#SOMEONE PODFICCED MY FIC AND I AM CRYING

[mortimerlatrice]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: KinnPorsche: The Series (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Porsche Pachara Kittisawat/Kinn Anakinn Theerapanyakun, Pete Phongsakorn Saengtham/Vegas Kornwit Theerapanyakun Characters: Kinn Anakinn Theerapanyakun, Porsche Pachara Kittisawat, Khun Tankhun Theerapanyakun, Kim Khimhant Theerapanyakun, Macau Theerapanyakun, Porchay Pichaya Kittisawat, Pete Phongsakorn Saengtham, Vegas Kornwit Theerapanyakun Additional Tags: Family Feels, Light Angst, Jealous Kinn, Character Study, Porsche is Kinn’s Sunlight, Found Family, Except It’s Really More Figuring Out the Family We Have, Podfic Length: 0-10 Minutes Summary:

Author's Summary: After removing themselves from Korn's influence, the Theerapanyakun and Kittasawat family share a meal and Kinn considers what it means to him.

[theliteraryluggage]

Hi! If you still don't mind the emoji ask game, I'd like those, please:

🍬🍄🥤

P.S.: Your writing is gorgeous!

Ahhh yes of course anytime, thank you!!!

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

Hhhhh alright okay, you asked for it

Imo Roy is not a parental person, and I don’t see his relationship with Ed and/or Al as anything close to parental. This isn’t to say that he doesn’t care for them or isn’t protective of them, hell, they can even be a found family.. But shoehorning them into a parent-child dynamic just doesn’t work in my opinion. For starters, Roy isn’t even old enough to have kids their age, and I don’t think he’s at a stage in a stage of his life where he would look on teenagers in a parental way. He cares deeply about his team and shows it in his own way, but he’s not nurturing. Don’t get me wrong, I love this dynamic we get in many fanfics of him and Ed constantly fighting and bantering and never wanting to admit that they care about each other (even though they absolutely do), I've written them like that too. but … to me, the wonderful thing about found family is that it doesn’t have to adhere to a traditional nuclear family structure. They don’t have to see each other as parent and child to care about and protect each other.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Uhhhh I don’t really ship much in FMA tbh, I keep it mostly Gen… particularly where Ed is concerned bc my Ed is usually aromantic (not saying he is canonically, it’s just my headcanon and that’s how I prefer writing him). And I like Royai and some other ships not involving Ed well enough, but don’t really actively consume or create fanworks for them so.. I also don’t have a lot of headcanons about them. I could of course share a headcanon from a different fandom, but I know you came here from/for FMA so… I guess I could share some Edling thoughts? Because I can well imagine Ling crushing on Ed, and maybe they even experimented together, shared some first experiences, because, you know, they’re teenagers, but for Ed it was never really more than physical. I mean, he likes Ling but … aromantic and all that. And there might have been more for Ling, but he also knows there’s no future for them once he goes back to Xing, and his duty to his country has to be his first priority. So he just has to make his peace with that.

(I wanna note that I’m not claiming any of these thoughts/headcanons are the Correct ones, that’s just how I interpret them and how I prefer to play with my dolls lol)

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

Okay I am lowkey obsessed with @liathgray’s FMA fics 🙈 A Hop, Skip and a Jump, of course, but ESPECIALLY Tell me in the Sunshine, which is painful and tragic as fuck but I love it so much. So much, in fact, that I made a podfic, just to add another layer of pain. Hhhhhhh if you can handle the tags/warnings, please go read it/listen to it everyone. And then come crying to me about it I need someone to share my pain 😂

Thank you so much for the ask and your kind words!!! 💕

Writer Ask Game

[lilolilyr]

✨ao3 wrapped 2023✨

Haven't seen this tagging meme around at all yet this year, so I thought I'd start it myself!

2022

Works published: 74, very similar to last year! a bit less but the year also isn’t over yet :D edit: by the time I’m getting around to post this, it’s on 86! Yay!

Wordcount: 118254 I’m happy I made it past 100k! That was my tentative goal and I didn’t think I’d make it with how slow it came along for most of the year, but with flufftober and the events I did manage :D

Kudos: 3184

Hits: 31833

Bookmarks: 267

Subscriptions: 114 and I’m at 157 user subscriptions right now? Who follows my multifandom mess of an Ao3, doesn’t that completely clogg up your email inbox? Maybe I’m just biased bc I rarely check my fandomy email and when I do it’s always a mess xD but I think tag lists on tumblr are so much more useful

Most popular by kudos: Gave myself a Fright, a Mirandy (DWP) fic with 301 kudos

Most hits: same fic, 2404 hits

Longest: lonely hearts on remote roads with 10811 words - Milippa road trip AU my beloved!

Shortest: I wrote nine drabbles (100 word ficlets) this year, they’re the shortest ones :)

Most Comments: my podfic of the Mirandy longfic Jigsaw has 14 comment threads - damn, that’s a year with few comments! In past years the whole top 5 commented on fics had more than that. Oh well!

Fics that made me cry: Grief, a fanfic where I project my own feelings about a dead pet onto Myka, and recording the Jigsaw podfic also made me really emotional a lot

Fics that made me smile: so manyy! For example the Berena fic Happiness surrounded by Snow

gifts:

- the first chapter of ‘Time Dilates’ by @barbarawar as my Bering and Wells gift exchange gift back in February, thanks!

- ‘Blame it on Circumstance’, a wonderful sequel to the fluffy fic @squishmittenficfan made me for the Berena gift exchange in 2022, and another sequel Blame it on Love posted just a few days ago I haven’t actually gotten around to read yet but am already very excited for!

- ‘never borrow Helena’s clothes’, a fic for the Bering and Wells advent by @jesstrel that I have beta read for them :)

I have gifted some fics as well this year, I tend to gift people fics when they helped me with it by beta reading or cheering me on, or when I was writing to someone’s prompt! I know I adore getting gift works on Ao3 and I love to share that happiness :)

collaborations:

Halloween fic and art collab with @thewalkingmeepa, that was fun!

Drunken Considerations, a Bering and Wells collab fic with @lavendelhummel :D first time I made a collab while actually in the same room with the other person xD

Both collaborations and part of an event were the fic & podfic works Where No Flan Has Gone Before (Star Trek humor) with @bookgirlfan and Which Mere Modernity Cannot (modern Dracula) with @artax-risen, and the Bering and Wells Advent Calendar with @lavendelhummel @purlturtle @akittennameddaisy @viharistenno @jesstrel @sallysetonbw @violetren @thiakerrigan @tryingthisfangirlthing that is still ongoing! finished now, I take too long for tagging memes xdxD

events:

- Flufftober (I managed to make something for every single day of the month, yay!)

- Berena advent

2022 version

Tagging, if you want to do it, everyone already tagged above as well as @die-schwanenkoenigin @amysnotdeadyet @lesbianlotties @guardianrock @73chn1c0l0rr3v3l @danisnotmyname @batnbreakfast @sapphicscholar @tabsolanya @sterenheart @wibblywobblyida @forestcircle @ongreenergrasses and everyone else who sees this!

For ease of copying: Works published: Wordcount: Kudos: Hits: Bookmarks: Subscriptions: Most popular by kudos: Most hits: Longest: Shortest: Most Comments: Fics that made me cry: Fics that made me smile: gifts: collaborations: events:

sapphicscholar purlturtle die-schwanenkoenigin amysnotdeadyet squishmittenficfan viharistenno lesbianlotties bookgirlfan

[smilebackwards]

10 questions for writers

tagged by @drcloyd! (and then lost in my mentions for two weeks, whoops)

how many works do you have on ao3? 159. Ish because this includes my vids and some podfics and doesn't include stuff I posted in anonymous collections.

what’s your total ao3 word count? 503,422. Wait, I finally hit half a million and didn't realize! 🎉

what fandoms do you write for? All over the map. Batman, Stargate, Star Wars, Star Trek, X-Men, Shadowhunters. I am spinning the wheel of my obsessions.

do you respond to comments? why or why not? Generally not, just because I get easily overwhelmed by my email inbox. Sometimes I do if I want to respond to something specific. I wish I had more spoons for it because comment sections are how I made most of my fandom friends.

have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so.

have you ever cowritten a fic before? Only in the sense of like filling someone's prompt or remixing/extending someone else's fic.

what's your all-time favourite ship? Oh no. Okay, if I must choose, I'm going to say Legolas/Gimli. I imprinted early and they are like tailor-made for me with the enemies-to-lovers and cultural differences and star-crossed mortal/immortal thing and disapproving parents and bickering and just everything really.

what are your writing strengths? Fun worldbuilding details! Humor! Accidentally making people cry!

what are your writing weaknesses? PLOT

first fandom you wrote for? Let's just forget my pre-AO3 years and say Stargate Atlantis.

[betrayedbycinnamon]

20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @artaxlivs. Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Sixty-seven

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 153,827

3. What fandoms do you write for? Marvel with a smattering of Jason Todd from DC thrown in.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (all Stranger Things)

Take it easy

Staring, a tale of two looks

The Stockings were Hung

Movie Date

Say my name

5. Do you respond to comments? Always, in an eventual manner.  Been pretty good about it lately. 😊

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? You would think I’d say the one that ends in MCD, but it’s an abrupt ending with no time for the characters to angst (though I think the readers did plenty). We Can't Fake This though, ends with a character crying himself to sleep.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Damsel in Distress also ends in tears, but happy ones.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. Almost exclusively Winterhawk these days.

10. Do you write crossovers? If you count snatching Jason up from Gotham to play with my boys, then yes. 😊

11. Are any of your fics converted into podfics? Yes [Podfic] Damsel in Distress was recorded by @flowerparrish and I am still beyond over the moon about it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I don’t know if it actually got translated, but someone requested to translate Mindf*** (self-censoring for FFN saved for posterity lol) and is actually how I found out one of my works had been migrated to Ao3 when the Good Omens Library closed down; which was a windfall since ffn did that massive unexpected wipe of all NSFW content and I did not have any of it saved.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Winterhawk (Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I want to finish all my babies, but the one where the Winter Soldier falls through some rotted floor boards in the “Safe house” Clint is hiding out in and ends up stuck in the basement has been staring at me mournfully for a while now.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and painting emotion.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? (stealing this answer from @artaxlivs cause SAME bro) visual world building. I have aphantasia so sometimes I'll just forget to describe the world around them because I can't see it anyway.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? If it’s more than a few lines that I want a character to be in the dark about I think I’d be more likely to put it in italicized English with a ‘in whatever language’ dialogue tag - definitely for conversations.

19. First fandom you wrote for? According to FFN in Nov 2000 I published a Digimon fanfic. You’ll note I did NOT migrate those to my Ao3 Account LOL. But I was definitely passing around handwritten stories with friends in middle school before that, for a book I can’t remember the name of and for the LJ Smith series (Secret Circle, Vampire Diaries, Night World).

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Oh man that’s such a tough question.  Since the other contenders are listed above in other questions, I’ll pick What happened last night? because I think it’s the height of my comedic abilities.

[runawaymun]

🎙️

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

ok well I have been meaning for me to make a podfic of And the Stars Shine the Same and I actually got started on it a while back, but I'm nervous because I know my pronunciation of a lot of names and just Sindarin and Quenya in general???? is v e r y wonky. And I'd literally die if somebody sat down and podficced it for me but that is NOT a project I'd ask anybody to undertake because that thing's longer than the hobbit 😅 that would be hours of work.

but in terms of shorter fics, oneshots, etc...that I would love to hear as podfics, I think I would love Medli and Tinien (it's the OCs again asldkgh I just LOVE baby Elrían with all my heart. I think I would just cry if anyone wanted to do anything with Elrían or Thalionel content. The last time somebody drew me fanart for Stars I was sobbing into my keyboard with joy and shock my life literally peaked right then and there), Playing Hooky (Dadrond + Estel), or Equilibrium - a dadrond & reader insert which I am very fond of and keep forgetting to crosspost to AO3! Oh...and Love Alters Not, which is my fav Celrond fic I've written to-date. I'm listing so many fics asldkghasldkgh ....But like just in general if anybody made a podfic for any of my fics I'd cry.

writing ask game

[keriarentikai]

Well, I did it. Here's my very first cold read podfic. It seemed safest to read my own fic, because I can't imagine how much more nervous I would have been if I was worrying about tarnishing someone ELSE'S work.

I can already tell I need to enunciate more and maybe slow down a bit. Also, of course, work on the names. Even if I don't do full-on voices, I should do more on at least there being some ability to distinguish between them. But on the technical side it was better than I expected, at least!

I don't want to exactly INVITE criticism because I am delicate flower and will cry, but I'm really not certain if I should pursue this and maybe others' opinions will help. There are a lot of folks with more experience than me in this realm, and also a lot of people who can tell how badly I messed up pronunciation, so... be nice but honest, I guess?

I adore the vibe and ease of cold read podfic and I would love to be a bigger participant, but what I don't want is to be ruining things for anyone or hurting/offending anyone or bringing down the reputation of cold reading generally!

[tavina-writes]

ooooh for the fic ask meme: 🎈 and 💞 and 🎙️ and 💌 (it's a lot but i got very owo at most of the questions hahaha)

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

hmmm I would say that my style as a writer tends towards being somewhat meandering and tropey? I do have a bunch of themes I revisit pretty often -- intergenerational trauma, complicated family dynamics, and sad men who cry on floors -- and situations I like (cdrama bath scene my beloved!) but I'm not entirely certain on how to describe the actual style of the writing whoops.

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

The most important part of a story for me is the interplay between the characters and the world that they occupy. I think its really important to flesh out characters in like, both a setting perspective (ie how they're shape by their setting) but also from an interpersonal perspective (how they are shaped by and influence people around them). Everything else for me is kind of stuff that can work out/not work out tbh.

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

Man, I have been so incredibly lucky to have had fics of mine podfic-ed before and it's always a treasure. I'm not entirely certain which of my fics I'd request to be podded, maybe something from my CQL/MDZS works since that's my current fandom of interest? 💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

I AM VERY EXCITED FOR NINGNING. SHE'S GREAT. Ningning fic (LXC/Original Female Character fic) features also LOTS AND LOTS of politics and also ARRANGED MARRIAGE and TRAUMA so it's basically idfic but longform for me.

:DDD thanks for the ask!

[dispatchpodcast]

Hi!

Okay, so, I have three things I'd like to say:

Firstly, I looove the podcast and it's really scratching that itch between the new episodes.

Secondly, I need you to please please make a podcast out of hattalove's tell me about despair. You reading out that scene where Eddie watches Taylor and Buck talk with that kitten in his arms made me CRY. I loved it. You've got such a great voice and I could hear what you felt reading it.

Thirdly, I know you're on hiatus right now, but if or when you return, could you please, please talk to etoilegarden, please? (If they want to of course!) Their 911 fics are my absolute favourites apart from hattalove's in the 911 fandom.

Thank you so much for starting this podcast! It's so much fun to listen to!

Hello! I’m very sorry for the delay in responding to this - I’ve been neglecting the podcast tumblr in its hiatus 😅

Thank you so much for your comments about the podcast. I am so glad you enjoyed the episodes and I hope you will love the new ones once the hiatus ends.

I’m very flattered that you’d like a podfic of tell me about despair from me but gosh that would be a task! I recently made a podfic of a 30k word fic and that took me forever, so unfortunately I don’t think a podfic of something like 5 times the length is something I have time for. But maybe someone else will take it on?

There are quite a few guests lined up to come on at the moment, so I don’t want to overcommit, but I am always interested in suggestions for guests or hearing from people who would like to be guests. Just get in touch and we can see what we can work out! 😊

Thank you for listening to the podcast and for this lovely message 💛

[crushcandles]

Ohohoho you know I'm gonna ask. You know it.

(⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

💘 Is there any posted fic you'd want to rework/re-edit/rewrite?

🍭 Why did you start writing?

🎙️What one of your fics would like someone to make a podfic of?

💌 Share something with us about an up and coming WIP that has you excited!

💘 Is there any posted fic you'd want to rework/re-edit/rewrite?

No. A long, long time ago, I decided to view every story I wrote as a snapshot of where I was interest-wise, talent-wise, and skill-wise, so I could look back at what I've made to see how I've changed. There's also a layer of self-preservation to this choice: I'm such a slow writer that pulling and reworking stories would eat all my time; the hunt for perfection in a single story would cause my creativity to starve.

🍭 Why did you start writing?

Like so many people, I felt like I had to. I've always been like this. I couldn't not write.

🎙️ What one of your fics would like someone to make a podfic of?

When He Comes… would be an interesting one because it has bigger cast of characters, but honestly, podfic of your fic is such an honour that the best podfic anyone could make of my fic is the one they want.

💌 Share something with us about an up and coming WIP that has you excited!

Regardless of how much I cry about not knowing what the hell I'm doing, I am committed to the sparklemotion that is a/b/o witcher fic of my dreams. I get to write about seasons and scent kink and what you can and can't change about yourself, and I am SO excited about that.

realer than real fic writer questions

[teaandinanity]

Unrelatable aro-ace rant and slight spoilers for something in the first half of the third Scholomance book ahoy:

So, here’s the thing. The entire reason I, very deeply aro-ace to the point that I was deeply repulsed by the idea of sleeping with someone I wasn’t absolutely twitterpated about even when I was absolutely being COOKED in a stew of adolescent hormones, enjoy romance in fiction? Is because it’s usually written to be in a slightly altered register. In reality, a relationship in which two people love each other as intensely as I like to read about would be codependent and unhealthy. But that intensity makes it possible for me to believe in it, to feel something along with the characters, in a way I usually don’t. (Your aro-ace friends are not good people to talk to about relationship troubles because I have actually said ‘why do most women settle so hard they leave impact craters’ about allo relationships. I have probably said something in that vein more than once. I can, will, and do appreciate when a friend’s SO is being cute and I’m delighted when the people I love get the affection they deserve, but when things are rough I’m far more likely to be like ‘do you want me to beat him up’ than I am to say anything remotely constructive.)

Anyway. Codependency! Not healthy IRL. It’s still what I want to read about, because I find the idea of One Person As An Exception far more plausible than being allo. Yes, I know most of the population is allo. No, I do not care. I have no idea what that’s like; it is an alien planet that I have never visited and do not want to even do a flyby of, and I find the idea of any of that nonsense happening to me KEENLY upsetting.

Which is why when a book introduces me to a pair (or a trio! My usual reaction did not happen in Iron Widow because it was made clear to me before the book was out that it wasn’t a triangle and would resolve with poly and because the level of devotion was at that heightened register where in reality it would probably be terrifying.), I begin looking to be convinced.

I want to be convinced, but I do require convincing. Basically, I find primary sexual attraction less plausible than actual magic.

Which is why I’m probably never going to reread The Golden Enclaves, if I manage to finish. I stopped and I’m having to mentally beat myself to try to keep going.

I have the audiobook because I couldn’t pick up my preorder this week, and I’m not in a hurry, now. I paused it and I haven’t turned it back on, even though I usually like to have a podfic or audiobook going in the morning just for background noise.

I saw the idea that El might sleep with Liesel floated somewhere before release and I was angry about it at the time - that couldn’t be possible! Liesel was introduced in BOOK TWO! How would that even make any sense as part of a romance arc! - but I’m now very grateful to whoever posted it. Because if I’d tripped over that chapter unexpectedly, I would not be writing a vent post, I would probably still be crying. I can already tell based on this reaction, post-thought-innoculation, would have been like the time I hit a squick in an in-progress fic because I failed to read the tags, and THAT apparently managed to trigger me because I spent the rest of the day weepy and sick and the rest of the week upset.

Instead… well, I’m still upset and I WANT to cry but have managed to refrain.

I know this is not a relatable problem. I just needed to complain, because now that it’s morning and I’m not exhausted, I was too upset to just go back to sleep until my alarm. I have to go to work today and I cannot pull off ‘wide-eyed and tearful.’ I am not a Disney Princess.

But god, I hate that I’m now so upset at a protagonist I loved and I feel so uncomfortable in her head that I don’t want to go back in.

[monstrous-femme]

For the fic ask game, 🎀 🎙️ 💌 please!

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

My writing is super lyrical and pretty without getting so far into that that it becomes unreadable if that makes sense? I know when to go all in on prose and when to reign it in. I also write very fun and in-character dialogue!

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

I mean I would definitely cry (in a good way) if anyone made a podfic of any of my fics but I would especially love one for In Her Hips, There's Revolution because it's in a fandom active enough that a podfic would likely continue to build engagement

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

because I write non-linearly, I've written a fair chunk of the ending for In her Hips, and I am v excited for a) the smut (the smut! I've never written smut into a plotty fic before and I think it's going to be HOT) and b) some of the trauma-recovery work-- I think i'm going to stick the landing on the happy ending to a trauma fic better than I ever have before!

ask me fanfiction writing questions

[flowerparrish]

Podfic asks! :D 18, 19, 29, 30?

18. Describe my perfect podficcing conditions:

No one is home. Ginny is asleep. The neighborhood dogs are not barking. The AC is not on. The fridge is not being noisy. My laptop fan is chill. I am as hydrated as it is possible for me to be. Time stretches out in front of me, somewhat infinite, no interruptions in sight.

(This will never happen but it's such a nice dream)

19. What does my editing process typically look like?

I've recently started punch & roll recording sometimes, so my editing is a lot less of deleting re-takes for those which is nice. Normally, though, I'd do a listen through to delete re-takes / repeat phrases / background noise, and do some minor edits at the same time. Then I'd listen thru again and get anything I didn't catch the first time. And, of course, noise reduction / some kind of basic leveling first usually. Sometimes I use auphonic, but usually only if I record with my good mic.

29. Current WIPs:

omg do u want me to cry?? (/loving)

ugh just the ones that are multi-chapter, not even like, the series i'm podding

Do Every Stupid Thing - 17/26 posted - I'm so proud of this one I don't even have words. on a technical level the quality goes up and down but my voice acting goes off so hard

A Change in the Weather - 11/33 - my favorite Glee fic, forever (or at least for the last decade) left incomplete and still it lives rent free in my head. I speedran 4 chapters of this pod from May to July because I wanted to get the July 4th chapter up by then but haven't updated it since oop

Missed You By a Few Minutes, a Few Centuries - 2/12 posted - my favorite Old Guard fic, I will update this I swear it

So Wise We Grow - 1/2 posted - I'm almost done I swear it's just a long boi. FAvorite Star Trek fic ever tho. Was making this pod for someone before we broke up and still posted it because I worked hard on the first 4 hours and I love it a lot.

A Heart's Revolution - 6/14 posted - AU Codywan my beloved!! trying to update this every two weeks, but might miss this week ngl I'm super behind

brave face, (hide) the truth - 3/14 posted - my best friend Kaje's (@kbirbpods) soulmate AU; kinda Codywan but a lot more than that relationship gets featured

there are some other shorter ones or ones I haven't updated in forever or ones I've barely started; for now we're going to consider this my "main" WIP list

30. Talk about a piece of feedback that made my day:

Okay I answered generally before, but one that's still making me grin is you saying that when you were writing the next part of showerclones you could hear it in my voice already :D I don't even have words for how AWESOME that is

[guessimabasicnerdgirlnow]

I have 17 related works on ao3. Three are fics of mine that I translated myself. Four are fics of mine related to other fics of mine. Two are podfics whose existence make me cry, I can’t believe they exist. One is a fic by someone else inspired by on of mine, which also makes me super emotional, I love it so much

That makes actually 10, but the ones that are my works inspired by my own works count twice. I am cheating the system, making the numbers bigger 😱

[thebeautifulsoup]

AO3 Wrapped

Hello friends!

Both @palavapeite and @fol-de-lol didn’t-tag me in this meme, so I thought I’d do it as I try to steel myself for going back to work tomorrow. SO, here we go!

works published: 9

words written:  76,954

hits: 11,868

bookmarks:  475

most popular by kudos & hits: Summer Dream

longest:   The Gentleman PI (Rates vary, enquire for details)

shortest fic:  A Reminiscence as Fond as Obsidian

most comments:  Summer Dream

fic that made me cry: I haven’t written anything particularly angsty or sad, but  In the Back of My Mind probably came closest?

fic that made me smile: I had such a blast writing so many things last year, but  The Gentleman PI (Rates vary, enquire for details) is the one that had me grinning like a loon and hooting while I was writing it. 

gifts:

3 written:

The Gentleman PI (Rates vary, enquire for details) for @slow-burn-sally

Clitoral Attaché for @palavapeite

A Reminiscence as Fond as Obsidian for @ilthit​, a remix of her wonderful Mr Strange's regrets upon leaving Cambridge

Received 4 AMAZING GIFTS: 

One path there to be known by @palavapeite (a SURPRISE GIFT???!!!)

Beneath A Sinking Moon by @emmyllou (I’m still in a state of shock it’s SO BEAUTIFUL)

ten years gone by @ararelitus​ (PERSUASION AU MY BELOVED!!!)

PODFIC OF one little room an everywhere by KninjaKnitter (who I don’t think is on tumblr, but I am always overwhelmingly delighted when someone decides to make a podfic of my writing (the twice it has happened)

collaborations: None 

events taken part in: 4

Learned Society of Pirates Book Swap 2022

Jonty Scratch & DJ Norrell - A Fandom Tribute Fest

Five Gross Friends Shoe Porn Bonanza

Organised but didn’t write for  JSAMN Valentine's Rarepair Fest 2022!

Coming in 2023:  Who knows!!! I’d like to get some more Paddleboardverse written (the Christmas one isn’t happening it seems), but other than that I have no real plans for anything in particular. I’d love to get stuck into more JSAMN fic, but the pirate brainrot is real and continuing, so we’ll see where the winds take us.

[mayonnaisetoffees]

Mayo's Fic Recs

List of my favourite fics below the cut; this list is a WIP and completely personal taste; a mix of fandom classics and lesser knowns

Please remember to leave comments and kudos for the authors and podficcers!

*shows particular favourites

Fandoms currently included: Spn, Merlin, Les Mis, BatFam

Fics That Changed Me Fundamentally

Loaded March*** by Footloose. Merlin | E | 1.26M(Series)/ 35k (First part) | 188k hits (First part)

The reason SAS Captain Arthur Pendragon can’t keep a communications specialist in Team Excalibur because none of them are good enough. And then Lieutenant Merlin Emrys gets assigned to his squad, and Arthur does everything he can to prove that Merlin isn’t good enough, either. Except he is.

You can read all about my thoughts on Loaded March here, here, and here. Basically this fic series is beautifully written, has absolutely delicious UST, has found family, magic, and high stakes. It’s been part of my life for almost a decade now, I made friends through LM that I still have to this day, and it genuinely changed me as a person. Plus there are 78k of Extras to itch that I Finished Now What scratch. Parts 1-5 have been podficced and you can find them in works inspired by this one in each part.

Down to Agincourt*** by Seperis. Supernatural | E | 1.12M(Series)/ 154k (First part) | 73k hits (First part)

The world’s already over and they’re already dead. All they’re doing now is marking time until the end.

S7!Dean is transported back to the aftermath of where 5x04 The End left off. Much like LM, DtA was one that I avoided for a while. I didn’t think it would be my thing. I’m not usually into End!verse, it sounded so bleak from the summary, and it sounded so long for something I wasn’t sure about. If you’re reading this and nodding along? You are as much a fool as I was. Yes, it’s the end of the world. But it’s not over yet. This is a beautiful journey in what it means to be yourself, how to survive the end of the world, a How-To for Coups, and a study in food as a love language. I only read this fic this year, but like LM, it has genuinely changed me. Map of the World has been podficced.

Supernatural

Let’s start with the current hyperfixation. All of these are at least passively Dean/Cas unless otherwise stated. I've split into ones from my first time around in the SPN fandom and more recent ones because the vibes are actually really different and it took me some time to adjust (Not in a bad way! In a time has passed they have grown as characters way)

Old-School SPN (AKA the Classics my first time around)

Canon-Compliant or Divergent

Home in Motion* by nomdeplume13 M | 232k | 48k hits

Castiel swore he was done with spur of the moment decisions that permanently changed Dean Winchester's life. A year after the angel's most disastrous, his newest may present the largest challenge of dean's life: Fatherhood.

Did someone say kid!fic in canonverse? This is perfect. Canon divergence from the end of S6. Cas saves a baby from a neglectful mother and gives him to Dean to raise. They all move in with Bobby. Great OCs. Bobby considers Cas his son. Listen everything I say here will not be able to begin to encompass how much I love this fic. Just trust me on this one.

Named* by RC_McLachlan M | 95k | 95k hits

Jesus Christ is dead. Somehow, that isn't the worst part of Dean's week.

With a summary like that, need I say more? No but I'm gonna. This is one of the funniest fics I've ever read, but it doesn't take any emotion from the serious moments, if anything it heightens them. There are so many quotes from this I think about all the time. It was written in 2010 and so there's a bit of misogyny/character assassination of Anna in places.

Second Childhood by CloudyJenn (read by exmanhater) G | 16k (1h30) | 10k hits

"Dude, I can't do this whole thing by myself," Dean said with far more desperation leaking into his tone than he liked. It would just be too much to make it through hell and death and Lucifer only to have Castiel bail on him because of a frigging baby.

They beat the Apocalypse (OG-S5) and then Sam gets de-aged by a spell. I've listened to this so many times I know it by heart, it's an ultimate comfort fic to me.

Defy Any and All Expectation* by Tenoko1 (read by Tenoko1) M | 138k (14hrs) | 37k hits

Chuck's newly released books tell of another war between Heaven and Hell. Team Free Will sets out to try to defy prophecy, only to realize there is a lot more at stake and amiss than the not-quite-accurate words of one Prophet of the Lord. Along the way, Dean and Cas' relationship continues to evolve into something neither expected or were prepared for, all of their lives transforming in ways no one could have expected. But with no shortage of cases, monsters, and mayhem, it's going to require the help of new friends and old enemies if they're to have a hope of saving the world one more time. Alternate Season Six.

So this is a re-written version of Tenoko1's The Path We Choose which I don't think is around anymore. By the time I was reading the re-write as each chapter came out, I knew every single line of TPWC and it wasn't all that much shorter. It's such a perfect canon divergence because they are all 100% in-character. If you're into podfic, you already know what an absolute gift 14 hours is, but if you have never tried podfic before, Tenoko1 is a fantastic place to start. Her voice is soothing and energetic and her Cas sometimes comes to mind when I'm reading fic in Misha's place (sorry Misha)

His Fucking Kids 'Verse by 8sword M | 96k(Series)/ 3k (first part) | 26k hits (first part)

Jesus, the school should just have a parking spot labeled, “Reserved for the Novak-Winchesters,” because Dean’s getting sick of having to cruise around the parking lot looking for a spot every time he gets a call from the principal about Emma.

Emma survives and Dean and Cas are raising her and Claire. This fic series will make you laugh, make you cry, and (nowadays) make you wish Emma had survived to be a part of Wayward Sisters.

One Species Too Many by wallmakerrelict E | 22k | 37k hits

While Dean is laid up for a month after breaking his leg on a hunt, Cas decides that it's a perfect time to adopt a litter of kittens. But even though he's gotten better since Purgatory, Cas still isn't quite the same as he was before fixing Sam's head, and being trapped in a cabin with him for weeks on end is making that all the more obvious to Dean. When Sam takes off on a hunt, Dean has to figure out on his own how to navigate his new relationship with Cas while also helping to raise a bunch of fuzzballs that aren't even cute. Not even a little bit. (Well, maybe a little bit.)

Dean breaks his legs, and honey!Cas brings home some kittens to foster. It's achingly sweet and also painful because you know Dean wants to fix Cas but there's nothing to fix. It is tagged for ableism for this.

Tripping* by Hatteress E | 49k | 78k hits

That time the universe decided Dean belonged with Cas and wasn't afraid to pull out the big guns to make it so. Big guns in this case being obsessive fangirls, archangels turned tricksters and overly enthusiastic cupids. Welcome to Dean's life.

Alt!S5 and it is beautiful. Also any fic with Missouri is an automatic win.

Broadway Musical by Grifitings M | 12k | 79k hits

This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle. The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at. Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

Jimmy deserves a sainthood and frankly I don't even want to hear about crack if it's not on the level of the Host yelling at Cas not to touch the butt.

Classic AUs (AKA AUs from my first time around)

Try Something Tuesday by almaasi E | 48k | 144k hits

Dean Winchester teaches a third-grade class. He's new to this whole ‘bisexual’ thing - but by pure happenstance, he meets Castiel: a particularly dapper male librarian who moonlights as a substitute teacher. Dean's curious and Castiel is willing, so why the hell not? Except, fate never intended it to be one-time-only...

This was one of the first spn fics to really really stay with me and it never really left.

Rock 'n' Roll Queer Bar by ChasingRabbits E | 127k(Series)/ 8k (Part1) | 29k hits (Part1)

Ellen and Jo Harvelle run Harvelle's Roadhouse, a bar that unintentionally becomes a beacon for wayward queer souls. Her employees: Dean, the smartass runaway with a big heart and bigger mouth; Castiel, the college drop-out turned hippie; his (surprisingly heterosexual) trouble-making brother Gabriel; and Charlie, who has been told several times that the back room is not to be used for after-hours Dungeons & Dragons games. But there's a lot of love in this place, and a new family for anyone who may otherwise be without.

This series. If you've ever felt unsure or out of place or anxious or just really felt like no-one understood you, this fic is for you. I first found this series when I was coming to terms with my queerness and I genuinely think it was invaluable. Also I am a sucker for the go for a dinner at Cas's family and end up storming out trope.

Play It All Night Long by janie_tangerine (read by Tenoko1) NC17 | 43k (4hrs)

The rom-com-ish one where Dean hosts a late night radio show, Castiel is a regular listener of his who starts calling one day and ends up calling more often than not and Dean finds himself liking it. This, until one day Castiel calls for not exactly petty reasons (just before Dean's brother Sam is visiting with his girlfriend for spring break) and things get very, very crowdy at his place. He also doesn't know it's just the beginning of it. Also features Gabriel, Chuck, Andy, the Roadhouse crew and a huge amount of music quoted. Especially Bob Dylan.

Again, this podfic has got me through many a night of insomnia. Cas calls in after a particularly shitty day and it all goes from there.

New-School SPN (AKA post-2014)

Canon-Compliant or Divergent

Tall Grass by aeli_kindara E | 57k | 28k hits

“I think we should have a garden,” Cas says. Dean looks up from his beer. He hasn’t had that much to drink, but Cas still has a vague look of unreality about him, a splash of living color that doesn’t fit in the bunker’s echoing stillness. Dean didn’t hear him coming. A lot of the time, Cas is so unobtrusive it feels like Dean has the bunker to himself, with Sam away. Dean shakes his head to clear it. “A — garden?” he repeats.

There is a reason you will see this recced time and time again. It healed parts of me I didn't know needed healing.

So Says the Sword* by komodobits E | 85k | 73k hits

The briefing was simple: ‘Stand guard over the Michael Sword until the battle is ready to commence. Await further instructions.’ Castiel doesn’t mind working security duty; he was briefed shortly after the initial salvation of the Sword from the pit, and again before taking up his position. He knows what to do. However, it’s easy to forget that the green room isn’t real. Time moves differently there, the space ever-changing to make a prison of mountains, cathedrals, salt flats, orchards, and whatever Castiel was led to believe about Heaven’s greatest weapon—Dean Winchester is something entirely unexpected

I saw ssts mentioned in like every single If you're getting back into the fandom READ THIS rec list. For good reason. It's described as "canon-adjacent in that seasons one to three happened exactly the same, but when Dean goes to Hell, he is not raised by Castiel". It's one of the most interesting concepts I've read and it's one of those fics where the writing style will stick with you. Castiel POV in a way you've never read before.

Aching in the Absence of You* by sobsicles E | 95k | 9k hits (in 5 days)

Brittle and battle-worn, Cas looks at him over coffee one morning and says, "I need to go," and Dean instantly knows that he's not coming back. He's not really sure how he knows it, but he does. It settles into the pit of his stomach, curling hot and tight like something he instinctively wants to tear out with his bare hands. He takes a breath, and it gets stuck in his throat, hitching there. It hurts, hurts, hurts when he finally exhales. "Yeah," Dean says, "of course you do," and he nods jerkily as he looks down at his phone. He doesn't say goodbye. He doesn't look up from the screen when Cas gets up and leaves the room. He doesn't finish his coffee, or move for a long time. By nightfall, Cas is gone.

If you don't already know sobsicles, I am delighted to introduce you to the person who will smash you to pieces with a hammer to put you back together Kintsugi-style. This one is post-finale but without 15x18 (it'll make sense as it goes). Cas says he's going to leave again and again Dean doesn't ask him to stay. Full of lines so beautiful they'd make Shakespeare weep, Sobsicles has this way of writing that is so evocative and paints such a clear picture. Fair warning, if you're Dean-coded, this might be A Lot.

dumbassery, denial, doing (the three d's to the destination)** by sobsicles E | 108k | 25k hits

Freedom is just one adjustment after the next. ~~~ Cas hums again. "I think you already have. It's been months since everything settled. All that's left to do is...get used to it, and perhaps—" His voice stalls out, uncharacteristically, and his gaze roams Dean's face with intensity. When he speaks next, his tone is a little raw. "Perhaps what one does with peace is...whatever they want." "What if I don't even know what that is?" Dean grumbles, arching an eyebrow in challenge. "'Cause I know damn well you don't just mean good food and a good bed and time in Baby, not simple wants like that. You mean—ya know, the big things, the wants we didn't get to have before." "Yes," Cas agrees. "If you're not sure, figure it out." "Easier said than done."

Yes, two sobsicles recs back to back. This one I read first and it still holds such a special place in my heart. A sign of a good fic is being able to picture it perfectly. The sign of an amazing fic is that when reading this I was so in Dean's shoes I could feel a pool cue between my hands and Baby behind my back. And I sobbed like a baby in this. It has probably my favourite ending ever. It's genuinely beautiful. If you don't read another on this list, read this one.

Teaching Poetry to Fish by aeli_kindara M | 52k | 14k hits

In which Castiel teaches poetry to fish. Also, himself. Also, eventually, Dean. (A series-long story, diverging slightly from canon after S14.)

The ultimate Cas character study and interwoven with poetry.

So There It Is, I've Said It All by PorcupineGirl (read by Ceewelsh) G | 4k | 13k hits

"Why, do you have something you need to say to me that you don't think I'll like?" I think I'm in love with you. "Yeah. I guess so."

Dean figures out he's in love with Cas then can't stop thinking it. This is genuinely beautiful and if you've ever had trouble actually saying the thing you're thinking, you'll relate to Dean here. I recently did the podfic for this.

you won't find this place alone by amidsizedfrog G | 9.5k |

When Claire said she was dropping out of college to pursue hunting full time, Dean said, “right,” and left the room. Or, the cross-generation conversation about formal education, choosing your own path and figuring out what it looks like to find a family. Or, in other words: "But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell-attitude, and I'll figure it out." - Dean Winchester

This is a beautiful look at education in the hunter world, and I love anything that looks at Dean and Bobby's relationship and this does it perfectly. Also best cameo ever.

Seek to Know You Better by ahurston E | 33k | 23k hits

Dean and Cas, a long stretch of highway, and 36 questions empirically designed to make two people fall in love. As if they weren't already.

This is perfect. It has a lovely slow pace like it has the vibes of an indie film if that makes sense? Like it's two guys going from place to place talking. It was an instant favourite.

Newer AUs (AKA more recent AUs)

And This, Your Living Kiss* by opal_bullets M | 57k | 69k hits

Only a very few people in the world know that the celebrated and reclusive poet Jack Allen is just Kansas mechanic Dean Winchester, a high school dropout with a few bucks to his name. Not that it matters anymore; life has left him so wrung out he never wants to pick up another pen. Until, that is, a string of coincidences leads Dean to auditing a poetry course with one Dr. Castiel Novak. The professor is wildly intelligent, devastatingly handsome...and just so happens to be academia's foremost expert on the poetry of Jack Allen.

When I asked which fics were absolute must-reads for someone who'd been out of the fandom a few years, this was said repeatedly. But what really got me to read it was everyone actually told me more about what it meant to them than just the summary. It's a study in poetry, a study in learning who you are and who you used to be, and a reminder that it's never too late.

The Graveyard Shift* by riseofthefallenone, PurgatoryJar E | 620k | 175k hits

Dean’s favourite coffee shop, The Graveyard Shift, is only open after the sun goes down. Which is perfect for him, because that’s exactly when he craves coffee the most while doing the overnight at the fire hall. The coffee shop’s owner is pretty perfect too, but it’s kind of a bummer that Dean never gets to see Cas during the day. In a world where the supernatural live more or less in peace with the rest of humanity, it’s a little impolite to ask Cas just what he really is - or what his dark past entails.

A fantastic magical realism fic - magical creatures live and work with humans. Gabe and Cas run a coffee shop, Dean is a fireman, and the burn is slow and delicious and the intrigue kept me reading for like a week every single spare minute.

Painted Angels by WinJennster E | 106k | 162k hits

Author Castiel Novak has finally hit the big time, with a book based on his failed college relationship with a brilliant painter. He's put all his pain behind him, but at a book signing, he comes face to face with Dean Winchester for the first time in twelve years, and the reunion doesn't go like Cas hoped. Dean's a broken man, with a lot of scars and secrets, shoulders weighed down by his demons and self loathing. Cas sees a second chance with the man he's never stopped loving, but Dean's moved on, and is about to get married. Sam launches a "brilliant" plan to reunite his brother and his best friend, but Cas is worried it will all blow up in their faces, and he'll go through the agony of losing Dean a second time.

The first part of this I actually saved back when I was first in the fandom but I never got around to reading it (I had a To Read folder of 100+ fics that I absolutely dove into when I got back into spn) and the rest of the series finished in 2016 so I'm counting it in this section not the other. On the one hand, I wish I'd read this when it first came out. It's beautiful and heartbreaking, and so visual. On the other hand, I think I appreciated it a lot more now than I would have seven years ago. The parallel of me coming back to the old fandom that I loved dearly with Cas coming back to see someone and places he loved so much really hit. (Although coming back to the spn fandom was much easier and much less heartbreak!)

Finale Fix-Its (yeah fuck you Dabb that this has to be a whole category)

The Goldenrod Revisions by aethylas M | 66k | 15k hits

A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.

Script format re-write of 15x19 and 15x20 into a 5-episode finale fix-it. As far as I'm concerned, this and chocolatecakecas's American Pie fanvid are the Supernatural finale.

break the skin (to break the barriers)* by sobsicles M | 30k | 9k hits

The first time she meets him, he's nothing more than an almost-missed appointment. ~~~ Dean is silent for a long, tense moment, then he gruffly says, "It's not for banishing the angels. It's to summon them. So, it doesn't—it's not to get rid of 'em, but to draw 'em in." Mitzi can't help but glance up at him at that. His voice is so heavy with so much unexplained pain, and she doesn't understand why, or what angels have to do with it. She knows religion can impact people. She's very aware that it can get complicated, and that it can be a huge source of pain for someone, but Dean sounds grievously wronged, somehow, as if it's a truly personal thing. She pushes through, focusing back on her job, clearing her throat before murmuring, "Well, I guess we all want angels to visit us sometimes." "Just the one," Dean mumbles. "Your guardian angel?" Mitzi asks. Dean breathes out, "Something like that. As close to one as an angel will ever get."

Therapy through getting tattoos and telling your life story to someone who obviously doesn't think it's real. Outsider!POV not just done well, but done literally the best.

Kingdom Come by ahurston E | 17k | 10k hits

Cas wakes up on the coast of Maine. He makes his way home.

I don't know if this counts as finale fix-it as it's more fuck the finale we're ignoring that. There's just so much love and care in this fic.

The Family Business by chai_lattes M | 16k | 5.5k hits

It's all over. It's been weeks since Chuck's defeat and Cas' return from the Empty. There are no threats on the horizon, no apocalypses to stop, but there's something that keeps the Winchesters from being happy. Something that's maybe always been there. On their way back from a hunt, they find John Winchester, back from the dead.

If you're anything like me, you start rubbing your grubby little hands together at the tag John Winchester's A+ Parenting like yes let's address this! This is one of the best examples of John coming back and how it jars with the life that they have built. Also Claire and Jack getting to share screentime!

Merlin

If I have a forever fandom, it's Merlin. I've always kept one foot in this fandom, and it introduced me to fandom, and most importantly to podfic which kinda had an impact. All Merthur unless stated.

Canon-Verse

Seven Magpies by syllic (read by lunchee) E | 33k (3hr15) | 58k hits

Arthur opened his eyes a minute later to the sight of seven magpies streaking across the top of the clearing, their shapes dark against the white clouds and the muted grey of the sky. He tried to remember what it was that seven magpies meant—he'd had a nurse who had sung the rhyme to him as a child—but couldn't. Arthur wakes up somewhere he doesn't recognise, but where he clearly belongs.

Okay so this is an AU but it's Canon-AU so it's going here. Fantastic role reversal fic that you will be thinking about for weeks.

and from your grace, i fell by TheDragon (read by Ceewelsh) T | 4.6k (41mins) | 13k hits

“Where’s Merlin?” he asks the maid. “Where’s that idiot of a Court Sorcerer?!” “Begging your pardon, Your Majesty. I thought you knew,” the maid replies, not daring to look him in the eyes. “He’s taken ill.” “And he couldn’t be bothered to tell me himself that he would be unable to attend today’s council meeting?” Arthur questions, voice full of acid. “He hasn’t woken since he collapsed two days ago, Sire,” the maidservant says, blissfully unaware that what she’s saying the power to stop Arthur’s heart in its tracks.

When I first read this, it had me completely transfixed. I could not stop reading. It was so raw and so full of emotion. I was then lucky enough to get TheDragon in our exchange, so I did a podfic for it and it's probably the most proud I've been of one.

Modern AU

The Student Prince* by FayJay (read by FayJay) M | 145k (15hrs) | 696k hits

A Modern day Merlin AU set at the University of St Andrews, featuring teetotal kickboxers, secret wizards, magnificent bodyguards of various genders, irate fairies, imprisoned dragons, crumbling gothic architecture, arrogant princes, adorable engineering students, stolen gold, magical doorways, attempted assassination, drunken students, shaving foam fights, embarrassing mornings after, The Hammer Dance, duty, responsibility, friendship and true love...

A classic is a classic for a reason. I'm also pretty sure this introduced me to podfics so like special place in my heart x2. Did you know if you filter AO3 by hits on Merlin, this has 426k more hits than the second result? Now that is a Fandom Classic.

Drastically Redefining Protocol* by rageprufrock (read by lunchee) E | 46k (5hr30) | 269k hits

In which Prince Arthur meets Merlin and all hell promptly breaks loose.

As I always say, if this can happen to me and I still love the fic, nothing is going to change that. Arthur hides from his duties in a cupboard and gets stuck in there with a chainsmoking med student.

Fundamental Imperfections by Starlingthefool (read by bravenclawsome) M | 12k (1hr35) | 123k hits

In which an argument about Dickens leads to a Twitter scandal, broken bones, midnight conversations, and transatlantic longing. (Or, an AU with Arthur and Merlin as moderately famous authors.)

This fic has everything: Charles Dickens, long distance texting, Morgana choking a Sherlock cosplayer with his own scarf. This is the ultimate comfort fic and I compare all fics to this even when they're incomparable. I never read the sequel because it was WIP and I was waiting for it to complete, it hasn't been updated since 2015 and apparently ends on an unhappy note, so if you're going to read the sequel you have been warned.

Les Mis

Modern!AU

Overzealous Oddities by YassHomo e/R, Courf/Cosette/Marius, Comb/Ép | G | 6.4k | 4k hits

Courfeyrac: Remember when I smashed our tv and we laughed about it? Enjolras: No. Courfeyrac: Let me rephrase Courfeyrac: I've smashed our tv, lets laugh about it.

I love me a text fic and this is in my opinion the best one around. Just look at that summary. I have quoted that so many times.

But Paris was a very old city and we were young* by GingerNinjaAbi E/R, Courf/Jehan | M | 99k | 42k hits

Perhaps somewhere in between all the cups of coffee, shots of tequila, sunny March days, terrible lumpy jumpers, love, cigarettes, drunken nights and the desire to change the world they'll all leave Paris with a degree in something. Or not. Grantaire's money is on no. But he's a pessimist who's hopelessly in love, so perhaps his opinion shouldn't count.

The ULTIMATE modern!AU tbh.

Tagged by Salomonderiel E/R, Courf/Jehan | E | 155k | 28k hits

So there's this artist. He could probably be compared to Banksy, but he's a lot more... cynical. He shares rooms with a poet who braids his hair with flowers, in a flat near Covent Garden they rent from a short-tempered shop keeper with a penchant for fans and who'd do anything if you mentioned Poland. Sometimes, the three of them will go and deface public buildings in London whilst completely smashed off their heads. And then there's this, shall we say, 'revolutionary'. He has a band of other revolutionaries, who all meet at this cafe by Borough Market. He shares rooms with his best mate, a philosophy student, spends too much time with a flirty guy who has a thing for poets, goes boxing with a guy in a red vest, wants to punch the wet sop who drools on the blonde waitress and is getting tired of this guy who keep breaking his laptops through sheer dumb luck. Thank god the hypochondriac's there to keep an (slightly too) attentive eye on their stress levels. The revolutionary thinks the graffiti artist's work is a waste of space. The artist thinks the revolutionary's campaigns are a waste of time. And all the while, the poet and the flirt drool over each other in the background...

This is perfect and it's funny and it's beautiful and it rips my heart out multiple times.

Canon

To Be Free by kjack89 (read by Ceewelsh) Gen, Cosette/Marius | T | 3.8k (32mins) | 375 hits

Three blows from a bayonet had transfixed Combeferre’s breast, followed by a fall from the barricade as he rapidly lost first blood and then consciousness. But neither of these, it seemed, was enough to kill him, as much as later he might perhaps wish that they were.

I read this because it was on a list kjack89 did of their favourite fics which don't necessarily have the same hits traffic. It's nothing I would have usually read (canon era, not e/R, MCD) but I am so glad I gave it a go. It's a study on what if Combeferre had survived the barricades too and the guilt. This stayed with me for days afterwards until I eventually messaged kjack89 to get permission to podfic it.

BatFam

Canonish (I don't know differences between canons but these are all they're superheros fics)

Robins United by laceymcbain (read by reena_jenkins) Gen | T | 49k (6h15)/ 19k (2h25) (First part) | 103k hits

Bullets, knives, a three story fall, even a fucking crowbar hadn't managed to keep Jason down permanently, but Dick Grayson (and the rest of his "family") was going to kill him with kindness.

The ultimate batbros series. Also if you haven't heard reena_jenkins' podfics before, you are welcome. Pre-pandemic I took a lot of public transport and reena_jenkins kept me sane.

batcoons by drakefeathers (read by reena_jenkins) Gen | G | 6k (49mins) | 14k hits

Jason and raccoons have a lot in common. (Additionally: his so-called family are much bigger pests than the stray animals hanging around his safehouse.)

This is funny, it's heartwarming, and it's a really good character study.

AU

Here Comes the Sun by batsy_rocks Clark/Bruce | T | 19k | 20k hits

Clark Kent is a kind-hearted reporter working in the big city. Bruce Wayne is a stressed dad of four with no idea of what he's doing. Then they meet.

Bruce Wayne is a Tired Single Dad™. It's genuinely such a sweet fic.