably some more. I recommend checking the tags on this one as well, just to be on the safe side. 

NSFW Below – Minors get out of here pls!

A quick mention, before I get into this–

I tried to check and make sure all the authors below are all well over 18, i’ve indicated which link has their age posted in their bio’s if you’d like to check for yourself. If I couldn’t find it, I made sure to be clear that I don't know. 

Just doing some light housekeeping, here. You should also check the tags on each fic for what kinda . . . stuff it has, lol. 

Play With Me (Incomplete, explicit rating) 

By grimrester (AO3) / grimrester  (tumblr/ age in bio here.) 

Oh my god. Oh my god! For all you queers on the ace/aromatic spectrum just like me, this is the fic for you!

I could easily go back and read this again and again - tbh I already do. It’s plot with porn, and then it turns into porn with plot, but emotional!  love the relationship between MC and Sans. There's something about their intimacy that’s so casual (maybe not the right word for what I mean,) but vulnerable, and realistic, but very enthusiastic and personal? I don’t think I even have the right words to properly and fully describe what all I like about this fic, but what I do know is that I like it a lot, haha. 

I like that it shows sex and intimacy in a different way. I know it’s pretty common for undertale smut to have some kind of ecto junk involved - this one doesn’t. I personally, like the creativity involved in thinking different ways a person can get off that isn’t just penetration. (Don’t get me wrong, that’s in here too, but that comes a little bit later.) 

I’m also s Big Fan of the sf sans interpretation here. It’s like a soft swapfell, one of my favourite version of him. I said it already, but there’s so many ways a person can go with his character, and I really really like the worldbuilding. It’s a nice subtle nod told through the characters. I love his relationship he has with Alphys, it all feels so incredibly in line with the character, even though he’s a swapfell version, he still does have some sort of friendship with her – even if to him it’s under a guise. To me, it’s one of those things that you can see the core traits that make him a sans, and that’s a hard needle to thread! Just an all around great character study. 

ALSO, I think I have a particular penchant for MC’s with oddly specific niche jobs?? In my heart of hearts, Pixy’s (the name of the arcade MC owns in Play with Me) is like right next door to Faunas (the name of the pot store my MC owns in Into The Weeds.) 

Warnings: i’m pretty sure this one is tagged accordingly on AO3, so i’m not going to tag it all here, just know there’s smut. 

Something Good (Ongoing, Mature) 

By skeletonlvr22 (AO3)

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find. This fic isn’t at the smut yet - but becuase of the 'eventual smut' tag, and for the sake of transparency, i’m letting you know. (I’m like 90% sure this person is an adult though, since there’s a tag thanking their husband for their help.) Do what you will with this info, you’ve been warned. 

This is another one of my current reading obsessions lately! 

I think i’m realizing I have a particular penchant for some of the lesser known au’s? (niche, I suppose?) Fellswap Gold Pap sets out on his own in only his trusty bus, to explore the surface above, away from the (over-) protective eyes of his brother. 

This is the escape fantasy of my dreams. A stray skeleton on the adventure of his lifetime, seeing the sights and the city lights. The romance portion in the later chapters is so damn cute too, it’s very much the ‘first love’, type of romance that’s very sweet and charming. (also, c’mon, who doesn't love a coming of age story?) Love love seeing a Fellswap Gold fic, and a Papyrus based one, too! People are so damn creative, I never would've ever thought of this plot for a fic, but now that I know it’s real, I love it!I I’m really not kidding when I say it’s prime escape fantasy material -  I think it would be the cats ass to have a van and travel across north america, thanks skeletonlv22 for letting me vicariously live through Pap in your fic. :) 

Warning: Only the ones i’ve given at the top! It’s a very cute story. I put it in the NSFW section b/c of the eventual smut, there’s none in it now – although, they certainly are starting to get flirty. 

Resisting the Currents (Ongoing, Explicit) 

By timeofjuly (AO3) timeofjuly (Tumblr) 

WARNING: No age in bio that I could find, but I’ve been chit-chatting with July for months now and i’m 99.99% sure they’re well above 18. It’s not my info to give out, and i’m trying to be transparent on my end, do with this info what you will! 

Edit: age confirmed in the tags!

This is easily another fav of mine for sure. 

Resisting the Currents is a reverse harem fic (with all the au’s!) but with a twist - the gf likes you too! It’s a refreshing take on the ‘reverse harem’ tag you see often in the undertale fandom - and holy shit, truly ‘only love can hurt like this.’ The relationship they have with the MC is so painful, verging on devastating. There’s love there! There is! But there’s also hurt, and a lot of it, the kind that doesn’t just go away, not on its own, anyway. I’m trying not to spoil too much, because I truly think you should read it for yourself. 

But, Oh My God, their MC? Holyshit- I have a(n aforementioned) weakness for impressionable MC’s, oftentimes, I end up loving them more than the love interest in the fics.  I can’t help it! The electrician is personable, relatable, and funny! They’re a lovable goofball with a rough past, with a history of doing the wrong things.They're recovering/recovered? (I’m not too sure which is the correct term, here,) drug addict, and they’ve come a long way! They’ve changed a lot, and I love love love to see that kind of realism in an MC. 

If you’re reading RtC (which you should be,) you can 100% see me going apeshit in the comments trying to figure out what the elections and Quinn’s deal is. (ESPECIALLY chapter 11!

(Sorry if they’re not coherent, at one point, those theories made sense in my head, but looking back on them, I think they’re more so like the crazed ramblings of a conspiracy theorist, haha.) 

This fic is in the NSFW section b/c it does have a chapter where two characters get it on, but i can’t say that’s what the whole story is about. I put it down here to be safe rather than sorry, haha. 

Ahh, fair warning, there is past drug mention, and past abuse child abuse I think? Plus, a bit of mention of religion and the negative effects that can have on a person. Read the tags just to be safe!

Shark Teeth (Complete, Mature rating)

By luluwrites (AO3) skelezbian (Tumblr)

Warning: No age in bio that I could find. If it makes you feel any better, they joined AO3 in 2012, while I joined in 2016 and i’m 24 currently. I’m not good at math, but I think we’re all in the clear here. But like always, do with this info what you will! 

I will say, this isn’t full on smut - it’s saucy, but I’m trying to keep anything suggestive, kinda together? 

Not to divulge myself too furiously here, but uh–There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about Shark teeth. C’mon. Y'all get it, right? It’s just a funny, saucy little number! A funny moment that happens between couples that we get to see. There’s so many different interpretations on the fellswaps, (I know i’ve said it a lot,) but Lulu’s just happens to be one of my favourites interpretations!! Sf Sans is a very precarious character, and I think Lulu does a good job showing that the swaps can be written in a multitude of ways, he doesn’t just have to be the dickhead all the time, lmao. They really do a good job showing how he shines, y’know?

Warning: teeth and/or biting? Not full on smut, or anything, but it is saucy. So, take that into consideration. 

The Fulfilling Ordeal of Being Known (Complete, explicit) 

By nighttimepixels (tumblr) / // active on twitter lethalhoopla (age mention in bio here) 

Ohhh, for all my sapphics out there – you’re going to love this. 

Blade (fem  horrortale sans, who’s apart of her ‘Lillytale’ au, a sapphic take on all the au’s,) and MC settling down for a nice night in, MC playing breath of the wild (BIG UPPS, great game, lol) while Blade plays some games of their own - hopefully you get the picture. 

Just some great lady-lovin’ smut! Size difference! If you love the pillow princess treatment, this is the fic for you.

Warnings: (Lesbians? Queers?) really going to town on each other, def NSFW. Check the tags before reading, it’s nothing Dead Dove, or anything - just want you to be aware. 

mothiepixie (tumblr / age in bio here)

mothiepixie (twitter, age in bio here too) 

No fic to tag, but their art? AHHHHH. They’re more active on twitter than tumblr since The Ban, but ohhh their art is very, very good. Very great if you like fictional hunky men, and beautiful shapely ladies. 

Warnings: tasteful (shameless) smut, you’ve been warned, lol

Woof. That was a lot of typing. If you made it this far, circle back to one of the recommendations above and get to reading!

[whencloudwavesbreak-if]

DEMO UPDATE 30-03-2024

So I got impatient and decided to update before I completely finished chapter 3. Feel free to check out the new stuff using the updated link in the pinned post.

If you want to share your opinion or let me know about bugs/glitches etc., please reach out to me on the COG forums (link also in the pinned post).

Some things to note:

All parts that say INCOMPLETE have not been added yet. There is nothing there. You will get an error if you try any of those options.

The dance section is labeled WIP because Oscar/Ophelia’s dance scene is complete. JJ’s dance scene has not been added yet - I want to complete a few of the other options first before this one.

For the full list of changes, take a look under the Read More.

UPDATE 30-03-2024 CHANGELOG

CHOICESCRIPT_STATS

Updated main stats page (a word)

Updated Casey Young's description (a word)

Updated Lucille D'Angelo and Oscar/Ophelia Lovelace's descriptions (a word)

Updated JJ's description (accommodating new gender selectable status, updating description text)

INTRODUCTION

Added Storyteller Mode (toggleable on/off in Stats page)

Added JJ to the gender_option variable (previously, this only affected Lovelace)

CHAPTER 1

Added text to clarify setting of stats + sister's personality (Storyteller Mode not required)

Updated Benjamin confrontation

Removed opportunity to ask Benjamin about himself - moved to chapter 3

Removed opportunity to investigate sister's bedroom - this is being moved to a later chapter

CHAPTER 2

Updated to accommodate changes caused by the new version of the Benjamin confrontation

CHAPTER 3 (WIP)

Add ability to:

Eavesdrop on Benjamin and Evelyn

Meet Jeremiah/Jessamine Callahan

Dance OR speak with Oscar/Ophelia Lovelace

[sebstanaddict]

Love Song

Sebastian Stan x Female Reader Story

Summary : A romantic comedy story between Sebastian Stan and female reader where we witness their journey after they said I do.

Reader thought being away from Sebastian wasn't going to be so hard. She did ask for a divorce from him. But getting over him was not easy that she found herself getting depressed. Worse still, he seemed to have forgotten about her and her daughter. Until one day a delivery truck came and changed her life.

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 20/23 (might add more)

Chapter list>

Warning : angst, divorce mention

Word count : 5.7k

This is a sequel to my first Sebastian fic Always You. If you want to understand more about Sebastian's and reader's relationship, please read it first. But it's not necessary to understand this story. Check it out here.

---

Chapter 20 - Back At One

One, you're like a dream come true

Two, just wanna be with you

Three, girl, It's plain to see

That you're the only one for me, and

Four, repeat steps one through three

Five, make you fall in love with me

If ever I believe my work is done

Then I'll start back at one

(Yeah, yeah)

It's so incredible

The way things work themselves out

And all emotional

Once you know what it's all about (hey)

And undesirable

For us to be apart

Never would've made it very far

'Cause you know, you've got the keys to my heart, 'cause

One, you're like a dream come true

Two, just wanna be with you

Three, girl, It's plain to see

That you're the only one for me, and

Four, repeat steps one through three

Five, make you fall in love with me

If ever I believe my work is done

Then I'll start back at one

Back At One - Brian McKnight

--

Lake Poway, Poway, California - June 5th - 5.30 am

It was a cold morning in Poway, California. The sun was not up yet. The atmosphere was quiet, not even the sound of birds could be heard in the air. The sky was still mostly dark, but up above the rolling hills of Poway, which could be seen like small mountains in the distance, the sky had slowly turned orange with hues of magenta. It was magnificent, magical.

A woman sat down on the grass at Lake Poway Park, leaning her back on a tree. Her face looked upon the beautiful Lake Poway where the sun was getting ready to greet her from behind the hills across the lake. She couldn't help but be in awe at how beautiful it was.

Slowly but surely, the sun crept up even higher and the sky slowly turned light blue. White clouds could be seen floating high above the sun, and she finally heard the sound of birds chirping and ducks quacking in the distance.

She took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the fresh and crisp morning air. She felt at peace and content. All the stress, heart aches and anxiety flowed out of her into nothingness. For a moment she could feel herself being whole again. And she was happy.

Her eyes studied the blue sky again. Blue.. like the eyes of a certain someone.

And just like that, with that thought coming into her mind like a thief in the night, the gaping hole in her chest reappeared. An unbearable ache filled her heart and tightened her chest. Her soul felt incomplete, like it has always felt since the day she turned her back on him.

It has been 5 days since she left him, and the thought of him still did this to her. She wondered if she would ever be free from it. Or whether it would be her constant companion until she takes her last breath.

She wondered what he was doing. Judging from the time in Atlanta, he was probably getting ready for the shooting of Thunderbolts. Maybe he was even already in the middle of shooting.

Her mind wandered back to the past 5 days. Days of confusion, anger, anxiety and pure sadness. She was greatly conflicted about her decision. Deep down she still loved him and wanted everything to work out between them. But on the other hand she wasn't sure she could handle the stress of being in a relationship with someone of his caliber.

She also couldn't help but feel insanely hurt by the fact that he didn't tell her about Stephanie kissing him and how he had hugged Stephanie back in Cannes. She knew he meant well and just wanted to comfort Stephanie. But still, he could've just said no. Why was he prioritizing making Stephanie feel better rather than keeping his promise of being loyal to her? She knew he didn't technically cheat on her. But still, she couldn't help but feel hurt by his actions.

The fact he chose his acting job over her hurt her the most. She wondered why every man that she had been involved with all prioritized something else above her. She remembered Michael who prioritized his ego, John who prioritized another woman, and Zac who obviously prioritized his career. He thought Sebastian would prioritize her. But he ended up prioritizing his career as well. Sacrificing her and his own daughter.

She felt the familiar heaviness of anger in her chest and shook her head hard.

No, she didn't come all the way to the lake just to feel worse than when she first arrived there. She wanted to come there so she could feel better. So she should forget him and just enjoy the scenery and forget everything and everyone for a moment.

Starlene was safe and sound, still sleeping when she left her. Even if she woke up, her dad was at home and her stepmom too. They could take care of her. And then, Sebastian, she should try and forget him. It didn't seem like it was hard for him to forget her judging from the fact that he hadn't contacted her at all since she left. The last thing she got from him was a text message saying he was glad that she and Starlene had arrived safely in California. That text message was a reply to a message she sent, so that didn't even count as him contacting her.

She knew he was probably just giving her the space she needed by not contacting her. But she couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed as well. Deep in her heart she expected him to grovel under her feet and continuously beg for her to come back to him. She couldn't help sometimes to fantasize that one day she would open the door and find him on the door step, telling her that he agreed on quitting being an actor and would love to start a new and normal life with her. But she knew it would never happen. She knew acting was something so dear to him. It was not just a job for him. She knew it was his life's calling. So she tried hard not to fantasize about it happening ever again.

She crossed her legs, straightened up her back and decided to do some meditation to calm herself. She closed her eyes and focused only on the sounds of the birds chirping up on the trees above her, the sound of ducks quacking and swimming on the lake in front of her, the rustle of leaves on the trees being moved by the cold breeze. Then she focused on the sensations around her. The cold breeze brushing throughout her body, the damp grass under her legs, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed slowly.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but be reminded of him. Her heart bled as she remembered his bright smile and loving eyes whenever he looked at her, his cute nose scrunch when he laughed at a joke she told him, his beautiful darkened eyes whenever he reached his peak during their making love sessions. She missed him. Despite all the anger she felt, she missed him desperately.

A tear dropped from her eyes and she couldn't hold it anymore. She lifted both her knees up to her face, buried her face in them and sobbed hard.

She hated herself for being like this. Every single day since she left him she never failed to cry over him. She had tried everything it seemed to not cry anymore. But she couldn't. She missed him so much and it hurt.

After a while her cry finally subsided. She wiped the tears falling from her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket then pulled out a pack of tissue from her pants' pocket. She blew her nose into the tissue and cleaned her nose thoroughly. She sniffled and threw the dirty tissue into a nearby garbage can then looked up into the sky.

The sun was fully up now and she could hear sounds of footsteps and people chatting near her. People had started to flock to the lake and it was her cue to leave.

She stood up, dusted her pants and walked out of the park towards where she parked her dad's bicycle.

Yes, she rode on her dad's bicycle to get to the lake. Her dad did have a car but since she couldn't drive she ended up taking the bicycle, which she loved.

She smiled for the first time that morning as she felt the breeze of the wind on her face and body. She pedaled the bicycle fast as she made her way back to her dad's house. For a moment she felt carefree, like when she was little and didn't have a care in the world except to ride her bicycle around the neighborhood until sunset came.

Her bicycle moved at a steady speed along the side of Poway's wide streets. Poway is a vibrant city located in the beautiful North County Inland region of San Diego, California. The city nestled amidst rolling hills and picturesque landscapes. It has a perfect blend of natural beauty, suburban charm, and a thriving community.

From the moment her taxi - which took her from San Diego Airport to Poway city - drove into Poway five days ago, she could feel the relaxed ambience the city had, so different from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Even though she had also experienced living in the suburbs, in New Brunswick to be exact, the ambience still felt different. Poway felt like the perfect place for her to escape the life she never thought she would hate.

The people there knew who she was but they couldn't care less. They knew her before she was famous as she sometimes visited her dad after he got married to her stepmom, a couple of years after her mom died. Having no one to bother her about the scandal she was in felt freeing to her. She was happy to finally feel some normalcy in her life.

She looked around the deserted street as she pedaled, passing many one storied townhouses with wide front lawns and at least one tree planted on the lawn. Not all of the houses had wide front lawns, but most did.

As she got nearer to her dad's house, she passed a house with coral brick walls and dark brown roof. The owner of the house - who was a man in his fifties - was just getting out of the house. He was holding a dog leash with a border collie pulling at the leash. He smiled and waved at her, she smiled back even though she had no idea who he was.

She passed several more houses where the owners were on the front lawn, some doing gardening and some were just getting their cars ready. Every single one of them turned to her and smiled or waved. She couldn't help but smiled back and nodded. She wondered if they did that because she was famous. The thought made her kick herself mentally.

They were just friendly. She thought to herself. No need to get big-headed, she chuckled. She forgot how close-knit people in the suburbs could be. She had spent too much time living in New York where people just mostly minded their own business.

She was about to turn left towards the street where her dad's house was located when she saw them.

She stopped in front of a cream colored house with grey roof. A man in his thirties went out of the house, holding the hand of what seemed to be a five year old girl. The girl had a backpack on her back. He guided her to enter his car - which was parked on the driveway - then he entered the car himself. He backed the car out from the driveway and stopped as the man saw her watching him. She made a gesture with her hand to offer him to go first and the man nodded and smiled. He continued to back the car out from the driveway, stopped right in front of her and then turned it towards the street. Soon it was gone as the man took a right turn up ahead, to where she knew a school was located nearby.

The scene made her feel a pang in her heart. How much she wished one day she could see Sebastian take Starlene to school. But him being so busy with his job, it seemed less likely he would have the time to take Starlene to school. Heck, he didn't even have time for them during their honeymoon! She thought angrily.

With a huff she continued to pedal her bike towards her dad's house, trying hard to contain her anger and forget him. She made a silent promise to herself to stop thinking about him for the rest of the day. She was tired of crying over him. They were on a break and she really should take a break from thinking about him.

It took her only ten minutes to arrive at her dad's house. Well, the traffic was almost non-existent at that hour and she did ride the bike rather fast.

She stopped in front of her dad's house and parked the bicycle in the garage.

When she came in through the garage door, she saw her father sitting outside at the porch reading a newspaper. Her stepmom was nowhere in sight and she didn't hear Starlene's cry at all. She was most likely still asleep. But she decided to check on her for a moment just to make sure.

She entered her bedroom slowly and approached Starlene's crib where she found that Starlene really was still asleep. So she gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead then went out of her bedroom.

She went outside towards the porch and greeted her dad.

"Good morning, dad." She leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

"Good morning, my dear." He smiled and looked up at her. "Where were you? You left so early.

"I wanted to catch the sunrise at Lake Poway." She smiled.

"Oh, did you get it?"

"Yeah. It was beautiful."

"Did you take any pictures?"

"Oh! No.. I forgot. Guess I'm gonna have to go back there tomorrow." She shrugged.

"Maybe I can come with you."

"Umm.. sure, dad. I'll wake you up early tomorrow."

"Okay, good. It's a date then." He smiled and she couldn't help but smiled as well.

She hadn't gotten the chance to go out and spend time with her dad ever since she came. All she did was take care of Starlene or be a prisoner of her own mind with her mind and heart so busy thinking of Sebastian. She felt kind of guilty for mostly ignoring her dad. Going out with her dad could be good for her too. Maybe he could help her not to cry for at least one day.

"I'm looking forward to it, dad." She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Good." He smiled and patted her hand gently.

His cellphone rang all of a sudden and he pulled it out from his pants' pocket.

"Who is it dad?" She asked curiously when she saw how her dad's face turned into a slight panic when looking at his cellphone.

"Oh! It's..umm.. John. Let me get this." He said as he stood up and shuffled away from her.

Feeling slightly suspicious at her dad's antics, she tried hard to listen in but then decided against it. She should give him some privacy. So she turned around and decided to make some pancakes for breakfast. Her stomach had started to rumble and she had a craving for some fluffy buttermilk pancakes.

---

La Venta Dr, Poway, California - June 14th 2023 - 6 am

The sound of a baby crying slowly seeped into her consciousness. Y/n opened her eyes and sighed. She turned to look at her daughter's crib and found her standing in the crib looking at her, her face flushed and tears stained her cheeks.

"Ma ma.. ma ma.." Starlene said and her heart seemed to stop in her chest.

"Oh my God, Starlene!" She immediately stood up from her bed, approached her and lifted her into her arms.

"Yes! I'm your mama, I'm your mommy, Starlene. Say it again?" She pleaded as she stared at her daughter's confused face with her eyes glistening with happy tears.

"Mama.." Starlene said and put her hand on Y/n's cheek. Then she started to snuggle into her chest, wanting to nurse.

"Oh your dad's gonna be ecstatic if he found out you can call me Mama now." She smiled as she made her way to a nearby sofa and sat down. Her smile quickly turned into a frown however as she remembered Sebastian.

She shook her head. Sebastian wouldn't care. It's been two weeks since she left him and he still had not contacted her yet. It seemed he didn't care anymore, she thought sadly. By now she thought he would have at least called to ask about his daughter. But.. nothing.. she didn't get a single message or call from him.

She opened the front of her clothes and Starlene started nursing immediately. She looked down and carressed her daughter's chubby cheek gently with her thumb. Starlene had gotten so big. Time seemed to fly by so fast. In just a month's time she was going to turn one year old. And now she could already call her and her dad.

She felt a pang in her heart as she remembered him again. She couldn't believe that he missed yet another milestone of Starlene. She wondered if he remembered that Starlene's birthday was coming up.

July 13th. Yes, Starlene's birthday was a day right after Sebastian's first Emmy nomination was announced. She remembered the moment of his nomination like it was yesterday. Then she remembered what they did the night after the nomination, the amazing love making session they did that triggered Starlene's birth.

She felt her eyes prickling again at the memory. Oh how much she missed him. Especially at night when everyone was already asleep and she was still awake, alone on her bed with an empty cold bed next to her.

She regretted not taking anything of his with her. She remembered when she was still pregnant with Starlene that she often just hugged his shirt to help her ease the pain of missing him. This time she had nothing.

Well, she still had the heart shaped and key shaped pendant and necklace he gave her, and of course her wedding ring. But after ten days of not hearing anything from him, she finally decided to take them off. They were now in a velvet box, placed in a drawer on her nightstand. She didn't need to be reminded of him 24/7. It was just too painful.

She sighed and wondered if she would ever wear them again. The thought of truly getting a divorce from him broke her and she cried. Tears fell from her eyes and dropped onto Starlene's body.

"Mama.. mama.." Starlene stopped nursing and put her hand on her mother's cheek. As if wanting to comfort her.

Y/n sniffled and stopped crying.

"Oh Starlene, I'm sorry." She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I just remember your dad." She said wistfully.

"Dada.. dada.." Starlene said as if understanding what she said.

"Yes, your dada. I wonder how he is. Do you think maybe we should just give him a call?" She asked, looking down at Starlene with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Mama.. dada.." Starlene just said and she went back to nursing.

"Hmm.. is that a yes Starlene?" She asked but of course Starlene didn't answer her back but just continued nursing.

For the past couple of days she had contemplated on giving him a call or maybe sending him a text message. Numerous times she found herself reaching for her cellphone and opening her contacts and stopping at his name. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew if she contacted him first she would never let him go again and she would give up and fly over to Atlanta. She was at the point where she just simply missed him. Yes, she still sometimes felt angry and disappointed at him. But mostly she just missed him. She missed him terribly.

She glanced at her nightstand and found her cellphone on top of it. She decided to find out if maybe a picture of him on the set of Thunderbolts had come out. She just wanted to see how he was doing. Whether he was as miserable as she was.

She reached her free hand towards the nightstand and picked up her cellphone. She unlocked her cellphone's screen and did a Google search. Sure enough, some set pictures had made their way to an entertainment news website. She opened the article containing the pictures and scrolled down. She could see pictures of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen. basically every star in the movie, even Harrison Ford. Sebastian's picture was finally shown at the end of the page.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the picture of him. He had his hair pulled back in a small bun and a rather thick stubble on his face. He was wearing civilian clothes and not Bucky's suit. He was photographed talking to Wyatt Russell, who was also in civilian clothes.

He looked so good, she thought in admiration. Oh how much she missed him. But then she realized if he looked good that meant he was okay. He wasn't miserable like she was. That thought bothered her so much. He really didn't care at all about her and Starlene, did he?

She turned her cellphone's screen off and put it back on the night stand as anger and disappointment seeped into her heart.

Fine. If he could easily forget her than she could easily forget him too. She would try her hardest not to think about him again, ever. She thought angrily.

But trying not to think about him proved to be so hard to do. She tried to keep herself busy. She cooked, cleaned, did some gardening, and of course took care of Starlene. She even took her out playing outside at a nearby playground. But when she looked at the fathers in the playground playing with their sons and daughters, she couldn't help but remember him again.

It was 4 in the afternoon when she gave up and just let thoughts of him entered her mind again without resistence. She decided to search for more pictures of him on the internet. Hopefully there were more. She even contemplated on installing Instagram again and create a new account so she could stalk on his co-stars accounts. They might post something about him.

The moment the thought entered her mind she kicked herself mentally. Why don't you just call him and save yourself some time. One side of her argued. But her other side didn't agree and was still adamant on just stalking his co-stars Instagram accounts.

She was busy arguing internally while pushing Starlene's stroller as she walked back from the playground towards her dad's house that she missed a peculiar sight. An Amazon delivery truck passed her by and stopped right in front of her dad's house. She finally noticed it when the door of the driver's side was opened and a man jumped out from the truck, followed by another man who jumped out from the passenger side.

She stopped in front of them and before she could say anything, the driver opened his mouth first.

"Excuse me, ma'am. We're looking for a Mr. Y/F/F/N Y/F/L/N." The man said as he consulted a slip of paper he had in his hand.

"Oh, yes. That's my father." She replied.

"Oh that's great. We have a delivery for him." The man continued.

"Oh okay. You can give it to me, I'll give it to him."

"There are many packages, ma'am. It's better that we help bring them in." He replied as he went to open the back of the truck.

"Oh? Many packages?" She wondered what her father had bought.

"Yes ma'am. There are three large boxes containing a flat screen TV, blu-ray player, and 5.1 surround sound system." The man said as he gestured towards the inside of the truck where she could indeed see the boxes the man mentioned.

Her father basically bought a complete home entertainment system. She felt kind of weird about that. Her father was usually rather frugal. Yes, the flat screen TV in the living room was broken and they ended up watching an old TV. He only complained once and never mentioned it again. Buying a new flat screen TV along with the whole entertainment system was just unlike him.

But then, maybe he had some extra money and decided to splurge a little. There was nothing wrong with that.

"So, where would you like us to put them, ma'am?" The man asked.

"Hold on, let me just tell my father." She replied.

The man nodded and she continued to push Starlene's stroller and enter the house.

"Dad! There's a delivery from Amazon for you!" She called out as she entered the house.

"What?" Her father appeared from the kitchen looking confused as ever.

"Yeah. There's two people from Amazon right outside who wants to deliver a flat screen TV and entertainment system." She explained.

"But I never bought any flat screen TV or entertainment system." Her father replied as he scratched his head, confusion on his face.

"Oh, but they said they're delivering them for you." She replied, confused as well.

"They must have the wrong name and address." Her father shrugged as he passed her and made his way out of the house.

She felt confused about the whole situation but she needed to put Starlene in her crib first. She had fallen asleep on the way from the playground towards the house.

After putting Starlene in her crib she went out of the room and found the delivery men bringing in the large boxes and placing them in the living room. Her father approached her with a smile on his face but she could see that he seemed rather nervous as well.

"Dad, what's going on?" She asked.

"Y/n darling, I hope you're not mad at me or him for not letting you know about this soon. But, in our defense, we thought you still needed some space from him so we didn't tell you." He said slowly.

"Dad.. what are you on about?" She asked, utterly confused.

"Excuse me, sir. Could you sign here, please." One of the delivery men suddenly stood next to them, brandishing a paper and a pen at her father.

"Sure." Her father nodded then signed the paper.

The delivery men then left, leaving her even more confused.

"Dad, what's going on?" She asked again.

Her father opened his mouth but then his cellphone rang. He raised his index finger at her, gesturing for her to wait while he pulled out his cellphone from his pants' pocket. He looked at his cellphone's screen and smiled then accepted the call.

"Hi Sebastian! Yes, yes, they just arrived." Her father said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

She felt as if her heart had stopped beating when she heard her father saying Sebastian's name. Everything clicked into place for her. Sebastian was obviously the one who sent the flat screen TV and entertainment system. She shook her head in disbelief. Part of her was happy and touched that he would do that, but another part of her was angry that her father conspired with him not to tell her that they've been talking behind her back.

"The delivery men just left and I haven't opened them yet. But, thank you so much, Sebastian! You're so thoughtful. Thank you." Her father said.

"Dad. Give the phone to me." She said, extending her hand to him.

"Oh yes, she knows. In fact, she wants to talk to you if that's okay." Her father said while looking at her with a slight fear in his eyes.

If that's okay? Seriously?! She thought in anger.

"The phone, dad.. give it to me!" She insisted, gritting her teeth in anger.

"Here she is, Sebastian. Yeah. Thank you again and good luck!" Her father said then he handed her his cellphone.

"Sebastian Stan.. what do you think you're doing?!" She hissed into the cellphone as she walked outside to the porch and stood facing the backyard with her other hand on her hip.

"Y/n.. sweetheart, how are you?" He replied.

For a moment her anger at him seemed to vanish as she heard his gentle voice greeting her. She felt her knees weak and she ended up sitting down on the floor.

"I'm angry at you." She replied, her voice shook a little.

"I'm sorry.. "

"Two weeks.. two weeks and nothing then suddenly.. bam! This?! You bribed my dad?!" She fumed.

"Y/n! I didn't buy him the TV and everything to bribe him! He told me his flat screen TV was broken and I thought why not buy him a new one." He protested.

"Seb, you've been talking with him behind my back." She asked, ignoring his reply. "While all this time I thought you had forgotten about me.. or Starlene.." her voice shook as she felt the hurt come back in full force.

"Oh honey, I thought you still needed some space from me. I didn't think you wanted me to call." He replied.

"I.. I.. I do.. I did need some space."

"Did?" He teased.

"Well.. did and still do." She said, not willing to let him know yet how much she missed him.

"Okay. If you still need some space then I won't bother you again. But don't ask me to stop talking to your dad. Cause I need to know how Starlene is." He replied.

Her heart seemed to melt at his reply. He didn't forget about his daughter. He still cared. An immense relief washed over her and she felt like laughing so she did.

"Honey, why are you laughing?" He asked in confusion.

"It's nothing, Seb. I'm just.. just relieved that you haven't forgotten about her."

"Oh sweetheart, how could I forget? There's not a second goes by that I don't think about you or Starlene. I.. I miss you both so much." He sniffled.

The fact that he seemed to be crying triggered her to cry as well. But she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You missed another milestone of her, Seb." She said wistfully.

"Oh no. What did I miss?" He asked, disappointment apparent in his voice.

"She called me mama this morning." She sniffled.

"Oh my God, honey! That's amazing! I told you she's bound to start calling you too."

"I know. She said dada too this morning."

"Oh she did? Did you get it on video? The moment she called you?"

"Unfortunately not. But, I'll try to record it next time she does and send it to you."

"Oh please, honey, I would really love to see it!"

"Yeah, of course." She smiled.

For a moment neither of them said anything.

"I.. I'm sorry for everything, sweetheart. I really am." He finally said.

"I'm sorry too, Seb."

"So.. am I forgiven? Are you coming back to me?" He asked slowly.

"Oh, Seb.." she sighed as confusion started to enter her mind again.

"What is it, honey?"

"I'm.. I'm sorry, Seb. I.. I still need some time." Despite the fact that she missed him so much, she was still undecided about their relationship.

He sighed and didn't answer right away.

"Sweetheart, I completely understand. Let's just.. take things slow for now. Maybe we can start by contacting each other again everyday and see where that takes us." He said slowly.

"What do you think, honey?" He asked again as she was quiet and didn't answer him immediately.

"Okay. That sounds good." She finally answered.

"Great! Thank you, honey. Just.. just remember that no matter what happens, I love you. I love you and Starlene. And you both will always be part of my family."

"Oh, Seb."

His loving words triggered her to cry again and for several minutes she let all of her sadness and anger out through her cry. Sebastian continued to say soothing words at her while she cried her heart out. Eventually she stopped.

"I'm sorry, Seb." She sniffled.

"No, I'm the one who should say sorry. I was a stupid husband and I deserved this." He sighed.

"I'm.. I'm sorry too, Seb. Can I.. can I ask you a question?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course, sweetheart."

"If I asked you again, the question I asked you last time we were together, how would you answer it now?" She asked curiously.

"Well.. I.. you know how much being an actor means to me. So.. I'm sorry sweetheart, but my answer remains the same.." he said slowly.

She suspected he would answer like that but she didn't expect to feel his answer would hurt so much.

"I have to go." She said as she struggled not to cry again.

"Okay. I love you, I miss you and.. and.. thank you for wanting to talk to me today." He replied.

"Of course, Seb." She replied. She couldn't say it yet. No matter how much she still loved and missed him, she couldn't say it yet.

"I'll.. uh.. Can I call you tomorrow? Maybe around this time?" He asked nervously.

"Sure." She replied.

"Okay then. Good bye for now, sweetheart. I'll talk to you again tomorrow."

"Good bye, Seb. Thank you for the flat screen TV and entertainment system."

"My pleasure, honey."

And with that she finally hung up the phone.

She stared at the cellphone's screen. Her mind still reeling from what just happened.

As much as she was disappointed that he would still answer no at her question, she was also happy to finally hear from him, and she looked forward to his next call.

Taglist @sebsgirl71479 @dhoruwolfie

[spindrifters]

Okay, so, continuing our discussion from ao3 comments re: Domestic Dystopia as a genre-

Mel and I compiled an incomplete list of examples from books that we had read (literally I just stared at my library for like 10 minutes this morning waiting for it to revel the secrets of the universe) and this is what we have so far:

Never Let Me Go

Nona The Ninth

House of the Scorpion- have not read this since I was 12, but I remember this being the vibe

Number the Stars- this is a holocaust book, so like, real world dystopia, and I have not read it since middle school as well, but I remember major DD vibes and liking it for this reason

The Book Thief- another WW2 book, this one is also different because of all the POVs and an omniscient narrator, but still very much counts to me. Once again I am faced with the fact that genre eludes strict definition and comes down to mostly vibes!

Avatar the Last Airbender

Maybes:

The Giver?- I think it’s been too long since I’ve read it to make a fair assessment, technically it should fit into this category but I just don’t think it does?

Enders Game?- borderline to me because all the kids in this are little prodigy geniuses and while they are still kids idk if it messes up the DD schtick. But I do feel like parts of this book give me a similar feeling to others on the list.

That’s what I’ve got so far, I’m obsessed with this concept and still feel like I’m missing an obvious example, idk, maybe it will come to me later!

Anyway, dying to know your thoughts.

Ohhhh, this is so, so good. Literally bless you and Mel.

For context to everyone else: wrt the Tedromeda prequel, we were theorizing a potential subgenre with the working title Domestic Dystopia. Pulling some choice quotes from the commentary, though the time has probably come to synthesize this into something more cohesive:

A child’s perspective is so effective as a means of exploring dystopia in a way that doesn’t feel contrived.

[...C]hildren growing up in what they consider to just be normal circumstances.... Because kids just tell it like it is. Or at least, they tell the facts as they understand them and an older reader can generally parse the subtext.

[...S]tories that introduce us to really dark world building and very adult topics like War and Death through the eyes of children... the twisty feeling when the dystopia starts to feel almost cozy and lived-in.

Given the above, I want to suggest that a central tenet of this subgenre is that through a child's perspective, the reader is actively learning the rules of the dystopia and how it's built.

I've read/seen/am at least familiar with most of the titles you've mentioned, and I think you're both bang on the money. (Unfamiliar with Enders Game and House of the Scorpion, but input from followers?) In addition, I'd like to suggest:

Noughts & Crosses - Malorie Blackman

Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler

The Broken Earth Trilogy - NK Jemisin

His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (ymmv on how much this actually qualifies as dystopia but given the Magisterium's reach I think there's an argument here)

Outlawed - Anna North

Everyone, please feel free to add.

[astronomoney]

a rebrand and a fandom switch all in one night? Who does she think she is

She thinks she’s me that’s who. Hi I’m astronomoney (Mr. NoMoney was my fathers name) and I used to write fanfiction (a lot) but then I got bored and busy and I quit. Now I’m twice as busy and twice as bored so I’ve decided to start writing for fun again.

As I mentioned earlier I’ve decided to rebrand, but I also lied. I’m not switching fandoms, I’m expanding into new ones! I used to write just for DC comics and I still will write for them every once in a while but I’m also adding some new fandoms to the list!

The Fandoms I’ll be writing for include (but are not limited to)

DC Comics

Percy Jackson

Grishaverse

Star Wars

Star Trek (on @starship-argo)

And probably more!

I realize some people are here for very specific things and won’t want to wade through fandoms they’re not in (I get I’ve been there) so I’ll be sure to tag each fandom by the name listed above.

How to request

To get a fic fit for you, all you have to do is request! First check out my rules (+ a small requesting guide if you’re a first timer) then scroll a bit and you’ll see what characters I’ll write for in each fandom. When you see something you like just type it up in my ask box with some details about the fic you want and send!

Rules

Few and simple and subject to change at any time!

I don’t write flat out smut

I don’t write for generally triggering topics (r@pe, pedophilia, self-harm, etc…)

I don’t have a ton of time so while I’ll read every request I get I may not be able to write them/ they may not be ready for a long time. Please be patient with me!

I won’t tolerate hate comments, if you don’t like something I do feel free to block me as I am free to do the same to you

I can change/add to my rules at anytime

Pretty clear cut if I do say so myself. Now on to the fun stuff!

Asks

asks typically (but definitely don’t have to) look something like this:

[greeting of some kind] Hi! I was hoping you could write about [character you like]? Where [vague or specific scenario or trope] happens? Could it be [angst/fluff]y please? Thank you in advance!

At least that’s how I usually do it

Characters the incomplete list (☆ = my favorites)

DC comics

Dick Grayson

Jason Todd ☆

Tim Drake ☆

Damian Wayne

Jon Kent

TBD

Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson ☆

Annabeth Chase

Grover Underwood

Luck Castellen

Clarisse LaRue

Leo Valdez ☆

Jason Grace ☆

Piper McClean

TBD

Grishaverse

Alina Starkov ☆

Nikolai Lantsov ☆

Zoya Nazyalensky ☆

Kaz Brekker

Jesper Fahey ☆

Inej Ghana

Nina Zenik

Matthias Helvar ☆

TBD

Star Wars

Luke Skywalker ☆

Leia Skywalker

Han Solo

Poe Dameron ☆

TBD

Star Trek

More info at @starship-argo

MASTERLIST (incoming date TBD)

That’s the gist! I’ll add relevant information as needed but for now, ciao!

[nat-20s]

me looking at my own post: you could fanfic out of this!

Anyway here’s how I think a typical “Martin’s Poetry Corner” would go!

~*~

Martin: And for my second thing, we’re going back to the poetry corner!

Jon: Again? Didn’t you have a poetry corner last week?

Martin: It’s been well over two months since the last poetry corner, my dear. And just for that comment I’m going to up the amount of the poetry corner. From now on this podcast is me reading poetry interjected with some guy talking nonsense.

Jon: You say that like the majority of our audience wouldn’t prefer that. Also, some guy? I’m wounded! Earlier you were calling me ‘beloved husband’ and ‘cherished one’ and now I’m ‘some guy’? What did I do to deserve that level of downgrade?

Martin: You decried the poetry corner!

Jon: I decried nothing! It was a purely non-judgmental comment on the frequency of it. If you want to do poem every week, I have nothing against that.

Martin: Hmm. I might test you on that. I know the whole point of this thing is to share things we think are lovely, and I do find all the poems I read lovely, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have an ulterior motive.

Jon: Oh? And what might your nefarious hidden agenda be?

Martin: I’m certain you’re the only one that would find it nefarious, but I can, must, shall, and will find a poem that affects you. Now, I’m sure the listeners at home would decry that goal. After all Mary Oliver, Maya Angelou, Wendy Cope, and Langston Hughes all did nothing. He didn’t even blink at “The Two-Headed Calf”, surely there can’t possibly-

Jon, laughing, which severely limits how much he’s able to sell his faux offense: I’ve been affected by poetry before!

Martin: Name one poem you had an actual strong reaction to.

Jon, smugly: It’s almost certainly not one you know. It’s called “Streets” and it’s by this really obscure author. God, what was his name? K was his middle initial I believe?

Martin, laughing: Piss off!

Jon: Well it’s true! I felt something at all of your poetry.

Martin: Liar! I very distinctly remember you calling it ‘almost affecting’! And you declared I was enamored with Keats, which doesn’t even make sense, we have wildly different composition styles.

Jon: You’re working from incomplete information. That tape was from my first read through. It was the reread where they got me.

Martin: Reread? I thought you hated rereading things?

Jon: Typically, yes. But. Ah. It was during the year you were gone.

Martin: Oh. Oh, love.

Jon: It’s been half a decade since then, Martin, I can assure you I’m fine. Though, I suppose reflecting on it, the affecting quality was more to do with who had written the poetry itself. Even now, you could write a grocery list for fun and I’d be hopelessly endeared by it.

Martin: Shut up.

Jon: I shall not! It’s been a hell of a road to get here, I think it’s more than acceptable to flaunt how much I like my husband, especially when he’s doing something he enjoys. In fact, I think it’d be more than appropriate if I did one of your poems for one of my wonderful things next week.

Martin: Absolutely not! Jon, there is a certain level of ‘embarrassing old men in love’ we’re allowed to be in the public sphere, and that would exceed it by, fuck, tenfold? Our quota would be wiped out for the year. For the next five years. No. Besides, my poems aren’t meant for anyone’s eyes and ears but my own, and occasionally you when you’re being nosy.

Jon, with audible shit eating grin: So you’re saying you wouldn’t like to hear your poetry in my voice?

Martin, having a gay panic despite being married to this man for years: I..uh..

Jon: Yes?

Martin: I would..I would like that very much. Privately. Er, please.

Jon: Well, since you asked so nicely. I suppose the poetry corner shall remain yours, for now.

Martin: Thank you for your grand generosity and understanding. Speaking of, should I get to the actual poem? I think I might have a winner with this one.

Jon: Please do.

Martin: So this week I’m bringing a poem written by an, as far as I can tell, unnamed ninth century Irish Monk-

Jon: -ninth century? Decided to abandon the contemporary route then?

Martin: Somewhat? The poem was written in the ninth century, but no one wants to hear me butcher the original, so I’m going to read the English translation by Seamus Heaney, which was done in 2006, so sort of contemporary? Depending how you look at it? Anyway, this is Pangur Bán:

Pangur Bán and I at work,

Adepts, equals, cat and clerk:

His whole instinct is to hunt,

Mine to free the meaning pent.

More than loud acclaim, I love

Books, silence, thought, my alcove.

Happy for me, Pangur Bán

Child-plays round some mouse’s den.

Truth to tell, just being here,

Housed alone, housed together,

Adds up to its own reward:

Concentration, stealthy art.

Next thing an unwary mouse

Bares his flank: Pangur pounces.

Next thing lines that held and held

Meaning back begin to yield.

All the while, his round bright eye

Fixes on the wall, while I

Focus my less piercing gaze

On the challenge of the page.

With his unsheathed, perfect nails

Pangur springs, exults and kills.

When the longed-for, difficult

Answers come, I too exult.

So it goes. To each his own.

No vying. No vexation.

Taking pleasure, taking pains,

Kindred spirits, veterans.

Day and night, soft purr, soft pad,

Pangur Bán has learned his trade.

Day and night, my own hard work

Solves the cruxes, makes a mark.

Isn’t that just delightful? Jon what did you-holy shit!

Jon, voice tight: What?

Martin: You teared up! You’re affected! Fuckin’ gottem!! I should’ve known. I should’ve fucking known that the way to Jonathan Sims’ soul was through a poem about a man feeling kinship with his cat. Incredible.

Jon, slightly sniffling: It’s a very nice poem! You read it because it’s a very nice poem!

Martin: Yes it is! That doesn’t discount the fact that I have read poems about love and hardships and finding joy in being alive and it’s the one about the cat that gets to you. Of course. I love you.

Jon: I love you too. Even if you are a bit too victorious over this. I think that will wrap it up for this week?

Martin: Think so! And as we say at the end of every episode, uh, the way to a man’s heart is not through his stomach, but through cat poems from a thousand years ago.

[naktergalen]

Rivamika Fic Suggestions List 2

Hey there again! It’s been a while since my last rivamika post and I apologies for that. I caught the reading bug and have just been hitting book after book. I might be doing a book of the month suggestion starting in March. I’m still thinking about it but if that is something your interested in let me know. Or if you just want book suggestions just message or ask me. But for now, I’m back with my second Rivamika Fic Suggestions List.

First of all, I want to thank you for all the comments and messages I received from my first list! I think it has over 150 notes now which is crazy for me. I was going to be ecstatic if it got like 10 likes or something hahaha! I’ve enjoyed talking to some of you about fics and other snk stuff. Feel free to do the same after this post! I know I take awhile to respond but swear I get there eventually.

Same rules as last time. I’ve split this list up into four categories. I wanted to let people know the status of some of these fics in case they did not want to start an incomplete or in progress story. All of these fics can be found on AO3. I’m going to try to link them but we will see how tumblr acts today. If you have any fic suggestions for me, feel free to message me with them and I can add them on to the next list. If any author sees their story on here and wants me to take it off the list, please let me know I don’t wish to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Also, last thing, I highly recommend leaving comments and kudos to the authors. I know that they greatly appreciate it and it helps them with improving their writing through feedback. Okay shutting up now, ON WITH THE LIST!

DISCLAIMER: I know that not all of these stories are not for everyone, these are just my opinions and suggestions.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Completed:

- Thunder Clouds

Author: K_Lionheart

Rating: Mature

Sometimes I like to go to the very back of the Rivamika archive on AO3 and look for fics that have gotten buried over time. Low and behold what I have found lol! I enjoyed the emotional roller coaster when I was reading this fic, though sometimes I wanted to pull my hair out. Set after the titans are gone, humanity has to repopulate so arranged couples by the monarch are made to be wed. While this new order is being enforced, Mikasa and Levi are trying to work out their strained relationship. A slow burn with angst that will have you staying up till 3am dying to know what happens next. I know that there is a sequel to this fic called Nimbus and I’m slowly working my way through that one. Honestly, it will probably go on my next list.

- Red is the Only Colour

Author: mongoose_bite

Rating: Mature

A cute fic that was a quick but wild ride. A Little Red Riding Hood type of AU where Mikasa is a hunter of some sorts traveling through a town. I don’t want to say how Levi plays into all of this since it gets border line spoilers but just know that he is there. It is an opening ending fic for the author to come back if they plan on doing so but it can be interpreted in different ways. All in all, a fic worth of the quick read.

- Sing Me a Song

Author: LazyTrash

Rating: Mature

First I have to get this off my chest, I love the author’s name hahaha! I freakin wished I would have thought of that for mine! Anyway, this fic is wonderful but I will warn you that its a gut punch. If you like hurt and angst put together, then this is the story for you. I love these types of fics because I adore them so much but they hurt me in my soul. I don’t know what that says about me but whatever. I don’t want to delve into the story too much for spoilers but I would suggest rivamika fans to check this one out.

- Midnight Musings

Author: Raewyll

Rating: Teen

I just started to read Raewyll’s fics so I’m slowly working my way through all her works. This one caught my eye and I had to read it. This is a cute take on a chance meeting through texting the wrong number. I love the way Levi and Mikasa’s relationship blossoms into something more serious after causally texting back and forth. It’s one of those stories that I can only describe as being cute as shit! I’m definitely going to be checking out more of Raewyll’s fic in the future.

Ongoing:

- Beyond the Walls

Author: helena3190

Rating: Matue

If you love RIvamika angst, then look no further than this baby right here. This is currently my favorite ongoing fic. It was supposed to be a shorter story, but the author keeps adding more chapters so I’m not complaining hahaha! This fic is pretty much how I would *personally* picture canon Mikasa on how she would deal with realizing that she’s falling in love with someone. Its mostly told in the perspective of Mikasa as she is dealing with the after effects of war and trying to figure out what should she do with her life now that she is no longer a solider. Her feeling for Levi come with a lot of confusion as she’s discovering emotions that she has never felt before. She has a hard time pinpointing on what exactly describes her relationship with him. I’m anxiously waiting for the final chapter for this fic and dying to see how it will end for Mikasa and Levi.

- After the War

Author: loneackerman

Rating: Mature

I am loving this rivamika slow burn fic right here. Its similar to Beyond the Walls but I think the author adds their own taste of the 1920s into it. Set after the war is over (obviously), Mikasa and Levi have to figure out what they are going to do the rest of their lives. It has great tension, a perfectly paced gradual romance and just the right amount of humor to combat the emotional turmoil it puts you through. Again in my opinion, this is close to how I would realistically perceive Levi and Mikasa’s relationship evolving. I’m really enjoying this story and I’m looking forward to more updates to come!

- The Sound of Lightning

Author: LycheeGreenTea

Rating: Mature

A new fic that is just getting started but I can tell that what the author has in store is going to be interesting. Set several years after the end of the war, Levi and Mikasa are loving parents to a single child. Their peaceful life comes to an end when the family has a threat against them. There are not many long fics about Mikasa and Levi being parent so I was very happy when this one popped up on the AO3 feed. An exciting adventure awaits the Ackerman family now and I can’t wait to see where this fic goes in the future. There are three chapters as of now so head over there and check it out.

Incomplete:

- Home

Author: MissErikaCourt

Rating: Mature

One of the gems I found when diving back into the Rivamika archive. Ugh I HATE that this fic is incomplete!!! Its a good long fic but I’m greedy and I need more! I will give a warning first that this fic does contain heavy themes. Mikasa and Levi are in the underground to fight against a criminal ring. This story is a slow burn with action and emotional trauma. There is a wonderfully written OC that you easily get attached to its not even funny. Even though its not completed, I would highly recommend checking it out. I still have three more chapters to finish but I had to put it on this list. I know that I’m going to be pissed once I reach the last chapter written. If someone know MissErikaCourt, let her know that she needs to comeback to finish this masterpiece!

- Shiver

Author: bornsinner

Rating: Mature

Another one that I DISPISE its incomplete!!! Ugh such a great Office AU. It’s everything that I would want in an Office AU setting. Mikasa struggles between her committed long term relationship and her growing attraction (which starts to develop into some feelings) to her boss, Levi. Its hot, sexy and intriguing and it pisses me off that its not finished! The author writes each chapter as a one-shot but collectively together they tell the whole story. Highly recommend even though its so short. BORNSINNER where ever you are in the universe I hope you come back to finish this!!!

- Two Lines

Author: Crejhov

Rating: Mature

When this was getting updated it was my favorite on-going Rivamika fic. I would find myself checking to see if the author updated with a new chapter every week! The unplanned pregnancy trope is a classic one, but Crejhov does a fantastic job on keeping readers enthralled with soo many anticipated character meet up that are bound to cause hurdles for our expecting parents. This story is told from the perspectives of Mikasa and Levi in order for us to understand where their mindsets are as they plan for their expecting child and deal with their relationship. AHHHHH I want more of this!!! I was soo excited to see where this awkward journey was going to take Mikasa and Levi. CREJHOV COME BACK PLEASE I KNOW YOU HAVE WORK BUT PLEAAASEEEE! I NEEEEEEDDDD!!!

- Cabin Fever

Author: AmayaOkami

Rating: Mature

All I should have to say about this is that its written by AmayaOkami and that should explain it. Amaya is the one that gave us the beautiful incomplete rivamika fic Romance and Rivalry. I just adore her writing. Levi and Mikasa relationship evolves as they are standing guard over the arrested Kenny Ackerman. Secrets are discover about the Ackermans and it gets pretty steamy between our two favs. Great fluff and great sexual tension that leaves you wanting more chapters! Again AmayaOkami where ever you went I hope for some miracle that you come back and complete this one too!

One-Shot:

- Jade

Author: shulkie

Rating: Mature

This one-shot feels like I read a novel, it has such a great storyline. An arranged marriage between Mikasa and Levi leaves the relationship strained in the beginning. Their relationship evolves over time as Levi patiently brings down Mikasa’s wall. With smut added for all of your one-shot needs. Definitely worth the read in my opinion.

- What Remains

Author: Mirime

Rating: Mature

This one-shot gives us a glimpse into the secret relationship that Levi and Mikasa have been having while there are still scouts. This fic is sad but I would say it has a bittersweet ending. I think this was supposed to be part of a collection but I can’t find the rest of them. Still a great read by itself.

- Agape

Author: alienheartattack (Sanneke)

Rating: Mature

This fic is cute as shit! A College AU where Mikasa and Levi are childhood friends. Levi has to deal with Mikasa being at the same college as him while he is struggling with his changing feelings towards a grown up Mikasa. Worth the read as I said cute as shit, leaves you all warm and fuzzy lol!

- As Seen in Shadows

Author: MoraLeeWright

Rating: Explicit

FUCKING MORA! LEE! WRIGHT! UFFFFGGHHH Fuck I’m in love with her writing style. I really have nothing to say more that just go read it! Its hot and sexy and the sexual tension is off the fucking charts in this one. Its just MoraLeeWright smut thats all I can say. It’s great! JUST READ IT LMAO!

- Remedy

Author: NSummer

Rating: Mature

Another hot smut one-shot coming your way! Levi and Mikasa have had an ongoing affair and this just recounts their first time together. Its just some good ol’ Rivamika smut that I think that everyone in this community would enjoy.

- Nutty: Drunk in Love

Author: Hallow17

Rating: Mature

A fun smut to read about Mikasa getting “revenge” on her asshole boss, Levi. Things don’t go the way she plans as things get a little heated in the sexy way. A quick smut that I think is perfect for a little Rivamika crave.

- Spicy: Jalapeno

Author: Hallow17

Rating: Explicit

Another fun smut to read by Hallow17. Levi has been stressed out at work and Mikasa finds a way to help him get his mind off it (if you know what i mean). Again perfect for a Rivamika quick fix.

[layton-fanfic-library]

how much do i have to pay you to rec some feel good PLATONIC luke and hershel friendship fics to erase my mind of what ive seen in the tag recently

This list only contains fics from FFnet. I decided to start there as FFnet seems to contain a lot of older fics. I’ll get to AO3 and other platforms soon! Please bear in mind that some of these fics were written prior to the later games’ releases, so they may contain fan theories. Also, while all of these fics come under the friendship/family genre, I haven’t marked them with warnings. Unlike AO3, FFnet doesn’t really offer much in the way of tags. Please tread carefully, and be kind to the fanfic authors if you leave reviews. 

I’m only including fics that are “complete”, though I’m sure there are plenty of other great Luke & Layton fics that are sadly incomplete. 

Please feel free to add to this list or send fanfic recs! 

List of Layton & Luke Friendship Fics

How to Become a Gentleman in Just 100 Days – A chapter every day, join Professor Layton and Luke as they go about living their ever-curious London life in a series of quaint yet topical conundrums, and maybe even pick up a tip or two about proper etiquette while you're at it. Tip NO. 101 - Art: Déjà vu. (I didn’t have to look far for this one. It’s the most reviewed fic on the PL FFnet.)

Luke Triton and the Illusionary Misgivings - When Luke wakes alone in a strange village with no memory of how he got there, he must uncover the truth behind the village of Validilene. Every aspect of his relationship with Professor Layton will be tested, and Luke must find the truth behind the lies in his faltering memory. But how can he uncover the truth without the professor's guiding hand? [COMPLETE] (This multi-chaptered fic is on the TV Tropes Fanfic Rec page for a reason!)

It's No Good - The Professor has a bad habit of neglecting sleep in favor of research. Rosa the cleaning lady has noticed this on too many occasions, and wishes there was something that could be done. Luckily for her, children can be quite influential. (A cute one shot. Also strongly recommend What He Has for baby Luke and Layton.)

Good Impression - 'The windows almost glowed and there was a hint of lemon hanging in the air' Luke wanted to make the best impression he could on his new mentor and guardian, but the Professor knew that Luke would always be welcome to stay with him. Now he just has to reassure Luke of that fact. Set just after Spectre's Call, friendship fluff. (Another adorable one shot!)

His Birthday - The Professor's birthday brings sad memories and surprises. One-shot. 

The Reunion - After not seeing Luke for over five years, Professor Layton has an unexpected reunion with a former apprentice. No romance. (Oneshot)

Sliding Across - Have you ever tried your hand at a sliding puzzle? Sliding left, right, top, bottom, repeat. Those nerve-wracking things, they're, they're.. easy enough for a 5-year-old to solve? Well, Luke Triton isn't just your everyday 5-year-old after all. (Oneshot)

In Memory - After many years, the professor realizes it's best to move on and love the people that are still with him. (Oneshot - Layton GIVES LUKE HIS TOP HAT. THIS MADE ME SO EMOTIONAL)

Platonic - Luke and Layton are platonic soulmates, that across the worlds, universes, and time, always manage to find each other in the end. Sometimes human, sometimes magical- one can never tell in this ever weaving world of mystery. (Oneshot)

Dreamcatcher - Following the terrible events of Unwound Future, Luke has only one question: How do you forgive someone who's done something unforgivable? Spoilers for games 1 and 3. No pairings. Post Unwound Future. (Oneshot)

One Last Question - Let's be honest here-the professor's life hasn't exactly been a basket of roses. Luke decides to seize upon this chance to ask Professor Layton one last question about the person he's become...in spite of the tragedies he's faced. No pairings. Spoilers for games 3, 4, and 5. (Oneshot)

The Ametur Violinist - Luke decides to pull his violin out, but his music is heard but more than one pair of ears... [Not my picture, credit to artist.] (Short oneshot)

No less of a man - Luke awakens to a familiar problem that leaves him feeling less confident about himself. Maybe a heart to heart with those he loves can help him back on track. Rated T. Involves a transgender character. (Oneshot)

The perfect cake - The professor invites Luke to buy cake, but finding the right one is difficult. (Oneshot - This fic was written in 2012 but it reminds me so much of little Kat and Layton visiting the bakery during the anime...)

Scenes From A Hat - Professor of archaeology, puzzle hobbyist, proper gentleman, surrogate father, close friend, and more: a collection of the many roles improvised by the man known as Hershel Layton. /Drabble collection. No (overt) pairings. Beware spoilers if reviewing; I have not yet played Miracle Mask. (Collection of one shots.)

Luke Triton and the Terrible Night - Luke faces his first night sleeping alone in the professor's house. (Oneshot)

A rainy day - It's a cloudy day in London, but a glum day can't stop the dynamic duo from their investigation... or can it? (Drabble Luke/Layton father son relationship) (Cover art by GraniteFire on deviantart) (Oneshot - father-son relationship)

One Shelf Does Plenty - The Professor tries DIY. Suffice to say...it does not go well.Purple thumbs and a confused apprentice ensue. Don't forget to R&R! (A oneshot with an extra chapter)

[experimentaldragonfire-fics]

experimentaldragonfire’s SU Fic Rec List

Stuck at home? Running out of stuff to read? I figured I’d put together a semi-comprehensive series of fanfic recommendations so that all the hours I’ve spent on AO3 over the years can be considered at least vaguely useful. A lot of these are quite old, so if you’ve only read more recent fics, you might find something that you haven’t seen here!

Please feel free to add your own links and recommendations--I personally would love more reading material! This list will focus on SU fics, but I’ll probably make more for other fandoms going forward if anyone’s interested. Bear in mind that, as I’ve mentioned, since many (most) of these were written a while ago, they might not represent exactly how the plot of the show progressed (though they now provide a pretty interesting look at the older fanfic tropes/theories!)

Also, upfront: most of these, when ships do appear, are Lapidot or PearlRose--clearly, I’m very narrowly-focused on what I read. And if one of your fics is on here and you want to be tagged, let me know and I will do so!

Steven Universe Fic Recs

General (None or canonical/background/multiple ships):

histories by avulle (T, F/F, Gen)

“Pearl (pearl) is born in what would have been the year 100,492 BCE. (She is not older than the entire human race—but only just.)”

An introspective look at the Crystal Gems through the years, written in a style that’s practically poetic and absolutely gorgeous.

Inferior Blue by hTeDruknenPotaT (M, Gen)

"Your name is Lapis Lazuli. Lapis is a fun thing to name your child when your last name is Lazuli, and when your name is Lapis Lazuli, blue seem like a nice color to dye your hair. It's fortunate that blue is your favorite color, that you manage not to despise it after all the blue you've been surrounded by all your life."

Lapis Lazuli meets a strange young boy who helps to heal the scars of her past.

The first time I read this fic, I stayed up until 5AM and cried into my pillow through the final chapters. And it continued to make me cry every time I reread it. Massive angst warning, but if you can handle fics that are beautiful but tragic, this is for you.

capacity by broken_halleluiah (G, F/F)

After a routine council meeting, Pink Diamond insists on repairing a broken piece of equipment. The result is far more than she bargained for.

A fic speculating on the nature of Pearls in Homeworld society, written well before we got to see any of that in canon. As such, it isn’t entirely in-line with later canon, but is still entirely worth reading.

Breaking Down by PTlikesTea (M, multi)

Rose's world view is shattered by a black market pearl and the realization that everything she knows about them is wrong.

An extensively long series of shorter mostly-self-contained stories exploring a version of Homeworld society where Pearls are considered as little more than disposable property. Major warnings for Pretty Much Everything--definitely keep an eye on the tags--but this is an iconic series of works, started in 2015 and predating many of the later revelations about canon Homeworld. 

A Gem and Her Pearl (Rose) by Potential Violet (G, gen)

Blue Diamond forces Rose Quartz to get a pearl, changing Rose's life, the pearl's life and the course of Gem history. All relationships begin somewhere, this is the beginning of Rose and Pearl's.

Another take on Rose and Pearl’s meeting, and the status of Pearls in Homeworld society (there’s a bit of a theme here with these recommendations). Again, predates most canon revelations regarding the topics, and predates all of the canon information about the Diamonds.

Pearl, Interrupted by AceyEnn (E, multi)

In August, Steven Quartz Universe was born.

In August, Rose Quartz died in childbirth.

In December, Pearl decides she can't handle any of it.

Or: Pearl Tries To Kill Herself And Ends Up In A Therapy Group Run By Her Best Friend's Mom (Well, One Of Her Moms).

Human AU focusing on Pearl dealing with Rose's death--or rather, not dealing with Rose’s death. Major content warnings for suicide attempts, self-harm, etc (please read the tags), but overall a very well-written story. Still updating, despite being first posted in 2016! 

Lapidot:

in which Peridot is Not At All Surprised by the sudden appearance of a new waiter by gaySpaceRock_exe (G, F/F)

Peridot meets the new waiter at her regular restaurant and immediately falls head-first in love. 

Cute and fluffy, what more do you need in a fic? 

Homesick by DrPaine (G, F/F)

An encounter at the Galaxy Warp.

Short oneshot predating the Peridemption/Barn Arc, can be read as friendship rather than romantic. 

Observation by DrPaine (G, F/F)

Peridot is a technician, meant to catch every detail. Not something she’s very fond of, but making yourself aware of your surroundings can be helpful, when you’re slipping into troublesome thoughts.

Incomplete but very much an introspective look at Peri’s character as perceived back in 2015-ish. Not as much focused on romance as on concepts of identity and anxiety. 

Of Stage Lights and Stage Fright by AcrylicPaint (M, F/F)

All Lapis wanted was to participate in the local production, but there was a minor element she hadn't taken into consideration when she agreed to take the leading role, and that was; dealing with the cute techie's constant staring.

That, and the fact she was beginning to stare too.

Human theatre AU, and an excellent completed multichapter fic. I remember that when I first read this, I was in high school and part of the musical, so it was a very topical read--and now it’s the height of nostalgia. 

No Regrets by Raptor_Red (E, F/F)

No Regrets, or, the story of how Peridot tried to romance the blue-haired tattoo artist from the parlor across the street

A personal favorite! The writing in this fic is just so nice to read, and though I’m not usually a fan of tattoo artist AUs, this one really managed to make the whole concept make sense within the story. I can’t count how many times I’ve read this fic. Please read this.

12 O’Clock at Your Local King Soopers by InsomniacArrest (T, F/F)

Lapis works late night shifts, Peridot is somebody's overworked assistant, they both need more sleep and better people skills: the grocery store story.

Is it a Lapidot fic rec list if I don’t include 12KS? Probably the most iconic fic for this pairing, with good reason. Also, consider this a recommendation for literally everything IA has ever written--there are too many good fics to name them all individually, otherwise they’d comprise half of this entire list.

Of Meteors and Minimal Speech by Waypaststrange (moonbeatblues)(F/F)

In which things at the barn settle down, nobody speaks much, and strange lights appear in the sky.

Vaguely fluffy oneshot, very cute!!

Awkward Office Encounters by SilverEyedRukia (T, F/F) 

Due to a broken down air conditioner on a scorching hot day the computers' overheated systems need fixing. Luckily for everyone a blonde technician is up for the job, but unbeknowst to them the IT nerd turns out to be someone they didn't expect her to be, especially not Lapis who kind of asked her out on a date already.

Human workplace AU, starts off relatively comedic but gets into Emotional Territory towards the end.

Camp Pining Hearts by kamanzi (M, F/F)

Peridot and Jasper return to summer camp after their freshmen year of college--this time, as counselors. Peridot is disappointed to learn that nothing is quite the same, especially her relationship with her best friend. Whose fault is this? She blames Jasper's girlfriend.

“‘Let’s go back next year and be counselors,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.”

Human summer camp counselors AU that’s definitely long enough to use up some stuck-at-home-self-isolating time.

A Week by teamchaosprez  (E, F/F)

Who knew that a single night of drunken sex could push Peridot and Lapis from being roommates with a mutual crush to regularly fucking and maybe - just maybe - eventually becoming girlfriends and standing up to the homophobia surrounding both of their family lives.

A human college AU focusing a lot on working through interpersonal relationships and coming to terms with emotions

Set Me Free by cym70 (T, F/F) 

Being roommates gives Lapis and Peridot a lot of time to get to know each other and, despite their rocky history, they might just be able to make something entirely new.

A friends-to-lovers fic, post-Barn Mates. Very sweet!

Waltz of the Nian by QuickYoke (T, F/F)

Lapis doesn't understand fusion at heart, but she does know she's an unideal partner for it.

 Lapis' relationship with fusion, and also Peridot. A fic that basically encapsulates the ideal of profound prose that makes you feel things, even if you don’t precisely know how or why.

Pushing by Like Hearts by mautadite (T, F/F)

“Sounds like you’re really counting on that road trip magic.”

(Peridot and Lapis do Midway City, and Empire City, and Plateau Ville, and all the places in between.)

Canonverse road trip, because every rec list needs a “the characters go on a long journey together and find themselves, and each other” fic. And because this fic made me feel so many emotions.

A thousand years (F/F)

I have died a thousand years, waiting for you.

 Childhood friends-to-adult-lovers human AU, one of the fic tropes that always just punches me in the face with feelings.

[venser]

an incomplete list of youtubers to watch if social distancing is making you crazy (in no particular order)

Nitro Rad - Gaming channel with an emphasis on platformers, horror, and indie games. Tends to focus more on the PS1/N64 era of games, but he does look at an X-Box game on occasion. I recommend his video on Rule of Rose.

Fredrik Knudsen - Curator of internet oddities. Approaches a wide range of topics in his documentaries with a respectful and neutral tone, from Chris Chan to Vaporwave to the Purr Cat Cafe. I recommend starting with the SCP Foundation since it’s a relatively short watch, though his more recent videos are much longer.

Whang! - Another curator of internet oddities, though he tends to gravitate more towards unsolved internet mysteries in a much more light-hearted tone and he doesn’t shy away from more grotesque content. His video on the Max Headroom Incident is a good place to start.

Comic Tropes - Analyzes comics and examines the tropes used by different comic book writers, though he does some other comic-related stuff from time to time, such as videos on industry professionals. Check out his video on inker Vince Colletta.

Defunctland - Discusses the history of various defunct theme park attractions and television shows through videos and podcasts. He also has a VR project in development dedicated to recreating and preserving these defunct attractions. Son of Beast is a personal favorite of mine.

Scott the Woz - Another gaming channel, though his content is a bit broader. Most of his videos focus on an aspect of the gaming industry, such as reboots, limited edition consoles, and development hell. You’re likely to find something interesting even if you’re not that into video games. Please, if you’re only going to check out one recommendation from this stupid list, make it his video on It’s Awesome, Baby!

hbomberguy - Creates video essays of differing topics with an emphasis on gaming, though he doesn’t shy away from political matters. If you have two hours to spare (and you absolutely do if you’re in quarantine), I’d check out his video on the game Pathologic.

Quinton Reviews - Mostly reviews content with some nostalgic value, though over the past year or so he has branched out into video essays and mini documentaries. Check out his video on Neil Cicierega.

Internet Comment Etiquette with Erik - A satirical youtuber who tackles a wide variety of subjects by leaving long-winded, bizarre, and outrageously funny comments in comment sections of different social media platforms. Probably the only person on the planet who can make a brand deal something to look forward to. Now is probably a great time to check out his video on avoiding politics.

ReignBot - Horror channel with an emphasis on true crime and internet mysteries. Her content is well-researched and straight to the point. Her content can be pretty dark, but if you’re looking for something a little more light-hearted, her video on Slaughter Me Street is a good choice.

Night Mind - Horror channel with an emphasis on Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) and other internet-based “unfiction” stories. If you’ve got an hour, check out his video on Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

Nexpo - Another horror channel, though his focus is almost entirely on internet mysteries. From time to time, he also covers Alternate Reality Games. Here’s an interesting video about a cult in Worlds Online, a dead MMO.

Ask a Mortician - An educational youtuber who covers various aspects of death, from the mortuary industry to death in other cultures to famous deaths. Speaking of famous deaths, here’s her video on the Romanov Family.

Baptism on Fire - A comedy-horror youtuber who is primarily known for his content on creepypastas. Check out his video on the Necronomicon.

brutalmoose - Generally covers video games and movies, though he also posts travel vlogs and food reviews. You’re likely to find something that interests you if you go through his video history. Here’s his video on Seattle’s Pike Place Market.

Nerd City - A commentary youtuber who takes his research and editing to the next level. He mostly covers youtubers and exposes their shady practices, but from time to time he releases a video geared toward helping smaller youtubers by answering their questions about social media and merchandising, among others. Check out his video on commissioning artists.

I’ve tried to keep this list to youtubers with less than one million subscribers (as of March 18, 2020). I’ll add to this list if I think of more, but if you have any youtubers you want to recommend, feel free to reblog and link to their channels!

[necer0s]

Web Serials Rec List

Recently I went on a bit of a rant about the state of web serial fandom and community, and people seemed to be interested in the idea of a rec list of web serials I enjoy when I brought it up, so... here we go!  This’ll be a little long, so I put it under a readmore.  Also, I got into web serials because I was looking to read more litRPG stories that weren’t horribly sexist and bad, so fair warning that you’ll see a lot of those in this list.

Before talking about specific stories, I should mention the few sites I know which do organize and recommend web serials.  First is obviously Top Web Fiction and its sister site, Web Fiction Guide.  These two are a great first stop if you’re looking for something popular, or something in a specific category, or something similar to what you’ve already read.  They’re not hosting sites, though-- you go from these two to whichever page the serial is on.  

Second on my list of sites is Royal Road.  A hosting site for all sorts of stories, but focused on original LitRPG fiction, Royal Road is a great place to find interesting stories.  This is where I usually go these days when I’m looking for something new.  

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the Spacebattles forums.  This site hosts a lot of original stories, but it’s not really set up to help you find new stories.  Feel free to explore, though-- this is where much of the web serial community lives.  

Now, on to the promised rec list!  Let me start with the first web serial I ever read:  Super Powereds!  Set in a superhero universe, Super Powereds is the story of five Powereds (people with uncontrollable superpowers) who, through a sketchy experiment, are made into Supers (people with controllable superpowers) and go to school to become Heros (government authorized and trained superheros).  If you’ve ever read BNHA or Civil War or X-Men, this is the story that will make you go “ah, so that’s how it should be done.”  Cannot recommend highly enough.  Regrettably, however, it seems that at the time of writing this, the first three volumes of the series have been removed to comply with Amazon regulations.  With luck, they’ll be back soon.  

Next, Mother of Learning.  One of the best-regarded series I know, Mother of Learning started as a worldbuilding project for the author, and grew to become an absolutely magnificent story where a young irritable student of magic stumbles into a time loop and is forced to gain maturity and power in order to escape... before the dangers of the time loop catch up with him.  Recently completed, this story is perhaps my highest recommendation.  

Threadbare is a fantastic LitRPG story starring an intelligent teddy bear golem (the eponymous Threadbare) and his magnificently bizarre family and friends.  With a story that initially appears stereotypical (if well-written) but which grows complicated, mysterious, and even quite dark, this story currently spans three different arcs, each focusing on a different character in the same setting.  Start with Threadbare, then read Small Medium, and then Dragon Hack in order to follow along as the mysteries of the world of Generica are slowly revealed.  Just be ready for a lot of puns along the way...

Everybody Loves Large Chests is the first of these stories which I hesitate to recommend, though not because the quality is in any way bad.  But it is a rather fanservice-filled story, up to and including sexual content (although that’s usually clearly marked), which may be offputting to some readers.  I will say only this-- of all the fanservice-filled stories I’ve ever read, this is the one where I most felt that the characters, not the author, were making the decision.  If that’s tolerable to you, then let me recommend the delightful story of a mimic who’s power-hungry, money-hungry, and just plain hungry.  The very best kind of power fantasy, ELLC is a hilarious delight to read.

Black Blood Tales is actually a site with two different stories by the same author, and it’s also the only rec on this list which is both unfinished and abandoned.  For that reason, and also because it’s rather dark and occasionally a touch sexual, I hesitate to recommend this one as well, but what the hell, why not.  The two stories are Taint and Trials.  Taint is a xianxia power fantasy story with an antivillain protagonist, and my favorite of the two stories.  It also leaves off at a pretty good point, so it’s definitely worth a go.  Trials, on the other hand, is much lower-powered.  It’s your standard “protagonist dies and goes to another world while getting to choose new powers” story... except the world she enters has no magic, only slightly better technology than ours, and the protagonist can barely choose anything that even qualifies as a power.  If you don’t mind abandoned stories, both of these are well worth a read.

There is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns.  Among the various kinds of LitRPG stories, a fairly popular one is the idea of the “Dungeon Core”-- stories where the main character is effectively a changing, evolving dungeon with a mind.  Of those stories, this is probably my favorite.  It stars a Dungeon Core who’s terribly bad at being a dungeon, but pretty darn good at finding friends and making family.  Adorable, funny, and occasionally heartwrenching, this is definitely a story worth trying.

Vainqueur the Dragon is the most recent of the stories on this list, but I definitely feel it’s worth including.  “Dragon wakes up to discover a thief raiding his hoard” is a cliche start, but everything that happens after that is about as far from a cliche as possible.  Constantly hilarious, frequently fascinating, and on rare occasions deeply touching in a way I did not expect.

The Wandering Inn.  Even among web serials, which are often extremely long, this is The Big One.  The Wandering Inn is the story of Erin Solstice, a girl from our world, who walked into a fantasy world... one that she’s almost completely unprepared to survive.  Stumbling into an inn, she attempts to make her home there and gains her first level as an [Innkeeper].  This magnificent portal fantasy LitRPG stars a huge world, a huge cast of characters, a huge story, and a really, really huge wordcount.  Settle in for a long ride with this one, but I promise it’s worth it.  

Finally, I should say that this list is obviously incomplete.  It doesn’t even include everything I’ve read, let alone all the stories that I haven’t read for one reason or another.  No list of web serials is complete without mentioning Worm, for example, but that story is too dark for me to deal with, and so there’s nothing I can say about it.  If you have recommendations of your own, or even just want to add something about one of the stories I mentioned, then please say something!  After all, I’m always looking for new stories as well.

[ngame989]

Starco Fic Recs

Disclaimer: This list is largely curated to my own personal preferences (minimal feelings angst, minimal AUs, character development >>> plot) and has a fairly high bar for quality in characterization, etc. There will likely be many popular/beloved fics that I really don’t think highly of at all and therefore don’t make the cut. Feel free to DM me things you think I should consider adding, but I make no promises.

And of course I’d be flattered if you gave my own works a chance - stop by my About Me section for links! Thus far I’m particularly proud of the post-canon series I just started in collaboration with an awesome team, The Greatest Gift.

(Updated 9/26 - I decided to redo the list since people might appreciate seeing it in the tags again. To anyone whose own work is featured here that I haven’t personally responded to - I’m a tough critic with a lot of strong personal preferences so PLEASE do not take my gripes as condemnations of your skills - if they make the list at all, I think they’re worth a read!)

See below for the very thorough list!

Bolded titles indicate must-read.

Italicized titles indicate work is incomplete (in the case of continuous stories).

Asterisks indicate new additions from last update (3 for brand new, 1 for status update).

I’ve VERY loosely organized the categories by personal priority order this time around, but read the descriptions and decide for yourself!

Must-Reads

Forevermore - A Starco wedding story (with a bit of Jantom as well). Simply one of the best fics I’ve read in the fandom. I have no meaningful criticism to give it, and that’s the highest praise I can possibly give something.

Monarchs of Mewni (+ Traditionally Lovingly Yours) - A series of chronologically disconnected oneshots set years after the show. The backstory is very dated given how long ago it started (Jarco was kinda serious for a few years, Tomstar v2 never happened, etc) but overall it’s lovely. Has a bit of plot, a bit of Jantom, a lot of other character interactions, and a boatload of Starco - plus a Starco kid who is a decently developed character but also doesn’t just take over and crowd out Star and Marco themselves! That alone deserves merit.

Ruined - Aftermath of a hypothetical return of Monster Arm. Angst with a happy ending (and one of the few angsty fics that gets my seal of approval), so read this extra early if that’s more your schtick than mine.

study buddies - Y’know what, fuck it, I’m putting this here. It’s a short ball of Starco fluff but it’s one of the sweetest and fluffiest fluffballs I’ve seen in a long time and it’s very emotionally immersive and y’all needa read it.

*When Two Worlds Collide - One of my favorite postcanon series thus far. I admit I’m really not big on “magic returns!” plots in postcanon (which this has), and the sections that focus on that are hit or miss for me, but overall it has some of the funnest and cutest characterization and gags I’ve seen in any SVTFOE fic, ever. Absolutely worth following (and it has a fair amount of art to go along with it!)

***Star Chef - Oneshot (two chapters, so twoshot technically?) set in the same universe as Starlight Justiciar (see below) and is just a day in the life of Star and Marco. Goes absolutely above and beyond at emotional immersion and little nuances and details to bring the world and characters to life, which elevates it to something special to me.

Light of the Sun and Stars - (Promoted to Must-Read!) One of the few heavily divergent AU fics I care for. Marco is an orphan raised by monsters, and meets Star after running away. Just finished its “first season” and I've loved the recent chapters, am very excited to see where it goes.

*Don’t You Let Me Go - Wonderfully fluffy post-Cleaved Starco, one of my favorite oneshot “epilogues”.

i want to tell you (but i don’t know how) - Post season 3 fic detailing the growth of Star and Marco’s relationship. It’s spectacular writing and shows off a lot of the true depth of Starco beyond just being cute.

Adult - NSFW warning, non-explicit (aged-up characters). It’s a story about the journey towards Star and Marco’s first step into adulthood together -  it’s not graphic and way more focused on the emotions involved, but it still is definitely more explicit than your average FFnet rated-T fic. If sexual themes ain’t your thing, I totally respect that, but this is a charming and funny piece of writing.

Lawchan’s various oneshots - There isn’t a great compilation for them right now so the best I can do is give you her tag for it and you can comb through it yourself. I like some more than others here, but they’re all very well-written - my only gripes with some of them are my own tastes in subject matter, so have fun perusing this on your own.

I Will Always Be There For You - A really pure and wholesome Starco oneshot. Very well-written.

Post-Canon Series to Follow

I figured with the show being over, and so many people starting their own series, I should include a lot of them here even if I’m personally not the biggest fan just to help gather them up so people can decide for themselves. Little bit looser on judgment here.

*Life on Earthni A to Z - Non-chronological postcanon slice of life oneshots, Starco and some Globclipsa and Jantom. Overall really good so far, one of my favorites in terms of direction.

*When Dimensions Cleave (sequel - Unforgettable Getaway) - Another postcanon series hellbent on bringing back magic queen lore, but it has some solid Starco fluff still. Credit where it’s due, the “Star constantly freaking out over what a horrible person she was” bit that I called preachy in the prior rec post gets somewhat less preachy and does end up actually going somewhere as part of character development, but I’m left scratching my head at how they all act sometimes. The good parts are certainly good, though, and in terms of quantity of lovey dovey Starco, it really can’t be beat (especially the sequel) and that’s worth something by itself. 

We’re a Miracle - Extra adorkable postcanon fluff. Lighter on the “but ACKSHUALLY MAGIC IS BACK” stuff compared to the others, but it’s there, like almost every postcanon fic in existence.

Star vs the Sands of Time - Heavy politic/lore postcanon fic, not my fav but if that’s more your thing then great. Has some casual Starco too.

Goodbye Isn’t Forever - More POV dives into Cleaved.

Fake Proposal - Some decent jokey but cute fluff

The Stars Above - Some exploration of Earthni

New World - A bit over-the-top meta, but fun fluff

The Starlight Justiciar - Four years after canon, some social change plot stuff and some decent Starco. Not the biggest fan of some of the plot stuff but check it out for yourself!

Starco vs the Forces of Evil - Another collab fic/art thing. Fair warning, I really am not personally a huge fan of a lot of the characterization and plot decisions here (see my notes on Sign of the Moon waaaay down below) but decide for yourself, don’t let my pickiness dictate your own preferences!

Ready For The Future - Technically a oneshot (with some Starco) but sets up some Mina plot, if you’re interested in more give it a follow/review.

Worlds Together - Some Starco and exploration of Earthni.

Epilogue -  Some Starco and exploration of Earthni.

***A Dark Horse - Has a few really nice lovey dovey Starco bits but also lots of superdrama with politics stuff. There’s a lot of fics here that I honestly just windowshop the scene I like for a quick fix of dopamine every now and then and skim at most otherwise, and this is one.

Revolution - end of canon AU where Moon is as anti-monster as Mina, dark as fuck. Only putting it here cuz some of y’all angstlords might like it.

Shorter Works/Oneshot Collections

I’ll Carry Your World - Big ole’ ball of wonderful Starco fluff with an important moment between them (written before end of show so a bit divergent).

***LoveIsTheStrongestKindOfMagic - Very short and basic fluff.

Starco Week 5 (Hugs Included) - Some of it is postcanon Earthni oneshots and others are from the Light of the Sun and Stars AU (see above). Great author, fun as hell writing style.

Fragile - Star worries about keeping her boyfriend Marco safe.

Complete - An older Star reflects on her past and present. Short and sweet.

Knighthood - Simple fluff piece on if Star and Marco got together after Storm the Castle.

Too Hot to Move - Star and Marco try to survive a heat wave on Earthni. Also funny fluff.

Marco Make-out Mayhem - Star really likes kissing Marco. Funny fluff.

Cleaved Together - NSFW warning, non-explicit (aged up) - Star and Marco’s first time. Very very overly focused on the whole purity/sacredness of first time thing, but still pretty cute.

Like Us - Really nice, sweet casual reflection on her life with Marco from a future Star’s POV.Toothpaste Kisses - Short fluff about its title.

A Friend’s Memento - Starco fluff with some reflection on the results of destroying magic

Plum Pie - Some goofy antics and hurt/comfort.

Not Losing You - A little dive into Marco’s POV at the end of Cleaved. Also adds a kiss.

We Belong Together - More speculative slightly angsty comfort/fluff.

Enough - A nice study of the emotions and thoughts during the last scenes of Cleaved, adds some depth to it.

Heartless - A bit of angst over magic going away with some sweet Starco comfort.

Together - Post-Cleaved Starco megafluff.

My Prince - Starco fluff set in a world where they were together before Cornonation.

Dancing with a Star - Starco fluff from alt S4.

Love in the Time of Pancakes - Written hours after my last update of the list, another little ditty based on the pancake promo.

Pancakes - Fluffy S4-promo-based little oneshot.

Hers - Hurt/comfort/confession-y fic, has some really nice moments and shows off a lot of how much they care about each other. Nice to see after such a drought.

Someone to Stay - Another hurt/comfort fic, nice and simple.

A Viola, a Violin, and a Butterfly’s Sword - some nonlinear oneshots about Starco. Some kinda weird directions gone in with the “plot” but it’s pretty good overall.

Falling - One of many, many fics from throughout the fandom’s history about Star and Marco getting together. Short and sweet.

forget about white horses & once upon a time - Drabble collection of various moments scattered throughout Star and Marco’s lives. Cute fluff.

The One Where I Thought I Lost You - Post-BFM fic where Marco realizes his feelings for Star earlier. Very wholesome.

christmases when you were mine - Established relationship fluff.

lightning in your veins, thunder in your heart - Post-season 3 established relationship fluff (slightly divergent, written before 3B).

once upon a december - Established relationship fluff.

Flags - Alternate rendition of the episode “Flags” with Starco.

Spells and Hot Chocolate - Wintry fluff.

5 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ - Post BFM with some events in Star and Marco’s lives.

You’re My Wish Come True - This is just indulgent Starco trash. I won’t even argue for the characterization/writing quality, this is just a straight-up guilty pleasure.

Wands and Nachos - ^

The Princess and the Safe Kid - ^

A Day in the Life of Starco - ^

A very Starco Xmas - ^

Could It Be -^

All the times Star wore Marco’s hoodie - ^

Protect Me, Squire - ^

Crushed - Star and Marco both get turned down by their respective crushes and find comfort in each other.

Stay - Cuddly fluff. There’s another Stay out there which I frankly can’t stand with will-they-won’t-they melodrama out the wazoo, so don’t get confused.

Longer Series

*The Inescapable Us - Really tropey miscommunication will-they-won’t-they type of thing. Not my fav, especially now that the show is over and finished that leg of Star and Marco’s story once and for all (I’m personally WAY less interested in things that redo something canon already did). However, where it’s at now has some really good Starco moments. Fully admitted that I hella skimmed most of it until the parts I enjoyed, but And if you’re more fine with that type of thing then you’ll probably really like it, it’s well-written otherwise.

Together We Fall - Throwback S2 AU fic where Star and Marco go to the dance together instead and Toffee makes moves earlier. Gets kinda dark but has a lot of nice Starco along the way.

Safer, Sorrier - A recent rewrite of an older fic, Better Safe Than Sorry, where Star has to leave early to become queen and Marco is alone for a few months before they reunite. A very dated premise (post season 1 ish) but quite good.

Sugar and Spice - NSFW warning, non-explicit (NOT aged-up characters). In this fic, Star and Marco have gotten together after BFM, and a spell gone wrong leads to Mewberty relapses with obvious consequences. This fic has adorable Starco moments, but what I love this for above all is the other character interactions (especially Glossaryck and Star’s parents). This is probably a controversial add-on to the list, but I stick by my decision - if the subject matter isn’t your thing, then by all means avoid it.

Beyond Dimensions - Plotfic + established Starco where some ancient sorceress has to trap Star to escape and try to take over Mewni. Maybe y'all are more into plot stuff than me but the Starco that’s there is quite good regardless.

Starfall - NSFW warning, explicit (aged-up characters). Probably the most popular one to make the cut. Star and Marco are forced apart and have to find their way back together. Very old fic, lot of dated stuff here, and the narration and plot itself can get kinda questionable sometimes, but it has a lot of good Starco and some interesting plot elements that make it, in my opinion, worth a read despite a lot of flaws. A few epilogue chapters contain rather explicit sexual content, so be wary of that (and the epilogue itself after Ep 6 kinda transitions into a nextgenverse, so maybe just skip that entirely).

The Star Butterfly Effect - The sole fic on the list that is purely plot-based, with very little actual Starco development whatsoever. I can’t even really explain it, just give it a shot and see what you think; I was rather engrossed by the plot, and that’s rare for me.

The Princess and her Knight, Return of the Empire The former fic in this series is way more character-based, while the latter is very heavy plot stuff. Pretty decent character writing with some fluff. There’s a third that I honestly can’t recommend because I completely dropped it because it was just a nonstop war story.

Experimental - REALLY heavy, dark AU where Star and Marco are tortured and corrupted. It’s pretty decent.

Blood Moon Blitz - Alt BFM fic of Marco going to fight Toffee with Star. unfortunately dropped without completing, but what’s there is pretty solid.

Read at Your Own Risk…

The Sign of the Moon, The Dance of the Stars - Starts post-3A, involves the growth of Star and Marco’s relationship as they take on foes in and out of the castle and learn more about the Blood Moon. This series is rather… melodramatic, and there were some chapters and character interactions I flat out did not enjoy reading. But some people aren’t as strict on character interpretations as I am and would love such a long plot-based Starco fic, so overall I still will at least list it and let you decide for yourself. There might be a third entry in this series now, but I dropped it before then.

Photos - I hesitate to include this one here because the “Tom is a perfect angel who must sacrifice his love for Star” thing pisses me off. But just skip all that (and ignore the random “a part of me will always love Tom” line) and it’s a really nice post-s3 confession fic.