#i really wish i could write different multichapter fics at once!!!! but i also like thought-out plot and i can't do that properly with one

[almayver]

hi alma!!!!! i see you often rb phumpeem fics. do you have any personal favorites that you would like to recommend?

HI Anon!!!! OH BOY. Do you know who you sent this ask to? OF COURSE, I have personal favorites, and I'm very, very happy to gush about them, thank you dear anon.

So first I did a mini smut rec a couple of weeks ago (A MONTH AGO?? Time flies, damn) and I stand by all of those so here. All of them are very, very beautiful, and fun and have a lovely grasp on the characters and their relationship (Also if you are not reading Cole's omegaverse fic I urge you to fix that right now. I breathe for that fic)

Also, this has to be obvious by now, but I'm very biased, and I think that @thunder-point @alan-apologist and @therethatstar are gifts of the universe to fill our world with great writing. So yeah.

Muse - Very sweet take of phumpeem after the kiss. Love the imagery and the flow of it. Just really nice.

Around the sun - Different first meeting AU featuring absolutely smitten Phum!

reach for me a bit (this loop is infinite) - HYBRID AU MY BELOVED. Cole rewrote my brain chemistry with this one folks. I keep thinking about them. Its very sweet and lovely, with Peem being very protective and caring!

Now and forever - This one is just a very beautiful introspective look from Phum about his relationship with Peem and the group, and its sweet and a little smutty and just very beautiful and soft.

Tiny moments everyday - I'm fully cheating here because this is a TanFang fic, but you don't understand the emotions this fic made me feel. I'm always here for soulmates AU, people we need more We Are soulmates AUs. And Phumpeem are cute in the background

pretty in blue - GLORIOUS SMUT, courtesy of Alan of course no one is surprised. But also, OH MAN, this one is very sneaky and it's actually POETRY. You are like yay smut and then a line comes that makes you clutch at your chest and process the emotions. Once again its Alan so really we shouldn't be surprised.

I hope it's not the kind of rain that only soaks you for a little while - This one is a soft little hurt/comfort that took my heart. Very soft and sweet and beautiful.

your back beneath the sun, wishing i could write my name on it - Star wrote this “Phum thinks they are FWB” that was very beautiful and also had me cackling

Counting stars - and then @danonenen was inspired by that one to write a “Phum thinks they are FWB” that actually had me very emotional and feeling a lot for my sweet insecure boy.

Wild geese - A very cute short different first meeting AU with some lovely ruminations about love

My dog really digs you - This one is an ongoing multichapter that I'm so invested in! A bit of magic and curses and loneliness. So fun!

hand under my sweatshirt, baby, kiss it better - Star makes you feel like you are in this house party watching two strangers fall in love in real time and you will have the time of your life

in the cracks of light, i dreamed of you - A fic about soulmates. In the most beautiful way possible. This fic has my heart and soul and if you want my thoughts on it I keep leaving my ramblings on the comments. So go read it, weep, leave your own comment and read mine.

i got an appetite (you too, just maybe) - The famous and beloved lap sitting fic. Really really cool exploration about feelings, and desire. Just fun!!!

Not without you - I see this as a tribute to Peem. And its a truly beautiful one. Featuring insecure Phum and the friendship group being lovely as always

Take my self-control - Short fun different first meeting au (Yes i like different first meetings im aware).

When I look at you - A bit of a canon divergent fic about Peem drawing Phum. Very fluffy and fun.

Every day's a memory - This one to me is a classic. Just a collection of drabbles, not all of them phumpeem but all of them very lovely and sweet.

There are SO MANY more, and as always go to the AO3 phumpeem tag and have a look around because oh gods so many good fics! These are just the ones that stuck with me a bit. Also I will say some of the best fics are the ones that are being written here through a weird form of exquisite cadaver through asks and tags (like the hanahaki fic Cole is threatening my sanity with (yes i made the og post but she escalated the situation)). So def check the tag here and try to catch some of those because oh gods they are glorious.

Thanks for giving me the chance to rant about phumpeem fics because i do love to do it!

[hua-fei-hua]

Hi Huaaaaaaa I'm in your askbox :3

10, 19, 23, 45 for the Fanfiction Questions, I simply must know

hiii naviiiiii we are hanging out on my blog :33

totally forgot i rb'd those things hehe but anyway~

10.  Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in?

at first glance, my thought was no, bc i don't really fandom-ize every bit of media i absorb, just a few special ones (i can be normal about things!! for real (not clickbait)!!!)

that said, there are a few fandoms i've read fic for that i've never written for! going all the way back to my roots, i read so much mlp fic, n although i technically wanted to write mlp fic back in the day (n have like. two paragraphs of an ancient pitch rotting in my gdocs), i never really committed to it.

nat made me read some pokespe fics too back in the day, so i've read a couple of those too despite never really reading a ton of the manga. one pokespe author also recommended some kingdom hearts fic that i ended up reading, despite having never played kh or knowing anything about it really!

i also used to read a lot of miraculous ladybug fic (once in a blue moon i'll also get update emails for some of them c':), n although i had some ideas for mlb fic, i never wrote any of them.

i think the most recent fandoms i've read but never written for have been the adventure zone (balance), since i'd read taz fic as it crossed my dash after i listened to the podcast, and princess tutu, bc i had a mutual who got into it, so i started w/their fic after i watched the anime, then poked around the archive a bit hehe

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

hmmm i'm honestly kind of a "once a hater, always a hater" kind of person, so it's kind of hard for me to think of a ship that i see around, know the basic appeal of, but don't really Understand in a way that makes me more proactive or picky w/seeing them portrayed.

that said, i would love to read some kokosara meta that elaborates on how a relationship btwn them would further kokomi's character, why sara is the only character who would be able to push her in that particular direction

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

oooo that's tough, since i'm very fond of p much all my fics for various different reasons, even if i don't think their writing is particularly up to my standards anymore.

like, even tho jjk was technically a while ago for me now, i'm still obsessed w/the idea of a constellation au (zenith); and the diner at the end of the night is still easily one of the most well-written high-energy comedies i've ever pulled off.

it's also really hard to pick out of my genshin fics which one holds the most specialest place in my heart bc most of them hold niches in my heart!!!

typically, though, i pick disjunct bc during the writing process, it was the first time where i really felt allowed to give a character Mixed Race Struggles(tm) wholesale w/o feeling like i was just making them mixed for the sake of it. i'm also really happy with the way it ended up resonating w/people on a core level, and the experience of artist-viewer connection n just having an Art Moment(tm) that resulted!!

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

i used to say A Miscellaneous Tale of Night and Day, which is The 200k word pokespe fic nat made me read when we were in high school that hasn't updated since 2012 that has effectively inoculated me against "abandoned fanfiction sadness", and the plot n premise are still a ton of fun, but i've been rereading it a bit as of late, and you can feel the early 2010s casual transphobia and misogyny in it lol. i'd say that it helped shape my comedic tastes/ability to just write self-indulgently, so for that, i'd categorize it under "influential fics"

honestly my favorite fics tend to be long multichapters, but there are honestly so few that line up with my tastes and have an ending in genshin, n i didn't read enough in jjk to have any longfics to really be fondly subscribed to. thinking about it, i genuinely think my fave fics are just the ones nat n i make up together over discord until five in the morning LMAO

in terms of fics that exist(ed, at least at one point), i'd say the now-deleted snk fic tower of babel would probably qualify as one of my all-time faves, n i can say that's not just the nostalgia glasses bc i do still have a copy on my hard drive lol. the premise is that five girls, each hiding their own secrets from each other or the world, end up renting one apartment together, n they learn to trust each other enough to communicate n rely on one another. there's also a bit of romance happening in the bg, but it's not the biggest aspect of the fic, n i really liked that!!! also the way it dropped the title in the end, basically stating its main theme as "it's a lot easier to fix your problems if you communicate abt it" CHANGED MY LIFE the first time i read it lol

ANYWAY YEAH that's all of them hehe thanks for the ask~

fanfiction questions

[sansxfuckyou]

Defiance is a love story

Summary: After years of never seeing him, Sapnap decides its time to make peace again, especially with his parents new idea of how to help the kingdom prosper.

Warnings: referenced arranged marriage, emotionally tense, heres the Ao3 port with full tags

Authors Note: hi *posts SNF for the third consecutive day in a row like an absolute mad man* rarepair nation wishes I could channel my passion into multichapters instead of stupid fantasy AU oneshots. @sobredunia this is just habit now, I'm sorry but not really that I've actively subjected you to around 30K words of SNF if my memory of which fics I've tagged you in serves me well. Not sure if I should tag you @lasnevadastardly but we're mutuals and if my memory serves me well you're also an SNF fan, so look at this morsel. Anyways, reblogs are always a treat that keep me writing, hope ya'll enjoy this little fic.

Sapnap heaved a sigh as he pushed open the door to the throne room, he was hesitant to dare take a step in. He forged ahead, he made it about four feet in before his presence was acknowledged.

"Don't you dare take another step," The voice was ice, but it sounded like childhood, "Why are you of all people in my domain?" A snarl was on his voice.

Sapnap opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, gloved hands holding his tail tightly to try and calm down.

"Answer me," It's a threat, Georges hand flies to rest at the pommel of his sword as he steps off of his regal throne, mushrooms of varying sizes sprout up from the wood. With each step he takes a burst of grass grows around his shoes, occasionally flowers bloom. If Sapnap was a chump he would be intimidated at the power, but he's well aware this is just a bluff.

Sapnap takes a deep breath, "Political stuff," George steps closer, gripping the hilt of his sword, "Really important political stuff."

Sapnap can't bring himself to move even an inch as George keeps inching closer, silently. Two eyes, sharp and mismatched in hue, are trained on the halflings form- the prince simply circles the halfling when he's close enough. Annoyance etches itself onto his face and Sapnap still doesn't move even as a sword is swiftly pulled to his abdomen, he swallows audibly with a hint of fear.

George gives a single chuckle, as he pulls back, "Everyone else would've ran, you're different."

"You don't have the guts to slice open your old friend," Sapnap answered with, his tail tightened itself around his waist if only to stop it from whipping around.

George hums, "True- although, we haven't been friends in a long time."

"Real shame how that happened," Sapnap said, waiting for George to step back from him before he could ease up.

"That's life, now, I'm intrigued as too what political duties could bring you crawling back to me," George said, sheathing his sword as he spoke, he had to crane his neck a bit to catch eye contact with Sapnap, "You've gotten taller."

Sapnap gives a nervous chuckle, "Demon genetics, took a while for them to kick in though," He gestures to the horns on his head and unwinds his tail.

George nodded, "I suppose that made sense given your fire powers."

"Definitely," Sapnap added on, "But, onto more important discussions, the political shit," He took a heavy breath, "My parents want to marry me off for the sake of the kingdom."

George felt every muscle in his body tense at once, it felt like his organs were being stamped on at the sudden information drop. His grasp on the handle of his sword tightened, then loosened once more. The first time he's seen his, well, they're just names to each other now, and he learns that Sapnap is being married off.

"Oh," Was all George could muster, his expression was lacking in the way of carrying the emotion behind the utterance, "And they chose me?"

Sapnap shook his head, "They have someone chosen out already, but they said they would give me a week to find someone else," He brought his hands to play with the hem of his shirt, fingerless gloves left blunted claws on display.

"And you came here for my help doing so?" George asked bluntly, Sapnap shook his head again, gaze averted to the ground.

"I came here too ask if you'd be willing to take my hand instead of whoever my parents chose," Sapnap said, his voice was strained as he spoke, it sounded like every word escaping was tying a knot in his throat tighter. He can barely bring himself to look for a reaction of some sort from George, the blank expression hurts a lot. He heaves a sigh, "Figured as much."

He turns to leave but freezes up entirely at what he hears.

"Why me?" Georges voice is cracking a little bit as he stares at Sapnap, his grip on his sword has disappeared entirely. He just sounds confused if anything, "There are a hundred better suitors in the world, you know that Karl would say yes without a doubt Sapnap."

"I know," Sapnap said quietly.

"Then why would you trek all the way out here and risk getting told no instead of taking someone else?" George asked as he raked his eyes over Sapnaps form, searching for any tell this was some sick joke- he found none.

Sapnap took a shaky step closer to George, "Because they don't know me, you do."

"But I don't, not anymore," George said, "It's been so long and you barge in here, asking for my hand, and expect for me to bend over backwards and say yes?"

Sapnap looked at the ground again, saying nothing.

George sighed, "Tell my why your family is marrying you off?"

"We don't have enough fighters for war, our supplies run low and conflict runs high, we need a new breath of life," Sapnap explained, paraphrasing what his mother said, "Or something like that."

George nodded, "Those make sense, now, tell me why you came to me first," It's an order and Sapnap isn't in a mood to be on the receiving end of Georges blade. They haven't sparred in what feels like eternity, but he's heard great things about how his skills have evolved. About how heartless he is on the battlefield, how he doesn't mind a mouthful of blood if it means winning- Sapnap isn't ready to test the tales.

Sapnap opened his mouth to speak, but not much came out, "I miss you George," Another gaping pause, "I don't even remember why we stopped hanging out," He pauses, taking a stuttering breath, "It's been so long but I'd still level mountains for you, I'd still tear open angels and demons alike if you asked me too."

George freezes again, "Really?" He sounds desperate and he wants to punch himself for letting that sense of desire slip out. He misses this. He misses Sapnap.

Sapnap nodded, "Really, it's stupid I know, given how little time we've spent together over the years- fuck man, you're literally the ruler of your domain now! I missed so much of your life," He gives a weak chuckle, "But you're still at the top of my marriage candidate list."

George swallows thickly before speaking again, "If your parents hadn't forced this on you, would you still pick me?"

"Of course," Sapnap answers faster than he can calculate the words coming out of his mouth, "I'll always choose you," There's a carnality to his tone.

George felt a tangle of emotions blossoming in his chest, thorny and making him ache. He takes a deep breath, "I always wanted to choose you Sap, never got the chance," A light laugh is on his voice.

"Really?" Sapnap asked quietly, George nodded.

"How come you think I'm ruling alone? I was waiting for the moment I could have you at my side again, like when we were young," There's a weak laugh on his voice as he draws his hands up to rub along his upper arms nervously.

"I thought you were joking when you said you'd design me a throne," Sapnap said, his tail tightened around his waist painfully so.

George shook his head, "The offers still open, I've always wanted to choose you," He brings himself closer to Sapnap, chests nearly flush against each other, "And now I can."

Sapnap is bright red, from his neck to the tips of his pointy ears, "The feelings mutual then."

George doesn't want to move from his spot, he wants this feeling preserved in glass till the day he dies because it feels so perfect. He inches a little bit closer to Sapnap, he's three inches shorter, at least, he remembers being taller. They were so young when he was taller, and now they have their own lives, their own duties.

Yet here Sapnap is, trying to join them at the hip again, intertwine their fates all over again. It's endearing if anything, the stories didn't lie about the devotion a demon could hold (it said something about grudges but this is proof enough it goes both ways). He knows that they'll get split up all over again with duties that require traveling, but this time he would have a day. He'd have a promise to return to him, and secondly the kingdom, and he's never once met a ruler who strays from the kingdom.

He should know better than this, to just fall back into a chance of losing his friend- they'll be spouses soon enough. He's closed off everyone to avoid getting hurt, and he's opening himself up all over again to the person who jammed him shut in the first place. He gives a bit of a sigh as he presses his head against Sapnaps chest, conflict fills him, this is probably stupid.

But he can't bring himself to turn down the offer.

"Don't your parents hate my domains guts?" George asked as he gently pulled away from Sapnap.

"If they do then they can suck destinies dick, I'll just run away if they try and keep me from you again," Sapnap answered with, his tone serious even with the euphemism, George gives a nod.

"Guess I'm leaving my window open then, better pay me some visits if they decide to trash your choice," George said, hands never once leaving the small of Sapnaps back as he spoke.

Sapnap gives a small chuckle, "I wouldn't dare leave you alone for that long ever again."

[jacky-rubou]

🌈💝🤍 (be answering yours when I get home :D)

🌈 is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

I really struggled with A Steady Heart Goes 1, 2, 3, 4. Not only because I had a 'losing all my year's worth of writing at once' scare earlier this year that was thankfully resolved within 24 hours that happened in the midway point of the fic, but also because it was such a long one shot that it was very draining. And I felt like I needed to do a lot of research on pacemakers even though most of the info became Ford's infodump at Dipper haha.

as for multichaptered fics, Dead on Arrival was such a huge deal to me and I worked so hard to get it written and posted, even recruiting a previous friend to help with ideas for it. I had a heck of a time figuring out how to have Stan escape the police and solve his problems that it ended up kinda feeling a little rushed (also because I was running out of energy to write by then and this was back when I didn't post until a fic was completely done).

💝 what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Honestly, probably The Things You Can't Live Without. When I was writing it, I wasn't even expecting to post it as I felt self conscious about tagging the artist and having them be upset or whatever about how I killed Ford off so easily. or writing a fic for it at all tbh. Seeing that you wrote a fic for it gave me the confidence I needed to post, so thank you for the indirect help. Also the fact that I had written and posted a similar 'Ford dies around the time of the portal' fic didn't help my confidence in being 'original'.

the fact that it got as much love as it did, and even a positive reblog from the artist, just blew me away. Also your comment on it yesterday is still making me see stars (in a good way). It's forefront on my mind and the one I've been rereading over and over to see if I can understand the hype and I think I can. Probably not to the same degree of praise though tbh (I'm my own worst critic and all). I just never expected such praise for it.

🤍 what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

It's one of my weirder fics and one that I completely understand why some didn't get, but probably Conjoined. It's an older and more amateur feeling fic of mine now (so weird to think of it like that) but I guess how I handled the ending was weird and maybe against some themes of the show, but I liked how I handled it and the Stans' closeness. Though it's a fic I haven't gathered the courage to reread after I got the criticism that lead me to think it's right for this question... it was my first multichaptered fic though, so I wish I could gather that courage...

anyway, thanks for the ask, I had fun writing it out.

[torrtimandi]

16 17 18 if those haven’t been done :D

They haven't been done indeed!

16. What is the best comment you've ever received? - Oh, do I have to choose one? I don't think I can! Every comment means the world to me, it's always a huge encouragement and just means that my words are being read and that alone brings a smile to my face. But not gonna lie, my favorite comments are definitely the longer ones, where the reader analyses the story a bit and points out different parts and how much they enjoyed it, and just shows that they really understand the depth of the story. I often find myself rereading those comments for days after they've been posted :D one certain comment that comes to my mind is from Love Emergency's 11th chapter that was 1.5k long (yeah, holy shit, I had to copy paste it into wordcounter.) I can't even express how much it meant to me that someone appreciated and enjoyed my words as much to write such a long comment. Great times... Also, it's an amazing feeling when I see a certain reader commenting on pretty much every chapter of a multichapter story. It's such a huge motivation, I swear.

17. If you could change one thing about your writing what would it be? - I wish I could use a little more poetic language. Some writers can describe the most mundane of tasks, but they do it with such beautiful and clever words, metaphors, and oh god, you immediately feel that damn, this person can write! I don't think that's really the case with me. I feel like I often describe things in a very straightforward way actually. A big reason for this is probably that English isn't my first language, but I still strive to be better. Always. So I don't give up and still try to improve my writing when I know I can :)

18. Is there a fandom you have wanted to start writing for but haven't yet? - No, not really. I wished to write more Rammstein fics, and there were a lot of fandoms that I enjoyed the content of, but never really found myself wanting to write for them as such. Maybe Disco Elysium though. But 99% of my fic ideas are still GasXav lmfao.

Once again those were very fun to answer. Thank you so much <3 I wish y'all a delightful day (or night.)

[inyoursheets]

Hello! I wanted to ask counting sheep and racing thoughts for your asks. But also if you are working on something besides warm water?

Counting Sheep: How long have you been writing?

uhhh forever and also just recently??? i always loved to write but when i started writing brio fic in january of this year, i actually hadn’t written in a few years. or, barely. brief stints. but ive been writing since my grandma passed when i was..... i wanna say eight? im not sure

Racing Thoughts: Do you like word sprints, or sites like Write or Die? Do you write well under pressure? 

i don’t know if i write well under pressure, but pressure is probably the one solid guarantee to get me to write? at least it makes me write. im actually surprised by how helpful the good girls prompt-a-thon was in getting me to write and just bang out the first 10k of the threesome fic in like three weeks! and that i liked (still do, actually) how it turned out! so my initial instincts would be oh please don’t make me, i find the pressure terrifying, but it does help me focus.

i’m actually convinced i wouldn’t have written or finished the threesome fic while also writing warm water if it weren’t for the fact that i took the prompt and was expected to upload it by a specific date. bc im actually pretty bad at balancing different projects at once, i think, especially if it’s something i really wanna immerse in and do justice to -- which leads me to your other question about whether im working on something besides warm water.

im madly flattered that you ask! the answer is, i wish i could, i want to, but i can’t, bc my brain doesn’t work that way? like i said im really bad a juggling different creative projects and im currently also writing my thesis which is a similarly write-y and dense project as starting a new multichapter fic would be. i hugely admire people who can juggle multiple fics at once. the only reason i managed to work on the threesome fic and warm water at the same time is bc the former was nicely condensed by the prompt and the time limit. then i got really frustrated with both fics and distracted myself by writing a third, but i actually feel like i didn’t do that one justice, like i went about it with a lot of haste. so i wanna prevent that from happening again.

i can actually feel vague hints of plot and fic ideas tug at my sleeves a little but im trying to be smart and not give them any attention yet bc my fear is that it would distract me too much from warm water and my thesis, which should’ve been finished by now but it’s nowhere near done. also bc i actually still have to figure out some things for warm water and if i now start working on something new, figuring out warm water is gonna get more difficult, i assume. so i don’t think i could do a new fic justice if i try and work on it now, im too deep into warm water and trying to figure out some of the next chapters.

my plan is to finish warm water and once it’s done, give myself some time to get out of that specific brio headspace -- im kinda worried id write something too similar in terms of their dynamic, so im thinking i should just palate cleanse with a PWP oneshot or something. and then take a look at what exactly is trying to get my attention and give that proper attention and time and think it through and make a solid outline and write a significant portion of it before so much as uploading the first chapter.

in conclusion i wanna work on different things but im trying to resist, plus my natural writing urges of plummeting straight into writing without much thought for plot would probably kick in if i do give in, and my future self isn’t gonna thank me for indulging. just like im now a little bit frustrated with past me for not having figured out the part of warm water’s plot im working on rn. but im very excited to start thinking about new things! tho at the same time, warm water has become pretty dear to me, and i also really want to do the final part of that fic justice and give us all a hopefully satisfying ending to that angsty mess! so for now, just my baby warm water

thank you for asking anon, im very flattered!!! can’t sleep writing asks to help me avoid actual writing <3

[asweetprologue]

Nili’s Benchmark Geraskier Fic Rec List

hey yall! I officially hit 750 followers (a few days ago, I blew past the benchmark without even realizing!), which is... insane. I truly can’t believe that so many people over the last year have enjoyed my presence in this fandom enough to continue to follow my work. you guys are so great and I love you all so much, so I decided to put together a gift for you!

this is a list of my favorite geraskier fics from the fandom, which I have been putting together over the last year or so. a few of these are big in the fandom, but a lot of them are smaller pieces that I feel deserve more attention! I have provided ao3 and tumblr links where I could find them, as well as ratings and summaries. Most of these are canon!verse because I’m not personally a big fan of modern au’s, but there will be a few of those scattered throughout as well. I’ve divided the fics into two sections: oneshots and multichapter. See the list below the cut!

Being in this fandom truly has gotten me through the pandemic in a big way and I have made so many good friends while here. thank you all for validating my weird obsession with these characters and enabling me in these trying times <3

Oneshots

all that was good, all that was fair (all that was me is gone) | M | 7517 | WARNING: Graphic Depictions Of Violence | @xdandelionxbloomx

Somewhere, deep in a forest, a man drags himself from his grave by sheer power of will. He lies gasping on the forest floor and does not know who or what he is. The world is wide and wonderful, though, and there is so much to see.

Or, Jaskier is so stubborn that he literally comes back from the dead.

Another fascinating addition to the mythology of the Witcher. Jaskier’s slow rediscovery of himself is so well done here. One I’ve come back to again and again. 

As Fast As Love Can Go | T | 9628 | @bygodstillam

There are Faeries in the Wood.

That's what everyone said, at least, not that there was any solid proof. Jaskier had tried, more than once, to find some. Just a hint somewhere, of a real story, of real magic. But all anyone seemed to have was stories.

Jaskier was determined to find proof. He wasn't expecting to find a witcher in the process.

Fascinating fic with some really interesting worldbuilding, and a fresh new take on True Love’s Kiss. Also with some great art by @hehearse!

beautiful, he stirs up still things | T | 2575 | @alittlebitmaybe

“You’re not asking me to dance,” says Geralt.

Jaskier turns his palm up on his knee, offering it. “I think you’ll find I am.”

Just them dancing. This is a lovely sort of pre-relationship dynamic. So soft.

Dialogue Prompt | NR | 2932 | @reinvent-and-believe

Dialogue Prompt 48: “You make me want things I can’t have.” Wordless I-love-you 50: buying them a special treat when you go out shopping

Geralt gets Jaskier a gift, which prompts some confessions.

Even a small love | E | 22,272 | WARNING: Rape/Non-Con 

“Well,” Jaskier replies distractedly. “Lots of things want to strangle you.”

“You don’t.”

It isn’t a particularly troublesome accusation, or even necessarily an accusation at all.

This is one I read early on in the fandom, and it really stuck with me. The dynamic between Jaskier and Geralt is perfect, and the misunderstandings between them feel so realistic. The non-con is not extreme, but do mind the warnings. 

For the Space of a Heartbeat | T | 2021 | @drowningbydegrees

As it turns out, falling into bed with your very best friend who you are privately very much in love with isn't nearly so nerve wracking as waking up with them the morning after.

Just sweet, morning after discussions. I love to see them talking for once.

Greensleeves | T | 10,414 | @rebrandedbard

When Geralt crosses paths with Jaskier in the spring, the world is dressed in green. Quite literally. Everyone everywhere is wearing green, and it all comes down to a song Jaskier has written that, to his mortification, has become popular throughout the Continent. It's torment, being forced to preform the song over and over again and have his heart broken anew. But who is this Lady Greensleeves the people say Jaskier is so maddeningly, heartbrokenly in love with? At the baron's wedding party, Geralt is determined to find out.

This is one of my personal faves - there’s just something about Jaskier’s feelings being put on blast while Geralt remains totally oblivious that I think is so very them. And the resolution at the end is delightful.

I Don’t Wanna Fall (If It’s Not In Love) | E | 13,902 | @writinglizards

The first time it's out of desperation. Things get rapidly out of hand from there.

OR the building of a relationship through mutual wank sessions.

I love everything Ashley writes, but this one was the first fic I read by her and it still has a warm place in my heart. I also highly recommend It’s Been A While (makes me cry every time) and Tell Me Honestly

Like a Storm, Like a Flood | T | 1065 | @valdomarx

Jaskier is leaving for the winter, and Geralt can't bear the thought of not seeing him for months.

It was soooo hard to pick only one fic by George, but this one is so soft and sweet and yearning I just had to go with it. This is really just about Geralt finally hitting a breaking point and saying enough is enough.

one flesh | E | 10,763 | WARNING: MCD 

“Well, then. I’m a ghost.” Jaskier spread his arms grandly. Geralt held his gaze for a moment, then dropped his head and laughed. Jaskier put his hands on his hips. “Do fill me in on what’s so funny.” It wasn’t funny. It was just so - ridiculous, the things Geralt’s fucked up brain would invent. This had to be the last nail in the sanity coffin, it just had to be.

Or: Jaskier is a ghost, and Geralt is a mess.

Jaskier dies and comes back as a ghost to haunt Geralt into taking care of himself. Geralt does not handle this gracefully. This fic is so sad and heartbreaking, but the ending is so sweet.

to render it transparent | E | 23,901

Geralt wakes up warm, peaceful, and utterly content, which is how he knows that something is severely wrong.

Sigh. This fic. This is a time travel fic - Geralt ends up in the future living with Jaskier on the coast, just after the mountain. It’s slow and beautiful and extremely bittersweet, all about how we choose to love people despite how much it can hurt us.

With All the Continent A Stage | M | 4745 | @greyduckgreygoose

Later, Geralt learned that the play was four hours long. Four hours long. It didn’t feel like it. Most of it passed by in a fever dream of ominous music, dance-fighting and dryads in gossamer leaves, swinging from hoops attached to the ceiling. Yennefer made an appearance, played by Priscilla in a glittering negligee. She sang a song to Geralt about putting him “Under Her Spell”, and they had a sensual dance number which was made a little strange by a sickened Jaskier (played by Jaskier) coughing loudly in the background.

(Jaskier invites Geralt to a musical production inspired by his own life.)

Jaskier basically writes Geralt a love letter in the form of a four hour long play. Geralt is an idiot about it.

Multi-Chapter Fics

A Lover’s Lament | M | 25,364 | @somedrunkpirate

So,” Jaskier begins, as casually as he can, “you are telling me, that in theory, if I were to be in love with someone — anyone — that person could well be in terrible danger?”

Of all terrible and ridiculous things that have threatened Geralt’s safety, Jaskier’d never thought that loving him might be what will get him killed.

I honestly can’t count the number of times I’ve read this fic. The monster is so interesting, and the mythos of it fits seamlessly into the world of the Witcher in my mind. Jaskier being so afraid that his feelings are going to put Geralt at risk, clearly unable to see that Geralt is going through the exact same thing. I think about the scene with them looking at each other almost daily. 

A Pair of Gloves, the Scent of Roses | M | 24,134 | WARNING: Graphic Depictions of Violence

In the bustling days before the Midsummer festival, Geralt is sent into the countryside to deal with a monster - with Jaskier once again by his side. But the bard has not forgiven him, and while he's not hiding his contempt for the Witcher, he is recalcitrant about revealing his true motives for joining him. As the hunt turns into a desperate mission to save an innocent man and the monster is not what is seems to be, Geralt learns a few new things about his old friend and decides to finally attempt to mend the rift between them...

This is one of my favorite’s in the fandom - it feels so believable, the world is so rich and the oc’s are convincing and charming. Geralt and Jaskier feel so honest here, stumbling around each other but still drawn together. Beautiful beautiful beautiful

Bearing the will of the flower | NR | 11,449 

The way Jaskier sees it, his hobby of following a witcher around was always pretty likely to get him killed.

The fact that it's happening now because the witcher in question doesn't love him, he thinks as he coughs up crumpled flowers, hardly makes a difference.

My favorite hanahaki fic in the fandom. I’m such a sucker for these, and these two idiots being so incapable of talking about their feelings really makes them prime candidates. 

Food of Love | T | 22,488 | @wallatile-qvibbler

I brought a dead princess back to life through the power of song is the kind of thing that would have got an eyebrow raise even from the stone-faced Geralt of Rivia, so it's a good thing he and Geralt will probably never see each other again.

(or: the one where Jaskier channels magic through his songs, and it almost never goes as expected.)

This is a Jaskier and Renfri centric fic, which wasn’t something I knew I wanted until I read this. Jaskier is a bard which in this AU comes with magical powers, but it feels so well integrated into the universe that I wish it was just... how the Witcher is. Renfri is so good here, and even though Jaskier and Geralt barely even interact you can feel the tension and love between them. Cannot recommend highly enough.

friends and allies of the witcher | T | 10,312 | @theamazingbard

Yennefer crawls over to her newest cellmate. They’re curled up on their side. Breathing, but only just. She’s not sure what she’s hoping for when she turns them over. Still isn’t when she sees that it is indeed Jaskier.

“Shit."

Yennefer and Jaskier each suffer in more ways than one at the hands of Nilfgaard.

Yennefer and Jaskier get capture by Nilfgaard and tossed into a cell together. Exactly what I want out of season 2 honestly. Their interactions are gold.

I’d Be the Choiceless Hope | E | 45,188 | WARNING: Rape/Non-Con | @lesdemonium

As a baby, Jaskier was visited by a fae, who gifted Jaskier's mother with Jaskier's obedience. As Jaskier grew older, the "gift" became more of a curse.

You know I’m not gonna make a rec list without listing Zoe’s Ella Enchanted au. Need I say more?

Silver and Copper | M | 56,139 | WARNING: Graphic Depictions of Violence | @kaer-cuan

Geralt is just supposed to pass through the quiet Lettenhove area. He's not anticipating being begged by its people to help save their viscount from a curse that keeps him from daylight. Lord Jaskier, they call him, and he's likely dying.

As Geralt struggles to untangle the ugly web of history that has lead to the increasingly complicated curse, he finds himself spending more and more time with the strange young viscount and wondering just what he might have been before the curse, and who he might be after. But things are not always as they seem, and as the curse tightens its grip on Jaskier, Geralt is forced to face the fear of failing yet another person whose choices were stolen from them.

Or-

Jaskier is kept from becoming a bard. Geralt finds him anyway.

This is a fic that haunts me. It’s very scary in parts, and mind the tags - there are some very heavy themes here. But it’s beautiful and touching, and Jaskier feels very true to himself even though his origin is so different.

we could be married (and then we'd be happy) | E | 50,222 | @a-kind-of-merry-war

Jaskier reached into his pocket, fingers grasping around the little box. He pulled it out with what he hoped was a romantic flourish, flipping it open to reveal the simple gold band inside. “Geralt,” he said, confidently, cooly, like this wasn’t terrifying, “Will you marry me?”

Geralt and Jaskier fake marriage proposals to get free deserts and shit but it goes tits up when Vesemir catches them in the act. Not knowing how to fess up, they go along with it for a while, which is hell because they’re both pining like mad. As I said, I don’t love modern au’s, but it’s merry so of course this one had to end up on my list.

~

And that’s it! 20 fics for you, and hopefully you can all find one or two you haven’t read before. There are a lot of people and fics that I didn’t include in this list only because I was trying to not put a million down (which I could). I highly recommend anything by @wherethewordsare, @julek, @contemplativepancakes, @witcher-and-his-bard, and @inber, as well as those linked to fics above, and I’m sure there are others I forgot to mention. Yall have truly made being in this fandom worthwhile <3

[andiinaraethtash]

7, 21, 26, 36, 41, 45, 53, 69, 74, 79!

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

Okay, this technically isn't a wip in that I haven't actually worked on it at all, but it's living in my head rent free and I think you'll find it funny:

"The goblin-looking thing with fWhip's face looked up at Scott in askance, cocking his head to the side as if trying to play a spot-the-difference game. "Aren't you supposed to have heterochromia?"

The elf blinks, then answers, "I don't think I have hetero-anything.""

Hope you think this is as funny as I do, I was rolling on the floor laughing when I realised I could use that joke.

21. Do you prefer writing chaptered fics or one-shots?

I don't think I've written any one-shots--no wait, that's a lie. I haven't written any one-shots that aren't part of a multichaptered fic. So, yeah I much prefer chaptered fics. I love reading both, though!

26. What’s your least favorite part of the writing process?

The self-discipline involved. I am terrible about holding myself to schedules and deadlines, so making sure I'm meeting a word-count or finish a chapter on time is hard.

36. What fic are you proudest of?

Hmm. I'm really proud of my Star Wars fic, To Live Without a Lifeline (part of a larger series, but I'm not as proud of the first or third parts of that series) because I was writing it in the middle of the most difficult part of my life. But my favourite, the one I want people to read most, is my Empires s1 au that I'm working on currently (I Believe That There Is Courage (But It's Burning Like Ash in the Wind) is the full title of the series, which yes, is a mouthful).

41. Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

Charger. Hands down, Charger.

So, context. Charger is a Star Wars clone trooper OC that basically saw what I was doing to the main character from my Young Enough to Try series, decided he wasn't happy with it, and became that character's emotional support friend for the rest of the series. I love him, he is sarcastic and kind and willing to let Ezra beat the crap out of him if it means he'll admit he's hurting. He's such a self-sacrificing little chaos-maker and I love him.

45. What genre/trope do you tend to write the most?

Um... so, actually probably fake character death. I have no less than three stories, two published, one sitting in my WIP folder, where at least one of the characters "dies" at least once. I love it for the angst and hurt/comfort potential. Time travel is also a good one.

53. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Angst, to absolutely no one's surprise, followed by Time-Travel Fix-it, to a few people's surprise.

69. What are your favorite fics at the moment?

Oof. I was almost hoping no one would ask this one, because I have so many favourites it's not even funny. I think the one I'm most invested in atm is Last Wishes by i_am_the_imposter_syndrome over on ao3. Y'know, if I have to pick one.

74. Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

From me or from readers? Because if it's from me, I have this one wip called All Eyes on You that I posted the first couple of chapters from and then abandoned, so I wish I'd given it more of a chance.

From my readers? Honestly, I wish I was getting more support for the current fic I'm working on, Can't Escape the Fallout. I love it, but the audience is relatively small, and I knew that going in, but it's still... I went from one of the biggest fandoms (Star Wars) to Empires, and while I'm happy with the switch, I know the number of hits on my works has gone down and thus so has my motivation.

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

I'm trying to think, but every bit of writing advice is either a) something I ignore, or 2) has fled my mind. So... Find the character's voice. Their vocabulary, their accent, their cadence. (it's real easy if your story is based on a piece of fiction that has an auditory component) But that helps with internal monologue and external dialogue. Trust me, it helps so much.

Whew! That was a long list (sorry for the long answers, I just have a lot to say when asked about my wips), but I'm glad you asked. Thank you!

[lowkeyorloki]

How do you come up with fanfiction ideas?

Hi there :D I hope you don't mind, I put this under a cut because it got a bit long.

It honestly just depends. I assume you're talking more about multichapters than oneshots, but I'll quickly explain my oneshot process: I get some type of idea for dialogue or a scene, and then I literally come up with a scenario/fic to put the dialogue or scene in. I can't really tell you where all those ideas come from, because it's usually just a fantasy I have. A very good rule of thumb, especially with oneshots, is to write situations that you would want to be in with your character (or if you're writing for a ship, just think of what situations you wish the writers of the media had put the two characters in).

For multichapters, it's different for each fic. For example, I wrote my first multichapter She Shall Have because I noticed the very common trope of a reader being betrothed to Thor but in love with Loki. This is a huge thing within the Loki fandom. However, I never felt like the justification for the reader being engaged to Thor made sense. I began thinking of realistic reasons that Odin would arrange/allow a marriage between the reader and his oldest son, and I thought of the reader being able to wield Mjolnir. Obviously, Odin would feel threatened by this and want to keep the reader under control, so it would make sense for her to marry Thor and always be under Odin's supervision and the expectations for royalty.

Also with ssh, I was very fed up at the time by seeing Loki with all these very weak willed readers. Not only do I find it incredibly out of character for Loki to be in love with someone so meek and pliable, but I could never read the fics because I would just simply not act the way y/n does. And so when I thought of the idea of the reader being able to wield Mjolnir, I realized it was also a great opportunity to finally get an Asgardian reader out there who had a backbone and a character outside of her romance with Loki.

For my current multichapter, A Study In Suit, it's similar but also different. I got really inspired while watching a scene from a show. This nanny was putting kids to bed while the gardener was watching, and he was clearly in love with her and the way she was so good with kids. I was just so enamored by the way he looked at her that I knew I wanted to explore some type of similar situation with Loki. Obviously, that inspiration is much different from ssh.

Where it's similar is once again, I saw a trope that I really didn't like within the fandom. Professor! AUs are pretty common. And in every single one of them, it's hypersexualized and the main drive in the stories is a want to not get caught. Usually, it's a jealous girl who outs the two characters. Because I was looking for a way to make Loki a father in the fic and I was over background women being vilified in Loki fics particularly, a modern AU seemed like the answer for my wanting to make Loki a father. And honestly, professor! AUs are the only ones that I'm interested in.

I also realized that a university setting would be a great opportunity for me to, once again, write a reader who has an arc and interests outside of Loki. Being a student makes you inherently have goals and responsibilities. I also wanted to make a relatable reader, which can be difficult in an Asgard/superhero setting. A modern setting, and a school setting, is something most of us can relate to. I REALLY wanted to make realistic characters in asis, and modern settings make that a lot more simple.

Finally, with my fic The Archetype (which I think is my best work, btw) I wanted two things: a fic narrated by Loki, because I think they're sexy and also because I like Loki as a character way more than I like or care about Y/N, and second, I wanted to explore what Loki would be like if he survived his encounter with Thanos. With The Archetype, it was actually based off a oneshot that was written purely because I wanted a fic with angry sex from Loki's POV.

So basically, I get my ideas when I see a gap in the fandom that I want filled (such as my desire for more fics written in Loki's POV) or tropes that I personally dislike and want to counteract. This is actually why I started writing for Loki in the first place - I looked for fics after Ragnarok came out, and the grammar in all of them were atrocious. So I was like, "fuck it guess I have to write my own" (although if you read my old fics... the writing is good but jfc the grammar is not!).

The common thread between my inspo/ideas for both multichapters and oneshots is having a bare bones idea (like one line of dialogue or one aspect of a character that I want to expand on or take an in depth look at) and literally building a piece of writing that I can put that idea into. If my fic writing process was like drawing a person, I wouldn't start with the person itself. I'd start with maybe their shoes, and then I would draw the ground underneath the shoes. The I would draw the bench the shoes are next to, and then the tree over the bench, and then clouds behind the tree. I'd fill in all that background before I finally come back to the actual original thing I thought of.

Please please please send me another message letting me know if this helped! I curious to see what you think :')

[arshipweek]

AR Ship Week - Fanwork Recs

Banner credit

This is the fourth and last weekly post in the lead up to Alex Rider Ship Week. Only 1 week to go!

This week we’ve got a selection of shippy fanwork recs submitted by members of the AR fandom. Enjoy and hope to see you next week!

**Please note that I haven’t listed all the details for the fics so take care to read the tags on AO3 before diving in!

Yassen/Alex

Our Endless Numbered Days by Galimau Just your run of the mill heartwarming look at the quiet beats of Alex and Yassen's relationship...after the apocalypse.  Soft and sweet this fic focuses on the very still and quiet moments of two men at the end times trying to hold onto the things that bring them joy. It's an intimate view of what Alex and Yassen's life could be like of all their cares were quite literally wiped away - excellent  world building and writing make this a must read.

Yalex art by Ireliss Alex and Yassen in a lake! Everything about this picture is perfect - the light, the colours, the feeling of stillness... Probably the most beautiful picture of Alex and Yassen I've ever seen.

Sun Poisoning by fElBiTeR Angsty, beautiful, slowburn soulmate fic with a twist on the usual tropes and gorgeous imagery

Twisting, Turning, Tumbling by ShiruyTheSecond A glacially slow burn, road trip au, and sick fic all mashed into one fic, in non-chronological order based on 100 themes. I'd say this was one of the gateway fics into Yalex for me; there's nothing like reading a longfic you thought was gen and wishing it were slash, only for the realization to hit you in the face like a brick 50 something chapters later. Alex is on the run for a variety of reasons after a mission for MI6 goes spectacularly wrong, so he surprisingly finds himself leaning on Yassen for help, experincing whumpage along the way. Absolutely delicious.

Specific Performance by BurntWhisper Alex is a good spy, good enough that SCORPIA has tasked Yassen with killing him. Yassen can't do that but he can give Alex a very...enthusiastic going away present even Alex hasn't been a very good boy. It's a fun look at Alex and Yassen's first fling with callbacks to the original gen fic. That hits every perfect note and hits a few other things too.

Interlude by Suzie_Shooter Incredibly soft and fluffly Yalex that ends with an unexpected top!Alex and bath sex. Will absolutely warm your heart the way it does mine every time I read this fic.

Medicine by Suzie_Shooter The other fic in response to the prompt of "Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth" except this one is praise kink while the other is humiliation kink! Specifically focused on a smoking hot blowjob and Alex's reluctance turned enthusiam, plus, there's a second chapter, just in case one dose of the antidote isn't enough.

One Year by BurntWhisper The slowest of slow burns featuring Alex and Yassen on the run from MI6, SCORPIA and their own feelings. Covering 3 months of their life on the run this fic features action as well as the slow, quiet moments where the budding relationship can truly shine through and behind it all the intelligence world continues to grind on threatening to take their happiness with it. It's a beautiful fic with strong, detailed writing and the emotional weight that it deserves.

Midnight Smoke by Hijja If you're in the mood for darker fics with plenty of Yassen hurting Alex complete with violence and heavy dubcon, Hijja has you covered. This particular fic features a mission-type premise with Alex being sent to investigate a spate of teen abductions only to be captured. Yassen is there, and he has his own goals...

Hello Alex by anonymous Fanart: a reunion hug between Yassen and Alex.

Face The Truth by capeofstorm Alex is given a serum that makes him feel good when he tells the truth. Yassen is absolutely a man to take advantage. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Lights Out by Suzie_Shooter Yassen and Alex left tradecraft behind for a new life in the Greek islands. Ten years on, their relationship is still going strong and they've become island locals, the proprietors of a sailing club and a windsurfing business. Their idyllic life is disrupted by a new threat that wants them dead. I just love the premise of Yalex riding off into the sunset and not looking back. This fic not only has suspense, action, hot sex, and the intimacy borne of ten years...but once you're done, there are two excellent sequels and a prequel to lap up!

Villa in the Sun by BoldAsBrass A multi-chapter story within a story as Yassen and Alex keep in touch over the phone through a tale of a Russian bodyguard's encounters with a young English man. This is so cleverly done and beautifully written; I could re-read it and re-read it (in fact, that's exactly what I've done).

Sting in the Tail by Suzie_Shooter With the world hanging in the balance, MI6 presses an imprisoned Yassen into service. They use Alex to convince him, but also a nasty "sting in the tail" incentive to guarantee results. A thrilling Yalex mission!fic where Yassen and Alex forge their trust in each other by facing mortal danger and saving the world together. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, eating up the slow burn and wondering how on earth they were going to succeed with all the obstacles Scorpia and MI6 threw in their way.

Rarely Pure And Never Simple by fElBiTeR Non-con > dub-con > fuck-yes-con speedrun. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Just Say I Do by Nanimok I'm possibly biased because this was written for me, but 'woke up married' is a great trope and this is both snarky and adorable. Recced by Suzie_Shooter

Open Invitation by Suzie_Shooter After Ian's death in TV 'verse, fifteen-year-old Alex is living alone in a depressive, self-destructive spiral. He realizes someone is watching him at home...and decides to give them something more compelling to watch. I am squicked out by creepers, but the characterizations tackle the thorny elements head-on: Yassen's mixed feelings and understated pursuit tactics are 100% believable, as is Alex's volatility; he's alternately confused, provocative, and defiant. Exhibit A:“Does that make you a victim, or a slut?” The question came casually, but it had the unexpected sting of a slap. Alex blinked. “What, I can’t be both?” he countered after a second. Plot ensues, because how can a relationship possibly form from such a premise? Mind the tags (you might trip into your next kink because the sex is mind-blowingly hot).

Flirting with Danger by BoldAsBrass Basically THE gateway fic into Yalex for me - short and sweet, snappy narration and dialogue, a sleekly dangerous Yassen and Alex who might be a skilled, pragmatic adult but quickly realises he's in over his head. Sprinkle in a bit of dubcon and scorching hot writing and you get this perfect fic.

Burning a Dead Man's Fingertips by GreenQueenofClubs Multichapter slow burn, MI6!Yassen AU - an excellent premise done extremely well and feels fresh and new, balancing mission-style fic with character development! The dynamic between Yassen and Alex is somewhat different here compared to most Yalex fics as they don't meet until Alex is an adult; a really intriguing glimpse into what could have been...

A Little Pat Down by Nanimok Airport security can be frustrating at the best of times but couple it with being edged like none other by an assassin turned security guard and it can really be a pain in the ass. A filthy but extremely well written premise. Crack taken seriously is this author's strong suit so not a single one of their works will steer you wrong.

Yalex Ballet AU by anonymous Yalex ballet AU with absolutely gorgeous imagery and slow burn. Fluid prose and in the background, the shadows of past histories and things unsaid.

Gentleman's Agreement by Valaks Yassen and Alex have a "gentleman's agreement" for handling their business in the field. No one ever said anything about parent-teacher conferences. Claims to be gen, but deserves a place on this list for subtle genius alone, because with lines like "Like a fine wine, Alex Rider was improving with age" and "How interesting that Alex Rider would be that interested in his hands", what are we supposed to think....? UST in all caps is the best description.

Salty the Sweat on my Fingertips by Galimau A fun little romp of Alex visiting Tom and having to call his overly protective boyfriend? because he's pregnant and everything hurts. Beautifully written, this fic explores the ending of Oceanbreeze7's Moonfish and follows the extremely creative monster biology to its logical conclusion of Alex getting knocked up.

Slipping Through My Fingers by Nanimok This kink meme fill hits in all the right places as we watch through the eyes of a very jealous Julius as Yassen gives Alex all the attention he needs. The writing is, as always, on point and the characterization of Julius gets absolutely nailed (almost as much as Alex). Julius/Alex, Yassen/Alex

Other

Miss Julia by DantesThird Very creepy and traumatic noncon but really believable with Julia Rothman's obsession with John Rider. Alex/Julia Rothman

gone loose inside the shell by cyanides Fantastic messed-up fic where Julius keeps fantasising about killing Alex, but then the fantasies take a different turn. The possessive 'If I can't have you no-one can' dynamic really encapsulates the ship for me, and the fic stuck in my mind afterwards. Alex/Julius

smoke haze by Ireliss Dubcon, gun kink. A really intriguing and quite dark exploration of a young Yassen's situation with Scorpia and his very complex relationship with Hunter. John/Yassen

Our Settling Bones by Galimau A multi-chapter slow burn focused on a former assassin who has lost everything...and Yassen Gregorovich. The tension is off the charts and the characerization is on point. Everything you could want from the rarest of pairs. John Wick/Yassen

Lemniscate by Ireliss A look at what awaits Yassen when he arrives back at Scorpia after killing Vladimir Sharkovsky. This is deliciously dark as well as being entirely plausible. The sensory descriptions are fantastic. Yassen/Julia Rothman

[puppy-phum]

fic tag game

thank you so much for tagging me @i-am-just-a-kiddo ♥ i love rambling about my fics and my writing even if it always also brings up all the doubts and insecurities i have but. these are my children so i will show them some love :’) and it is always just wonderful to share this all with you my dear ♥

placing under cut bc i do ramble, as yall know to expect by now!

Name: VishCount i’ve already explained the origin of that name a couple of times so am sparing you from that but gotta just say that i never expected to get so fond of this username and the nicknames that followed ♥

Fandoms: wow ok so buckle up, this is gonna be a ride first i gotta mention the finnish fandom for this youtuber group called LaeppaVika. i adored them as a teenager and i still watch the videos sometimes :’) couple of the members still stream stuff even if the group has pretty much fallen apart by now and am just very fond every time. they feel like home in a way. those fics were my first ones and am still kinda proud of some of those?

then there’s this one random finnish utapri fic i once wrote... tbh i’m not sure why my anime fandoms never made me write anything? maybe it was the inexperience and the fear of using a second language lol 

after i got over that and got into BTS, i’ve written a ton for them. most of those are oneshots that vary from 1k words to 10k or something. a couple of longer ones have sprouted too and one is still in the making and i have sooooo many ideas. mostly just random aus. i adore to write those. 

lately MDZS has been my favored fandom and it has gotten some oneshots too as well as my gigantic xicheng fic that hangs somewhere well above 100k now. i wish to finish the last part for that soon but who knows, maybe it will take longer than expected sigh. and now DMBJ has pushed in as something that yells at me to write tho i’ve only posted a short oneshot for it for now. and oh, last year i also posted a couple of silly oneshots for 2moons! that was... weird tbh but am glad i did that. 

i wish i had more fandoms tbh bc there is so much interesting stuff there and i have so many ideas and inspirations but i’m very slow at writing. things don’t always just come out and some fandoms don’t grasp me for long enough that i would be able to tap into any projects. but i have no hurry, right?

Tropes: hmm do i have any? am not sure. i thought that maybe soulmate aus or some abo stuff was my thing but i’ve slowly drifted away from those. then it comes to just... idk. hurt/comfort? found families? i also adore slow burn these days and i feel like i’ve gotten a bit better at writing that but it’s still a struggle. also just, as already noted, all these different aus? mostly fantasy based ones. those are always so cool and somehow very whimsical? and lately i’ve also just fallen into this hole where i love to write some bittersweet tragedies or at least stuff that feels like a tragedy in some sense (and i blame my dear kiddo for that bc they’ve written the sweetest of tragedies and i want that too ok)

Fic I spent most time on: how do you count this? do wips count? bc if they do, then I feel like my xicheng fic called you’re the sunset and i’m the last purple left behind is it. it just keeps on going and i feel like i’ve given it all of my waking hours and heart and soul.  then it could also be my BTS abo fic My Lungs for You to Breathe that is slowly reaching its second year? am not sure. but it has been going for ages bc sometimes it comes and sometimes it goes and currently i’ve spent over six months without updating it and. yeah.  (it would be nice to mention some fic here that i’ve made some research for but tbh i never do any research. am horrible like that but i’ve never just. had the energy? tho i have hopes that i could go on this wild research spree for this one guardian idea i have but let’s see...) 

Favorite fic(s) you’ve written: (making a list bc am unable to choose, fight me)

and you remain - my pingxie oneshot that just helped me to get all of the feelings i had after tlt2 pour out. am very fond of it destiny tied us together - some introspection of lwj and jc’s relationship and how it changes throughout the years as they both mature, learn things about themselves, fall in love and realize that they share the same ppl in their hearts (and maybe develop a tentative friendship bc they’re so similar in so many ways). i had so much fun with this and it just felt like my brightest moment haha painting your skin with all of me - the xicheng soulmate oneshot i wrote at some point and still adore. it just seemed to work and in the middle of my xicheng struggles writing them so briefly and gently just felt right pouring love (growing flowers) - the ot7 oneshot i wrote bc of this one amazing twt prompt/moodboard. it was the last part of my mono series. i love it so much. joon was so nice to write throughout the whole thing ;;  lilies bloomed under your carpet - my god au for taejoon. it poured out of me so wonderfully and it was so amazing. still one of my favorite creations, this whole au.  Stories Untold / chapter 3 - this was a collection of taejoon oneshots that i was trying to make but am not sure if i will ever finish them all. but this one, where tae is a forest god and joon a human able to see supernatural things, is very dear to me bc it just feels complete

Fic I spent least time on: gosh i think it must be either my first wangxian oneshot we had it almost or my touch-starved joon oneshot show me my skin and touch my heart with very soft and lovely taejoon. both created themselves in a couple of hours?

Longest fic: currently my xicheng monster but i somehow expect my bts abo fic to get even longer if i ever manage to finish it

Shortest fic: it’s apparently my namseok fic for joon’s tokyo called missing you (i’m homesick). it created itself out of my own experiences of living in a long distance relationship and is one of my faves in that series.  

Most hits/kudos/comments/bookmarks: most hits and comments go for my bts abo fic which doesn’t really surprise me when it’s a multichapter fic :’D most kudos go for the already mentioned xicheng oneshot and most bookmarks go for the bts ot7 fic!

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: hmm if i could rewrite something, it would probably be my first bts fic and my second long fic called Even the Universe Makes Mistakes. that soulmate au now feels a bit outdated and there are many parts i would like to change and things i would love to think again.  then if i was allowed to expand some world, i would love to write more for the xicheng soulmate au bc there are many other pairings i would love to explore there too or just to see lxc’s take on the events perhaps. other thing would be my namgi oneshot it passes (for us both) bc i adore namgi and the love they create in that brief moment. 

Share a bit of a WIP: it hasn’t been long since i shared snippets of several wips but let’s go with my pingxie which i’ve been working on and am just so damn excited about (especially now that i can use the bazaar photoshoot imagery as inspiration):

“He moves, pulled in by the darkness of the lake, mirroring the softly blue sky with its gray, heavy clouds. The snow lands on his nose, into his lashes, clings to his coat and his shoes. He doesn’t feel cold, doesn’t hear anything beyond the softness of the snowfall. Nothing exists and everything does, real and fake at the same time, comforting but still making him feel afraid.

He could lose himself here, could be lost from everything. He could stay and be forgotten, could join those people that tried to make him remain, could take the easier way. He could rest, just like he was supposed to do so many times before.

Maybe he does belong, after all. Maybe he is part of this place, so awfully familiar with it, so willing to even stop his own heart to get here. And maybe he is not, this place only hungry for those who don’t yet remain, refuse to give into this dream-like space.”

thank you once more for tagging me my dear! this was fun even if looking back to my old fics and all the lack of updating and posting these days makes me feel kinda bad... i’ve just been in a slump lately and am slowly trying to get out of it even if i almost fall back in all the time. it’s funny when last spring i felt like i was at my peak sigh. but well, as i’ve already said, i have time right?

i dunno so many writers over here but i’m tagging @cross-d-a and @kholran bc i’m curious about your work. also tagging @inkblue-black and @jockvillagersonly if you want to blabber about something or if you just want to see this. and oh also tagging @wangxianbunnydoodles bc am always open for new ppl and i know that you write ^^ 

[sebchalex]

writing tag!

aaa thank you so much @blesshimvettel for tagging me!! 💚💚💚 the questions were so fun to answer :D

Answer those questions while being as honest as possible, you can skip a question if it’s really too hard for you to answer, then tag three people to answer this list as well! :)

Which of your fics you wish had more kudos/comments/bookmarks? 

HMMM... If I was completely honest then every one of them jsjsjs. On the top of my head it’s probably my newest one, Schadenfraude, because I did do a lot of research for it. (And by research I meant rereading the whole Aussie Grit and highlighting every time Mark explains how much he hated Seb lmao.)

How to Start A Farm When You’re A Racing Driver is also a nominee for this! 

Which of your fics do you feel is overrated? 

Man, this question is SO HARD. I.... I guess it’s running in the shadows ?? 😧 I wrote it in like one sitting back then when I was in a special mood jndjfkn. Now when I visit it again I’m just like... my god LMAO (*ﾟーﾟ*)

Mostly I think it’s just how I feel about my works in general though, and I’m trying to work on that jsjsjs

What is the fic that took you the most time to write?

keep a place for me! Not only was the pairing rarer than diamonds so I had to make up most of the stuff, but it’s also the only multichapter I did without planning.

For a one-shot, it’s blazing my tirade. From the first draft to publishing took me 4 months, although I did take a break for a few months in-between.

What do you think is the best fic you ever wrote (until today)? 

I like to think that every fic I write is better than the last one! So Schadenfraude.

What do you think is the worst fic you ever wrote (until today)? 

Oofft... it’s gotta be a self insert x Roman Sionis fic I made after watching BOPATFEOOHQ lmaoooo. But it’s my trash and I love it 😋

What is the saddest thing that happened to you related to a fic (may it be success, a draft that erased itself and so on…)? 

This isn’t really sad, but sometimes I write a fic and I put it out there but the feedback doesn’t quite reach my expectations. I try to not measure my worth as a writer from external reception, but yeah, it’s hard.

What is/are the comment(s) you received that you can never forget even now (negative and positive)?

Ohh I love every comment that quotes back the fic to me or just tell me how they feel after reading it in general. I remember one of my favourite authors doing this and I was on the moon 🥺 Sometimes people also make observations about a section that you didn’t even realize could be interpreted that way, which is so cool! It makes writing and publishing your works all the more worthwhile imo.

A fic you’d dream to write even if you know it wouldn’t get much readers/feedback? 

Sebchal slowburn kidfic... it has actually seen some growth since the last time I answered another question with the same answer, but yea, it’s probably going to be mostly tropey crack when I finish it jsjsjs.

Also, a Mad Men AU probably? It’s my fave show!

Coming back to the last question, did the fact that a fic wouldn’t get many readers (rare ship/different dynamic and so on) already stopped you from writing it?

Hmm, not really? I mean I did once open the Ilott/Albon tag with taking chances LMAO. So not stopped, but definitely at times it could be dispiriting.

Which of your fics represent you the best?

I think hopefully, one day you will love me back probably represents my humor best! I also put a bit of me on every characters I write, so every fic I write has a little piece of me in there 😁

What is your main source of ideas?

Canon stuff, interviews, romcoms, songs, and exchanging ideas and brainrots with friends jsjsjsj.

Is there an author that inspired you?

Gosh there are so many from different fandoms. gemjam, museaway, FabulaRasa, Mithen... those are the ones on the top of my head, there are a lot honestly.

Is there a fic you wish people to read, because it left a big impression on you?.

*cracks knuckles* me and my ## pages of ao3 history’s time to shine 😍 here are some few fics I rarely see people talk about, so:

Antartica Pierlex: [2310] [Antarctic Adventure AU] A place further than the universe by mandzilkos

Mark comes back to RBR after retirement to help out Seb: The Edge of Glory by gemjam

TIME LOOP SEBMARK (SAD): We Are All Made Of Stars by gemjam

Jenson screws everyone as the result of the EU referendum (I know, it’s wonderful):  you can't just give it away/like it means nothing by orphan_account

The early ‘10s RBR team as a dysfunctional family (glorious): Where The Heart Is by gemjam

Also this isn’t F1, but The Joy Series by mystivy is a recent read that left its mark on me. I think you can read it blind without any canon knowledge.

What is your favourite topic to read? And to write?

HUMOR, domesticity, established relationship, PWF, character study!

What motivated you to make your works public?

Ummm the need for internet points obv 😜🤣 nah but I’ve been publishing stuff since I was like 12, even though sadly most of them are deleted now :( (megatip: don’t ever delete your works no matter how cringe you were. Cringing at your old works is a sign of growth <3)

A word you’d like to say to people who pass by / who follow you / who read your fics?

Thank you so much!! All your words mean the world to me, and honestly words can never express my thanks to you all 🥺💚

tagging @whatdidwejustdo @meova101 @leqclerc  and whoever else want to do this! (if you’ve done this/don’t feel like doing it, feel free to skip!)

[notalittlebutalottie]

KCFICRECEVENT -Day 8 - Quick-Fire Questions

Belated Quick Fire answers, here we go! @klaroline-events​

1. Who are your favorite KC writers?

@she-walked-away @bellemorte180 @lalainajanes​ (LalainaJ) @marvelouskatie​ @strongbeautifulfulloflight​ (Wrecklessrighter) to name a few!

2. Who’s your favorite KC smut writer?

I have spent a good amount of time plowing through @lalainajanes​‘s one shot collection Make Some Noise, which includes a fair amount of smutty drabbles, and every single one manages to be just as good as the last. I think that when you write so much smut, you can get worried about scenes becoming too similar (that’s what I stress over especially) but they write their smut so effortlessly and each scene is unique and crafted to the context of the prompt! (I also appreciate the commitment to recognising how dangerous shower sex is)

3. A fic that you have read more than once.

Dirty Little Secret & Unexpected Exposure by @she-walked-away. I cannot tell you how many times I have read them. Dirty Little Secret is the reason I began and completed my first official Klaroline WIP (my crappy attempts a year prior don’t count), back when I actually...prepared multiple chapters before posting... And Unexpected Exposure is arguably my favourite fic that I have ever laid eyes on. Their writing is so consistent in both narration and dialogue and their charactersation is marvelous!

4. A feel-good fic that never fails to make you smile. + 5. A fic that has made you cry.

Family Game Night by @strongbeautifulfulloflight​ hands down! The very first time I read it years ago, I laughed so hard that I cried (which I guess answers question 5 as well). In fact, the scene in which Kol has clearly lost the plot after his phone is destroyed and he loses his high score is what inspired his first scene in my story Psychedelic Kicks! This story is just absolutely a bundle of fun and laughter and I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it.

6. A fix-it fic that has made you feel vindicated.

Fortitude by @life-needs-epic​. Obviously, I recommended it for day 3 of the event so you can see my review and graphic there!

7. A fic that has made your romantic heart scream.

Picturesque by @supernutellastuff​. I have definitely mentioned my love for it before and I really wanted to recommend it for this event BUT I held myself to a criteria of active/ongoing fics for the main 7 days. Still, I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH. I think this writer has a wonderful gift in building chemistry between two characters whether it’s romantic or platonic. The details of their friends arguing over things like coffee beans and other seemingly innocuous topics are fantastic. Their friendship group feels so natural and there’s not a single one of them to dislike regardless of flaws. There is one scene in which Caroline calls Klaus very late at night just to clarify whether he had been in the same country as her at the same time and it makes my heart scream SO MUCH.

8. Your favorite drabble writer?

@itsnotacrimetoloveyou​ has written so many wonderful drabbles including one that I recommended this week! Luiza never fails to create such cohesive and compact stories within these drabbles and her writing is just so engaging.

9. What was the story that made you fall in love KC fanfiction?

The Madness Underneath by @marvelouskatie​. If you haven’t read it, go read it. The biggest reason I love this fic is that it is honest and realistic. It doesn’t try to bend in favour of the ship by making it all fluffy and sweet. These characters feel like real people and the plot is interesting enough that KC are just the cherry on top.

10. A fic you love and wish more people would read.

The Other Side of Sacrifice by @queencarolinemikaelson​. You can find my review for it on day 2 of this event along with the graphic under the kcficrecevent tag! I just want to point out again, however, how they do such a wonderful job writing this diversion of canon. It takes how the diversion would affect their relationship into account without going too far off base of who their characters are. Klaus is starts off quite cold (because well he’s dead, duh) but it’s an expected and understandable level that just works for this story. They have to get to know each other under an entirely different circumstance and that circumstance is so interesting. I really can’t wait to see what’s in store and I hope the author knows just how much I love it!

11. A fic that isn’t your regular cup of tea for whatever reason but that you love anyway.

Demonology by @bellemorte180​. I know I know, ‘Lottie, you have recommended three fics in this post that you have ALREADY recommended this week’ but it’s my fic rec post and I’ll do what I want. Let me start this off by saying: I love horror. HOWEVER, when it comes to Klaroline fics, I am extremely wary of fics that label themselves as ‘dark’. If you want to know my complete reasoning then I will happily share but expect a rant lmao. With all of that in mind, this story, though in its early days, is setting the stage for a roller coaster of madness and I am ready. Right off the bat, Erica throws a curve ball and from then on, the story only sinks its teeth into your soul more and more. The way the progression of Klaus and Caroline’s relationship is intertwining with the story so far is flawless and I hope that if you haven’t read this yet, you will give it a shot. I promise you’ll adore it.

12. A multichapter you wish would be updated NOW!

Fair Silvers of Us by @carolineforbae (like seriously, Giulia, I GOTTA KNOW HOW IT ENDS). This is another type of fic that wouldn’t usually be my cup of tea but Giulia is an excellent and engaging writer. How could I not fall in love with it? I think that mates as a trope can be a very delicate thing to handle, but Giulia deals with the issues expertly throughout the story. GO READ IT.

[snowwhite-andtheknight]

I’m going to preface this off with the fact that I’m a multishipper, and ship quite a variety of pairings, so this list might go all over the place. (Also, I’ve never written a fic rec before, though I have recommended fics and gushed about several often enough.) First of all, Above and Below Surface by Whitehorse102 immediately comes to mind. It’s probably my favorite AU fic that I’ve ever read for ZenYuki and possibly, my favorite I’ve ever read in general. It’s a Mer!AU; a type of AU that I’m always reading, but Whitehorse102 writes it so differently than any other Mer!AU, I’ve seen. The world building is insanely good, and the story reads a lot more like a published novel than a multichapter fanfic; there’s world building that even takes in parts of canon and plays around with them a bit. The ZenYuki is built up slowly. It’s a work in progress of the writer’s, and such a lovely read, that you absolutely would not regret reading it or rereading it. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12201172/1/Above-and-Below-Surface Apparently, the first fic I read was Of Assassins and Apples by Realm-Leaper, though since I sometimes accidentally refavorite stuff, changing the date that I favorited it or may have read stuff I didn’t favorite, I might not be accurate with this. It’s an Obi-centric oneshot collection with two oneshots, that I vaguely remember reading. (Eventually, I’ll share stuff that aren’t on Fanfiction.net, because I read all over the place.) I started rereading it, and it has almostly amazing Obi headcanons. The first oneshot is an Obi and Zen friendship piece, and honestly, maybe this is where most of my Obi headcanons came from as far as backstory. This oneshot collection of two oneshots is well worth your time! I’d wondered if the Mukaze and Obi scene was canon, had convinced myself that the talk they had was canon and took place during the Tanbarun Arc, but it was this fanfic, the second oneshot has an absolutely incredible and in character scene where Obi and Mukaze talk a few things out. (Honestly, it’s on my mind whenever I read a story where the two of them talk or interact in any way, and it a hundred percent affects the way I remember canon.) So do check it out! It’s a lovely two oneshot collection centering on Obi. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12933248/1/Of-Assassins-and-Apples

My favorite ANS OC right now is Setsuko/Vixen/fox, from Nostalgic Family by your1ocalpotato. I decided to read some of Potato’s work on a whim a few months back, once I realized that Potato wrote stories, and I absolutely adore Setsuko, especially within Nostalgic Family; I just love that universe, the added backstory for Obi, the found family dynamics, the way that Setsuko may be rough around the edges from the life she lived, but she cares deeply for her family, especially Obi. Just the sibling bond that Setsuko and Obi have in it is absolutely incredible, and in that particular universe, Setsuko has barely met Izana, so there’s a chance that that slow burn will eventually pick up, and Izana/Setsuko is such a lovely pair; they contrast very beautifully together, and it’s got to be my favorite Izana/OC pairing. Honestly, Potato’s stories are really good and more people need to read them. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22926751/chapters/54800950 (The Den Series is the name of the particular series I’m talking about, though there is a different story with Setsuko, where she has a different backstory, and it’s pretty much all slowburn Izana/Setsuko. Both are worth a read, though I haven’t finished the longer, slow burn fic yet.) As for An AU I Took A Chance On (And Now Love), it would be the Quarantine AU, that Muselover1901 wrote: Here With(out) You. I figured I’d read a Quarantine AU, and that one was really beautifully written. It’s one of my favorites by Muse. (I may throw in a few other stories that I recommend by Muse, because she’s a super talented ZenYuki writer.) I usually avoid writing any Quarantine AUs or Pandemic AUs unless I really feel like I need to. The same usually goes with reading them; I’ve found at least one good Quarantine AU in about four or so fandoms now. (I usually only read one per fandom, if it seems interesting.) Honestly, this is probably my favorite Quarantine AU ever. It’s longer, and the world is pretty well established. (And it’s a really lovely domestic ZenYuki oneshot.) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13668279/1/Here-With-out-You I’m going to cheat a little on the next two, because I actually reviewed them (and reviewed them around the same time). First, I want to mention a fic that Made Me Laugh Out Loud; the first one that comes to mind is A Snowy Surprise by MuseLover1901. It’s the first one that pops into my head, though I know that I’ve laughed out loud at probably plenty of other stories. I actually was unsure before I read it whether it was a romantic story or not, and had been a bit nervous about jumping in and reading it, but once I started to read it, it was love at first sight. There’s a snowball fight in it, and I’ll have to say one particular hit made me laugh out loud. The story is mostly a friendship story. (The kind of story that I always long for more of in any fandom, because I love friendship stories as much as I love romance stories, and I also love family stories just as much.) But it’s lighthearted and doesn’t contain too many manga spoilers for me, since I’m terribly behind in the manga right now. (I haven’t read all of Muse’s work yet, because some of them have more manga spoilers than I’m ready to read. I’m biding my time for the day that I can just binge read them obsessively. It will happen.) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13668260/1/A-Snowy-Surprise So, here’s the story, I’m cheating by mentioning instead of the above one. (I reviewed them around the same time, so it works, I think.) For A Fic That Made Me Friends With The Author, I’d have to say A Quick Library Visit; it’s a short, sweet read, and if you want quick ZenYuki fluff, it’s a go to. I read it around the same time as the above two Muse fics, and for some reason, some of Muse’s newest stories didn’t have reviews, so I figured I’d review. Shortly after, I reviewed A Quick Library Visit and A Snowy Surprise, Muse messaged me to thank me. (She’s really cool by the way.) And then, a little while later, I joined the old ZenYuki Week Server, and Muse invited me over to a ZenYuki Writing Collab Server, and we became fast friends after that. (She remembered me based off of the two reviews I’d left on her stories, which was pretty cool and definitely humbling.) (Also, heads up, I’ll post the fanfiction links to Muse’s stories, but she also posts them on AO3, so they’re there as well.) (I wish there was a reverse for this panel, because through the ZenYuki Writing Server; I met phenomenal writers and began reading their work as well!) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13668268/1/A-Quick-Library-Visit As for A Fic That Got Me Involved In The Fandom, I may be cheating by mentioning this too, since I starting writing fanfics for ANS practically right after I finished watching Season Two. The Mistress, the Plan, and the Secret by MisusedEllipses really made me long to write for Prince Raji/Shirayuki, and really kicked me off in that little rarepair haven, that Season Two won me over towards. This is an incredible fanfic, has absolutely amazing characterization throughout, and is incomplete on Fanfiction. (I’m hoping that somewhere online, it sits pretty and finished, waiting for me to rediscover it. I may be overly hopeful.) Okay, it ties in onesided!ObiYuki feelings, onesided!PrinceRajiYuki feelings, and wonderful characterization and sibling banter between Eugena and Rona! Honestly, Raji is written so well that it practically reads like canon: a very hard feat indeed for any writer to accomplish. Just, wow! I don’t know who to root for: Raji, Zen, or Obi! It diverges from canon right before the kidnapping, so Shirayuki never gets kidnapped, and eventually a rather interesting Raji and Obi friendship forms, though that’s right where the last current chapter is. It hasn’t been updated in four or five, I guess now or soon, years, but it’s well worth a read. I will recommend this to anyone if given a chance, regardless of whether the person is a multishipper or not. I love the friendship, the romance, the family, and humor that comes along with Raji’s siblings’ banter. It’s just a phenomenal canon divergent fic, and it’s what really made me realize there was a need for more Raji X Shirayuki fanfics, and it left me crazy about filling that gap. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12156186/1/The-Mistress-the-Plan-and-the-Secret I’m going to make a rather honest claim here, even though I’m not sure how often this writer will come up in what I gush about here, but this writer should: genee is one of my favorite writers in the fandom. (I’m not sure if genee is still active.) When I eventually thought of a fic with A Favorite Minor Character of mine, this particular story came up. history doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes is an absolutely amazing precanon story where it focuses entirely on Ryuu, gives him some backstory! (It’s an amazing read, and it follows his journey to becoming a Court Herbalist.) Honestly, the fandom needs a lot more Ryuu fics. (On a side note, a fic by a different writer also came to mind with this, but since that’s more romantic than this gen fic, I figured I’d stick with this one. The other one that comes to mind is the only fic where I could find Kai as a main character. It’s by a different writer, but if I can stick it into this recommendation, I will tell you more about it.) Genee writes really good fics. I know genee has a fanfiction account, but I think genee might have an AO3 as well. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12687531/1/history-doesn-t-repeat-itself-but-it-often-rhymes For Pre-Canon, I want to mention a lovely story by an incredible (mostly?) MitsuKiki writer that may not actually be active anymore. (Unless the writer uses a different site now.) (This story is actually not a MitsuKiki fanfic, though it is still one of my all time favorite stories by fiesa.) Roses, Violets by fiesa. It’s a beautiful story that focuses on Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki during the years since Kiki came there. Zen develops a crush on an OC, who doesn’t like him like that, who actually likes Mitsuhide, interestingly enough. It’s not really a romance story, as it focuses on the way time passes and uses summer and flowers to express that. The perspectives shift, so some parts may need to be reread to understand who is feeling that way, but it’s all written so beautifully. You get to see Zen develop a crush and get heartbroken, Mitsuhide trying to be really nice, knowing Zen likes the woman and sort of trying to let something happen between Zen and the OC. Though, Zen feels that that’s hopeless, since she likes Mitsuhide. It’s more a story of the friendship between Zen, Mitsuhide, and Kiki, and what growing up entails. It’s Zen before Shirayuki, and it makes for a rather lovely, read. (It’s a multichapter, though it’s not a super lengthy one as far as chapter count goes. It’s well worth a read though.) (fiesa and geneee I discovered around the same time, and I love what both of them write so much.) (So, if you like it, it’s always worth checking out the rest of fiesa’s work.) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12864975/1/Roses-Violets I was just thinking over how to mention an incredible writer, that wrote two ZenYuki oneshot that I’ve read and fell in love with. (Spotted the oneshot section. If I have to refill part of the Bingo Board later, so be it.) The Art Of Watching Stars Fall by Zen Wisteria on Tumblr. The metaphors and images are just so pretty and beautiful and with gorgeous meanings. (The writer feels a bit like a poet, and since I love poetry, that’s a definite plus in my book.) It’s really fluffy and sweet and contains pretty much all of the wonderful reasons to ship ZenYuki. It’s a delight to read and to reread. It’s highly recommended by me. https://zen-wistaria.tumblr.com/post/117283326416/it-feels-like-years-since-shes-seen-his-face AU That Made Me Find The Source Material: Lyrias Station by Eclectic80. I’m cheating here too. Shh… I’ve been slowly getting into Star Trek over the years very deliberately, and I just loved this fic so much! I found it first on the ObiYuki Community, going through a lot older fics, and then fell in love with just the way that Eclectic80 wrote it! It’s an absolutely incredible Star Trek AU, and a lovely ObiYuki story. (I think I did start with reading Historical Fiction, and it surprised me by being a Star Trek AU.) (On the note of really great AUs, there’s a Star Wars AU for ObiYuki that’s incredible, that I’ll have to refind at some point, and an incredible Harry Potter AU. I actually asked a lot of questions to people who know Star Wars lore far better than I do, in order to work through how much of the Star Wars AU for ObiYuki could plausibly happen in canon. (I think it was all of it. It was a great and engaging read too!) The Harry Potter AU left me obsessed with it, and the accidental soul bonding spell, whoops. But, since I don’t remember their titles or who wrote them, I’ll have to recommend them some other day. (I think they are also far back on the community page. I haven’t finished exploring it, since I took a break a while ago.) Back to Lyrias Station, it’s an absolutely incredible read whether you know very little about Star Trek, nothing at all, or a lot. I fall somewhere in the middle, and honestly, it’s a fantastic read, whenever you want to dig in and explore. (I may have reread certain oneshots in it way too much for my own good, practically back to back. It’s a really wonderful reread as well.) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14414148/chapters/34487988 For A Fic That Gave Me A New OTP, though my OTP is hard to define, so I’m technically cheating here, but Let Me Be Bold by Kaedix. It’s an IzanaYuki story, and that is a pairing that I was curious about, but hadn’t really shipped until I read this oneshot collection. I absolutely need to read the third oneshot; it’s new, and bound to be incredible. But, the first oneshot had me sort of falling in love with Izana right alongside Shirayuki, and the second oneshot had me cheering for Shirayuki, and all in all, it’s an incredible read that is well worth your time, whether just to read something new or different or whether you are on the fence about this fabulous rarepair. (Since it did win me over to the ship, I’m including it here.) It’s incredible! Go read it! https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982494/chapters/49894448 I was trying to figure out a fic that I loved that was under a thousand words, and since I haven’t paid a huge amount of attention to the word count, I couldn’t think of one at first. So, I was going through one of the writers that I really like the writing of, and stumbled upon one that I immediately remembered. Importance by bountifulnuggets. I remembered it strictly as the wedding story where Zen and Shirayuki hugged Obi, who desperately needed a hug. I’ve never read anything like it before, and it’s saturated with friendship. (Nugget is a phenomenal writer, so basically anything by her is really good, so if you haven’t heard of her, go check out her writing. You won’t be disappointed.) (I got temporarily sidetracked before going through Nugget’s stories, by a story I hadn’t read by Eclectic80, a ZenYuki(!) story, that if for some reason, I extend and do more than a Bingo Board (or find another way to include), I’ll tell you the title of. Either way, the story by Nugget is a lovely hurt/comfort fic that is more comfort than hurt, and it’s definitely a beautiful read. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433481 I’m going to pause here for now, even though I haven’t gotten a Bingo yet, because I’ve spent way too long today, compiling this list, and kind of want to share how far along it’s come so far. I recommend every single last one of these fics and several more, honestly they’re all so amazing!

[bluejayblueskies]

For the writer questions 8,12,27,35 and for the reader side of things F, P, % and is there a fandom or ship you wish had more fic for you to read (because I am not awake enough to figure out how to make that symbol)?

fic writer/reader asks!

(this is a bit long so i've stuck most of it under a cut)

8. Ever written something inspired by other fanworks?

Officially no, but sometimes I have art lingering in the back of my mind when I write something. Two examples off the top of my head are i will finally know peace, loosely inspired by this art, and ascension (one of my whumptober fics), loosely inspired by this art.

12. One-shots or multichapters?

I wish I could say multichapters because a lot of my current ideas cater best to multichapters, but one-shots. They're quick and simple, I don't have to worry about not completing them because they're already done, and I don't have to worry about getting bored with the idea halfway through. Of my current fics on Ao3, only two are actual multichapter fics (I have a few 'multichapter' fics that are actually groups of oneshots), neither of which are complete yet, and with RQBB it'll be three. I am planning on finishing IWBTA soon though, so then it'll only be SUU that's incomplete and I... have not yet decided if it'll be staying that way or not.

27. Favorite quote from one of your fics

This is always so hard for me because I have *checks notes* 64 fics on Ao3 to choose from, not including the fact that a few of those are one-shot collections, and I somehow still want to use a quote from RQBB and I can't. The only one sticking in my mind rn is from portrait of shattered glass which is a fun fic bc despite going down like a lead balloon on Ao3 it's one of my favorites:

Martin had looked at him with cloying concern and said, “Are you sure you’re okay, Jon?” after the tape had clicked off and Jon had become, once again, quite aware of the fact that his skin was peppered with holes.

He had dozens. Gertrude Robinson had three. And he wasn’t sure which scared him more.

It's one of my favorite (clever? witty?) lines that i've written <3

35. Favorite story you’ve written?

This one is also hard because 64 fics and also I'm tempted to say RQBB. I'm going to throw a dart at my top five and choose: can i be gentle? because I love Tim character studies and I love Tim lives fics and I love the complexity of Jon and Tim's s2-3 relationship and this fic has all three.

F. Favorite trope(s)

Okay since this is in the reading section I'll do top 5 favorite tropes to read and not to write (they're different). In no particular order:

1. Fake Dating - I am not immune to fake dating fics, both the traditional kind (practice kisses my beloved) and the reinvented kind (like in a consideration of tropes)

2. Hurt/Comfort - whether emotional or physical, I will never have enough of hurt/comfort, and there are some excellent ones in the TMA fandom!

3. Hanahaki - all kinds, but especially the kind that deviates from 'unrequited love' and adds more complexity

4. Selkies - never something I read prior to TMA but now one of my favorites!

5. Parents/Kid fic - what can I say--I really like fics where jmart are parents. Bonus points if it's also angsty (thinking of Do It All Anew)

P. Do you use author’s bookmarks to find more fic you might like?

Nope! I never knew this was something people did until somebody told me they use my bookmarks to find fics haha. I do use recommendations though, either via tumblr reblogs or discord servers, and I also find a surprising amount of fics from the ao3-themagnusarchives blog on tumblr, which puts the feed on my dashboard. Since I don't really go browsing through Ao3 for fics, the tumblr feed helps a lot.

%. A feature you wish ao3 had

A blocking feature, honestly. There are ways to keep certain fics from showing up when you search through Ao3 but there's not a way to keep a certain author from interacting with your works, and I wish there was. Also really wish there was a way to search through your history--filtering it by tags or content like with bookmarks--because sometimes I forget to bookmark things and I'll go through my history to try to find them and it's a mess. Also wish there was a way we could see every fic we've kudosed and search through them, for a similar reason that sometimes I forget to bookmark things. (I guess that's three features but oh well.)

§. A fandom or ship you wish had more fic for you to read

Hmm. I mean, there's already quite a bit of jontim content but I always wish there was more jontim in the world. Branching a bit off from fandoms and ships, I wouldn't say no to more selkie/merfolk content as well.

[apsaraqueen]

For the ask: Love & Sleep. I started listing questions and then realised there were only 5 I missed out, so... ALL OF THE QUESTIONS PLEASE. I WANT TO KNOW ALL YOUR BRAIN THOUGHTS ABOUT LS.

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

There’s a lot of ways to interpret this question! In terms of substance, I wanted to write the kind of classic “the Shitennou come back” fic for Jadeite and Rei (my OTP, of course) that I’ve always wanted to read - something long and layered that deals with what happens after the initial shock, distrust, etc. of the return and delves into what the process of forgiveness and rediscovery might really look like. And to be clear, I’ve definitely read a lot of wonderful takes on this concept, it’s not new and so many other authors have done it better, but I haven’t found any that focused on my favorite couple (if there’s one I’ve missed, PLEASE SEND IT TO ME). And then stylistically, I just kind of wanted to write something...indulgent. For myself, really. Slow-paced, dreamy, gentle. I hope it hits the mark.

2: What scene did you first put down?

Boringly enough - the first scene! Where Jadeite, now called Junin, comes back, taking place on the grounds of the shrine. I had the image in my head for a long time before I started the fic.

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

I...have no idea. It honestly changes all the time. I’ll just pick a random one I like. It’s of Rei watching Junin (the reincarnated Jadeite) sleep. Not creepy at all, right? I like the level of comfort between the two it implies, and it’s just a tender, quiet moment with her thinking of him, and of what draws her to him.

Junin slept on his back, one arm tucked under his nape, the other tossed across his front; the length of his legs extended several centimeters past the rumpled sheets’ edge. A book propped on his chest bore an English title that made little sense to her. She knelt by his head, suddenly concerned he might be feverish, or taken ill. He wasn’t sweating, nor ashen. The priestess touched his forehead and found the temperature not dissimilar to her own.

Under her palm his eyebrows bristled, permanently arched where hers ran like the ties of train tracks. She felt fine sun-lines there that she couldn’t see. Against her fingers his hair was dense, grown now slightly off the scalp, lightened more from working outdoors. She took back her hand, put it in her lap. From time to time it still startled her, to be able to look at him like this, unrationed. Even here at rest, she thought there was control in his features, a kind of ruthless calm she’d never been able to help responding to.

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

This is really hard because I wouldn’t call this a dialogue-driven fic. Why, you ask? Because I can’t write dialogue to save my life. A lot of this fic - maybe even the majority - exists between the spaces of what’s said, so the dialogue is pretty.........formless. If I had to pick, I’d probably go with this.

“I killed you,” she said, and couldn’t help but add, “twice.”

“You were right,” he told her.

“And I didn't want to,” she went on dully. “When you came I – thought you were a ghost.”

“You wish I were?”

“I wish I didn’t remember. What we did.”

“Them,” said Junin. “Not us.”

She said, low: “I wish we’d done – anything else.”

I liked writing this because while I definitely think there’s a part of Rei struggling to forgive Junin for what his past self did, I also think there’s maybe even a larger part that wishes none of it happened at all, that their history could be erased and they could start fresh, that recognizes culpability is often complex and not as one-sided as you maybe want it to be (this of course depends on how you headcanon the Silver Millennium going down - I like to imagine it wasn’t necessarily all Shitennou=bad, Senshi=good).

5: What part was hardest to write?

Urg. Writing the first Silver Millennium flashback was pretty hard. It took me forever to figure out the right tone that didn’t sound horribly stilted and Lord of the Rings-esque. Also hard trying to convey the differences between Mars/Jadeite and Rei/Junin along with the similarities. Rei, for example, is a lot more wounded and careful with her emotions, for obvious reasons, than Mars ever was. And while Junin is still capable of being somewhat morally ambiguous, he’s also genuinely a nicer guy than the more politically-minded Jadeite could be. I wanted to get that across without getting mired in irrelevant details about the past……….which I maybe need to save for another longwinded fic altogether. *bangs head on wall*

After the first flashback things fell into line, more or less, but I must have rewritten that first one, like, ten times.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

It’s longer than 12,000 words! AND took me more than double that to get to any smut! In seriousness, I think this is the first multichaptered fic I’ve written since, like.............high school.

7: Where did the title come from?

From the poem of the same name by A.C. Swinburne. It’s quite sexy, and the woman described in it sounds very much like Rei to my mind.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Normally, with most of my fics, I’d say yes...but in this case, not really. Other than the food. I most definitely drew on real-life inspiration - delicious things I’ve eaten, particularly while in Tokyo - for the food. You’ll never find me writing a fic without some gratuitous food pr0n in there for good measure. The wagashi shop the girls meet at is based on one I visited while there, actually.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Not really. You could say this is in some ways an alternate version of another fic I wrote a while back, Tragedia? When I wrote that one I had in the back of my mind that someday I should write the same concept with a very different ending...and here we are.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

Because I love them! And I feel like I rarely see them happy in fic (to be clear, I do love my RxJ angst, so that’s not a bad thing!). I wanted to write a story for them that felt realistic and for lack of a better word, adult - that progressed in a natural way. I wanted to challenge myself to do it in a way that was slow-burning and relatively low-drama but not boring. And I wanted to see if I could sustain the tension and intimacy that makes their relationship so interesting to write, without resorting to my usual go-tos of smut (at least not immediately!) and angst.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I’m happy with the atmosphere it conveys - sometimes moody, mostly serene. I worked really hard on that aspect and I feel like it maybe, kind of, sort of paid off!

12: What do you like least about this fic?

I wish it was wittier, more humorous in some places - I feel like it would add a sense of balance. That’s my biggest failing as a writer, I think; I really have no clue how to do comedy. I am not funny in the slightest.

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

I had just seen Call Me By Your Name when I started writing it, so a lot of the soundtrack for that. Mystery of Love in particular. Also a lot of Rhye.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Learn? No, I don’t think so. Just trying to put more of my OTP out in the world in hopes of inspiring more of it!

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

So much. Like I’ve noted above, this is the longest thing I’ve written in a long time and honestly I’m kind of amazed I’ve been able to stay motivated! Writing something longer requires, obviously, patience - you can’t just fire all your guns at once, you think of things you want to write RIGHT AWAY but then have to save them for later, you have to actually, ugh, have a structure………….this is all patently clear to a competent writer, but these are things I was pretty sure I’d forgotten how to do, so it’s been nice stretching myself this way.

Thank you for the ask, @coppercrane2 - this was so fun!