#i've only ever read and bookmarked fics on there never posted 😭

[wrongcaitlyn]

hey! i just wanted to ask what is your ABSOLUTE FAVORITE solangelo fic?

and tyt is amazing! i read the whole thing like 7 times *laughs in rereader*

OMGLSKDJF😭😭😭thank you so much that's literally just <3333 im so honoredsljdf

as for my *absolute favorite* YOU CAN'T MAKE ME CHOOSEEEKJSDF

i literally have so many bookmarked, so many that i reread all the time. i'll choose a top three for you (as of right now).

my home wears your face by solisaureus is a fic that i've reread twice already despite it literally being posted like two weeks ago??? it's so good. im obsessed with it.

my lover's the sunlight by demigodbeautiies is an olympics au and just. i mean. it's an olympics au. i've reread it like... god i don't know. maybe six times by now? i should reread it again, it's been a while. but it's just so perfect, so beautifully written <33

The Stolen God by TsarinaTorment isn't *technically* a solangelo centric fic, but like, it has solangelo, and i'll never stop singing it's praises. one of the most perfect fics i've ever had the pleasure of coming across. i think i've reread it at least four times by now. i think about it constantly.

honestly, i reread all of my bookmarks, just because i'm super picky with them and only bookmark fics i know i WILL reread, but these ones are probably the ones i've reread the most - they're all just so well written and so thought out!!! highly recommend you to read them if you haven't already - but yeah, i don't think i'll ever be able to choose just one fic, i read way too many😭

[runawaymun]

End of Year Fic Recs <3

Happy New Year y'all!!!! I got tagged by both @deadqueernoldor & @camille-lachenille for this and what better day to fill it out than December 31st.

I must confess I haven't had the time or energy to read a lot of fics this year, but this is a great excuse to look back on the ones I have read and sort through my bookmarks!!!! I am going to cheat for some of these, purely because I'm very behind on fic reading. So not all of these will be fics that were posted this year, but they're fics that I read this year and loved.

So here we go with some recs:

Recommend up to 5 series or multi-chapter fics from 2023 that everyone should read (multi-year WIPs count, if the last update was in 2023).

Prefacing this by saying that I have not kept up with a lot of multichaptered fics this year 😭 but I will try to rec some that I have been religiously reading!

1. Sacrifice - Sekikaru (unsure if the author is on tumblr, nothing comes up for the tag!) [Original Fiction]

Hanyu is a human who has been delivered as a sacrifice to one of the powerful seafaring beings his people worship as gods. Antony is a bored vampire looking forward to a simple meal and a quiet new servant. Neither gets quite what he is expecting. But as old enemies resurface and the old order proves unsustainable, they might just find in each other exactly what they need.

Listennnn I read this on a whim while sick one day and it gripped me instantly. Every OC is fantastic. It's outstandingly queer. The author explores a lot of really difficult topics with incredible depth and care, and there have been points at the plot where I have yelled out loud or fist pumped. It's insane. It is so, so, so good. Rated E, though, and not just for smut. It can get very intense at some points. It is so, so so good. I've been meaning to do art for it one of these days.

2. The Secret of Formenos House - @jaz-the-bard

Once, Maedhros and Fingon were engaged to be married, before Maedhros broke it off for reasons unknown, and with his family took to the secluded manor of Formenos House. After their departure, only Maedhros ever came to Lindon to speak with his other kin again. The truth was that in the isolation of Formenos House a curse came upon Fëanor and his children, killing nearly all of them and leaving Formenos widely considered to be haunted. But when the curse abates from Maglor unexpectedly, he and Maedhros discover that they are now the guardians of two very sick children whose parents were lost at sea. Maedhros and Maglor might not be the caretakers Elrond and Elros need, unable to give them the spotless reputations they need to make their way in Society as orphans, but once the twins recover, they refuse to be sent to anyone else. It's up to the last remaining lords of Formenos House to turn the manor into a home.

I'm behind on this but it's Jaz, it's a Victorian AU, it's a kidnap fam. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE. It's so good.

3. Aemond, First of His Name - @ellrond

Aegon Targaryen was never fit for rule. He begged with his brother to let him disappear, and his brother helped him. Said brother took the burden upon his shoulders to rule as king, and to crush the threat of Rhaenyra Targaryen. Canon divergence, Aemond is king and Aegon, not allowed to disappear for fear of inciting rebellion, has been sworn to his brother’s Kingsguard. Heavy Aemond/Helaena. Chapters with smut will be described as such.

EXCELLENT. STELLAR. OUTSTANDING. Prose, at times, feels just like GRRM's. The characterization is perfect. It's so delicious. I love it so much and the plot bunny is so intriguing!

4. We Will Make This Place Our Home - @leucisticpuffin

Elrond and Elros are sent to live with their distant cousins in a house that is crumbling slowly to pieces. They aren't especially happy about this. For Maedhros and Maglor, the twins are a rare chance to start living again. It will take a lot of work to turn a house full of ghosts into anything resembling a home.

Once again, a kidnap fam AU that I'm terribly behind on but enjoying nonetheless!!!! Excellent characterization and writing. I know I keep saying that, but that's what's really important to me in fics -- so naturally I love this one!

5. Vincarna - morgana-deryn (unsure if author is on Tumblr, if anyone knows lmk so I can tag them!)

When her life went from bad, to worse, to unbearable, she prayed for change. She could never have expected the answer she got. It came in the form of creatures that shouldn't exist, in a city too beautiful for words, in a heart that no longer beat. It should have been impossible, and yet there she was, living a life she wouldn't have been able to dream for herself. Elrond/OFC slowburn friends to lovers

Another one of those fics I picked up while sick and then really, really loved. The OC is a really well fleshed out human, with lots of wants, needs, trauma, and skills - and the Elrond characterization is perfect! I also really enjoyed the language barrier. It's something that gets ignored in a lot of these kinds of fics, but it's handled really well here!

Recommend up to 5 single chapter fics/one-shots (long or short) from 2023 that everyone should read.

Without the Leave of Thee - @jaz-the-bard

Celebrían is hosting a fairy revel, and she's determined to impress Elrond, who's promised to be in attendance. It's hard to hold herself back from stealing him away as the fae do to their lovers, but she knows it'd be a bad idea. But what is she supposed to do, when Elrond goes and eats from the basket of magic pears from her garden?

What can I say? This was a gift for me and it's Celrond + Fae elves it's like a no brainer. Jaz is a genius and the prose is so damn pretty & the characterization is PERFECT.

2. The First Water - @ellrond

“How did we first meet?” “You gave me water.” The first meeting of Galadriel and Elrond as a child is mentioned in Rings of Power. This is an incorporation of the kidnapping of Elrond and Elros by Maedhros and Maglor with that story. Not very happy.

Amazing fic based on one of my favorite moments in the show, and one of the moments I found most intriguing. The prose is really vivid and I just loved the portrayals of both Galadriel and Elwing in this.

3. Stirring - @slightnettles

Just a mostly sappy vignette for Rings of Power Valentine's Week. (Day 1: OTP)

Brimbrond is my other Elrond otp, and @slightnettles writes them perfectly. I adore this fic & come back to it often.

4. I Promise You You're Not Broken (I Promise You There's More) - @maglor-my-beloved

It is late in the evening when Celebrimbor is informed of the Elf who had arrived at the gates of Ost-in-Edhil and yielded to the guards, pleading to be brought to the realm's Lord. A strange Elf comes to Eregion. Celebrimbor meets a long-lost cousin.

So many pretty turns of phrase!!! So many incredible descriptions!!! I am just obsessed with the idea of Celebrimbor taking Maeglin in. AAA.

5. Braided - @glorf1ndel

Artanis and Celeborn are fascinated by each other's braids.

Hair customs among the elves!!!!!!!! Celeborn x Galadriel!!!! EVERYTHING I LOVE. Plus it is so well written!!!!

6. (I know, I'm cheating. I love this fic though!) A Million Miles Apart (I hold you close) - @raointean

"Elrond took a sharp breath in surprise. Eärendil’s fëa was not white-hot and blindingly bright like he had imagined the soul of a star to be. It was instead vibrantly colorful and full of life." OR Elrond speaks to his father for the first time since he left.

Listen. If you've followed me for some time you know I'm very iffy on my feelings about Eärendil. This fic made me like him.

Recommend up to 5 fics NOT from 2023 that everyone should read (oldies but goodies.)

Sugar and Diamonds - @nocompromise-noregrets

Celebrían, visiting Imladris for Midwinter with her mother, has a very important conversation with Elrond.

This was a gift for me and I'm obsessed with it. Celrond getting together!!!!! <3 <3 <3

2. bijebtorv’afâh - @arofili

Fíli comes to terms with his identity.

When I say this fic lives RENT FREE in my brain!!! The worldbuilding, the bead-making, Fili...everything is so good. Read it read it read it.

3. All The Ways to Love - @thatfeanorian

When Fingon is forced into an arranged marriage with a cousin he has never met before, he expects the worst. Soon, however, he will realize that Maedhros is not at all what he expected and might in fact be exactly what he has been looking for his whole life. featuring Mae's terrible mental health, Fingon's stubborn determination to make Mae love himself, and Feanor who naturally tries to ruin everything.

I know I recommend this fic regularly but it just hits all my buttons, okay? It's formative Russingon for me. I love it to death & reread whenever I'm sad!

4. All That Is Left - @tuuliii

When Nerdanel has finished the face of Fëanor she looks him in the eye, satisfied. "Some of my best work", she says and strokes his cheek. A tear glides down her own and falls to the while marble floor. "You left me. You left me and now all that is left of you are statues…” A story about Nerdanel and her family in five parts.

My favorite Nerdanel character study. It's so fucking good.

5. Under Strange Stars - @idrilsscribe

Barely a long-year after the Last Alliance all is not well in Imladris. Elrond's household has been dealt a crippling blow: a very young Elrohir has disappeared. After decades of false leads he is found in the Far South of Middle-Earth. Can Glorfindel rescue the House of Earendil once more? His task is not an easy one: Elrohir has no memory of who he was, and little interest in leaving his people's fight against the Black Númenóreans of Umbar ...

One of the first LOTR fics I ever read, and it's a favorite. I recommend this one a lot, too, but for good reason!!! The whole series is excellent and honestly just peerless.

Recommend up to 5 of your own fics (completed or WIP) from 2023 that everyone should read.

I actually haven't done a lot this year. Here's what I've been working on:

Beneath a Boundless Sky (WIP)

Set directly after the events of And the Stars Shine the Same -- Elrond’s two new wards both struggle to feel at home in Rivendell. The wounds from their slavery in King Frumgar’s court are still fresh, and the scars are deep -- and they’re not the only ones. Maglor is home at last, but each day he lives he is haunted by guilt and grief. Elrond is nothing if not patient, and he is certain that given enough time in Rivendell, all three will heal. Meanwhile, the twins set out to join Legolas and investigate the source of the mysterious Shadow which attacked Rivendell, but are held up in Rhovanion. In Greenwood, something evil festers beneath the trees. Only Lothlorien, protected by Nenya, seems to be safe...but for how long? Rhovanion stands on the brink of political catastrophe. Sickness spreads through the Misty Mountains, and to make matters worse...something is wrong with the children. A story about dysfunction and trauma, healing, the breaking of trust and of regaining it, and also the birth of the Kingdom of Rohan, redemption, and hope...if I can pull it off. No graphic depictions, some dark content ahead, mature themes.

This one is a continuation of the And the Stars Shine the Same series! Elrond centric, focusing mostly on the Peredhil fam -- but there are a lot of OCs and sideplots, too :)

To Partake (WIP, rated E.)

Even if it takes until the breaking of the world, Celebrimbor is determined to help Elrond feel comfortable in his own bones. He is too precious a creature to hate himself so much. (Or, the one where shortly before the scheduled mission to Khazad-dûm, Gil-Galad offers Celebrimbor a taste of his herald. Celebrimbor accepts, and regrets it.)

Based on the characterizations in Rings of Power, because I wanted to put the relationship between Elrond and Gil-Galad in the first season of the show under a microscope, but it isn't necessary to have seen the show to read this fic. I veer completely off of the canon events of the show after episode 5, and simply never return to the show's plot -- sticking a lot closer to the Silm.

There are several really difficult scenes in the fic, but I have tried to be very thorough in warning readers at the start of the associated chapters. If you really love Gil though this might not be a fic for you. He is uhhhhh--- well I am trying to fix him, but he remains a very large looming antagonist so far.

Really, it's an Elrond character study (exploring how his childhood trauma affects his current relationships with everyone in the second age, and how he grows into the strong leader we all know and love) disguised as shipfic porn. It's got me in an absolute vice rn. I've had such a blast working on it.

[spacenintendogs]

TRICK OR TREAT

treat! i'm going to share the 3 most recent ao3 bookmarks for httyd fanfics i've read! :)

paradise by @kolasharkattack !!!!! one of my fave fishlout fics EVER!!!! snotlout developing a crush on fishlegs & wanting to find an orchid for fishlegs' garden, only to have you know, the luck of a dragon rider when there's dragon hunters about <3

synopsis by the author:

It was an unspoken thing between them; one-day, Snotlout decided to rest in the peace garden without Fishlegs objecting, and he'd been visiting ever since. Not even Hiccup, Astrid, or the twins knew about these… visits. Fishlegs never asked him why he always came here, and Snotlout was eternally grateful for that.

Because that would mean telling him the truth.

<-O->

Snotlout travels to another island to get a gift for Fishlegs.

Dragon Hunters have to ruin even the simplest of plans.

sticks & stones by @eemoo1o-tfrmoo!!!!!!!! a fic that takes place not too long after the first movie & shows hookfang following snotlout around, much to lout's confusion <3

synopsis by the author:

The Red Death is defeated and so and dragons are at peace. Now, Snotlout just has to figure out what to do with this dragon that keeps trying to follow him home.

(Post/Mid-movie fic based around the idea of “what to do next” between the battle with the Red Death and the epilogue.)

jorgensons aren't supposed to cry by stingray_vibes_117!!!! (i'm sorry if they have a tumblr idk it 😭) very snotlout centric abt his relationship with his friends & their dismissal/anger towards him even when he's not actively being obnoxious or going out of his way to do smth wrong. mainly him & astrid!!

synopsis by the author:

A few too many insults cause Snotlout to break down in front of his friends.

[ohmyoverland]

Fic Writer Questions

Thanks for the tag @anything-thats-rock-and-roll :D

1. How many fics do you have on AO3? 26

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 25, 570

3. What fandoms do you write for? Except for a few one-offs and my 3 Anne With An E fics, I write Lockwood & Co. 💚⚔

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

After Chameleon, an unbetad Miraculous Ladybug salt fic written before the actual episode had come out. It accidentally blew up asldkfjhjkl

On My Mind, a Detroit: Become Human rk1k ficlet where Connor can read minds.

All the Words I Don't Have, pure grade A Locklyle fluff

are we out of touch, are we out of time? AWAE Season 3 speculative fic that is actually an expanded version of a tumblr post I wrote after the penultimate episode of the series premiered.

wavering, my cot3 pining + character study fic. I'm really proud of it and I promise chapter 3 is coming eventually lmao

5. Do you respond to comments? I don't 😭 I want to but I never know what to say and before I know it, the comment is 2 years old oops. I reread comments all the time ❤

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? That's tough to say for sure but I think every lessons forms a new scar ending with an off-screen character death is probably the most angst I've ended with so far.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? That would have to be All the Words I Don't Have again. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. And Lockwood writes some really bad poetry.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not so far.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do sometimes, and it's not published yet.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Another Change of Plans is the most tumblr WIP I have lol. It dares to start asking the question, "What if the Old Guard adopted Adam Young, the antichrist from Good Omens?"

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sort of? There was one collab fic I wrote a scene for but it never got finished. Someday I might post my part, because ngl I'm pretty proud of the Skull/Lucy banter in it.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship? How could I ever choose??? By bookmark stats, it would be Marinette and Adrien from Miraculous Ladybug. But cot3 (Lockwood & Co) and Superbat (DC) are up there too.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? A better question is what isn't a WIP I'll never finish??? I have dozens 😭 Though one that stands out is an old Frozen fic I outlined in I think 2018(?). The premise is a canon divergence where Anna's death is faked when they're children and she's raised in the village instead of in the castle. There are two full acts that are just set up for a The Prince And Me/Princess Diaries-esque rom-com between suddenly-a-princess Anna and just-a-normal-guy Kristoff.

The outline on its own is about 8k words, and frankly I've considered editing and posting the outline itself before because it's detailed enough. This fic is actually a drabble I wrote to take place within my AU, but it reads canon compliant enough of its own so I posted it.

15. What are your writing strengths? Ideas. I am always getting new plot bunnies, always getting excited about the next great idea, always thinking about new aspects of these worlds and characters I want to explore.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? Dialogue and volume. That's why I write so many descriptive, very short fics XD

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I'd only do it in a language I've studied for a couple years, and even then I would want a native speaker to read over it for me. But it hasn't come up yet?

I do really like Superbat or Star Trek fics where the author sparingly includes Kryptonian / Klingon / Vulcan with a translation at the end.

18. First fandom you wrote for? My Little Pony, or maybe Percy Jackson?? I'm too scared to check my old accounts to see which came first, if I ever even posted the fics I remember writing then at all.

19. Favorite fic you’ve written? building glass castles for sure!!! I love the atmosphere in it, and the monologue from Skull. That monologue came to me in the middle of the night once, so I had to type it up immediately and build the fic around it later.

No pressure tags @sabetha @synestheticwanderings @abumperprize @lenacarstairspotterstewart @woahpip @flythesail @shizuoi

[emsylcatac]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @jattendschaton for the tag!! (see their answers here for links to their nice fics & all 👀) I'm not sure I can be considered a writer still with how little I'm doing nowadays but I appreciate you thinking so 😂

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 25

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

95,070

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only ML !

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Compatible, We'll be together, always. , A little push, Kiss shy and Of silver and pink

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Usually yes but I haven't been good at it lately 😬 I like letting people know I appreciated them commenting, but I've been pretty lazy these days so I haven't answered much (or sometimes I see a comment and it's been posted weeks ago and I feel awkward answering so late after dfjhjdf). But I do read every comment and I appreciate greatly people taking the time to do so 😭 I've noticed a few times recently same readers commenting a few of my fics at once or in only a few days and big love to you all, thanks so much ♥︎

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oooh most definitely the one I wrote this year which is we'll find your new colour

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have a very happy ending but I guess one of the fluffiest and most heart-warming one I wrote was A game of pretend

Rest is undercut!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I can't remember getting any right now. Maybe most I got was someone correcting my grammar and that was it, or some confusing bookmark comment that I can't remember exactly.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of. An idea stolen yes I believe but that's kind of it

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, I think someone translated 2 of my fics in Russian

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I don't recall so.. I think there were plans with people but it never led to anything.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Lovesquare definitely!!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have an aged-up Ladrien/Ladynoir one shot wip that I'm afraid will never see the light of day. And I really really want to finish ask her (me) out, also because it's a gift to a fandom friend, but I'm afraid I'll never get to sit down and finish it. We'll see, you never know maybe one day I will 😂

16. What are your writing strengths?

Uuuhh...... I think I've been told I have good dialogues or that I'm good at making the characters seem in-character? But I'm not sure hahaha you'll tell me

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm bad with description among other things

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Okay so I will say: if some characters are switching languages and the reader isn't supposed to understand the language picked and it's short, then yes (or if the reader needs to understand and there's a translation)! Otherwise personally not too into it. For ML, especially random words in French thrown into the dialogue or the text in general with no translations and for no reason (a nickname or something / swearing for instance then sure I'm fine with it and do it sometimes too, but I've seen in some fics at times the most random words/sentences translated to French and it's always thrown me off a little. And sometimes no English translation of these words are offered - at least I'm French and can understand but someone who doesn't speak French might just be confused hahaha). But that's my personal feelings about it, I understand why some writers like to do it and I respect that & it shows how dedicated they are especially when they're not French themselves so don't feel bad if you do it yourself!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

ML again haha

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

That's hard.... I think Compatible is one of the fic I had the most fun writing. Today I'd def write the introduction to the fic very differently because it's a lot of "telling not showing" before getting into the fic, but the dialogue and banter in it was a lot of fun to write

tagging if you feel like it & weren't tagged before : @cakemousse @ladynoirist and @2manyfandoms2count !

[usersasaki]

:D

[roimp]

"There are treatments available for you," she said. "I called you here because I'm worried about you. I come from a place of compassion. Everyone has had some form of post-traumatic stress, including myself. Which is why I have to say that I know you're not eating." Her eyes watered. "I can't lose another student. I'm not losing you, Potter."

Her tears caught him off guard. "Why would you lose me?"

"Potter, I am one hundred and forty-three years old. If you think I don't know where anorexia leads—"

The word ignited him. She knows. She's going to make you eat. She's going to make you gain weight and Draco won't ever come back.

"Then why did you keep me with the Dursley's," he shouted, standing. An overwhelming dizziness made him grip the chair. "You knew what they were doing to me! You knew how they were as people! And you let me live with them! You made me go back to them year after year even though I had a Godfather, even though I had the Weasley's—even when there were safer options, I was forced to be alone with the worst people and no one came to help me! I was alone and scared and abused and no one came to help me even though you all knew!"

His hands were shaking. Fuck, he hadn't even heard the word in any context to what he was doing. Anorexia.

No, that's not it. You don't have that. She's blowing this way out of proportion.

"And here you are assuming I have some stupid eating disorder that I don't. After I was housed with people who taught me since I was a kid that skipping meals was the right thing for me to do. If you didn't want me to do such a thing, you should have gotten me out of there and taught me yourself, because no one ever has. No one ever told me that starving for days at a time wasn't normal. Don't give me this bollocks of how you care about my health now, when you all kept me in an abusive household for my entire life."

"Dumbledore was in charge of your care. I expressed my concerns before each holiday, but he was adamant—"

"That was part of Dumbledore's plan then. Make me miserable, so I wanted to die. So when the time came, I was excited about the relief. He didn't think I'd live. And now here I am broken and abused and expected to function like a normal human being when I've never had normal? Expected to handle life. To have resiliency, to have energy. To eat properly. To greet each morning with a song a-and a form of gratitude." He looked at Dumbledore's portrait. He was still fast asleep in it.

"He wanted to keep you safe in the Muggle world—"

"But I wasn't safe there! I've never been safe. There are only a few moments in my entire life that I've ever felt safe. Hogwarts, sometimes. The Weasley's. With Draco. Even then, sometimes. But guess what, I watched people die in front of me at Hogwarts, so every time I turn a corner, I have a flashback. The Weasleys lost their son and I can't look them in the eye anymore. And Draco hates me and he doesn't remember me. So where do you expect me to find normalcy? To know how to be?" Tears fell down his face.

"Potter, I'm sorry. I truly am. I would be upset if that happened to me, too."

The only people I hate more than myself are Umbridge Snape and Dumbledore

aaaaaaa😭😭😭

I love reading these types of fics my bookmarks are filled lol

ikr I hate dumbledore too🔪