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#( the length of this post is like a fic's worth i think lol )
decembercamiecherries · 4 months
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Killugon fanfic recs!
While answering an anon ask I realized I wanted to talk some more about my favorite hxh killugon fics! Specifically the ones that I don’t think show up as much on rec lists but I still adore and have bookmarked on my own ao3 page. So here we are!
All of these fics have less than 1k kudos! I’m including the link, title, author, length, au tags and a general review. Enjoy~
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One Flew East, One Flew West by Senket
31k words, 1 chapter
Mental institution/modern au
This is one of those really long one shots that goes by soooo quickly and you’re shocked and super sad when it’s over. The climax made my heart a c h e. Also I love how obsessed Gon and Killua are pretty much immediately lol. 
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winner x winner by Miah_Kat
2k words, 1 chapter
Post-canon AU
Fun, short and intense. You can really feeeeel how much Gon and Killua want each other in this fic, it made me want to scream into my pillow in the best way!
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worth it by Alabaster_Gunship (nimery)
16.6k words, 1 chapter
Soulmate/what if AU
Obsessed with this particular soulmate au because it doesn’t follow canon events in the sense that Gon and Killua meet as adults rather than kids. Gon chases after Killua when Killua refuses to be with him, Killua stands up to Illumi when Illumi threatens Gon, their connection is immediate and intimate at the same time…I love it thank you. 
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to the moon and to Saturn by tomiawka
95k words, 10 chapters
Modern childhood friends AU
I remember reading this fic as it updated weekly because I liked it so much  that I couldn’t wait until the whole fic was complete to read it. The climax really hurt but like 90% of this fic is pure fluff, seriously Gon and Killua are so cute in this fic. 
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missing you is a slow burn by mysteryburn
10.8k words, 1 chapter
Canon universe/post-canon AU
30 snippets about killugon that made me cry, laugh, get choked up, smile, and so much more. Reading this fic felt like a religious experience because it is just so beautifully written. 
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harbor lights by balconys
1.2k words, 1 chapter
Canon universe/post-canon AU
Kind of similar to the above fic, this is a 30 sentence fic of various killugon moments at various stages of their friendship/relationship. It’s shocking how much of a punch each of these sentences give in the best possible way. I hope I can convey such specific emotions in such little words one day.
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the hormonal high schooler’s guide to falling in love series by perennials, specifically part 1 and 3
10.1k words, 5 parts
Modern high school au
Gon is like…super intense in these fics and he is 100000% focused on Killua and getting romantically involved with him, which is exactly my favorite kind of dynamic. Gon is the star of a sports team while Killua is student president so it’s got some good jockxnerd vibes going on. 
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justagalwhowrites · 10 months
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HEY BESTIE I LOVE THE PROMPTS #s 21 86 94 114 128 146 😭❤️ THEY WOULD BE SO CUTE TO READ
LOVE U SM
HI BESTIE!!
You had sent in one of these before I asked you to resend them lol but HEY turns out that was the perfect set up to post this one shot, too :D
This is featuring Joel and a smuggling partner who's been working with him and Tess for a while. She's new for this fic but I really like her so she may be making another appearance. I hope you love it!
Thanks so much for writing in and reading! Love you!!
Pretty Girl
Your smuggling partner, Joel Miller, is being uncommonly social during a trip to the Speakeasy.
Based on Prompt 128: "You're pretty" "You're drunk"
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Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader
Warnings: SMUT! Just smut. Smutty smutty smut. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ only.
Length: 2.7k
“This is going to be a stupid fucking run,” you took a sip of shitty whiskey - which was the only whiskey to be found in the QZ so you dealt with it. Better than nothing, at least. 
“It’s not that stupid,” Tess replied. 
“We’re talking a total of, what, eight days on the road?” You asked. “Unless one of you assholes has a car I don’t know about…” 
“No car,” Tess said. “But I’ve heard from other folks who have passed through there in the last few months and it’s eight days of damn near empty country with a literal farm of pot on the other side. We’re talking about pounds and pounds of the stuff, we’ll be set for a fucking year off this one run…” 
You took another drink, looking out at the other patrons of the bar. Downtrodden and looking for solace at the bottom of a glass. Not all that different than the dive bars you frequented before the world ended eight years earlier but there had been a charm to them then. You and your girlfriends chose those places to add some kind of danger to your debauchery. The concept of going out for cocktails or a beer after work now was almost laughable it was so foreign. 
You’d had that kind of life once, though. One where you wore sheath dresses and spiked heels to your office and got paid more money than you needed to write bullshit ads for bullshit companies like Walmart. A trip to a dive bar was a fun way to step outside of your protected little bubble, a way to hook up with a guy with callused hands who might be a little rougher than the guys in your office whose muscle came from machines at the gym. 
You couldn’t believe you used to stress about that shit now. It was all so stupid, the pointless deadlines and the KPIs and the concern about what your boss would think if you showed up with a rough blue collar guy to a company cocktail hour. 
Now, you were only worried about surviving to the next day. And this run would either make that very easy or very hard, there was no in between. 
“What do you think, Miller?” You looked at Joel, the most sullen of your little trio. “Think it’s worth the risk?” 
He sighed, looking between you and Tess. 
“I think if Tess’ intel is good then we’re fuckin’ stupid to not take advantage of it,” he said. “But we can’t be fuckin’ dumb about goin’. We have to make sure we’re well supplied because I’m not getting caught with my pants down in the middle of fuckin’ nowhere just to run some pot into the QZ.” 
You ground your teeth for a moment before sighing. 
“Fine. If you’re both in then I’m in. But I swear to God if this fucking scheme gets me killed I will haunt both of you until the day you die.” 
Tess laughed a little and downed the rest of her whiskey. 
“On that note,” she said, getting up from your table. “I’m getting out of here. We’ll look at getting the fuck out of here in about a week, make sure you’re set on ammo and rations by then, yeah?” 
“Sure,” you nodded once and watched her go and turned back to Joel. “Ever wonder what the fuck would happen to Tess if she wasn’t in charge of something for a whole five minutes?” 
Joel snorted. 
“Doubt that’d ever happen,” he took a sip of his beer, polishing it off. 
“You heading out, too?” You asked. 
He looked at you for a moment, almost like he was assessing you. 
“Thinkin’ about stayin’,” he replied eventually. “Want somethin’ else from the bar?” 
“I’ll take a beer if you’re offering,” you shrugged, not used to Joel doing anything social beyond the bare minimum. You’d been doing smuggling runs with him for two years now and you were pretty sure you could count on one hand the number of conversations he’d initiated on your trips outside the QZ together. 
You certainly didn’t DISLIKE the man. You liked him probably a little too much if you were being completely honest about it. You liked that he was broad and strong and that he was the kind of guy you’d pick up on one of those nights out in a dive bar with your girlfriends. But you liked more than that, too. You liked the fact that he stopped at a pharmacy on the way back from a run once and grabbed a handful of bottles of children’s Tylenol. You’d frowned as he stashed them in his pack. 
“Neighbor’s daughter keeps gettin’ ear infections,” he said. “Poor thing sounds miserable.” 
He never mentioned it again. 
Joel brought two beers back to the table and put one in front of you before taking his seat again, looking out at the handful of people dancing to the music from the jukebox. 
“So Joel,” you said, twisting the glass in your fingers. “If you had to pick one thing - not a person because we all have a person - that you miss most about before, what would you pick?” 
“Hm,” he frowned, taking a drink. “Never thought about it.” 
“Well I’m asking you to think about it,” you smiled a little as you took a sip of beer. “That’s kind of the point.” 
One corner of his mouth pulled up slightly at that and he shook his head a bit. 
“Probably goin’ to listen to music or playin’ music,” he said eventually. “Somethin’ about live music… anyway. Probably miss that most. Or maybe museums.” 
“Museums.” You raised your eyebrows. 
He nodded. 
“Went to a lot of museums,” he said. 
He got a bit of a wistful look in his eye for a moment before he took another drink. 
“Didn’t strike me as the type,” you said.
He shrugged. 
“How about you?” He asked. 
“Restaurants,” you said immediately. “Hands down. I’d gained like 10 pounds on a trip not long before the outbreak so for the two weeks before I was dieting like crazy and I’ve never regretted a damn thing more. I was eating the most bland, boring shit like a dumbass. Jesus Christ, what I wouldn’t give now for a New York slice. Or a bagel. Fuck, I think I’d rather have one more true NYC bagel than ever have great sex again.” 
“Sounds like you’ve just never had great sex,” Joel smirked a bit. 
“No,” you shook your head. “You’ve just never had a great bagel.”
The two of you ended up having a few more drinks together and you actually heard Joel laugh - not something you knew he was actually capable of even after a few years of knowing the guy. 
“C’mon,” he said, downing the last of another beer. “Should get out of here before it’s curfew…” 
“Joel Miller, consummate rule follower,” you teased but knocked back the rest of your drink as well, leaving the speakeasy together. 
“Have a question for you,” he asked, his hands in his pockets. 
“Ask away.” 
“Where’d you learn to shoot the way you do?” He looked over at you. “You never seemed like the type. Still don’t, if I’m bein’ honest ‘bout it.” 
“My dad started taking me hunting when I was a kid,” you smiled a little at the memory. “Always liked the challenge but what I really liked was that he liked doing it with me. Never could get his attention any other way, really. Don’t think he ever wanted a daughter but he got stuck with me. So he took me hunting and I loved it. And then he started teaching me more and more and eventually I was just a damn good shot.” 
He nodded slowly. 
“Well, I owe ‘im,” he said. “You being a fuckin’ deadeye saved my ass more than once.” 
“You know you don’t have to wait until you’re drunk to talk to me,” you said, glancing over to him. “You can ask me shit like this when it comes to mind.” 
“Not drunk,” he said. 
“Sure you’re not,” you rolled your eyes, coming to the road where you usually went your separate ways to go to your respective apartments. But when you turned to say goodbye, he’d turned toward your apartment instead, already walking that way. 
“OK so you’re really drunk,” you said, catching up with him quickly. “Your apartment is the other way, Joel.” 
“Not drunk,” he said. “Just makin’ sure you get home OK. Not usually out this late. Not with me, anyway.” 
You looked at him, incredulous, but didn’t argue. You walked in silence for a few minutes and you felt his eyes on you periodically and you couldn’t figure out why.
“Is everything OK?” You asked eventually. “Didn’t… I dunno, get bit in the QZ somehow, right?” 
“I’m fine,” he frowned. “Why?” 
“Because you’re being weirdly talkative and walking me home,” you said. “And you keep looking at me. And I’d like to make sure you’re not about to drop dead or turn or something.” 
“I’m fine,” he shrugged. 
“OK…” 
“It’s just…” he paused. “You’re… pretty.” 
You snorted. 
“You’re drunk.” 
“I ain’t drunk,” he said. 
“And I ain’t been pretty since 2003,” you shook your head and smiled a bit. “That ship sailed with the Lancome counter at the mall and access to regular blowouts.” 
“Well that’s a load of shit,” he said. “You’re pretty. You just are, don’t need fuckin’ makeup or that other shit to see that.” 
You stopped walking and stared at him for a moment. He stopped walking, standing under a street light, and turned to look at you. 
“What.” 
“I swear to God, Joel, if I didn’t know better I’d say you were hitting on me.” 
He shrugged. 
“Maybe I am.” 
You scoffed. 
“I’m being serious!” You said. “Don’t make fun of me…” 
“I’m bein’ serious, too,” he said. “Not makin’ fun.” 
You stepped closer to him, so your bodies were aligned and almost touching, your arms crossed over yourself. 
“What were you planning to do about it?” You asked. 
He took your chin gently in one of his large hands and tilted your head back before kissing you. HIs lips were plush, unexpectedly soft in contrast to the pleasant scratch of his mustache on your skin. He kissed you until you were breathless, your hands flexing into fists as you tried to work some of the growing tension from your limbs. He pulled back a little, his nose brushing your own. 
“Somethin’ like that,” he said quietly. “More, if you’ll let me.” 
You we ripping his clothes off before the door to your apartment had fully closed, his shirt winding up somewhere on the floor of your living room alongside your bra. 
When you were both naked, you pushed him down on your bed, your pussy already dripping and aching for him. You moved to straddle him and he brought a hand down over your sensitive mound, dipping his fingers into your slit and gathering your wetness before sliding up to tease your clit. 
“Goddamn you’re wet,” he groaned. “You walk around like this all the fuckin’ time, just ready for it?” 
“No,” you panted. “Took you practically sticking your tongue down my throat outside…” 
“Oh is that all,” he worked your clit harder, making you moan. 
“Maybe you’re pretty, too, Miller,” you closed your eyes, trying to focus, your body already starting to tighten, your sex all but begging to have something to grip and throb around as aching heat started to swirl through you. 
“Know that’s bullshit,” he leaned forward and nipped your throat before kissing and sucking his way to your collarbone, taking his hand away from your slit and rubbing your arousal over his thick, hard length. You tilted your hips forward, brushing his weeping tip with your soaked seam. “Fucking hell Baby…” 
“Need you,” you dug your nails into his back and he moaned at it. “Need to feel…” 
“Fuck,” he groaned, holding onto the base of his cock and lining it up with your grasping, longing core. His head barely dipped into you, the burning stretch doing nothing to sate your desperate wanting. “Need inside you, need you to fuckin’ take it…” 
You thrust down on him, taking him into you in one firm, quick motion. It made you gasp, his size almost overwhelming. You whimpered as your body adjusted, your pussy feeling more stretched than it ever had before. 
“Jesus Christ,” his forehead dropped to your shoulder, his breaths coming in keening, desperate pants. “Holy fucking God you’re tight, fuck…” 
You started to ride him then, beginning slow but hard, lifting your hips up before slamming yourself back down on him, your channel gripping him tight every time he was thrust up into you. 
His hands went to your hips, fingertips digging into the soft flesh of you, clinging to you as you worked his cock. 
“Take it like this?” You panted in his ear before sinking your teeth into the muscle of his shoulder. 
“Fuck, just like that,” his hands were more desperate on you now, like he was going to lose control. “Want you to make yourself cum on my fuckin’ cock, want to feel you cum all over my fuckin’ cock…” 
Your pussy tightened further around him and you pressed your chest tightly against against him, riding him hard and fast now, your clit pressing against the softness of his stomach with every firm thrust. 
“Fuck, Joel,” you gasped as you came, taking him all the way inside yourself and holding him there as you pulsed around him. 
It was like he’d been waiting for you to cum, waiting for you to be so lost in your own orgasm that you couldn’t do anything to stop him from taking what he wanted. 
His arms went around you and he picked you up for a moment before pressing you down into your bed, his cock buried in you to the root. He started fucking into you while your pussy still throbbed around him. Your hands flew to your bed, fingers tangling in the sheets as he spread your legs wide and looked down to where you were joined. 
“Fuck, look at you takin’ me so goddamn well,” he groaned, increasing his pace. Your pussy started to contract around him again, your clit both begging for attention but so oversensitive that you were worried him toying with it would make you cry. “Tight fuckin’ pussy so goddamn good…” 
He pressed a thumb into your clit and it was like a shockwave rolled through you, something almost like another orgasm coursing through you. But it offered no relief, just driving yourself to get tighter around Joel, your body trying to bring him deeper, hold onto him for longer. 
“Not gonna last long with pussy this goddamn good,” he said, leaning over you and kissing and biting down your jaw to your throat. You rocked your hips up against him in desperate, stuttering thrusts. “Where do you want me, Baby?” 
“On my clit,” you moaned. “Fuck, please…” 
“Jesus,” he groaned, fucking into you harder, his cock forcing you to stretch over him to just shy of the point of pain with every motion.  Your body was so taut again you were worried you were going to snap with it, with the aching drive of pleasure and want taking over you. “Fuck, I’m gonna…” 
He thrust in you twice more before pulling out of you and jerking himself just once over your dripping slit. He pressed his swollen cock head to your clit and gasped as he came, spilling himself over you, the warm pulsing of his spend triggering your orgasm. 
“Fuck you’re so pretty when you cum,” he panted, watching as the last of his cum dripped onto your throbbing clit. He ran his thumb up from your hole through your slit to your overwrought clit, rubbing his cum into you as he circled your clit, making you shudder and gasp as your orgasm eased. 
He took one last, long look at your naked body before collapsing beside you, still panting for breath. 
“So,” he said after a minute. “Still think you’d rather have a bagel?” 
You laughed once. 
“Bagels can go to hell,” you said. “As long as you promise to do that to me again.” 
“Any time you want, Pretty Girl,” he said. “Any time you want.” 
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alexsiple · 9 days
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do you have any lawlight fics recommendations?
lol do i ever. here are my favorites
remember to read the tags and such for these before reading. i'm a freak and that may not be the same for u
shame is pride's cloak by youremyqueen / (explicit) / 4k words / short and encompasses what i enjoy about lawlight. this is one of my favorite fic authors ever. i love when lawlight is psychosexual but also fated, romantic. perfect. (this author's fic "tabula rasa" is also around the same length and very good you should read that too)
nights by youremyqueen / (explicit) / 381k words / fandom classic so a lot of people know this one but it's so fucking good. if you're willing to go on a deranged, beautiful journey with this author it's worth the length, truly. they also wrote some spinoffs of this (the one called All Saints is like? my favorite fic ever?) that are also soooo worth it. haunts my day to day no lie
Those Who Stand For Nothing Fall For Anything by halfpromise / (explicit) / 97k words but there's more / another fandom classic... not for everyone but i think it's so great. so insane. an au where light is trying to become prime minister and it's written like american psycho and L is a lawyer snaking his way around the political ranks. among other things. the other day i got really sick and reread through all of this and it made me worse probably
like like by ruruka / (explicit) / 5k words / i like this one. L crossdresses and goes to a party with light to """infiltrate""". very cute very fun.
the bruise of being by lupinely / (mature) / 5k words / L watches light post-death as a ghost. haven't read it in a while. i remember enjoying it
twenty-three by haydonjames17 / (explicit) / 4.7k words / more L is a ghost stuff but light goes to a strip club and L is like a voyeur. hallucination? real? we don't know but it’s intriguing to Me
Clean by FayJay / (explicit) / 4k words / prose is cute. i enjoy this L a lot
tell me yes by crimesofhallowed / (explicit) / 4k words / I Enjoyed It
white chocolate roses by ruruka / (teen) / 45k words / felt bad that everything here is mature and up because maybe you didn't want that. here's this one i remember feeling crazy about. i usually don't read things like "light is a cardiologist and L is his terminally ill patient" but for some reason this one gripped me and i cried at the end. ok. great.
a non-exhaustive list but the tag is full of good shit if you dig through it. best of luck fellow enjoyer
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nana-mizu-shiki · 22 days
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Kk. So. This isn't so much art but more a poem that I'm going to put into a fic I'm gonna make. Y'know song fics? Like that but with a poem. One I made and am going to give you the context of, I just wanna know if you guys would think a poem song fic would be cool.
The fic promt I thought of was:
What if Tim was dipped into the Lazarus Pit, but twice?????
And then I started coming up with a bunch of stuff listening to music, and I was like:
Thought Process? : Tim died in that desert. The Spleen incident didn't just leave him with a surprise surgery. It left him with glowing green eyes and half-white bangs. But of course, none of the Bats can know that, so, hair dye. Suprise, Suprise, the Pits don't bring Rage, they bring out the worst of a person. Jason? Anger. Ra's? Cruelty. Tim? Apathy. Tim's triggers? Betrayal, Abandonment, Reliance, Expectations Set For Perfection. Because. He. Has. To. Be. Perfect. Inherits Drake I. and Wayne E., slowly trying to cut ties with Gotham and The Bats, fades into the background until The Bats are too late to realize and too late to try to even stop him as he and Ra's make a deal. The deal? Cliffhanger. Up to the reader. And Worse? The Bats don't even realize as he left, taken back with The Demon Head to become his heir, and after months, training under Ra's himself, Returning to Gotham Under the alias of Shadow Shrike, civilian Tim D. W. A. G., although legally Timothy Drake-Wayne. Forever 17, hair shoulders length and bangs white, eyes permanently and mix of ice blue and mint green, flecks of Lazarus neon green passing even at simple glances of those he once called family. Dying his bangs temporarily in public, his vigilante-ism the thing that alerts the others of his return, his change. His Revival. His Death. Blah Blah Blah, Angst Confrontation Shenanigans, Details and Description of how the Pits affect Tim, how the Batfam try to reconnect and makeup, Yadda Yadda, Ends on a sorta cliffhanger thing where the reader chooses which Tim goes to as a Confrontation happens on a roof and Tim chooses between Jason, the Other Bats, Ra's, And Young-Just-Us.
Damn that was a word vomit.
Anyway, the poem is below,
Edit: I kinda realized the poem I'd really long and I'm considering putting this on Ao3 itself lol (*>∇<)ノ
👇
Green.
Abandoned and left; unthanked for,
Unthanked for?
They're ungrateful.
Green.
Lied and unapologetized to,
Left on Their own, and never recognized too.
Green.
Complete it all,
Raised to be Perfect,
Can never fall,
Always quiet and obedient,
Now Forever Indifferent.
Green.
To bring back the Bat,
Is to travel and turn,
Be ostracized and taken from,
Wings given to another,
Betrayed by those meant to be Their Brothers.
Green.
Betrayed and afraid,
Kicked out and replaced and stolen from a child,
To make a deal with The Demon Head
And to sell Their soul,
All Their worth,
All They've done,
What other choice?
What else is left?
Mentality;
Already on the brink,
Morality;
Like liquid and searching for who it obeys,
Green.
Left to die,
All alone
No longer were they meant to fly;
Sacrificing all their lives,
To help others and then left to die?
Green.
Green.
Green.
Green.
Green.
Alive.
Alive.
Alive with no care. No care at all.
Apathy pulls the teen.
Eyes and vision glowing green all because of a spleen.
Okay so I'm not done but I really want to save this and post it on AO3, so pls let me know if you want to read more of this poem or the ideas of the fic it will go to. Thanks for reading (*^▽^)/★*☆♪*.゚+ヽ(○・▽・○)ノ゙ +.゚*
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msmargaretmurry · 11 months
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I’ve recently got into hockey fics and it’s completely taken over what little brain space I had left. Do you have any recs for a baby new to this wonderful new world? 💕💕
hello friend and welcome to hockey! i’m sure you sent this ask looking for a nice little list of links but unfortunately because of who i am as a person i’m about to give you way more information than you asked for. 
before we dive in: i have a terrible memory when it comes to stuff i’ve read, and i have a pathological lack of bookmarks, and there is a LOT of hockey fic, so despite a fair bit of crowdsourcing from friends this list is obviously by no means exhaustive. there is SO much good stuff out there that isn't linked here. hockey fic to me has always felt like a very choose-your-own adventure fandom, and i want to empower you to choose your own adventure. there is so much hockey fic, there is truly something for everyone, but of course it’s all also subject to personal taste, so please read on for a little smorgasbord from which hopefully you can find some stuff you’ll love.
a very brief history of hrpf
when i say there is a lot of hockey fic, i feel like it is fun context to know that people have been posting hockey fic on the internet for more than 20 years. i have not been reading it for 20 years, so even having many years of this fandom under my belt, i am still building off the hard work of the beautiful weirdos who came before me. a lot of the pre-ao3 stuff has sadly but understandably been lost to time, but if you’re interested at all in seeing a bit of how we got to where we are now, @lovethygoalie has compiled some links here, and he has an nhl fandom history tag with some more fandom history!
hockey fic, due to the nature of the sport and the inexorable march of time, has always kind of happened in waves/cycles of certain players/pairings/teams being popular in the fandom for a little while, then fading away as new players/pairings/teams become the new hot thing. every time there’s a new wave of a popular thing, new people get sucked into the fandom, which creates this very charming-to-me phenomenon where i can often guess the ballpark of when they joined hockey fandom based on who their faves are, what teams they’re into, even what teams/players they’re NOT into, lol. (but obviously there have also always been people shipping rare pairs and medium-popular pairs and rooting for less popular teams and players, too! it’s a big fandom!)
anyway, that’s something i have found super fascinating to observe over the years and also something i wanted to touch on here to explain why there’s going to be some fic recs in here featuring players who you might never see mentioned the current hrpf zeitgeist. some of the players have retired, some of the pairings have simply waned in popularity, some of the teams are just not currently “in” in hockey fandom, but i still think it’s totally worth going back to dig into older stuff in addition to having fun with the current popular narratives and pairings, etc.
but onto the recs!
(it should go without saying, but please heed the tags/warnings on anything linked here! i’m offering these links mostly without commentary, but a lot of it is going to be mature/explicit-rated, some of it will deal with sensitive themes, some if it might have stuff you just don’t care for! not knowing your personal tastes, i tried to curate a selection of various lengths, types, tropes, pairings, teams, etc.)
i saw you just read my behemoth matthew/leon fic, so let’s start with more of that. it’s a popular pairing right now! very fun characters and narratives to work with! here are a few authors whose matthew/leon stuff i definitely recommend across the board (links go to their ao3 pages; there’s no point in linking individual fics because i would just be linking all of them):
bropunzeling
daisysusan
ohtempora
and some short one-shots that i really enjoyed:
if you handed over your body by photovoltaic (mature, 2.7k)
truce by anonymous (explicit, 2.1k)
and i will not come back the same by void_fish (explicit, 4k)
partly crowdsourced from pals, here are additional fic recs for pairings/players/narratives that are varying levels of currently relevant:
Fragments by heartequals (cole caufield/nick suzuki, explicit, 20k)
wait a year by daisysusan (quinn hughes/brady tkachuk, explicit, 16.8k)
cover love’s bruise by addandsubtract (johnny gaudreau/sean monahan, explicit, 8.3k)
don't ever be a stranger by bropunzeling (jamie drysdale/trevor zegras, explicit, 24k)
For the Summer by gigantic (jack hughes/trevor zegras, explicit, 3.5k)
Lionheart by Aliquis (nico hischier/jonas siegenthaler, explicit, 53k)
All Your'n by jvrcus (mathew barzal/anthony beauvillier, teen & up, 13.8k)
let's make it cinematic by kitnita (mathew barzal/anthony beauvillier, explicit, 13.2k)
@grittyreadsfic is a mostly-hockey fic rec blog! they read much more widely than me and definitely have recs for a lot of currently popular pairings not covered here, as well as rarepairs and more niche stuff.
@postoperation compiled a great list of older-ish hockey fic recs that i HIGHLY recommend, and not just because one of mine is included in there. 😂
more older fics, in no particular order; a once again partly-crowdsourced-from-my-friends list of recs:
so collect your scars and wear them well by addandsubtract (connor mcdavid/dylan strome, mature, 26k)
A Month of Sundays by Kelfin (erik johnson/gabe landeskog, mature, 68k)
Friday Night Arrives Without a Suitcase by marycontraire (danny briere/claude giroux, not rated, 14.6k)
Something Old by uraneia (danny briere/claude giroux, explicit, 13.4k)
if courage is a live wire by redheartglow (adam henrique & taylor hall friendship, teen & up, 15.5k)
Like an Explosion by Dark_Eyed_Junco (nic dowd/derek forbort, mature, 4.3k)
Lions in Arms by xihale (alex ovechkin/sidney crosby, mature, 4.7k) 
Hockey at the End of the World by ionthesparrow (jeff carter/mike richards and tyler toffoli/tanner pearson, mature to explicit, a series of five fics totaling 383k)
@deepbutdazzlingdarkness has a washington capitals fic rec list; i haven’t read everything on there but i have liked what i’ve read! [i am very picky about caps fic because a) i’m a snob about local details and b) i can only read so much smut about dudes i might run into at the jeni’s ice cream in tysons corner. but there is some very good stuff. similarly, a rec i haven’t read but it comes from a friend whose writing i deeply admire and whose taste i trust implicitly:
mouth-deep by saintsideways (nicklas backstrom/mike green, explicit, 30k); the reccer says, “it’s a wild time and coated with an absolutely visionary layer of grime I can only aspire to.”]
@bunnymcfoo also has an extensive rec list, much of which i have not read, but definitely worth checking out if you need more!
anyway, sorry if that was too much, but hopefully it is just enough to get you started chasing your own hockey fic bliss. my ask box is open if you have any questions! ❤
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blueisquitetired · 2 months
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ABANDONED WIP WEDNESDAY
This is the second part of the last WIP Wednesday, which I can't link here because I'm writing this in the past and it hasn't been posted yet. I'll fix it later.
Here's the final WIP that I'll be posting in this major batch- I've hope you've enjoyed them this past month or so!
Anyway, this is the outline of the entire fic overall, as well as a scene from later on in the narrative!
Heroes and Villains- Ingo is a Dad Now (Part 2)
Length: 2,132 words
Rating: G
No archive warnings apply
Akari has light powers. (Get it? Light? I’m hilarious) This is a VERY powerful ability as you can do things like lasers and their ilk- but also illusions and invisibility. She can manipulate light which means she can make you see what she wants you to see. The commission obviously really wants her abilities, but she is a stubborn authority defying teenager. With amnesia. Her first memories are waking up in the commission building with them being oh so worried about her :(( and her catching their bad vibes immediately. She plays along though, before eventually breaking out and running away. She ends up being taken in by the (Pearl clan equivalent, I forgot what it was called lol) a few weeks after Ingo and immediately reverse adopts him due to the shared amnesia. Her claim to fame is “well he could be my dad. We don’t have any proof either way >:))” (they don’t particularly look alike) She also super wants to be a villain- but Drayden’s organization is not letting the teenager fight for them. (Except in very specific situations where she is in no danger they just need her illusionary abilities- and Ingo is there to make sure she doesn’t run off to punch someone)
the main plot line is (humorously) her relationship with Emmet. She’s able to easily connect the dots about him being Eeletross and is very not pleased with having a hero that can rat her out hanging around. Of course, they end up getting along just fine, especially because Emmet thinks she’s just paranoid and there’s no way the commission is after her
and then she goes missing
Ingo  is besides himself, praying desperately that it isn’t the commission- but as time passes it becomes increasingly obvious that that’s what happened. Emmet is still in denial of course, and in his free time is looking for the devious criminal that stole his niece away (part of him is tempted to report the crime to the commission in order to get more help looking for her- but he promised, he’s not gunna break that promise) Something that makes this even sadder is that Akari had confessed to Emmet at one point that it was an inevitably. She’s knows that she can’t hide forever, that the commission will find her and take her away eventually- so she’s just enjoying the time she has now before it’s all taken away from her.
And then, months after Akari goes missing, Emmet is assigned to help a new recruit with physical training. It’s Akari.
Emmet finds a way to pull her aside and goes “what are you doing here??? Ingo’s worried sick! I thought you hated it here!” But Akari just kinda looks at him and is like “how do you know I don’t like the commission!?! Are you a mind reader??? And who’s Ingo?”
and then Emmet gets to have a crisis because a) she was right all along and b) she got her memory wiped again
Turns out that this is just a thing that happens with Akari!! She’s very hard to manipulate the old fashion way so they’ve had to resort to memory wipes! If she was anyone else they would declare someone as difficult as her just not worth it- but Akari is powerful. Her illusions are much too useful to just toss aside- so they keep going at her, locking her up under tighter and tighter security every time she escapes, becoming increasingly frustrated that despite the fact she has literally no memories that they cannot erase her subconscious feelings about the commission… which is that she very much does not like or trust them. They just need to find a way to break her, and then they will have all of this power at their disposal. It might take a while but they can do it. They’re quite patient after all.
Pen: Question: does Akari meet Ingo or smokestack first?
Not sure! Since this is from Emmet’s POV that stuff isn’t really important? He just finds his amnesiac brother and the next day sees a teenager crawling through the window via fire escape
I think she just showed up one day, amnesiac teenager on the run who got taken in- and then immediately imprinted on Ingo
Like, Calaba or something was supposed to take care of her but she declared Ingo is her dad now actually and they all have to just. Roll with that.
Other fun things to consider:
Emmet having no idea how to tell his brother that he found Akari in the hero commission
Emmet breaking Akari out and then having Akari just casually let slip to her dad that she’s so glad her uncle is a spy that could break her out
they actually break Akari
Vision is just our eyes taking in light bouncing off of stuff, so if you could bend that to your will….
This isn’t just a hyper realistic illusion that can affect one person- she can make illusions that everyone sees and no one can tell the difference
Her power is terrifying and the commission needs it
unlike most of my AU’s she’s a legit teenager here Complete with the teenage invincibility concept backed up by the fact that she’s super powerful, has amnesia, and is living the yolo life because she thinks she could be spirited away any minute
No one lets her be a super villain so she does that on her own. She was climbing in through the window because that’s just ‘how she is’. When she’s comfortable she has zero filter, self preservation instincts, or craps to give. (This terrifies Ingo)
It’s not like she goes to public school either- she can’t. She’s completely homeschooled and while she does well at that…. gestures she has free time
Everything she does is underlined with the knowledge that she is constantly minutes away from “death” (an erasure of personality and memories) so it’s not worth wasting time
She grows attached quickly but is extremely flighty, constantly putting on a don’t care attitude. she’s terrified, but what else is she supposed to do? Nothing she does really matters in the long run- the conclusion is still the same
I like the thought that she was an orphan kid. Ran away from every orphan program she was ever in and lived on the streets. Tuning her powers on her own. It’s why she’s got wandering feet even when she has a home (plus, being as hardened to societal programs makes her horrid at listening to orders)
Akari initially suggested that Ingo was her dad as a joke basically. She wanted to hang out with him more and that was the excuse she gave. She didn’t expect him to actually start acting like her dad and is high key terrified about how attached to him she is at this point
And, as promised, the small scene:
(Set after Ingo has met up with Eelektross and Akari several times in secret during Akari's on the field commission training)
The apartment is as silent as it gets when Ingo sits at the kitchen table, head in his hands and sigh on his lips. Melli had gone over to a friends place for the evening and Ingo didn’t have any plans that could delay this… conversation any further.
A conversation with himself. One that he has been putting of for quite a while.
Letting out a groan, Ingo slumps so his head is resting in his arms, the darkness helping him confront the mental beast head on.
No use putting it off any longer.
He starts with the facts, lining them up mentally like a legion of toy soldiers. Heroes are bad. Akari is a hero. Akari isn’t made bad by the fact the commission took her in- she’s still Akari and he still loves her.
Which means…. Some heroes can technically be good.
Ingo groans again as he lets his head drop all the way to the wooden table. He’s barely four facts in and he’s already completely over this “conversation” ….but it needs to be done, and Ingo doesn’t trust himself to try again if he aborts now.
Where was he? Oh right.
Some heroes can technically be good.
Right that…. He shifts tracks.
Eelektross hates him for killing his brother.
Honestly, Ingo can’t even blame him for his anger. If some hero came along and murdered Emmet, Ingo is fairly certain he would react the same way.
Elektross no longer thinks he killed his brother.
Which is because- No, not yet. Ingo doesn’t want to touch that one yet.
Elektross no longer hates him, and apologized for accusing him of murder.
Which is… much more then Ingo was ever expecting really. But more baffling-
Elektross has been taking care of Akari and taking her to see him.
Why?? How did he even know Akari was his child in the first place?? According to Akari that was the first thing he said to her- asking her what was she doing there and that telling her that her dad was worried. But not many people knew about Akari in the first place- or at least not in relation to him. The only real people who would know Akari would be the other Hisui residents and-
Nope. Backtrack.
Electross had been taking care of Akari and had been going behind the commissions back in order to let Ingo see her. Some heroes can technically be good. Elektross is technically a good guy.
Oh great, now Ingo feels nauseous. Squeezing his eyes shut eyes even harder, he try’s to get his roiling gut to accept the conclusion he’s come to.
But it’s true! Elektross has proven himself trustworthy time and time again- from the aforementioned Akari watching to just the fact that he HAS to know Ingo’s secret identity in order to know that he’s Akari’s father…… and Ingo hasn’t had the commission knocking on his doors. Yet another part of his mind whispers- but he has no idea what eelektross would gain by waiting, so he puts that thought to the side as well.
Which leads him back to…. Elektross knows chandelure is alive. Elektross knows Ingo couldn’t have killed chandelure because he saw his face. Elektross recognized Ingo. Elektross must have known Ingo before his memory loss.
Oh he hates where this is going. Full of nervous energy, Ingo begins to pace around the kitchen, anxiously biting at the skin around his fingernails.
Elektross- No. Reroute.
Ingo did not steal chandelure’s powers- Emmet says he has always had them. Chandelure’s powers are extremely similar to Ingo’s. Ingo appeared shortly after-
Nope nope nope nope. Ingo falls into a crouch as he begins to clutch his forearms, desperately holding back his frantic breathing. He needs to- He needs-
There’s Lichtenberg scars on his arms. Emmet hadn’t wanted to talk about those.
Ingo finds this route a bit easier to take, his breathing evening out as he releases his death grip on his arms.
Emmet found him shortly after elektross saw his face. Emmet wasn’t surprised by the burn scar.
…Emmet knew Akari was his daughter.
Aaaaaand he was back to pacing, hands flapping in an attempt to rid himself of anxious energy. It wasn’t working.
Emmet was- Ingo was-
Emmet was a good person, which is why he couldn’t be a hero. ….but heroes can technically be good. Technically. Especially if- their parents died when they were pretty young right? So hypothetically…
Ugh no this wasn’t working either. How was he supposed to….
Gray zones. Right. Some half remembered psychological thing that Ingo had no idea where he learned- maybe before the amnesia? Yes so, gray zones. Not everything is black and white. People can change. People can be good people but make bad mistakes. People can be-
Ingo is chandelure. Heroes are bad and if Ingo was a hero then that means Ingo is bad and-
He rushes to the bathroom to throw up, barely having enough time to pull up the toilet lid before puking his guts out. He’s pretty sure he’s crying.
But if Ingo is chandelure that means that-
Emmet is Elektross.
Emmet’s been taking care of his daughter for him.
Something in Ingo gives as he slumps in place, the agony of the previous reveal buried in the wake of the sheer relief he feels at the moment. Because Emmet is a good person who loves Ingo and Akari- and he will take care of her and help get her home.
And that’s more important then anything else isn’t it?
The rest of the night was spent in and out of a long running panic attack over the chandelure thing- but by the time the sun had risen Ingo had mostly made peace with himself. Mostly.
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melodygatesauthor · 9 months
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Weekly Update
8/20/2023
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Announcements
- A Bit Dodgy is almost finished -
The chapter coming out this week is the second to last chapter for the series. It’s such a bitter sweet thing, ending a series, especially one that I’ve built such a community around. I’ve written 5 novel-length fics over the course of the last year, and A Bit Dodgy will be number 6. On 09/04/2023 it will be my one-year anniversary of writing fanfiction since coming back after not writing for about a decade and l can’t believe it. Holy CRAP. I’ll take the time to reminisce about my numbers and statistics on my one-year mark, don’t you worry lol. There will definitely be a celebration.
That being said, ending a series never gets easier. Even though I write for these characters all the time, Steven, Marc and Jake in this case, I’m still closing the book on this version of them. It’s sad, but I’m also very ready to move on to other stories and other versions of these characters. I also think I’ll write some headcanons and one-shots as I feel the desire to just to take the edge off when I’m missing them. I’ll talk more about this when I finish A Bit Dodgy. <3
- Requests are officially closed -
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be in a position to take requests again or not. My WIP list is a mile long, and right now (summer) is a VERY busy time for both of my jobs. I’m lucky if I get one day off a week. All this to say, it’s not feasible for me to continue taking requests when I can’t even handle the fics I have currently in the works.
I’m not saying I’ll never do requests again, it’s just not realistic right now. There will still be follower celebrations and birthday events and things like that in which I may take limited requests, but as far as the regular ones go, I gotta stop taking them for now. - THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'M MAKING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. PLEASE READ IT.
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Fic Updates
Disclaimer - I never know which way the winds of inspiration will blow. Timeframes aren’t a promise/guarantee, they’re a goal.
Fic Updates Legend:
Blue - Update this week
Pink - Update in progress
Red - Backburner Fic (not currently working on. See WIP list for status)
You can find my current WIP list here
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Chaptered Fic Updates
A Bit Dodgy - Chapter 17 is coming this week, but I need more time. So it won't come out tomorrow, it will be out Tuesday or Wednesday instead! Thank you for understanding!
Always Yours, Never Mine - Chapter 3 is done! Just need to finish editing! I'll be putting it out Saturday bbs <3
The Fractured Moon - My primary focus this past week has been getting A Bit Dodgy finished, and also working on getting the requests and stuff for my 2k celebration done. I'll be working on part 4 of TFM this week to hopefully post next week!
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Mini-series Updates
Feeling You Can’t Fight - Chapter 3 is done! I just need to finish editing and posting hehe.
All on the backburner for now but will get additional chapters soon:
Not a Doctor - Part 2
Worth the Risk - Part 3
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AI Character Bot Updates
I currently have the following bots on my list that I’m working on. If you have any suggestions or additions you’d like, please feel free to ask! I won’t make every single one I get asked for but I’ll make some of them as I get time!
DBF Jake and Steven (I already did Marc...did I ever post him? I thought I did but maybe not)
Patient Steven and Marc
Moon Knight Rescue scenario
Miguel AI Assistant Scenario (inspired by @missdictatorme's Halo fic).
Am I missing any? Don't see one on the list that you want to add? Send me an inbox or private message! No promises, but if I like the idea I'll make an AI bot.
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Requests
I'm finishing up all the inboxes from my 2k Follower Celebration! I'm almost through those so please bear with me.
There are 2 regular requests I have that will both be released this week! Exciting! - Those are the last 2 I have. Starting next week, the "request" category of my weekly update will be gone!
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I think that's all for now! Much love!
Don't forget to follow my other blogs:
@melodymakesart - My art blog
@lockandkeynovel - The blog for my original fiction novel, Lock & Key
@melodyreadsfanfiction - The blog where I reblog works I intend to read, a good place for fanfic readers to follow!
@melodygatesupdates - This is where I'll reblog any chapter updates for my fics and whatnot. This is what I use instead of a tag list!
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selkiefinalist · 5 months
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2023 (Writing) Year in Review
y’all it feels weird to throw this together because a.) it’s been 84 years and b.) who cares BUT it’s an old practice and i’m doing it, so:
after two years of not getting anything across the finish line, i wrote, finished, and posted things this year! 79,110 words worth of things, according to ao3!! plus i got to break a bunch of new pairings which is always satisfying, and i created a not-very-secret sideblog to write some lil tumblr fics when the mood strikes, which is not very often lol
maybe so (and maybe not) - newhook/nieto, 5k, E. this one came into being only because my partner in life told me i should start writing again and just write small things to ease back into it and oh, also, should write something featuring newy and nietsy that also featured the phrase “no ******* on the ‘stache” and if there’s one thing in life i like to do, it’s meet people’s expectations, so. that’s what happened.
made up - manson/macdermid, 13k, E. welp, this one just straight-up filled me with delight from concept to execution. it’s flawed in lots of ways i am sure but i do think my sweet spot in writing is probably that 15k-25k zone. that length gives me enough rope to work with but not so much that i cat’s cradle myself into knots with it, and is a realistic length to crank some stuff out in the limited time i have for writing these days and not feel too bad about it.
every new shade of green - ej/nate, 57k, E. ohhh the writing of this was so hard, which honestly i knew was my own fault because i wanted to do something hard. and i did it! and it’s done! there are a few pairings in my fandom history that really just do one over on me and this is one of them, and i think navigating the importance of the pairing itself with the length of the fic and what i wanted to accomplish with it as well as who it was gifted to is what made it so difficult. anyway you should all read it and validate my suffering.
one closed eye - macdonald/renouf, 2k, E(ish), alien au. wherein i circle back to the plan from earlier in the year and just write a small thing. is there anything more romantic in two call-ups finding love in a hopeless place, and one being immediately traded at the end of the season? they were so in love. jmac come back to us.
never (gritty) enough - gritty/nj devil, gritty/sanny, 1k, E, idk. i amused myself greatly with this concept yesterday after that one post circulated on my dash, wrote it fueled by exercise endorphins and then posted it fueled by late night, who cares? endorphins, it is perfect and beautiful in every way and also i am a genius
also created my first fest! very low-stakes low-participation but felt good to give back to fandom in a different way, i have always done best writing for fests because i love a deadline and hate letting people down. it’s still not too late to finish your stuff - prompts are available.
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snarky-wallflower · 24 days
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for the fic writers ask: 2, 14, 33, and 37! or any combination of those if you dont wanna do em all lol.
<3
2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?
okay, so my top-used five tags are POV Third Person, Angst, One-Shot, Not Beta Read, and Canon Compliant. I think they do explain my writing habits, because I really love getting into the implications of a story, and I am. bad. at waiting for betas sometimes, and not great at continuing a story for longer than a couple of thousand words.
14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?
honestly, i'll read a lot, so nothing immediately comes to mind?
33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?
stares at the WIPs I have not updated for nearly SIX MONTHS pas de masque, The Show Must Go On, I am so sorry. honestly, I really never plan out my chaptered fics, as the evidence shows - but a chaptered fic I'm recently proud of and that I actually finished was about three chapters, and 24k, so I'd say THAT was my ideal chapter length to write. so much fun. at some point, i need to reread my own fic. And I can and will devour 100k-300k worth of epics, even if I haven't been as good as doing that recently as when I was younger. shoutout to you, @acaciapines, whose TOH daemonverse fics are something i am SO excited for. you're gonna kill it.
37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?
ohhhh okay, one of my favourite fics I ever wrote would be always be my favourite ghost, from Night in the Woods. It explored grieving Casey Hartley, and how at the end of it all, so much of his life was left unresolved. how he never even got a funeral. it tugged at my heartstrings, that part killed me. so i decided to write people holding one for him. i really loved getting to explore his relationships with those around him, even if he wasn't there. from bea barely knowing him but still being pissed that he'd been taken, from angus knowing that he deserved better, gregg losing his closest friend, and to mae knowing that she'd missed out on so much of his final years, and still missing him anyways. and to maybe, knowing that if she'd stayed, she could have fallen for him. (shoutout to @doyouhearthunder for inspiring that part, as I read all of his NITW fics and that definitely played a role there.) i think i explored grief well there - in a game that has such a bittersweet ending, there aren't many threads to resolve. but this was one i could resolve, and i don't have any regrets about how i handled it. in the end, casey hartley mattered to people, no matter what that cult thought. that wasn't something that could ever be taken away. and it never got much traction because i posted it in 2023, and the game came out in 2017. but i'm still glad i did. it turned out really well for a fic i wrote mostly on a red-eye flight at 1 am.
thanks so much for the ask!
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Well now you’ve got me started on the ikran racing au and now I’m curious so!
Nocorro fic recs for the noob please? 😂
BESTIE finally join the dark sideee.
As I said over dms; unfortunately for you, there are better locorro (and spiri, although I really only rec one hardcore) fics then there are Nocorro. Nocorro is like a desert spot, there really aren’t any aside from a few really short but cool one shots. It's a very small fandom, and it's pretty young right now so tbh most of the fics are not very good, so it'll be a short list anyway. So, as we discussed, here are the high quality, well written Spider ship fics:
For nocorro, there really isn't much. That's why I said I've come so fucking close to writing that ikran au; because I am deeply obsessed with the nocorro parts of it. I adore that au and the ghost neteyam one honestly best of all, but the ghost Neteyam one there is slightly more content for. BUT ANYWAYS;
Upon looking up my list for this I was furious to discover one of the three well written little nocorro one shots has been deleted, so beef begun with CherryApollo (jk queen I need more of them. Actually, a03 user CherryApollo; I know ur reading these posts, or else you wouldn't have tagged that fic nocorro, huh? You said "tumblr has it's claws in me so here's some nocorro" I SEE YOU, I KNOW UR HERE. THERE'S LIKE THREE OF US USING THAT TAG, AND IT'S MOSTLY JUST ME ALONE IN THE VOID. You listen to me. I liked that fucking fic, I had it bookmarked. Give it back to me. But seriously big fan of ur work).
The two remaining fruit themed CherryApollo nocorro oneshots better be your first stop just in case this sociopath decides to take more from me, Take a Bite of the Orange (p sure I was the commenter that took offense mentioned in the notes) and Follow Me Down to the Peach Tree, which did make me want to end it all. Both under 1000 words and worth a quick read.
There is also the ghost of Guilt by thatshowthemafiaworks @undercoverpan who has written us a ghost Spider au which has never failed to make me cry each chapter. The prose is not as flawless as the other recs here, but it packs some emotional weight the others don't. I also can't even fathom where it's going as it all seems entirely hopeless which is why it makes me cry.
The only other nocorro fic I even think is worth a mention is Crop Circles by our bestie @spicymiilk. It's not done and we haven't reached any nocorro yet, but know it's coming and it's good. I get my sticky little fingers in each good Avatar fic writer and I puppeteer the content I want, just look at whats happening here.
For locorro (still a small as hell ship), we can afford to be slightly more picky and I shall give you the best of the best.
Personally I would start with the locorro bible, Bitter by Icandigelvis @oppa86oppa . All of us locorro stans have said this, but this fic started our interest in the ship for most and it caused the cultural revolution of our Spider ship community. This fic still months later lives with me 24/7, and it really is one of THE fics I've ever read of all time. It went righttt into my collection of fics to show to my MFA prof who told me to stop reading fanfiction lol, like seconds after I finished it. Then I put it in the grad school jealousy collection because it's that well formatted.
The Restless Child series by @spicymiilk is a full length novel that will take you a bit lol. I am biased as I do beta it but it's real good. I keep not anticipating turns I should anticipate, but maybe we can convince Andrei to simply let us live for a sec because the fact that it's been like two weeks in universe hit me yesterday while editing and I wanted to fall off an ikran (👀).
There is also, NATURALLY, The Thunder Answered Back by @spicymiilk. This fic crawled up my butt what I can I say. You all got to read my massive post about it, hope u enjoyed that. I was walking back from work today, listening to Back to You by Louis Tomlinson ft Bebe Rexha, in 91 degree heat and it started to thunder and simply pour rain and I was like "I am lIVING The Thunder Answered Back vibes rn, holy fuck." You know it's good writing in general when it gives you a specific vibe. Tbh, that song is that fics vibes, perhaps locorro vibes in general.
I'm only gonna rec one spiri fic for a few reasons. One, because there is a criminal lack of content for them, and two, that fic is worlds above any other spiri fics. I think it's a great starter fic for getting into Spider ships and for getting into spiri in general, just because of how detailed and in depth the world is, my god. It's basically Spider and Kiri pov switches from their childhood up until wayyy past Way of Water and until the end of all conflict with humans. Like any good canon continuation, I disagree with and I agree with a ton of @milesocorro 's interpretation. I don't particularly enjoy the way the conflict concludes, but I really adore the way Quaritch is handled. I said this before to the author, but it's my favorite Quaritch confrontation I've read yet. I have a review up for it while it was still coming out, and I said there I was obsessed with Spider's tsurak and I still fucking am. That's my fav Spider iknimaya sequence too!! Anyways, that's my repeated pitch for Please be kind, please be gentle with me .
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teashoptiramisu · 1 year
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Fluffy fanfic rec list
On one of my Discord servers people were talking about how people seem more likely to recommend angsty fic, so I decided to put together a fluff rec list, just for fun! This is gonna be a variety of fandoms, wordcount length, genres, etc. -- the common factor is I like ‘em and they turned up when I search “fluff” in my bookmarks. I’ll point out if any are nsfw
ATLA
see your son rising at last by aloneintherain --  ATLA -- 6.5k words -- Iroh & Zuko 5+1 things fic  
North by ryfkah -- ATLA -- 300 words -- short & sweet Appa POV fic
definitely not suspicious at all in the least by presumenothing -- ATLA -- 1k words -- post-canon Gaang shenanigans
All The Gentle Creatures by Haicrescendo -- ATLA -- 10k words -- animals love Zuko, he’s basically a Disney Princess
Yuri!!! On Ice
see you next level by verity -- YoI -- 1.5k words -- Yuuri, Viktor & Phichit get drunk & watch TV, Yuuri & Viktor continue to be the most adorably sappy couple
Friendship!!! Is Magic by afrai -- YoI & OHSHC -- 10k words -- Yuuri & Haurhi meet at a conference and become friends. Viktor & Tamaki make fools of themselves (but what else is new)
Howl’s Moving Castle (mostly bookverse)
Second Time Lucky by labellementeuse -- HMC -- 5.5k words -- Howl & Sophie plan their wedding (lol i spelled that “weeding” on the first try... also accurate). As you might expect for these two it doesn’t go without some hiccups.
Could it be magic? by SpiritedYoungLady -- HMC -- 500 words -- Howls comes back from night with the rugby club, and Sophie is unamused
Fulllmetal Alchemist (mostly bhood/manga)
All That Describes a Joyful Heart by anthrop  -- FMA -- 3k words -- Hohenheim & Trisha cook together during a winter storm & they are simply TOO ADORABLE. Features some Xerxian cultural headcanons inspired by Nowruz (Persian New Year) traditions!
And They Were ROOMMATES by Turbulent_Muse -- FMA -- 30k words -- Modern AU in which college student!Ling moves into a haunted house, but since the rent is too good to pass up, he decides to try and befriend the demon. Greedling friendship & adventure fic.
Science for People Who Hate Science by Tierfal -- FMA -- 66k words -- Royed Modern AU, but even if you dislike that ship you might want to give this one a chance; it’s really more of an origfic about two characters losely inspired by Roy & Ed. They run a goofy educational youtube channel and are two dorks in love. Al shows up to make fun of them sometimes. It’s a good time!
The Sleeping Horror of Whiskerford by Eltea -- FMA -- 3.5k words -- another modern AU, in which the gang (Ed, Al, Winry, Riza, Roy, Hughes) plays D&D. Worth it for Ed’s character sheet alone, but overall just a hilarious & fun time.
A Clowder of Cats by Batsutousai -- FMA -- 4k words -- post-canon (a more-or-less canon universe fic for once!), Al settles down and adopts a bunch of cats (AS HE DESERVES)
Teen Wolf
the butt is a gift by lazulisong -- Teen Wolf -- 1.5k words -- Stiles is pinned to the couch by cats. I think this is part of a larger AU but tbh I don’t care: Stiles, cats, relatable dilemmas, what more do I need?
When the Bough Breaks by The Feels Whale (miscellea) -- Teen Wolf -- 12k words -- A bit of a weird one, but sometimes I like my TW fic weird. post-canon-ish/canon-divergence with endgame Sterek; Stiles is on the outs with Derek’s pack until they learn that he’s adopted a baby, and then they’re suddenly all over to dote on her. I actually really mostly liked this for Stiles’ single parent struggles and (platonic) relationship with the baby’s birth mother, the werewolf stuff & romance was cute but mostly incidental.
Misc fandoms
it's a new craze by attheborder -- Good Omens -- 5k words -- Crowley & Aziraphale start an advice podcast
Hot Springs and New Beginnings by CorundumBleu -- Hollow Knight -- 3k words -- in a good ending universe, Quirrel, the Knight, and The Last Stag relax at a hot springs and discuss hopes for the future. I recommend looking through CorundumBleu’s other HK fics as well -- there’s a couple other good fluff fics in there and some most angsty but still amazing stories! (I’m biased: CB is my sister & I helped edit these, but still, I think they’re great!)
Sufficient by atheilen -- The Goblin Emperor -- 2k words -- deaged!Maia; in which everyone and particularly Beshelar shows how much they care for and cherish Maia.
Sick Day by avg (AnxiousEspada) -- The Murderbot Diaries -- 4k words -- Overse & Arada are sick; Ratthi and later Murderbot visit to help them out. “To everyone’s surprise, a feverish Overse is SecUnit approved humor-fuel.” (P.S. if you like this fic consider checking out my sequel to it!)
Thrilling Night! Romantic Adventure at the Video Rental Store! by Masu_Trout --  Undertale -- 2.5k words -- wonderful Outsider POV of an employee at a video rental store who gets the admittedly uncertain priviledge of helping Alphys and Undyne pick out a movie to rent for their date night. I’m still not over the movie they end up picking, OMG.
Gonna add a reblog with BNHA, Natsuyu, Gravity Falls, and maybe some HP recs tomorrow.
Also, if you like these fics and know of more like them, feel free to let me know! I’m always taking fic recs (I’m slow to get around to them but I WILL save your recs for later) :P
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crehador · 7 months
Note
oh my god OHN MY GOD YOURE DOING A PROMPT LIST !!!!!! rattles cage
i would literally ask for all if i could but 5 and 12 maybe ?? with icsm !! (starved and Hungry)
-🪱
HI HI SORRY THIS TOOK FIVE BILLION YEARS!! here we go with 5 and 12
(things you said prompts)
5. things you didn’t say at all
pre-slash, post-reconciliation (or sort of like mid-reconciliation? lol)
It was easy for Samatoki to think that pride was what kept those words lodged in his throat. That it was pride that kept them from coming out.
Sorry.
I'm sorry.
The choice I had wasn't a choice at all, but I'm still so fucking sorry.
He wanted to say it, he did. The words were like a stone in his throat, one he couldn't choke down or cough up. Sometimes, when he was around Ichiro, it was difficult to even breathe around that stone.
He needed to say it, and he told himself he would. They were seeing more of each other these days, getting back to something like normal. Ichiro was starting to smile around him again. He was starting to drop by Samatoki's place unannounced, with food and the excuse that he'd made too much.
But some things couldn't be what they used to be. They were bickering less, but in many ways still holding each other at arm's length. Not holding each other at all, in fact. Ichiro wasn't as tactile as he used to be; neither of them were, Samatoki supposed.
Ichiro no longer looked at him with big, hopeful eyes while leaning in ever so slightly, all but begging to be hugged.
Samatoki no longer found it so easy, so natural, to reach out and throw an arm around Ichiro's shoulders, or tousle Ichiro's hair.
Would apologizing, getting those words unstuck from his throat, change that?
If it did, then wasn't it worth the blow to his pride?
But what if it didn't?
(That, though he couldn't admit it, was the real reason he couldn't get those words out. He couldn't change the past, couldn't take it back. An apology was all he had to give, and if he gave it and still nothing changed—what then?)
In the end, Ichiro answered him without Samatoki having to say anything at all.
Samatoki was driving him home from one of Ramuda's parties that they'd both been invited to. He had a hand on the center console of his car, and had just stopped at a red light when Ichiro's hand came to rest next to his.
They drove another block and stopped at another red light before Ichiro curled his pinky finger around Samatoki's, giving it the faintest squeeze.
Taking his time. Taking care. But taking, just what he wanted.
It was hardly anything at all. A perfectly innocent, barely-there touch. But it said all the things Samatoki hadn't realized he'd needed to hear.
12. things you said when you thought i was asleep
established relationship, future!fic
Samatoki's most adorable habit—well, no, Ichiro really couldn't rank them. Samatoki, though he would hate to hear it, was just too cute.
But one of the many, many things Ichiro found so endearing about Samatoki was his habit of dozing off in the passenger seat when Ichiro drove them home from dates.
Samatoki usually woke on his own shortly after Ichiro parked, but sometimes Ichiro would get to simply look over and admire him for a few moments. His features were more relaxed, unguarded in sleep, in a way that spoke of trust and security. Samatoki led such a dangerous life, yet he trusted Ichiro to have his back.
Of course, Ichiro could admire Samatoki all he wanted when they were in bed together; he was usually the one who woke earlier in the mornings. But there was something different about it, something transient and precious, when he got to see Samatoki so relaxed in the car.
It made Ichiro want to dote on him a little, even tease him a little, in ways he normally wouldn't.
One night, when Ichiro parked and Samatoki didn't stir, Ichiro leaned over to wake him with a kiss on the cheek. When Samatoki still didn't stir, Ichiro had to bite back a smile.
Cute.
Samatoki was almost too cute, and he was way too sweet. He must have been extra tired that night, after having spent all week dealing with some trouble-hunting upstarts from another family. But it was their usual date night, and he wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Ichiro really wouldn't have minded if he'd cancelled, or asked to have date night at home. But since he hadn't, Ichiro figured he deserved a rare treat.
"Samatoki-san," he whispered, lips brushing the shell of Samatoki's ear. "We're home."
Still no response.
Ah, well. Not a problem. Ichiro was perfectly capable of carrying Samatoki upstairs. If Samatoki was that tired, Ichiro didn't want to wake him anyway.
But… with Samatoki sleeping so soundly, maybe now was the time to say something he'd sort of always wanted to say. Just to try it, just to see how it would taste.
Ichiro worried at his lower lip for a second, feeling a touch self-conscious even with Samatoki asleep. But he'd never been a coward, so he went right ahead and whispered, "Danna."
When he pulled back, a little hot in the face, he found Samatoki's eyes open, lips grinning.
Ichiro groaned and tried to slump back in his seat, only to have Samatoki reel him back in by the front of his shirt.
"Again," Samatoki said.
"Make me," Ichiro shot back.
Which, in hindsight, was of course a surefire way to guarantee that Samatoki would do just that.
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raid3r-r4bbit · 7 months
Text
@fuzzydreamin thanks for the lol. ive been a little busy with life so sorry for the late response.
Favorite Color:
Green. Like Blindingly Neon almost yellow bile/acid toxic hazmat pukey green. Also black. I'm also a fan of earthy tones, warm greys and browns, rusty orangey reds, and i also unironically love that "some smoker lived here for 5+ years but i swear the walls are white" sepia color.
Last song:
Either Childish Flamingo or 1x1. I've been hopping in between really screamy and just goofy shit atm because i cant focus with anything else. 🤷 But (I also jsut got a new BMTH hoodie) BMTH's post human album has been feeding me. It's a really good (visual? no.) example of that like just angry and over it nihilist feeling and I just *MUNCH CRUNCH AAAA* like i feel like it could be just the tiniest bit angrier and louder but i think that's my headphones.
as for childish flamingo, its like that miseryxcpr thing imo. It's goofy and funny and it slaps. and it's so catchy. it's like right on the edge of aha funny and fuck you street and i love it. i hope any of that makes sense im sorry lol.
Last movie:
the Demon Slayer movie. I skipped all the way to the end to see the fight between Akaza and Rengoku because they're two of my favs ( in order from that show: Uzui (my mom calls yuzu (my cat) Uzui and its adorable) Akaza and Rengoku. I Found out the english dub is out (im way behind) and just needed to hear their english voice acting. all of it is amazing and Akaza's lil gigles during the fight make me incredibly happy. Guys who laugh/giggle mid combat? Ugh >\\x//<
Currently Watching:
Demon Slayer, Chainsaw man, Tokyo ghoul (im rewatching a bunch of animes) Steven universe. (i love all of these and full recommend them. I literally just yesterday(or the day before idk time is a blur) got a new funko pop, it's the half-kakuja kaneki and i love it.)
Other stuff i've watched this year:
Spy x Family, the Junji ito Collection, Yamishibai (if you like picture style art and horror this is great, its somewhat junji ito like, but shorter stories and ngl the zanbai ep scared me a bit) psychpass (some reccomended this to me cause im (obviously) a fan of darker more gruesome shows, and it is very dystopian, love the art work, but i just dont get it.) Given (if you havent watched this show please watch it its amazing) Yuri on ice, Banana Fish (also another fave)
(I work from home, and pretty much exist at my computer, and need to keep on music or tv to keep the bad thoughts out, so i have a lot of time and opportunity to watch stuff ok)
Shows I dropped this week:
Psycho pass. again, i just couldnt get into it. I know a lot of people seem to really like and it full seems like a show that would be up my alley. that first ep was kind of a lot though. I'm not ashamed to admit i love shows that are unafraid to show nudity and violence but the two together (ifykyk) make me uncomfortable. If this case had been a little further in the show i think it would have been fine, but it's litterally the first like ten minutes of the show. I also tried watching this a few week ago while at wasteland but we were pretty much just out the door.
Devil May Cry. I still love the games and the characters, and i remember loving the anime as a kid but its just... so different from the games lmao.
Currently Reading:
random internet stuff, fics and shit. I feel bad because i used to go to the library all the time but at the same time, i dont really have the room to store a whole bunch of books and despite being super dyslexic, i read insanely fast, so renting/buying books isnt worth it to me. (i've read entire full length series in the span of a day or two, while doing other stuff. I need longer, more conveniently packaged novels and that typically comes in the form of fanfiction. )
tagging: @snowmutant @ivanpahdrylakeracer @glaochormfitheach(idk if ur cool tagging you in this kinda stuff, if not just lmk i though it'd be fun :D) @the-soup-witch(im dragging you into tumblr culture whether you like it or not, welcome to tagging games)
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riversofmars · 1 year
Note
I see. Well I find companion support group absolutely amazing, been reading any fics on that especially ones with other companions being added but no one includes Grace Holloway. I asked someone else actively doing requests but turns out they haven't even seen the TV movie :( So was just wondering if you would be interested.
Alright, lovely Anon, here we are!! I really hope you like this, it ended up a lot longer than anticipated but it as a lot of fun and I don't do 'short', really, so XD
I hope you don't mind, I ended up combining two things: Grace's experience of visiting London and the support group and Liv's experience of staying in London post "Stranded". The two really compliment each other! Yes, somehow this turned into another Stranded Fix-It, sue me. Rating G, Length 7.3k, might be worth reading this one on AO3 rather than under the cut lol!
Hope you like it!
Missed Opportunities
Grace nearly turned around and walked away. It would have been a waste of a lot of money and holiday time but now that she was here, she simply felt stupid. "Here" was London. She had made the journey across the pond on nothing but a hunch and a memory. A memory that was over twenty years old. The average active working memory of a human was about ten years, she knew, things older tended to fade with the exception of deeply memorable events. After such a long time she couldn't be sure her memory was entirely accurate but things had certainly been... memorable. One mad New Year's Eve at the turn of the millennium...
Years later, whenever she spoke of it to anyone, they would make fun of her, assuming she'd simply had a bit too much to drink that night and ended in a vivid dream. Sometimes, when she was feeling particularly low, she almost believed that too. She rarely spoke of it now, to anyone. Most of the time, she didn't think about it at all anymore. She had carried on with her life, her career, had found love again and married, and things had been good... but there had always been that nagging feeling of a missed opportunity; of something amazing that she had allowed to slip through her fingers.
The Doctor. The Doctor and his mad blue box of tricks. The Master and his evil plan that they had foiled at the last moment. The Doctor's offer to see the universe with him. And the regret she felt for having turned him down. All but a distant dream.
At least until she had come across a social media post that struck too close to home. She hadn't even been thinking about the Doctor and New Year's 2000 at the time. She had been reading an article about the state of the UK's National Health Service and felt for her colleagues across the pond, but then, something in one of the comments on the article had given her pause. Things had spiralled from there. She had taken a deep dive into conspiracy theories, far removed from her scientific nature, and found an awful lot more than she had ever dreamed of.
And now she was in London, standing in front of what looked like a community centre with a support group advertised on the door. Of course it wasn't really a bereavement and loss counseling group - at least from what she had been able to find online. That was just a cover story. One could hardly advertise a meeting group for people who had once encountered a time travelling alien... and yet, she had made the jump across the pond with no other reason in mind. If it was a waste of her time, it would teach her not to trust things she found on the internet but if it wasn't... she had so many questions. Questions that had been weighing on her for over twenty years and if she could get answers to some of them, it would be well worth the trouble.
That, however, meant she had to take the plunge and actually go in.
Grace took a deep breath. She was a successful heart surgeon, accomplished and admired in every way, she could manage the task of walking inside a building, even taking the risk of making a fool of herself. What did she have to lose? No-one here knew her.
"Are you looking for something?" A voice drew her out of her internal conflict and made her jump.
"S-Sorry?" The surgeon stuttered, her head snapping around. She felt as if she had been caught red-handed, even if she knew she had done nothing wrong.
"It's just... you've been standing here a while." The voice belonged to a woman, slightly younger than Grace herself and significantly shorter, with shoulder-length brunette hair and bright eyes. Her brow had knitted into her curious frown as she approached.  
"Yeah I... I'm not sure I'm in the right place." Grace didn't know what to make of her. 
"You're not from around here, are you?" The brunette observed, tilting her head a little. "The accent," she clarified before the surgeon could muster a response. "I'm not either but I've been here a while now so... maybe I can help? What are you looking for?" It was a kind offer but Grace felt it wasn't one she could actually take her up on. That would have involved explaining why she was here...
"You'll laugh if I tell you," she tried to put her off and the other woman gave her a smile that did wonders to lighten her otherwise surly demeanour.
"I've heard it all. Don't worry," she gave back kindly and cast a glance towards the community centre. "What makes you come all this way from the US?"
"I-" Even if she had wanted to tell her, Grace wouldn't have known where to start. She was beginning to feel incredibly silly. "I'm sorry, this was a mistake, I don't know why I came here." She shook her head, looked up the road for a way out of the awkward situation. Her husband would laugh when he found out she had chickened out. He had been ever so supportive and encouraged her to go, hoping she would find some answers to the questions that had bothered her for the past twenty years. At least he believed her when so many others did not. He would be disappointed, surely, unless he had just indulged her all this time…
Grace turned to leave but then, the woman said something that made her stop dead in her tracks.
"You wouldn't happen to know a blue police box, would you?" She questioned and Grace whipped around.
"How do you-" She stared at her and the brunette grinned triumphantly.
"Thought as much," she chuckled and pulled a hand from her jumper, extending it. "I'm Liv Chenka."
Grace blinked, overwhelmed for a moment. If she knew about the police box it meant that- The surgeon wrestled her emotions back in check and quickly grasped her hand.
"Grace. Grace Holloway," she introduced herself and Liv smiled, almost knowingly.
"He's talked about you," she observed as she retreated her hand.
"What?"
"The Doctor," the brunette elaborated, her expression a picture of kindness. "We went to San Francisco once. 'Died and born again here' he said, of course we made him tell us about it," there was a certain wistfulness in her voice. "Lovely city, though I suppose we were there a bit before your time." Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing. Well, she could and she couldn't. It was utterly ridiculous. The woman in front of her insisted she had travelled in time with the person she had come to doubt ever existed. It was a lot to take in, almost more than she could comprehend, but the one thing that struck her, the one thing that stuck was: She hadn't made it up. The Doctor was real. And he was out there.
"So I-" She struggled for composure, tears of relief after years of nagging doubts and pent up tension threatened to overcome her.
"Are you okay?" Liv's expression turned to concern. She took a step closer but didn't seem to dare to reach out, not when Grace was visible trying to keep herself together.
"Yes... yes... I just... it's been twenty years... I thought perhaps..." She drew a deep breath and turned her gaze skywards to prevent her tears from falling. "I thought perhaps I had just made the whole thing up," she confessed at last.
"You haven't," Liv offered gently and didn't push for further explanation. Perhaps, Grace thought, if she knew the Doctor, she understood just what she was going through. "Do you want to come in?" The brunette offered and gestured towards the door of the community centre.
"I... I guess I should..." Grace remained hesitant. She followed her gaze. Where before, she had had doubts about why she was even here, she now found herself wondering if she had any place to be. She had met the Doctor only once whereas Liv seemed to know him better than that...
"Don't worry. We don't bite. Everyone's lovely and we all have stories to tell," Liv encouraged her, seemingly sensing her hesitation.
"So you... you travelled with him? Actually travelled in time?" Grace asked, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the notion, and the other woman nodded.
"I did, yeah, for a long time," she gave back and there was that wistfulness again. No, more than wistfulness. It was sadness. Sorrow.
"And now you're..." The surgeon wanted to ask more, even if it probably wasn't her place, but Liv interrupted her, gently, but decisively.
"Not," she clarified curtly. "We'll be late if we don't go in."
"Right, okay..." Grace nodded and Liv smiled before climbing the steps and holding the door open for her.
---
Grace wasn't sure what she had expected, but what she found was rather similar to the average AA meeting portrayed on TV. They were sitting in a circle on uncomfortable chairs with makeshift name tags and tea in paper cups. She usually would have preferred coffee over tea but since she was in the UK, she figured she ought to adapt. So she sipped the hot liquid and got absorbed in the task of assessing the people around the room. They were all sorts of ages, some older, some significantly younger than her. They had greeted her kindly and Grace had taken a seat next to Liv, accepting her unspoken offer of being her guide through it all.
The brunette had taken it upon herself to introduce her to everyone: A lovely elderly chap called Ian, a bubbly blonde by the name of Jo. Mel, a kind lady who had come to sit on her other side. There were Tegan and Ace and Kate... all pleasantly inquiring about her journey here... A young girl - Yaz - had greeted her eagerly, always happy to meet new people. And there were more: Graham, Ryan, Dan, Osgood, Martha, Gwen, Harry... Liv had explained that there were a lot more and that attendance fluctuated but already, Grace found herself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people the Doctor had encountered in one way or another.
"We have a new member," Graham announced, making Grace snap to attention. She hadn't expected to take an active role in proceedings, she would have been quite content to simply sit and listen, but it seemed that was not to be.
"I- Yes, I- When I found out about this group I thought I ought to-" She blushed a little, uncomfortable in the centre of attention. Where the Doctor was concerned, she was out of her depth.
"You've come a long way," Kate observed kindly.
"Yes. I met the Doctor in San Francisco over twenty years ago..." Grace said and found everyone listening intently, with kind smiles and genuine interest. No-one was doubting her. No-one was making fun of her. And everyone understood. It was a wonderfully freeing feeling and she felt encouraged for it. "Just the once and I-" She took a deep breath. "I don't have that much of a story to tell, it was one night. One mad night of adventure, dealing with the Master and… I guess I'm just glad to have confirmed that I didn't make up the whole thing." 
"Well, you are in good company," Ace smiled and Grace felt as though a great burden was lifted off her shoulders at last. 
"It's difficult when no-one else understands... but we do. We've all been there, love," Jo said, seemingly sensing her emotional state.
"Thank you, that- that actually means a lot," Grace nodded gratefully and managed a small smile of her own while everyone beamed at her.
"It means a lot to all of us," Yaz replied. " The Doctor means a lot to all of us and being able to share our adventures, even if they're over... whether they were a big or a small part of our lives, we were all changed by it. We learned that there was so much more in the universe and that's such a wonderful gift." Her words betrayed a wisdom Grace wouldn't have thought someone as young as her capable of and her words shone with such affection, it was lovely to hear and lifted the surgeon's spirits more than she had thought possible. Perhaps she really had done the right thing by making the trip.
"The journey never ends," Tegan hummed in agreement and Yaz nodded.
"It doesn't," she agreed. "And we may see them again. Or we may not and that's also... fine..." It was obvious that the latter was something Yaz struggled voicing but she managed it. "But we're all connected by that wonderful, wondrous thing and that's something so special."
Grace found herself nodding, her heart a little lighter, even as she noticed Liv slumping in her chair beside her. Before she had a chance to enquire or wonder about the heaviness of her demeanour, Osgood demanded Grace's attention.
"What was your Doctor like? What did he look like? Where does he fit in?" She asked eagerly.
"Well, he... he was this little man before, he had been shot and... I was operating on him but he had two hearts!" Grace recalled, unpleasantly reminded by her failure to save his life back then.
"That can be quite confusing," Martha chuckled.
"I think I may have... killed him... by accident," Grace confessed, mortified by the whole experience.
"Let's just assume it was the gunshot wounds," Kate interjected.
"But then he came back. With a younger face and dark curls. He was quite dashing," the surgeon continued and a smile came to her lips as the memories took shape in her mind.
"Oh, that's him, alright," Liv hummed beside her. "Fairly certain we know the same Doctor. 
"So how many are there?" Grace asked, curious beyond belief by this point.
"Well, that's quite the difficult question," Osgood adjusted the glasses on her nose, obviously ready to launch into lengthy explanation but Mel interrupted:
"I remember his blonde curls..." she smiled fondly.
"I have met a fair few, it's quite the change every time," Kate carried on and Yaz shook her head, bemused:
"I always struggle to imagine her as a bloke!"
"Imagine our surprise!" Tegan shot back and the room descended into laughter, all except for Liv, as Grace noted with curiosity and concern. Something seemed to be weighing heavily on her and the surgeon wasn't sure whether if it was any of her business to try to figure out what it was. The brunette had been so kind to offer her help tomake this big step that meant so much to her, she would gladly return the favour.
"This is an awful lot to wrap your head around..." She stated, once the laughter had died down. "I never expected all this... it's more than I could have hoped for." And it really was. After over twenty years, she finally felt understood.
"You're one of us, Grace, feel free to dial in any time. I imagine making the trip would be quite the expense every time, what, without a TARDIS," Graham offered kindly.
"Thank you. Thank you all so very much, it just... thank you. It's wonderful to be surrounded by people that understand," she nodded gratefully, regarding each and every one of them with a smile.
"Oh boy, do we understand," Jo grinned. "Let me tell you about the time-"
---
When the meeting concluded, Grace felt it had been over far too quickly. As she said her goodbyes, it didn't feel like an end though, it felt like the beginning of many wonderful friendships and she couldn't be happier. With numbers and email addresses exchanged, she felt like she was well set up for the future. She would have stayed longer, chatting some more, if she hadn't noticed Liv making for the exit all by herself.
Grace quickly said her final goodbyes and rushed after her.
"Where are you going now?" She inquired boldly once she caught up with her outside.
"Just... home, I guess..." Liv answered slowly, surprised to have been followed.
"Do you want to grab a coffee? I haven't really got anything else planned and I- we didn't get to talk much," she observed and it was true. Everyone had spoken at length about their time with the Doctor, answered Grace's questions and shared their experiences. Liv, however, had remained pensive through most of it.
"Sure... why not..." The brunette shrugged and forced a smile. Her demeanour seemed changed to before the meeting, almost as if the event had taken a lot out of her. Perhaps it had... Grace was determined to find out as they headed towards a Costa Coffee across the road.
“You said you weren’t from around here?” Grace made a bold opening once they were seated, eager to find out more about her and thus, perhaps, learn what was bothering her. “Where is home for you?”
“Kaldor,” Liv answered simply and when it became obvious that Grace was at a bit of a loss, she elaborated: “A different planet.”
“Wow, that’s…” the surgeon didn’t know what to say to that and the brunette smiled, though the joy didn’t quite reach her eyes. 
“Been here a while now…” 
“Must be quite the change,” Grace observed and Liv gave a little shrug with her eyes angled down, watching her coffee splash up the sides of her mug as she stirred it.
“You could say that,” she hummed and Grace decided to take the plunge.
"If you don't mind me asking... you don't seem... happy... here,” she stated gently as that much was blindingly obvious. 
"I'm not," Liv shrugged nonchalantly and the surgeon was taken aback by her candour. It seemed as though she didn't see a need in pretending otherwise.
"Then why..." Grace wasn't sure how to phrase her question. What she wanted to ask was ‘Why would you stop travelling with the Doctor if you miss it so much’ but she couldn't very well say that, could she? Fortunately, Liv elaborated without her having to enquire.
"I... made a mistake... asked the Doctor to leave me here and I shouldn't have... now it's too late," she explained bitterly and indignantly dropped her spoon onto the saucer.
"You can't... you can't call him or-" Grace wasn't sure how the whole thing worked. Her experience was rather limited but she felt she ought to say something like it. 
"Doesn't work like that," Liv hummed miserably. "I wish I-" She took a deep breath but caught herself before saying any more. "You don't need to hear this." She shook her head and gave her a sad smile before she took a sip of her drink.
"I turned him down," Grace blurted out, voicing something she had purposefully not mentioned at the meeting and had had no intention of sharing with anyone, but suddenly she felt like she needed to. "The Doctor," she clarified when Liv raised her eyebrows at her. "He said I could come with him but I... didn't."
"And you regret it," the brunette observed with a knowing smile.
"A bit... maybe... I don't know. We had a mad adventure and that was quite the experience but I had a life... I still do. And I'm happy. Sometimes I just wonder what else there could have been," she gave a small shrug and awkward smile.
"A hell of a lot, is what. But if you're happy, that's not a bad place to be," Liv hummed after brief consideration. "Life with the Doctor is brilliant but also... it's not fulfilling in the same way. He's just... he's a mad dream. And he changes, as you've heard. He doesn't tie himself to one person or one companion or- Times change. He changes. Nothing is forever when you're with the Doctor," she gave a bitter laugh and Grace's heart went out to her. While she was lacking a lot of pieces to the puzzle, her pain was more than obvious. Liv dropped her eyes, taking keen interest in her coffee again as she fiddled with a napkin. "That concept of lasting happiness and fulfillment... that thing that humans need... you can't find that in him. You find that in-"
"Another human?" Grace offered as suddenly, the penny dropped.
"For instance, yeah," Liv mumbled and they way her shoulders slumped and she wiped her eyes awkwardly, told the surgeon everything she needed to know.
"So you weren't alone when you travelled with him? There was someone else?" She deduced. "Earlier when you said about visiting San Francisco, you said 'we made him tell us'."
"You are observant," Liv mumbled and Grace smiled:
"I'm a doctor, I have an eye for detail."
"I'm a doctor too, actually... well, a med-tech..." the brunette replied after a brief pause of heavy silence.
"You are?" Grace's eyebrows shot up, curious and eager to learn every detail she was willing to share.
"Yeah. In the future, in the 30 th century, which is where I'm from, medical professionals are called med-techs," she explained.
"30 th century?!" Grace gaped and Liv gave a little chuckle, a momentary reprieve from the heaviness that seemed to engulf her.
"So you can imagine 21 st century medicine is just not for me... I miss practising... I miss working..." She sunk into herself once more. "One of the many disappointments..."
"Why did you ask to stay here? If you don't mind my asking," Grace decided to brave the question. She was sure the other woman would simply refuse her if she pushed too far. She seemed like the sort of person that would.
"I... I met someone here," Liv answered after a moment of deliberation in which she seemed to be weighing her options. In the end, she appeared to settle on letting her in and Grace thought that maybe, Liv, too, needed someone to understand her. "We were stranded for a while in 2020 when the TARDIS wasn't working and... things were going well, I thought it would... it was nice, good, for a while but it didn't last. There was just too much that made me unhappy here. The fact I couldn't work. Knowing I would never see my sister again... Missing my-" Liv broke off and Grace thought she knew where she was going.
"The other person that was travelling with you?"
"Sometimes you just can't see what's right in front of you, can you..." the med-tech gave a sad smile.
"I'm sorry," Grace offered as there wasn't much else she could say. What was there to say? She knew all about missed opportunities...
"Me too," Liv took a deep breath. "But what's done is done, I'm stuck here now and... What about you? Sounds like you made the right decision staying here. New isn't always better," she seemed eager to change the topic.
"I still would have liked to see some of the universe, I think..." the surgeon answered softly.
"Who knows... maybe he'll pop by eventually and you can ask for a little trip. If he does, you better call me though so he can-" Liv stopped herself once more, apparently unwilling to indulge the hope that she didn't seem to have anymore.
"There must be something you can do," Grace reached out across the table for Liv's hand and gave it a squeeze of comfort. "You can't just... I mean, what do you do? If you can't work, if you-" She didn't want her to give up. It simply felt wrong. For someone to be stuck in the wrong time, the wrong place, all alone. She wished there was something she could do to help.
"Sit at home, mostly, dream about the stars... I mean, I can do some things... UNIT... this top secret government organisation that Kate Stewart runs? I help them every now and then with technology, freelance, sort of... but it's... when I get home, I'm still all alone," Liv confessed miserably. "And Tania- that's who I was with, who I stayed for... She's lovely. She still tries to be a friend to me but it's... it's not fair on her and I don't want to be a burden, I just want-" Tears welled up in her expressive eyes.
"Your other friend back?" Grace made an educated guess. "It's not really about the Doctor, is it?"
"Yeah..." Liv mumbled and a thought struck the surgeon.
"Have you told anyone else?" She questioned, considering the effort it had taken to get the truth out of the med-tech.
"What do you mean?" Liv frowned.
"The rest of the group? You were there but you... well, everyone had something to say but you didn't," Grace observed. Everybody had been so eager in their response, so kind, Grace couldn't imagine they wouldn't want to help Liv as well if she had said what was weighing on her.
"I've told them about my adventures with the Doctor," the med-tech answered, almost defensively.
"But have you told them about this? That you want to find a way to get back to them?" Grace wasn't dissuaded.
"They don't need to hear about my heartbreak," Liv huffed.
"Maybe they do. Maybe someone has a way to, I don't know, reach out?" The surgeon carried on. "Unless you tell them that you need help, that you're unhappy, they won't think to offer it."
"I suppose..." the med-tech mumbled.
"What about that technology that you were talking about? From UNIT? Could you not-" She was stabbing in the dark now. She had no idea what it took to reach out to the Doctor but surely with all the expertise gathered in that community centre, they could work something out. The other former companions all seemed to have closure, Liv, however...
"What's the use... why would they take me back after I walked away?" The med-tech huffed and Grace felt she was getting closer to the root course of it all.
"So the reason is not that you couldn't reach out, it's that you won't," she deduced and Liv couldn't muster a response. She simply looked incredibly guilty and it was all the confirmation Grace needed so she carried on: "I mean, I'm a heart surgeon, not a psychiatrist but... maybe forgive yourself for your mistake, be ready to admit to it and... try. Just try. Else you will regret it for the rest of your life." That was something she could attest to and Liv easily picked up on it too:
"Like you're regretting not going with the Doctor?"
"A missed opportunity, yes..." she admitted with a wistful smile. "Perhaps we could... both... just... try. See what happens. And if nothing comes of it at least we can say we tried."
"Are you hoping I can get you a meeting with the Doctor?" Liv raised her eyebrows and her lips curled into a smile that blew away the heaviness of the moment. It felt as though they were coming out the other side at last.
"Maybe..." Grace gave a sheepish grin as well as she felt the atmosphere around them lighten with a sudden rush of excitement and optimism. Perhaps it was false hope but what if it wasn't… It was the sort of closure she felt she needed after everything and well, her new friend stood a lot more to gain.
"Bit cheeky, isn't it? Bit selfish," Liv grinned, amused.
"It would mean reuniting you with your friend, too," Grace reminded her and Liv didn't seem able to argue with that. Instead she confessed:
"I left because I didn't think Helen would ever feel the same way about me as I did for her and I thought at least with Tania, I could find some measure of contentment."
"But you didn't," Grace deduced, understanding at last with all the cards on the table.
"I didn't," Liv admitted sorrowfully.
"Does it matter how Helen feels about you?" Grace asked tentatively. Without knowing any of the women in question, it was difficult to judge the situation. The best she could hope for was that Liv would explain in greater detail.
"She's likely angry..." the med-tech mumbled, hanging her head. "She didn't want me to leave but she also didn't- I wanted her to say something, for her to admit that- if-" she gestured vaguely at nothing at all and Grace understood anyway. "I shouldn't have pushed, I should have been happy to just have her in my life in whatever capacity and not been so selfish." She gnawed her bottom lip anxiously. "I don't know if she'd forgive me."
"Surely it's worth a shot," the surgeon offered gently. "I think you've punished yourself enough."
"Do you... do you really think so?" Liv sounded ever so insecure as she looked up to her and Grace smiled:
"If you have a way to contact them, if you have that opportunity... don't miss it."
"Come on then," Liv jumped to her feet, releasing her hand and abandoning her coffee.
"Where are we going?" Grace frowned, confused.
"My place. And I'm warning you now, it's a state." She barely looked back as she spoke, making for the door.
"And what-" The surgeon scrambled to grab her handbag and downed the rest of her coffee in one go.
"I've built something... I signalling device... with bits and pieces I took from UNIT. I just haven't..." Liv waved for her to come along and she did.
"Why not?" Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I didn't think it was a good idea, I didn't think I..." Liv let her voice trail off as she left the coffee shop. Once out in the fresh air, the med-tech took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts and her emotions before she squared her jaw and made a decision: "But you're right, I just need to take the plunge and- and even if Helen doesn't want me there, at least I can ask the Doctor to take me to Kaldor where my sister is... at least there I can work and have an actual life..."
"That sounds like a good idea," Grace agreed, it made a lot of sense and she was swept up in her excitement as they hurried up the street.
"Besides... you came all this way to London, can't have you waste another opportunity," Liv grinned, casting a sideways glance at her.
"Thank you," the surgeon gave a weak smile as well.
"Don't thank me yet. I don't even know if it'll work. Or if the right Doctor will turn up, or-" Liv fixed her eyes forward once more.
"But at least we will have tried," Grave interjected and the med-tech nodded in agreement:
"At least we will have tried." That's all any of them could do.
---
"This is..." Grace didn't really have words to describe the state of her new friend's flat at 107 Baker Street. 'Mess' was probably the most accurate term. Dishes were stacked high. The place could do with a good hoover and dusting. There was stuff everywhere. She didn't need to be a psychiatrist to spot the symptoms of depression littered around the place.
"I did tell you not to expect too much," Liv didn't pay much attention to her, she marched over to a shelf. "Now let me just..." 
What struck Grace was how empty the place seemed once you looked past the mess. There wasn't much in the way of personal effects, just a few books and dvds here and there but otherwise, not much filled the empty space and empty life... One thing she spotted as she wandered over to the sofa was a stack of photos. They lay spread over the setteegb and coffee table, some had even dropped to the floor. They were snapshots as one might take with their phone and they featured three people again and again. Liv, of course, was in many of them and there was the Doctor. Grace recognised him immediately even if his wardrobe was a little less extravagant and his hair had had a cut. His smile was as radiant as ever. There was a second woman too. A blonde with a bright smile and kind eyes. It didn't take a genius to work out that this was Helen. She was in almost every picture, the obvious object of adoration of the photographer.
"These are lovely pictures," Grace observed as she picked one from the pile in which the three of them were beaming at the camera while eating ice cream.
"It's... it's all I have of them," Liv answered in a small voice and blushed self-consciously.
"It's definitely him," the surgeon pointed out the Doctor and Liv nodded as she made her way over, carrying a small device unlike anything Grace had ever seen before.
"Good," the med-tech smiled as she set it down on the coffee table. “That should make things easier if this does work…”
"And this is Helen I take it?" Grace asked, pointing out the blonde in the picture and the way Liv's face lit up told her everything she needed to know.
"Yeah..." She reached out and took the picture, brushing her thumb across the surface before gathering the pile together. Grace noticed the way in which some pictures had creased and others bore tear stains... she hoped they would succeed in their endeavour. "Here we are..." Liv turned to the device on the coffee table.
"Are you okay?" The surgeon asked and received an absent-minded nod. There clearly was a lot going on in the other woman's mind.
"Yeah..." She confirmed nonetheless and took a deep breath.
"Maybe run a brush through your hair," Grace joked to stop her overthinking and it worked.
"OI!" Liv exclaimed, affronted and amused but before she could put up a defense a voice sounded from the other side of the room.
"Bit late for that."
Both women whirled around and there, in the doorway to the kitchen, stood the Doctor, regarding both of them with a kind smile.
"Doctor?!" Liv found her voice first and exclaimed. Her eyes shot in between her device and the Time Lord and back again. She hadn't even activated it yet! "How did you- when?!"
"Been here a while... you really did let this place go. That'll teach me entrusting you with my things," he mused, scanning the room with keen eyes. Finally, his attention turned to Grace and he smiled: "Hello Grace," he stated simply and the surgeon was stunned into silence.
"What?! How?!" Liv continued raging while Grace just about managed a small smile of greeting:
"Doctor."
"I haven't even..." Liv pointed at the device and the Doctor chuckled.
"I've had a message from UNIT, as it happens," he revealed and his expression turned more serious as he regarded his friend with concern: "Messages of concern. Someone called Kate Stewart? And from Tania too..."
"I-" Liv didn't seem to know what to say and Grace felt validated in her previous assessment. Of course the others had wanted to help and Liv's state of being had not gone unnoticed.
"But I see you have found lovely company," the Doctor observed with a smile to Grace who still didn't really know what to say or do. Liv, meanwhile, seemed to be pulling herself together and realise what was truly important now:
"Doctor, where is..." She didn't get to finish her question. Helen appeared beside the Doctor.
"Hello Liv," the blonde spoke softly, insecurely.
"Helen!" At that, Liv lost all remaining inhibitions. She rushed forward, closed the short space between them, and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.
"And you, Grace? Here of all places? How have you been?" The Doctor turned from the display of affection, pure and heart-warming as Liv mumbled apologies and Helen held on to her tightly, evidently more than happy to forget all about it. Grace's attention snapped to the Doctor.
"I-" She had had so many questions, so many things she'd wanted to say but now that it came to it, she couldn't phrase any of them and instead, chose to devote her attention to the lovely reunion they were witness to. 
"Helen, I'm so sorry, I should never have-" Liv pulled away and brushed tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, please forgive me, it was a mistake," she pleaded. "All I wanted was for you to- But it doesn't matter. I don't need any of that, I just need you back in my life and I-" Her words spilled out of her like a waterfall and it seemed Helen had heard more than enough already.
"Liv, shut up," she whispered, her voice heavy with tears of her own. And she silenced her with a kiss. Grace wanted to cheer but she settled for a content smile, one the Doctor shared. Helen pulled back and took Liv's face in her hands. The med-tech stood petrified gaping in surprise and wonder, and Helen elaborated: "I'm sorry too. I should have just... spared us both a lot of heartbreak." She brushed her thumbs over her cheeks affectionately, catching her tears.
"So you'll take me back, you'll-" Liv stuttered insecurely and Helen smiled, just as self-consciously:
"If you'll have me."
"Shall we carry this on in the TARDIS?" The Doctor interrupted before she could meet in another kiss. He ushered them along into the kitchen, then turned to look back: "Come along, Grace."
"I-" The surgeon didn't know what to say. She didn't feel like she had a place here, she didn't want to intrude but the Doctor was insistent:
"Come on. Someone else will have to clean up this mess... might call a removal company..." She looked around the place, wrinkling his nose.
"OI!" Liv exclaimed and he grinned:
"There's that snarky med-tech I've been missing."
"We were just about to call you, actually..." Grace decided to explain as she caught up with them. They weren't going far. The TARDIS was standing in the middle of the kitchen and the Doctor opened the door for them.
"So timing couldn't have been any better," he observed joyfully as they stepped inside. "Tea! Where are my manners, would you like some? Helen, Liv? Would you mind?"
"Not at all," Helen smiled and grabbed Liv's hand to lead her away, further into the TARDIS as Grace remained with the Doctor.
"Don't get lost on the way! Straight to the kitchen! Time for everything else later!" He called after them, then devoted his attention to Grace who was looking around the console room. It had changed since she had last seen it twenty-odd years ago but some things remained the same. She couldn't believe she still recognised them after all that time... it was even bigger than she remembered... "It's been a while," the Doctor observed as if he had read her thoughts.
"Yes... yes, I suppose it has," she answered softly, still taking in the wonders of it all.
"How have you been?" He asked and her attention snapped back to him.
"Good, I- yeah, I've been good," she answered at last, shaking her head free of the distractions. "Married. Working. I've been involved in some fascinating research of- But you don't need to hear that. Of course. That's all in the past for you." She realised how utterly small and insignificant it had to appear to him. It gave her pause.
"But I do! I do! I want to hear all about your life, your accomplishments, your adventures," he encouraged her enthusiastically  and she wanted to believe him.
"Hardly adventures. Not like yours," she answered, trying her best not to sound jealous.
"Why not? Every day is an adventure, you step in front of your door and never know where the path will lead you," he beamed.
"Just like you step out of your blue box and you never know where you end up?" She asked and he nodded.
"I suppose so, yes." And then he added more seriously: "Not every adventure is about saving the universe."
"I regret it," Grace gave a soft smile.
"What?" He frowned in response and she explained:
"That I didn't come with you. Not all the time. Not when I think about what I have and what I have accomplished, I'm happy but- there is always that little nagging voice of 'what if'..." her voice trailed off and the Doctor took advantage to fill the space with words of his own:
"I'm proud of you. For what you have done. What you have accomplished. And I'm ever so glad to know you," he took a step closer to her. "Maybe we missed a trick, you and me, but also, maybe, it was always meant to be this way."
"You seem to have so many wonderful friends," Grace thought back to the group she had met only hours ago and she wasn't sure whether to be jealous that she never got as much time with him as they had, or to be glad to be counted among them. 
"I have. And you're one of them," the Doctor spoke to the latter but she couldn't quite accept or believe it.
"Hardly compares, one night of adventure versus years of shared experiences, shared..."
"That doesn't make it any less significant," the Doctor interrupted. "Besides, the journey is never over." At that, Liv and Helen returned. Helen was carrying a tray of cups and Liv a pot of tea and a tray of biscuits.
"How do you take your tea, Grace? Do Americans drink tea?" Helen asked kindly as she set the china down on a small table in between some armchairs. 
"Where would you like to go?" The Doctor posed an altogether more intriguing question.
"What?" Grace had been good and ready to answer Helen but the Doctor's words interrupted her train of thought.
"If you could go anywhere in time and space. I have nothing else on," he shrugged and looked to his other friends. "I have put right a great wrong, everything else for today is just... fun."
"You're not serious," Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I imagine Liv and Helen will want some time to themselves so how about it? You pick a destination and we have a little adventure," he beamed and gave a dismissive wave to his companions. "They can get up to whatever they want to get up to in private-"
"Doctor!" Liv scowled and Helen blushed but the Time Lord didn't pay attention to either.
"-and we explore."
"Anywhere? In space and time?" Grace asked, her voice more shaky than she would have liked and the Doctor nodded enthusiastically.
"And I can have you back here in an instant. Maybe not here... wouldn't want to put you through that again. But I can take you home after," he offered.
"Go on, Grace. You deserve this. Don't waste more time on indecision. No more missed opportunities," Liv smiled at her as she grabbed Helen's hand. The blonde smiled in agreement:
"No more missed chances."
Grace couldn't help but smile too. Liv's demeanour was completely changed. Where she had been muted, pensive and surly before, joy now shone from every aspect of her being. It was lovely to see and the same joy and hope radiated off her lovely companion too. It seemed as though the time in between had been washed away without a trace.
"We can't turn back the clock but we can carry on where we left off. All of us," the Doctor observed and Liv nodded:
"I'd like that."
"Me too," Helen agreed and they all turned their attention to Grace, awaiting her decision.
"Just one trip!" She exclaimed at last. "I have to- and nothing too dangerous, I have patients relying on me and my husband-" A world of possibilities opened up in front of her and while she didn't want to spend her life in the stars as some did, she at least wanted to see what was out there.
"You will be back before you know it," the Doctor promised kindly. "So what do you say? Come with me? With us?"
"Yes. This time, I'll say yes," Grace grinned.
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misc-obeyme · 2 months
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Hi! I'm terribly sorry for bothering you, but I would like your thoughts if you don't mind!
I'm having a hard time enjoying my own writing. I genuinely think it's terrible, and that anytime people say it's good, I think they are lying. I really try and like it, but most the time I end up not liking it. I would not say I'm a good writer, but I'm not a bad one; just somewhere in between? If that makes sense?
I want to get better at writing, which takes practice, and I was wondering if you had an advice possibly?
Thank you for your time 😊
Hello there!
No worries, you are not bothering me at all! In fact, I quite like talking about writing, so anyone should feel free to ask me such questions!
Now, I'm not sure if you're looking for advice on how to get better at writing or advice on how to not dislike your own writing. So I'll kinda talk about both since they tend to go hand in hand.
First and foremost, I totally understand the feeling you're describing and you should know that you are not alone! This is by far the type of thing people ask me about writing most frequently. Is it normal to not like your own writing? How do you overcome it? Do you ever get to a point where you feel like your writing is good?
It's really difficult to tell how good your own writing is. You're always going to see it differently because you wrote it.
How you should perceive your own work depends on your reason for writing. I tend to assume people here are writing fanfiction for fun. In that case, the best thing to do is to judge your writing based on how much fun you had writing it. If you enjoyed writing it, then it actually doesn't matter if it's good or bad. You wrote something, you had fun, and you gained experience about how to write while doing it.
It's like playing an instrument. You have to practice a song in order to play it. You aren't going to play it well the first several times you try. But you can still have fun playing, even if you play badly. The more you do it, the better you get, until you can play the song well. And you had fun the whole time.
Writing is the same. You write bad stuff continually, getting better and better each time, until eventually you're writing good stuff. The key is to have fun writing the bad stuff. (Or at least, what you perceive to be bad, which is never as bad as you think it is.)
How to get better at writing in general aside from practice? Read.
Read the kind of writing that you want to get better at. For instance, if you want to write mystery novels, read mystery novels. If you want to write novel length fic, read novel length fics.
But also read about how to write. Read books about how to create scenes, how to develop characters, etc etc. Find blogs of writers you admire and read through all the writing advice they've posted. Listen to podcasts about it, watch youtube videos, basically find any kind of writing advice out there and consume it. You don't have to actually do any of that stuff. But it will give you things to try and might also give you your own ideas for writing methods that might work for you.
The more knowledge you have about the craft of writing, the more you have to draw from when it comes to doing it yourself.
For what it's worth, I almost never re read my own fics. For me the fun is in the writing, not the reading. I trust the reactions of people on tumblr far more than I do my own thoughts on it. If someone here leaves me a single reblog with comments in the tags, I consider that fic a success, whether I like it when I read it or not.
It gets easier with time, but that feeling never really goes away. You just learn to challenge it and question it. Because it's never accurate.
I hope some of that helped! Please feel free to ask me anything you like, I'm happy to talk about writing all day every day lol!
Good luck with your writing! I believe in you!
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dominimoonbeam · 10 months
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Do you have any posts discussing your path to self publication in depth? I’m pursuing being a hybrid author (pursuing traditional pub first before self publishing which lol is that a mistake?? I guess I’ll find out lolol) and I just love hearing writers I like (I’ve read your Redacted fanfic and listen to Jouska) just discussing their writing journeys at length like I could legit read days and days worth tbh. Even when I don’t know you, reading it makes me feel less alone??? On this journey?? Anyway, you’re a truly lovely writer. Thanks for sharing your gift with all of us!
I don't really have any posts about that, but that's a great idea. I don't usually talk shop much because I have this thing where I worry I'm bothering people all the time. haha It took a lot just to get to the point where I share my fiction without a thousand apologies attached.
How you go about publishing your work has a lot to do with what genre you're writing, whether agents (the way in to large publishing houses) will find it sellable in the market right now, and the length of your books. Certain genres have "acceptable" word counts for their books. Agents and smaller publishers (the ones you can query even without an agent if they're open) will often list what they're looking for and what they're not. The other trick is of course catching them when they're open. You can try some of the twitter pitch events too! I've had some luck with those in other genres.
With my romance novellas, I've gone self pub because I tend to write shorter and that's not usually considered sellable by larger presses, probably because they think people want a certain length but also because they can't charge at the same price points.
PLUS I write a lot. I'm always writing and I have a back log of stories and series constantly piling up in my brain. So I'm not as worried about a book being my one and only shot at getting something out there. It might be a mistake on my side, but it's the way I've gone with the romances.
That being said, I do and plan to continue, to try sending my finished manuscripts that are in the right word count around to open publishers that might be interested. I did it with a contemporary romance I have, but with no particular luck, so I'm going to self publish that one and keep moving.
If you have a finished work you think an agent in your genre would be interested in, it's totally worth it. I don't know about you, but the social/advertising part of authoring is HARD. I'm an introvert. I will absolutely keep trying to get my books into the capable hands of extroverted professionals if nothing else than to give them a better chance of being found by people that might like them.
Oh my gosh, I hope this wasn't too much. I might rally the nerve to post about the editing/formatting/self publishing stuff sometime if you're interested in that aspect.
I hope this was at least somewhat interesting!!! Writing can feel really lonely and I'm glad you reached out! I am really lucky to have found a nice group here on tumblr. Thank you so much for reading my fics and listening to the Jouska audios! <3 <3
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