#but that also includes. having to write more AUGH

[monocaelia]

i explode my old fics at an atomic level

[roseofcards90]

I love Kako so much omg

[flyingwargle]

october fanfic recs!

i don't have too many this month, so check out the previous months' recs: july, august, september

some of these fics are rated e!

sakuatsu

Dawn and Other Acts of Love t. 4.6k. sakusa's worst nightmare has come true: he has to stay the weekend at atsumu's. such a funny premise spun into a fluffy piece with light hurt and so much comfort. loved it!

shoot to kill g. 6.2k. this obliterated me and continues to haunt me. atsumu knows not to cross the line when it comes to insults and arguments, but sakusa does not, and says something that he shouldn't have. very powerful, with a tender conclusion at the end. one of the best fics i read this year <3

Summer Special: Omigiri t. 6.9k. osamu asks sakusa to be his model for his upcoming summer umeboshi onigiri special, but it turns out to be a ploy for him to confess to atsumu. absolutely hilarious.

The Taste of 2 a.m. t. 8.2k. atsumu is an insomniac with a need to drink tea at 2 am and sakusa joins him. they eventually fall in love with the routine and each other.

Curse Breaking for Dummies: A Setter's Guide to Getting the Guy g. 10.2k. 2/2. modern magic twist where atsumu is cursed with a love curse and everyone falls in love with him except sakusa. you can tell where this will go. very fun and lighthearted!

love as told by you t. 11.1k. this fic is the sun that beams onto you at the end of a rainstorm, reassuring you that love exists, and you'll find love, or a platonic soulmate. it's so warm and tender, choke full of affectionate details of a blooming sakuatsu relationship. a comfort fic, for sure.

recipe for disaster e. 22.9k. fwb narrative where atsumu falls in love with sakusa, featuring anxiety, supportive brothers, and sakusa who also loves him back. the sunaosa side of things is also *chef's kiss* and recommended below ehe

sunaosa

turn west towards dawn e. 2.7k. prose intertwined with letters about osamu getting an email from suna while studying in italy to reconnect after their break-up. the writing is both light but heavy with their lingering emotions and regret that makes your heart throb.

resistance to flow t. 6.2k. fwb to lovers agenda. i will never tire of the slippery slope of falling in love, especially if it's written beautifully.

A Primer for the Small Weird Orchestra Loves t. 8.2k. au where the boys are in an orchestra and suna helps osamu with the violin. lovely details and slow burn, with also a sakuatsu sequel.

of great ambition m. 17.8k. more of a suna-centric character study with a splash of sunaosa that focuses on suna's journey to become a pro. suna is so vulnerable in this, and he deserves all the glory for himself. it's also very in line with how i interpret his character <3

secret menu e. 26.3k. the sunaosa side of recipe for disaster. suna takes a part-time job working at onigiri miya during the off-season and gets more than he bargained for. also fwb narrative but augh. augh. the writing for both fics is so good and tailored to each character's perspective. i love both of them.

bokuaka

an ode to a conversation stuck in your throat e. 3.1k. a character study of bokuto who has bpd with spice. achingly soft and full of love.

crossing distance g. 4k. bokuto went abroad to study after high school and akaashi is the first one that he contacts. i just love how they were able to fall into each other again despite the distance and falling out of communication, it's truly a magical thing <3

A Kind of Magic t. 6.7k. bokuto and akaashi often hang out at bokuto's house until akaashi invites him over and introduces him to his incredibly large and wild family. beautiful, beautiful prose and gradual realization of feelings. we stan family members as their cheerleaders.

heavy heart, a love apart e. 7k. exes to lovers. this oozed with angst and heavy hearts with tension that is eventually resolved for a hopeful ending. loved the atmosphere created by the prose.

iwaoi

yes-man t. 4.1k. no matter what oikawa asks of iwa, he always says yes, including a spontaneous weekend trip to las vegas. very cute and fluffy!

Pretty Boy t. 8k. oikawa is used to iwa's range of nicknames for him, but when iwa starts calling him pretty boy, well. that changes things. fluffy, cute, and lighthearted!

shoelaces and departures t. 10.1k. 2/2. magical realism au where iwa runs a cafe and oikawa is compelled to travel to different corners of the world because of his innate wanderlust. mutual pining at its finest with fluff.

rise e. 12.4k. oikawa and iwa live together after high school but don't have a label on their relationship. something else that this fic focuses is on the push-pull aspect they have, especially with oikawa's knee injury. the hurt/comfort hit me where it hurt.

When I Fall to My Feet e. 23.2k. 3/3. trans oikawa is looking for someone to overwrite his terrible first time, and eventually iwa offers to do it. fwb to lovers, with a sprinkle of makki and mattsun friendship, and a wonderfully supportive iwa.

other

The MSBY Black Jackals Guide To Self-Care t. 4.5k. sakusa-centric. a cute little fic of sakusa learning about his teammates' various self-care routines.

Off the Hinges t. 15.9k. arankita, sakuatsu. kita adopts sakusa since he's a kouhai in the same business program as him while watching him develop his relationship with atsumu. kita also takes a page from his own book with his relationship with aran. cute and endearing. my first arankita fic and i hope it won't be my last.

i remember how the earth stopped turning t. 73.3k. 6/6. kageyama-centric. man. man. it's an amazing read that focuses on the immediate post-career ending injury and intertwines povs from other characters. gorgeous prose. give it a read, seriously.

Yamaguchi Tadashi is NOT a ghost hunter m. 77.9k. 23/23. tsukkiyama. the house that tskushima, kuroo, and bokuto rent in osaka is haunted, and hinata recommends yamaguchi, a spirit medium, to help them. the slow burn!! the mystery!! the details!! i very much enjoyed this <3

[storminormins]

PLEASE TALK MORE ABOUT LADYHAWKE I BEG YOU

Mmkay I'm just gonna ramble for A BIT under the cut

I managed to find a copy of the finalized script after watching the movie, since I was very curious to see any content I could about the making of Ladyhawke- it was an interesting read, seeing what was cut and what was changed.

I know its already a two hour movie, but they should have bitten the bullet and made a lotr length movie, because some of these DELETED SCENES-!

Here is a picture of one, this is the only evidence I could find of the script ending of the movie, but we got Isabeau and Navarre on Goliath riding into the sunset.

I'll be forever upset that most of the unused footage was probably destroyed, because I would PAY for a directors cut of this movie.

Anyway, SO-

I think one of the major changes from script to screen was how the relationships between Navarre, Isabeau, and Phillipe shook out, the biggest catalyst being after the casting happened- specifically the recasting of Kurt Russel to Rutger Hauer as Navarre. It went more from drawing tension of a possible love triangle to Navarre being solidly over 40 and Isabeau looking gracefully timeless. Phillipe being just in his 20's.

So it shifted the dynamic from that tension, to three very lonely people struggling through life, regaining the very human need for companionship. While hunting down the guy that ruined their life, of course.

Some of the cut scenes include:

Phillipe and Navarre actually met before the confrontation at the village- Phillipe being chased by guards across a bridge (this is how Marquet heard that Navarre was back, Navarre let one guy live so he could tell Marquet he was coming for him.)

Bonus, Navarre being referred to as this:

THIS WHOLE CUT CONVERSATION between Phillipe and Isabeau, from after getting the arrow removed from her shoulder:

I feel like this changes how Navarre's decision in the end of the movie could be taken- they were both straight up not having a good time, and both were determined to either break the curse or kill the Bishop as a final act.

Also hinging on this, is another cut conversation between them again, after the high stress of killing the wolf hunter:

AUGH, because if Phillipe knows anything, he knows how much these two love each other; that the situation is rapidly getting worse for them, and if they don't break the curse soon, he worries that they aren't going to make it- that they'll give up hope; in love, and in each other.

(This is also interesting because Phillipe is not lying to Navarre when he tells him that she cursed the day they met, it was just cut from the movie.)

So Phillipe just becomes more and more determined to keep the fire lit, to keep kindling the scraps of hope they have. He dances with Isabeau, tries to cheer her.

Of course, he finds this a lot harder to do with Navarre, as the man is dead-set on pursuing his suicide mission to kill the Bishop. The man is Stubborn and also on the last strings of sanity. Which adds more narrative weight to the moment when Navarre finally stops fighting against them, and hugs Phillipe.

Extended ice scene my beloved:

(Note that in the script, Phillipe references his mother a bit more, so this revelation is an interesting insight into his psyche)

Your mother did not know you as I do. I love that. I could write a whole essay about that in itself. Probably my favorite line in the whole script.

The rest of the script follows the movie, with exceptions here and there. Navarre and Imperius get discovered by guards, which jumpstarts Navarre to head off after the Bishop sooner than the eclipse (which is also why Marquet is late to stopping him, they barely miss each other on their respective ways to and from the Bishop). The Bishop becomes a wolf in the end. Then the additional ending of Navarre and Isabeau riding into the sunset, and Phillipe stealing one of Navarre's sword gems cheekily and setting out into the world.

Some bonus funny things:

Imperius trying to explain what an eclipse is without knowing the proper words, while partially drunk. (Using food on the table to demonstrate):

This just reads as straight up comedy:

Their plan to trap him in a hole in the ground is insane and hilarious. As well as being revealed to have been ISABEAU'S IDEA.

The dynamic between the four of them is just unhinged and amazing and fun, and I wish we had gotten more screen time for it. Anyway, thanks for letting me rant! I will do it again

EDIT: ALSO HEY THE MOVIE IS FREE WITH ADS ON YOUTUBE

[razzle-zazzle]

Do you have any recs for cole centric angst/whump?

Ohhh ohoho lemme open my lil bookmark folder and see what I got 🤭

Okay if you haven't read it yet Meet Again by northpen is so.... oh my god. Immortal Cole. Reunions with the other ninja' reincarnations.... it's not like. Super angst heavy (if anything I think it's everyone else who gets the brunt of it) but it's definitely pretty heavy in all kinds of ways and I cannot reread it without getting utterly destroyed.

Okay this next one's not really angst but it has like. A few fun lil angsty elements and also it rules so I'm counting it. It's the To rise after the fall series by K1ngtok1, aka an oni Cole AU where the smoke kickstarts oni puberty. And also where I got the "Jay's name keeps getting changed to some variation of criminal in the group chat" joke that I used in my Cleaved AU, because it's a hilarious joke.

And then you probably might have already seen this one but Dialogue About The Dead by summerf0x is a cute little oneshot of Cole and Morro bonding over being ghosts. And there's rain. And also Zane relates the revelation of being a nindroid to Cole becomign a ghost and AUGHHHHHHHH

Okay I just reread It's A Lie to Say that I Learnt First as a Necessity by That_Girl_Who_Is_WAY_Too_Cheerful and OW? OWWWWWW? MY HEART??? Anyway. Set directly after March of the Oni, Cole retires and oh my god. ohhhhh my godddd. screaming crying shitting throwing up

Earthbound by so_sure is a short one but god that ending!!! It's so AUGH

Okay and this one isn't really Cole angst but it's just. Okay you know that Cole & Wu's father-son/son-father dynamic always gets me, so you really can't blame me for including paternity by fallingakiangels for the way it portrays teen Wu with partial memories and AUGH AUGH OUGHHHHHHHH READ IT YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!

And then OF COURSE I gotta get Wax and Wane by Raven6229 in there!!!! It's so... GOD EACH ARC just HITTSSSS and oh my god the fucking. the TOMB and the FUCKASS CLOUD KINGDOM JERKWAD WHO DOOMS COLE FOR LIKE. A FUCKING CORN CHIP (it was a lot more than that but that's what it felt like which really speaks to the power of the writing in this one ough augh OUGHHHHH).

and then after all that angst I think we could all use a cute little palate cleanser so here's one of my favorite crackfics, Does Adopting God's Son Make You God? by WeirdestArrow. The title pretty much says it all!

[tartagliove]

I want to know more about the fox Childe and bunny Reader fic please 🥺 The Zhongli/Reader one as well

hiii Em!! I'm SO glad you asked hehe I'm very excited to talk a bit about this fic!

both fics take place in the same shapeshifter au where anyone with a vision also can shapeshift into an animal!

fox! Childe x bunny! Reader

Reader works for Yelan and helps to gather information (being a bunny can be pretty useful for that) when you are caught spying on the Fatui by Childe!

he can't let you share what you've heard, so he captures you (after an intense chase scene hehe)

he ends up bringing you back to where he's staying at the Northland Bank and decides to keep you captive until after the Fatui plans happen. all the Fatui are o.o at Childe walking in with a rabbit under his arm but they're not going to say a thing about the 11th Harbinger suddenly wanting to keep a pet because they'd like to keep their heads, thank you

anyway you start to find that Childe is growing on you the longer you spend in his presence and learn about him. (featuring a visit from Teucer!)

eventually you escape for good and return to your regular job, working at Yelan's teahouse, when suddenly Childe starts stopping by for tea and nearly gives you a heart attack the first time he shows up

I don't want to spoil too much about the reveal but!! some random hints about what I want to include throughout the fic: Reader gets a ribbon collar from Childe, a second intense chase scene, two visits to Bubu Pharmacy and an appearance from Qiqi, Childe in a half-transformed state with fox ears and claws and a tail, and some biting (not necessarily in that order)

dragon! Zhongli x cat! Reader

I don't have very concrete ideas for this yet, but:

thinking of a foreign Reader who arrives in Liyue who doesn't know much about all that went down with the Geo archon

Reader decides to explore the stone forest (perhaps you're an adventurer and your commissions take you there?) when you stumble across a dragon napping on one of the mountain peaks and ngl he looks pretty comfortable and it's sunny out, so you take a break and join him on a nearby rock

once you're back in Liyue you start running into Zhongli and then suddenly on your commissions to remote places, more often then not you'll find a dragon already there napping

and that's about it!

I am sooooo excited for the fox! Childe x bunny! Reader dynamic augh it has already been fun to write thus far and I can't wait to write more of it. once I make more progress I might share some snippets hehe. and if anyone has any questions or would like me to expand on things, feel free to let me know! c:

[mamawasatesttube]

hello!! do you have a tag on here for fics you love & recommend to people, or are there any gold standard kon/tim/timkon fics you’ve come across? (currently suffering bc straight on ‘til morning is a masterpiece, but no one writes these characters quite the way you do, and i was not having a good time in the timkon ao3 tag……)

thank you!! :D man i keep thinking about doing a sotm rewrite because now that i've read more comics i just keep thinking i wish i had a scene with the steels in there, and also chris, and more of kara, and also followup on kon's relationship with mae vs his relationship with linda and how that impacted him in the abandonment issues, and-- um. anyways.

that's all off topic HAHA i just keep rotating it in my mind. man. but thanks!! as a matter of fact, i do have a #fic rec tag! it's ficlets and general stuff too, not just timkon, but there's some goodies in there.

(and augh. you have my utmost sympathies. the ao3 timkon tag is a cesspool. every time i look at it i add to my mute/block list 😔 same with the tumblr timkon tag honestly. its rough out here.)

ANYWAYS!! overall, i'd say some of my favorite timkon fics are:

blush by @misspickman my beloved. i love when kon gets loved :) and has issues. but mostly gets LOVED. (rated M!)

fill in the blanks by @mindshelter for similar reasons. get loved idiot!!! its just so cute i love this one.

freefall by @lemontongues i also love when kon is competent (konpetent) and tim is a little bit stupid :)

practical applications of a memorized heartbeat by @comphetkoncass because, again, i looove when kon gets to be konpetent!!! also get wrecked tim (<- said with love)

AND it's not timkon but i would be remiss in making a rec list that didn't include i want your complications too by @loisinherlane. her single dad clark with 7yo clone kon au is so important to me. baby kon trying to impress his dad's girlfriend is just so cute. augh!!!

[volivolition]

heyo!! hows unstoppable force going?? :0

HELLO ANON! lots of people asking about my fics (unless you're all just the same anon??? hgkj) in any case, im truly grateful :')!! i'll split up chatting between them, but since you asked for it specifically: let's talk Unstoppable Force! :D

Preface, here's all my fic wips as explained before!! and all my writing can be found in my #inland drabbles tag! ask 2, ask 3!

Unstoppable Force, aka "The Unstoppable Force Kisses the Immovable Object" was my first ever skills fic! as with all my writings, it's still a wip hgkjg Unstoppable Force is centered on Volition and Electrochemistry's relationship, from enemies -> friends with benefits -> lovers :3 it started as pwp but whoops accidentally got a bit of plot in there! it is still very explicit hgskgjk

Current word count is now 22,389!! granted, some of these are snippets of other fics. This document is a general free-for-all Volistry document, but Unstoppable Force in specific does have a plot in mind.

As for how it's going, it's currently a back burner project. Life's been tossin' curveballs and writing's been waiting in the outfield. for Unstoppable Force in specific, ive never written an explicit fic before so on top of the evil "your writing isn't good enough" demons im also fighting off the puritan "you should not be writing sexy shit, you are a sinner and also CRINGE" angels. like lmao LET ME FUCKIN LIVE HDHJFJ

i really love rereading it (literally canNOT stop grinning while rereading, theyre SO FUNNY, im delighted by their dialogues hgkj) and i KNOW other people might like reading it too, but also it's hard to believe anyone besides me will like the plot and characterization and. y'know. the sex?? i feel its very obvious i am a novice at this hgkj im aroace as fuck guys, this is already such an endeavor hkjgg

NEVERTHELESS. WE PERSIST!! the outline is all there, and a lot of plot points are already filled in! i just need to add more in-between sections, and figure out which sections i actually want to include in the fic hkjg

i think i want to add more of volition's thought process into this, it's fuckin fascinating, the way he denies things he wants, and moreover doesn't allow himself to want? me when the homie's self restraint is making his life worseee~!!! hgkjg shakes him hgkjg here's a writing snippet!! for you!!!

^ I NEED TO FUCKIN EXTRAPOLATE ON THIS!! HEY @ MY OWN WRITING, IS THIS TRUE??? HGKJG

i think it'd be better if i punched up the conflict in one of the later chapters? there's a part where volition's reaction to something harry says would realistically be something else, especially given the circumstances. i know exactly how i could do it but it makes me REALLY SAD augfhfhgh what if i just want volition and echem to be happy!! what then!!!

augh i'll do it eventually but I'LL BE SAD ABOUT IT HJGKJ </3 alas, writing is driven by conflict. i GOTTA CAUSE PROBLEMS ON PURPOSE!!!

okay, i could say more but that's all on Unstoppable Force for now. i have a lot of fondness for this fic as my first ever one that got me started in the fandom <33 volistry lover forever and ever!!! :D thank you for reading!!! :D

[valeriianz]

For the fic writer asks:

4. Obviously you did research for BitB. I'd love you to ramble about it if you like I'm sure you've got STORIES

5. Did you outline it?

7. How'd you decide it would be Hob's pov?

25-27 I'd love to know a/some favorite lines, details, and any lore you might want to share

omg TJ what wonderful questions! thank you!! this is going to get LONG!

4: Rambling about research!

do you wanna see a screen shot of my bookmarks under my "band au" folder?

man, and that's only what could fit on the screen.

there is... SO MUCH i chose to ignore for this fic. ideas that i had to drop, lines or extra details about the other band members equipment. more logistics, what Lucienne actually does, what Mervyn has to put up with as the new touring stage manager... i realized very early on that i couldn't possibly cram all this (super cool and eye opening) information into the fic and still keep reader's interest and, most importantly, to not stray away from the fact that this is a dreamling fic. whenever i felt myself getting carried away with a side character or job or even social media numbers, gossip, outside POVs, i had to reign myself in and get back on track. there will be time for exploring everything i missed in side stories after BitB is finished. i just hope i still have the energy to write it all.

once, i was so deep into research that after publishing chapter 2, i went into work and when my chef asked what "GA" meant on my prep list, i answered with full confidence, "general admission."

(it means "get ahead.")

the worst part of this entire writing process is im still learning new shit. i havent rewatched or read a lot of what i've saved because, to be very honest, i was feeling a little burnt out. it's why we're kinda full steam dreamling now. it's why ive been glossing over a lot of technical stuff and being vague about conversations amongst the crew/not including it at all. i don't prefer ignoring my research, but at the end of the day i want to still enjoy writing this fic and finish it. even if i can't be as descriptive and detailed and nuanced as i used to be.

5: Did you outline the fic?

(also asked by @hardly-an-escape!)

i wouldn't call what i have a proper "outline," it's more like a 20k word document filled to the brim with notes that i skim at least a dozen times while i'm writing a new chapter (being in my brain is literally hell). i live multichapter life very dangerously. i copy and paste lines or sections (always scattered, never together! augh!) that are meant to go together and plop them in a new document titled "band au ch.#" and then i structure the chapter around what i want to happen.

but to answer this question in the plainest of terms: yeah. i know exactly what's going to happen up until the very end. even if its all in my head and the only concrete shit that's written down are beats/plot points. i'll figure out the rest later!

7: How'd you decide it would be Hob's POV?

i actually never even considered writing it from Dream's POV. this was my first fic in the fandom (which is so nuts to think about lol) and writing in Dream's POV sounded so scary lol. i also just thought Hob's would be easier because i have worked a few backstage shows, back in my college years. i figured eh, i can make this work. and i loved exploring how weird and mysterious musicians can be, from a normie's POV. making Hob a fan first and having him worry about developing a parasocial relationship... it was fun to explore.

25: Share your favorite line

oh god, i have so many haha.

“What are you thinking about?” starting in ch.2 and onward lmao

“It’s–” Dream laughs quietly, bitterly. “I don’t like change.” He says each word with emphasis, eyes trailing down to fixate somewhere past Hob. “And I still hold onto the things I can control, like my instruments–” his eyes swing up to regard Hob apologetically. “Or my clothes or my–” he brings a hand up and wiggles his fingers around his head. “My hair.” ch.4

"His majesty is pleased." ch.5

“You are obsessive,” he states, slow and cool and with a quiet smile cracking through his composure. “Just like me.” ch.7

“You look good.” Hob has to lean in to say so, unwilling to raise his voice amongst the roar of the fans. ch.11

“Del looks like porcelain, but she’s actually made of steel.” Desire swirls the contents of their glass before pushing their shoulders back with a deep breath. “She's tougher than all of us.” ch.11

“Everything. I want…” his fingers tighten in Hob’s hair, pulling him closer, speaking against his lips. “…Everything.” ch.14

26: Share your favorite detail

how intentionally coy Dream behaves. i love keeping him a mystery and deciding when and how much to allow his intentions to peek through has been so fun lol.

Despair is in fact covered in tattoos and piercings! i say this because i feel like sometimes i forget lmao. (but also her and Hob don't interact much so. my bad haha).

Delirium's constant explosion of color in the way she dresses <3

Hob's dedication to his job, Dream, and the people he cares about the most. i don't care if people think i'm making him too soft and good, im gonna project on that man and make him a sweet, sweet simp lmao

and ah, this doesn't matter anymore, and i kinda regret doing it but. i originally had Dream's favorite bass all black but the pickguard was white. so it actually looked like Jessamy. not gonna lie when @designtheendless drew it all black i decided i liked it better that way. and truly i do. that's when i went back to ch.1 and changed it haha. to actually see the guitar with Dream, all done up sparkling black and purple flecks... gosh it's just so him. but then i got up to the reveal that the guitar's name was Jessamy and i was like, "oh, right." lmao. no one seems to care so i'll leave it be.

27: Share a piece of lore you made up for the story

i have a lot lmao. and this post is already so long... im hoping i can get to some if not all of it in side fics in the future. but for now, here's some that's more like headcanons but:

Dream hates flying. he can full on go into panic attacks on the plane if he allows himself to get into his own head.

this was mentioned briefly in ch.4, while Dream was discussing the formation of the band, but Despair was in another band before joining Endless. she is the only character in the fic who gets to keep her English roots (lol sorry) and is the oldest in the band (30).

all of the band members ages: Dream, Desire, and Death are all 28 and Delirium is 22.

Dream can experience subdrop after going too hard during a performance.

Dream paints his own nails, it's very therapeutic.

as an exercise, i explored my own headcanons for Dream in this verse in a word doc, and one thing i will share from it that you might find interesting: If I were to ever give Dream a theological values, I would describe him as a satanist. He is a physical and pragmatic person, nonconforming, and although he is introverted, he enjoys being a part of a community (he loves his band).

also found this in my notes: How Desire and Dream got along was Death making them fight it out. Hob raises an eyebrow “like in a brawl?” He couldn't imagine Desire throwing hands. “No, in a pillow fight that escalated in hair pulling and verbal taunts.”

fic writer asks

[spitblaze]

Just want you to know: I always enjoy seeing you come across my dash and that includes your takes on trans issues. Wishing you the best in these trying times.

mental health dumping under the cut

AUGH god thank you this is. so incredibly validating to hear actually theres been a little gremlin in the back of my brain for the past...idk too long now. sitting there. pre-emptively reacting to any thoughts or feelings i have about transness or transmasculinity in this patronizing tone of like 'you're a transmasc, you're not oppressed enough to speak on any of this, you're a fraud' in various tones that got to a point where i just refused to include myself in the 'transmasc' umbrella while writing things about it because 'nobody will take you seriously if you're saying these things as a transmasc, you're biased' as if the reason i have these thoughts in the first place isn't because i have that personal stake in them lmao..........like even just typing this out im anticipating a non-transmasc (who by not being transmasc has an inherently more valuable opinion that overrides my own, according to the internalized transphobia goblin) coming into the comments and rolling their eyes and making a jerkoff motion and telling me that im being an oversensitive whiner and trying to leverage my afab-ness to fish for pity or something. which i am already primed to believe and internalize despite this person not existing. if that tells you anything about how my mental state is right now

anyway uuuuuuh thank you, I'll keep working on it, hopefully soon I'll be able to just like...post my thoughts on being transgender outside of dumb little jokes (which are also hard for me to do while not cringing about existing while transmasc. im fine im normal im good) and leaving my thoughts in the tags of other people's posts without deleting them or keeping them forever in the drafts to avoid the imagined foregone conclusion of being dogpiled bc im not trans enough to have an opinion on being trans or that everything i say is just privileged whining or that ive actually said something massively bigoted or intensely cringe without realizing it which of course i would do because im transmasc which means that skdghslkdjd something something purposeful avoidance of potential embarrassment to avoid confirming stereotypes leading to belonging uncertainty leading to self-doubt and self-isolation and feelings of alienation and every other textbook symptom of stereotype threat you can imagine.

Uh...I'm working on it. Everyone check yourself for stereotype threat and internalized transphobia once in a while. Be nice to yourself, be nice to other trans people, and try not to make bad-faith assumptions about the words and actions and intents of others. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Self-shame helps nobody, self-hatred helps nobody, and it's so incredibly important to identify the line between listening to and learning from other members of the trans community about intra-community issues and constantly and needlessly exposing yourself to needless negativity and cruelty. maybe im already pumping out critical levels of Transmasc Cringe just by traumadumping about the mental mess I got myself into but if I wanna be more emotionally open and honest about my experiences I need to actually be open and honest about them, right? right. uh...thank you ilu beloved mutual colby 💖

[forrest-of-sins]

Rereading again, and I want to tell you I love how naturally you insert foreshadowing. You are one of the absolute best writers I've seen do it, and I'm including from published authors in that count. I also wanted to wonder aloud (on here instead of ao3 because its easier to navigate on mobile, I'm sorry) if this one specific paragraph was implying something...

Sometimes you swore that when you would wake up after dreaming about him, your body would be aching in places that were previously fine before you had curled up to sleep. You chalked it up to the overexertion of your magic. Yeah! That had to be it. You’d gotten used to the burn in your arms from your magic, but sometimes it hurt that extra little bit more on days where you shone your brightest.

To me, this screams somnophilia or something similar, but i would wonder of which exact flavor if it really is. I'm really excited to see if, in the future, we get a call back to it or its even further fleshed out.

Also, I know a million people have said it already, but the way you write shadow milk cookie is the best I've ever seen anybody do it. I can hear his voice in my head perfectly every time I read his dialogue! It's so much more engaging being able to do that, and with how perfectly you describe his body language? AUGH! I'm gonna be rereading this until the day I die, I swear. And I'm not even somebody who usually rereads things a million times In a row! Your skill at writing really shows, especially as somebody who struggles with imagination and visualization. It's so engaging in ways I want to DISSECT.

zvdnfnfk this is really high praise aaaa!!! ;//u//; firstly, thank you so much, oh my goshhh!!! i'm really happy to hear that the descriptions and other details ive included have helped you visualise this story well! :D Smilk has been the first like...actual game character ever that I've written for cause I usually do gross oc stuff dhdjdk, so I'm really really happy that he reads well and that his dialogue sounds appropriate! he's a lot of fun to write hehe, his way with words is so like, whimsical and flowing, and its a lot of fun capturing that aspect of him!! it's also very very fun when the whimsy slips away and his fangs are truly bared! I love how much of a freak he is >:3

as for the second part of this....I maaay or may not be foreshadowing what you're thinkin about- you'll have to see the next part (when its out dhdjdk) to find out if you're right or not! ;3c it could merely be Firefly being correct in their assumptions, that they're pushing themself far too much and hurting themself in that way in order to get that approval and sense of belonging that they crave from Smilk...or, something much more sinister could be crawling out of the shadows when they've passed out from exhaustion...but who knows!! :3

[crazylittlejester]

Okay, so i know this is a long long one. but asking me what stories of your i like sent me into a like 20 minute writing essay which i have very much cut down here.

Mainly I just fell in love with your modern AU as soon as you spoke about it for the first time. And I love these guys sm. They are beans.

I also enjoy your LU stuff with Wars and time knowing each other from the war and how that changes their dynamic. its really fascinating and i am constantly invested with these two.

Now the next paragraph are simply ideas you by no means have to do any of these ever, you are allowed to write what you want!

As for stuff, I'd genuinely like to see more of? If I said Anything with Sky would that be cheating?

In modern au - The modern au bois having more heart-to-hearts. Maybe talking to Warren about his past? but you know, I'm aware that's not exactly the easiest thing to write. And the stuff happening with Twilight right now has me stressed i want to give him a hug. And learning more about epilepsy with Sky has me so interested.

As for lu - Maybe building on Time and war's relationship more from the war back to the present day.

But honestly, you write my blorbos so damn well I go back and read your stories so often I have a bookmark folder on my PC with a bunch of your stories in it because I like being able to go back to it often.

kissing you on the forehead thank you so much for this actually

also saying anything with Sky is absolutely not cheating, I love him and I genuinely do need to write more of him (tho every time i try the fic ends up being like 10k words which is why its taking me so damn long to finish whumptober 😭)

I DO have some things planned with Warren and his past, a good portion of which involve Wild!! (who i just the other day realized has not made an actual appearance in the au yet, i’ve only Talked about him, and that really needs to be fixed 💔) I also have some stuff planned that focuses on him specifically and interacts more with his friends in the dance and skating world (and also his Horrendous relationship with his mother), I just need the time to write it alskddjf

The stuff presently happening with Twi will be the next serious update for that series (not counting silly little fics I write for it for my own happiness that exist just to cheer me up and be goofy), which will ALSO include more War stuff (everyone cheers)

showing how Sky’s epilepsy is something that effects him constantly and not just while he’s actively having a seizure is something that’s very important to me, so there will be more of that with him both in the modern au and my regular lu fics. there are things he cannot do, there are side effects that make him really upset and annoyed, it’s something that impacts his daily life

also i will most definitely be working more on the Time and Wars dynamic and how it’s changed since the war 🙏🙏🙏

AUGH?? i feel honored it makes me so happy to know you enjoy my fics so much major

[jellyleggz]

1:47 AM | han jisung

genre: crush au, very 18+ suggestive, crush! han jisung x fem! reader

warning(s): very very suggestive! smut adjacent, reader is shy yet horny, allusion to cunninglingus and fingering, pet names (princess, baby)

word count: 622

…

It’s the way that he pushes you on his bed that throbs your core. It’s the way that his lips tenderly kissing your hair and slowly inching their way to your neck. It’s the way that you forbid yourself from getting a taste of Han Jisung yet his charms have some power over you like voodoo magic.

Denial is such a beautiful thing. Every girl on campus has this massive La La Land crush on him. By every girl that also includes you. But no one has to know. You’ve reiterated many times to people how Jisung is not your cup of tea and how you have a different type. Lying could only get you so far and unfortunately, the young man can see through your bullshit.

Now, he’s on top of you. You don’t even remember how you ended up in his place. Blurry in-between details you can’t recall were buried somewhere random in your brain. All you can recall now is the way his hands feel on your skin… and his lips. How you desperately want to feel them on yours.

“Is there something in your mind princess? Would you like to stop?” He stops his kisses to look at you with his pretty eyes. Fuck. You can feel yourself get wetter by the second. He’s such a gentleman. Discreetly, you squeeze your thighs together, hoping to get some friction. Though you try to be subtle with your neediness, Jisung is able to see through you. He looks down on your lap and smirks to himself. Augh goddamnit.

“I-I- Ji- I really want to kiss you,”

His eyes widen and his smirk was replaced with a smile you could melt into. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place baby?”

You stumble upon your words again. “I was-was shy… I don’t. I just didn’t know how to say it.” Now you were really embarrassed. You tilt your head down while looking away from his handsome face. Way to go! He probably thinks you’re a loser now.

Once again he kisses the strands of your hair before tilting up your chin to face him. “Y/N. You can tell me anything that you would like to do,” he whispers, “anything you don’t want to do. Anything princess. You can trust me.”

Such a sweet guy. His words brought butterflies to your stomach. You sit on his lap and you bring your lips close to his. “I really want to kiss you.” You say such words with such assertiveness that he didn’t even hesitate to fulfill your request.

He started out slow and gentle. His soft lips were heaven sent. Yet as heavenly as they were, those devious lips hunger for more. Passion simmers the yearning you have for both of each other, leading for tongues to fight for dominance. You moan as he bit your bottom lip. He tastes like intoxicating wine and you tasted like candy that he will always want to savor.

Both of you pulled away from each other to catch air. By now you know your panties are soaked to the brim. Jisung smiles at you and you marvel at his swollen lips with some red lipstick.

“Wow. You’re amazing,” he says as he kisses your knuckles.

You give him a chase kiss on the cheeks. “No you’re amazing Ji.”

Now it was his turn to be flustered. “Oh hush you.” Red was spreading throughout his cheeks.

You giggle at his reaction before asking, “You know what would be more amazing?”

“Hmm?”

“You eating out my pussy you made so wet.”

His smirk returns once again. “That does sound amazing,” he sighs as his deft fingers make their way under your skirt and between your thighs.

…

A/N: WOAH!!! This is the first time I’ve written anything relatively spicy and so I hope you enjoy! Please don’t hesitate to leave any comments on how I can improve my writing!

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

2024 AO3 Wrapped - For Writers

Taking a page out of @frownyalfred's bag and am compiling the stats that are most interesting to me (from various wraps I've seen) rather than using any one set template. I'm also going to stick to published stats because I've written chapters for Like the Cryptkeeper that have not published yet, in addition to a few WIPs I've gotten stuck in.

Works Published: ~12

Includes two works started in an earlier year but finished this year and one work started this year but not yet finished. Read all twelve-ish here.

Chapters Published: 18

The majority of my fics were single-chapter one-shots. Not all, though.

Words Published: 45,970

Hits: 29,829*

Comments: 649*

Kudos: 4,817*

Bookmarks: 1,230*

These last four stats I find interesting from a statistical perspective but also maddening, and I'm hoping one of you out there knows a trick. Because these three numbers are wrong.

Firstly, they include all hits/comments/kudos for Hey, Sister, but I wrote and posted half of that in 2022, so some of these are 2022 stats. Same goes for Nowhere Safer, which first posted near the end of 2023 but concluded in 2024! Augh.

And secondly, if I filter my stats down to 2024, it only shows me hits, comments, and kudos given to fics from 2024. My 2024 fics are little babies. Not only are they new and therefore less well-known, but they're also significantly shorter than, for example, The Return and Nature & Nurture.

AO3 is an archive. My older fics are FAR more popular than my shiny new fics! I WANT MY ACCURATE STATS. /endrant

Top Relationship: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd (3)

Shocking. Genuinely stunning. This wholly comes down to me getting really interested in some of the relational mechanics between Dick and Jason and churning out a bunch of fics for Whumptober about exactly that. ("A bunch," I say. Three. I mean three.)

Top Tag: Grief/Mourning (4)

If I exclude the Whumptober tag, grief/mourning was my #1. I'm not sure why.

Fic With Highest Stats:

Because I don't know how to properly segment Hey, Sister or Nowhere Safer, I'm going to present stats with and without that those involved. Stuff with multiple BatKids likely would have done really well even without the multi-year spread, but I can't prove it.

Hits: Hey, Sister (or Nowhere Safer or Like the Cryptkeeper)

Kudos: Hey, Sister (or Nowhere Safer or Open Line)

Comments: Like the Cryptkeeper

Bookmarks: Nowhere Safer (or Open Line)

Fic I'm Proudest Of:

I'm always proud of all of my fics but I am particularly proud of:

Like the Cryptkeeper because it's been a bit since I've done a fic longer than two chapters (we'll see how proud I am if I stall on my current chapter for much longer)

The morning and what came after because it was deeply angsty and made me cry

Searchlight Burning because @audreycritter said it was one of the best "Bruce returns to Gotham pre-Batman" fics she's ever read and I want to die with that on my tombstone

Fic I Wish Received More Attention: Searchlight Burning

Y'all are allergic to Alfred fics and it's such a pity.

WIPs Still Sitting In Drafts: 3.5

lol. Okay so of actual "things I actually attempted or am attempting to write" drafts, as opposed to just ideas, I am sitting on:

The rest of Like the Cryptkeeper

A mega-angsty little thing I've been poking at for a couple years

A Dick & Jason fic I started for Whumptober and got stuck on

An Alfred POV for The Rain Again that I started, had to back out of when it wasn't right, and if I ever use again will need to be for an entirely new scenario—hence the .5

Given Or Received Gifts: 3 received, 0 given

More indicative of my pre-Whumptober writing slump than anything else

Learn Anything New?

It was such a relief to finally feel like I got a little bit more of a handle on Dick. I didn't expect that this year.

I noticed while drafting Cryptkeeper that Jason was being VERY sweary in a way I don't usually write that felt appropriate and inappropriate for the setting at the same time. I finally realized my own internal distinction that he tends to stick to lesser swears when communicating verbally, while his own internal monologue will have a lot more f-bombs.

I love the "Batkids trust Bruce enough to crawl into his bed after a nightmare" but it's a trope that only ever squared with me in an uncomplicated way for Dick. I didn't see Jason falling into it without hesitation even as a younger kid and I really couldn't see Tim doing it, except for maybe much, much, MUCH later. I liked being able to solidify the uncomfortable middle ground for myself in Nowhere Safer.

It's not new knowledge that getting Jason and Bruce to talk honestly to each other is a difficult thing, but MAN has Cryptkeeper really driven it home. Yikes.

2025 Aspirations Or Goals:

Finish Like the Cryptkeeper.

Beef up some of my other pairings. I do want to keep writing my most delicious faves, but I'd like to explore some different combinations.

Tied to that, I'd like to build out my own understanding of some other characters within the Wayne universe. Steph and Duke remain a cipher to me, but so does Kon and Jon and Lois. I don't know that I would write more about them, but understanding them is at least more in that direction.

Tied to that, I'd like to find more new-to-me authors to read. My fic reading has fallen off a cliff for various reasons, but it's always a thrill to find talented writers who tackle the Fam in a cogent and engaging way.

Not necessarily specific to 2025, but I've never officially collaborated on a fic with anyone. That might be fun.

[mossy-paws]

MOSSY HAI!!! @hyp-fixator here....

I have... a few questions!!!

First, if you've figured it all out, what fishy species will all the phighters be? This could include Npcs/Deities too if you wanna :D

Second... what would be your favourite pair to write about in this au?? It doesn't even have to be a ship, literally just- which sillies do you wanna talk about the most, and GO HAM WITH THE ANSWER!!

and lastly, I heard you talk about ships and whatnot in your fishy broker headcannons? Does that mean that theres some phighters who are mermaids and some who aren't? And like....... what do they do.... AUGH THIS AU IS SO GOOD

Literally holding onto you. Like. More fish food pleaze... pleaze.... donate some fishy scraps for the less fortunate pleaze..... insert miserable cat eyes/lh

HHEHEHEHEHEHEHE SO FUNNY STORY I actually woke up really early this morning and I saw this ask and I had to physically restrain myself from answering it because I didn’t want it to be really rough LMAO OKAY SOOOO!

This is a pretty popular question actually HAH, I’m not gonna list all of them since I’m a little paranoid about the ideas getting reused/stolen and I don’t really want that SOOOOO as a teaser here’s some of the ones I’m gonna be doing next: :3

boombox is a seal, katana is a lionfish, skateboard is a shortfin mako, banhammer is an orca, scythe is a seasnake, shurifin is pretty much just a mermaid that can shapeshift to resemble the shurifin skin, vinesplash is the same, and slingshot is a flying fish! I have all of the other characters figured out but those are all the ones I’m giving away

2. OHOHOHOHO THIS IS A FUN ONE! The main center focus of the au I would say is shurifin and Medkit, technically they’re supposed to be friend/just fully platonic but I can see it being interpreted as not! Also, Subspace and broker because they absolutely HATE eachother and banhammer and boombox because of the orca/seal motif (banhammer specifically thinks boombox is the perpetrator of a crime that he did not do (scythe and broker just pinned it on him) so he’s on like a manhunt for poor boombox who’s just really confused LMAO)

3. HEHEHEHEH YEAH! So pretty much a good chunk of the mermaids and stuff have powers, mainly the ability to shapeshift and such, broker and scythe are both mermaids who can shapeshift to resemble demons (they are also pirates as well, and are wanted by BOTH worlds for 1. Raiding ships, and 2. Selling out OTHER mermaids for money/riches). Medkit works with scythe and broker because he needs the money. Medkit, sword, venomshank, paint buckét, spray paint, etc are all regular demons! Sword and venomshank have their own shop and are trying to get Medkit to join it so that he can get away from broker and scythe and avoid prosecution as venomshank’s ship is more noble/looked up too.

(As an add on to the shapeshift thing, Rocket, shurifin, and vinesplash all can to an EXTENT, not fully though like how scythe and broker can. Other Phighters also have other abilities that aren’t tied to powers but I think are just cool, specifically like boombox having echo-location because of being a seal, slingshot being able to “fly” (more so glide) because of being a flying fish, or skateboard just being incredibly fast because he’s a mako shark which are the speediest sharks in the world! They aren’t powers but their fun quirks that I feel fit their characters!)

also,,,, soon my friend,, soon,,, I am cooking with this au so HEHEHEHEHE

[haithhegimp]

3 and 4 for the meta ask thing??

THANKYOUFOR THE ASK!! (meta asks for writers) this got kinda long so i'll put it under a cut lol (tw for mentions of suicide btw!!)

3 - What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

ok so i was actually halfway through writing this one (and its more of a fic than a scene,,,,) when i realised how much work id need to do for it and just could not care enough.

basically a fic where alfred decides to take jaybin and run away to london, and they go to therapy and feel better and have happy fun nice times. but i realised someway through that i was building basically an OC who happened to be named alfred, and if i wanted a fic that had such psychoanalysis as therapy, then i'd probably like to actually know the character i am writing about. however! i do not like alfred. like at all. and i genuinely could not muster up any sort of enthusiasm or care towards reading his more central role comics and understanding him. (not to mention that i don't want to just get rid of julia, because yuck im not doing that she's a wonderful character outside of being alfred's kid, but i have absolutely no idea how to deal with her in a fic-- especially one where alfred is learning to be a better guardian.)

4 - Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

ough its hard to pick one thing but i think i'll go with the conversation in the dream sequence from chapter seven of Call Me

He blinked and saw his brother. It wasn’t his brother, It was all wrong. Why does it matter? It asked. You loved him, and you failed, and he’s gone. Why does any of it matter? It asked.  I loved him, and I failed, and he’s gone. He said. I think I’ll die if he’s gone, so he has to be alive. He said. It smiled, and It looked so much like his brother when it did.  His brother had told him, Be careful, Don’t get hurt, I love you. It smiled, and It looked so much like his brother when it did. But it couldn’t be him. His brother would never say such things.  It smiled, and It looked so much like his brother, and it told him, Then die.

(honestly i wanted to include the entire dream sequence but it was way too long to count augh)

i love this scene so much because the entire chapter is dick having a multi-year mental breakdown but this is definitely a tipping point. it's the first time suicide has been explicitly presented as an option to dick and its what finally gets him to stop referring to hallucijason as jason. i also think its a pretty great contrast between this image of jason that dick has built up subconciously and how jason actually used to behave. on top of that i think this is my favourite instance of the motif of jason's smile that's present throughout the chapter. i should honestly make an extended author's note for this chapter alone lmao.

thank you again for the ask, i appreciate it and you very very muchh <3 <3