#it'll be in the ship tags on the fic anyway

[kinard-buckley]

a truly terrible idea has latched hold of my gremlin brain which is, buck and tommy do break up so that buck can pursue eddie because either tommy thinks buck is in love with eddie or buck feels like he should be with eddie because everyone else keeps suggesting there's something more there BUT buck/eddie getting together changes their dynamic so much that neither of them are enjoying themselves (and they're worrying about losing what made their friendship so special because of all the changes to the dynamic) AND buck and tommy keep hooking up [air quotes] platonically (with tommy stumbling into inconvenient feelings and pining pathetically for buck while fucking him) while buck struggles to sort out intense feelings toward eddie (which obviously have to be romantic of course) vs. his calm, more settled feelings toward tommy (they're not as intense as his feelings about eddie so they can't possibly be romantic) blah blah long story slightly less long but buck realizes he's been in love with tommy the whole time and was having trouble separating strong but platonic feelings for eddie from his romantic feelings toward tommy and then tommy's like "newsflash asshole i've been in love with you the whole goddamn time"

i'll never write it because it's irredeemably stupid and i value my peace but it IS sitting in my hindbrain tormenting me right now

[cinematicnomad]

the one feature i wish ao3 could implement would be main pairing.

[parvuls]

okay wait I'm writing an actual post so I can start handling all these emotions

[queerofthedagger]

the mortifying ordeal of having to decide if you're unwell enough about a new fandom yet that you should add it to the tagging list/intro post, or if there might still be hope for you.... knowing that the fact you're considering it means it's most likely already too late..... knowing it's so SO far past 'most likely' because there are already three (3) plots pinned in the discord server.............. SIGH

[angeltism]

when 99% of the content of one of uur fragments is weird icky stuff

[tirsynni]

Please, please, please stop doing this shit:

"My story doesn't fit with these tags but I'm going to add them, anyway, because they're popular and it'll get my story attention."

"My fic doesn't actually include this ship but I'll tag it like that because that ship is popular."

"Yes, this is pretty much an original fic, but I'm going to use these character names and label it as this ship to get people to read it."

"Yes, my fic includes this pairing/these characters/these warnings but I won't tag them because people avoid those tags."

People have admitted to all of the above. People have admitted to lying about the content of their fic, deceiving readers, and omitting necessary tags for the point of increasing readership. Knock that shit off. Writers and artists are already struggling with readers viewing works as only content to be casually consumed and used up. We don't need writers treating themselves like influencers and their works like "content" to be peddled. Don't abuse tags and don't abuse readers. It makes the entire tag system useless when you do this shit.

And yes: if you flaunt breaking TOS to increase your numbers, I won't hesitate to report your ass. Knock it off.

[phantom-clock]

do you have any jjba fic recs? :]

oh, i have been waiting for this question. I have so many recs.

·Starting off with: STARDUST CRUSADERS (mainly Jotakak, sorry lmao)

"You'll see what you want to see" by CassTheCringe on AO3 - I love love love this one! It's essentially just a really in character interaction between the team, very short and fun. I have to add though, there is quite a bit of foreshadowing for their inevitable fates which is gut wrenching. 4k words.

"He's bad news but i'm no better" by on AO3 - This. this right here. This is somehow PEAK jotakak despite being a gen fic, not intended to be slash. It's insane. This is an AU fic in which kakyoin arrives at the prison to kill jotaro before he has a chance to meet joseph and avdol. After various events, they proceed to leave to egypt together, kakyoin still sporting his fleshbud, and jotaro STILL convinced his stand is an evil spirit. It's great. 80.6k words. Jotakak? arguably? technically platonic?

"In the wrath of dawn" a collection by minamimaru on AO3 - Not sure how to describe this one, but it's a three parter in which kakyoin deals with having been conditioned to fear sunlight by Dio when he lived within his mansion. Interesting idea, good execution. Total word count of 9.3k. Jotakak.

"stand by me" a collection by SourisWriter on AO3 - This one is fluff! It handles stand sentience, which is a concept i adore. In the words of the author: "Stand By Me is series exploring how Star Platinum's and Hierophant Green's unique actions intersect with the steadily evolving relationship between Jotaro and Kakyoin." Total word count of 12k. Jotakak.

"Creep" by Rigmaroler on AO3 - A fun and short oneshot partially told from the perspective of jotaro and kakyoin's classmates after they return from Cairo. Just them being inexplicably odd. 3k words. Jotakak.

"Facets" by Cosmic_dandelion on AO3 - Probably one of my favorite explorations of jotaro and kakyoin's relationship. A 5+1 fic in which jotaro tries to learn more about kakyoin after the yellow temperance fight. I also really like this author's take on kakyoin! 20k words. Jotakak. Background Avpol.

"It'll have to do" by CassTheCringe on AO3 - Kakyoin's scarf rips and he's bitchy about it. While still being in character. It's impressive on the writer's part. Jotaro mends it during the night. this CAN be read as either slash or gen, but i'll be tagging the ship anyway. 4k words. Jotakak.

·Now: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE (there are definitely not as many fics here as i'd like there to be, especially not about the main gang, but i haven't been able to find much yet. might add to this later.)

"Walk with me/Try again" by CasstheCringe on AO3 - Warning for heavy themes. Read the tags. This one is genuinely incredible, this is a genuine hard recommend from me, it is so good. The summary, in the author's own words: "Part 4 AU where Kakyoin is alive but at a cost. As he figures out how to pay that cost, he tries to help wrangle the Morioh kids while also trying not to strangle Jotaro (it'd be nice if they could also learn how to communicate again too, but Kakyoin attempts to be realistic)." Jotaro and Kakyoin are NOT on good term in this one. 218k words. Pre jotakak.

"Caught somewhere in time" by ilikedolphins (nuinsli) on AO3 - Time loop fic centered around Jotaro. It's interesting. 14.5k words.

"Homebound" by Crowned_Ladybug on AO3 - This is very much found family, in which okuyas believes he has no family, until he finds out he does. Also, trans Okuyasu which is neat. Mainly just a character study, but i like it a lot. 3k words. Josuyasu. background jotakak. (in the author's own words, they refuse to write part 4 without kakyoin lmao)

"The Best-laid Plans" by deuil on AO3 - An insanely fun oneshot in which josuke really wants to see what jotaro's hiding under his hat. 4k words.

·Next up: GOLDEN WIND/VENTO AUREO

"Call it selfishness, call it fate" by BlueWonder on AO3 - Starting off incredibly strong with what may be genuinely my favorite fic for all of part 5. Warnings for heavy angst! read the tags! This is a time loop fic, my favorite trope, in which GER gives Giorno a second, third, fourth... chance to save his friends. It's great. Hard recommend. 24k words.

"Passione speedrun any percent (world record)" by nihilego on AO3 - I know you've already read this, but it's so good i wanted to leave this here for anyone who stumbles upon this list lmao. Essentially, a retelling of golden wind except giorno is the only one in the bucci gang with a stand. It's great. 17.8k words. Fugio. Bruabba.

"To love someone is firstly to confess: I am prepared to be devastated by you." a collection by heartstone on AO3 - In which Giorno is taken in by his savior as a child. 10.8k words.

"Riempire il vuoto" by ThisLittleViolet on AO3 - Probably my favorite Dhampir Giorno fic on ao3. Narancia is hit by an enemy stand that can starve someone to death in hours, the catch? this stand can be passed on to someone else if the one affected consents to it. Giorno is hesitant to take it. I think you can see where this goes. (also, interesting tidbit, the story occurs from Fugo's POV, which is fun). 13k words.

"Baby i'm a star" by DairyFarmer on AO3 - Okay. Gonna get this out of the way first. This does has a little bit of giomis. Which i'm personally not a fan of. But the rest of the fic is so good that i'll let it slide. This one is told from Bruno's point of view. Basically, giorno used GER to go back to where it all began and change things himself. Meanwhile, Bruno, as an outsider, is just ??? at the new boss that seems to favor so much for no apparent reason. 9.4k words. Giomis. (regrettably)

"Unbiased opinion/a boss who cares" by Melon_noodle_boi on AO3 - a fun fic in which, during an inspection on a passione team, giorno gets mistaken as a new recruit. He takes advantage of this to get n honest reading on how they work. It's fun. Great use of OCs . 19k words. Maybe giomis, not really, can be read as platonic thankfully.

"Blood is thicker" by JustAnotherFool on AO3 - Your basic dhampir Giorno reveal fic, still really good though. 9.5k words.

"Boys will be bugs" by sunflowergiorno on AO3 - "5 times Giorno Giovanna talks about bugs with the other members of Bucci's gang, and the ways he teaches his teammates to appreciate them--and is appreciated himself." This is a relationship study, and i really enjoyed it! 10k words.

"Weep, and you weep alone" by bagelistyping on AO3 - In which Giorno gets affected by a stand that causes time to stretch out and feel impossibly slow when the affected party is alone. Whump. 4.4k words.

"In the blood" by RainHarmonia on AO3 - Giorno thought he was just sick, turns out he's a dhampir. 3.8k words.

"Where is my mind?" by Balimaria on AO3 - Giorno is affected by a stand that brings out the deppest, most animalistic parts in people. Which kind of sucks when your dad was a vampire. 6.6k words.

·Finally: MISCELLANEOUS FICS THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH OF FOR THEIR OWN SECTION

"Cards of fate" by RedThistle on AO3 - alright, i'm going to need you to trust me on this one. It's a JJBA x MCU crossover. It's a fun and simple 5+1 fic in which various mcu characters meet jjba characters and are just ??? about stands. It's great. Trust me. 6.9k words. Subtle josuyasu.

"Jojo's Bizarre engagement" by Mikomikono on AO3 - Your typical fake relationship fic, but make it caejose! The writing is fun, and the author definitely has the characters down. I still haven't finished this one, but it's great so far! 125k words. Caejose. Obviously.

[ouroboros-hideout]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Got tagged my @theviridianbunny and some days ago by @dreamskug @therealnightcity and @aggravateddurian Thank you all chooms. Sorry, my social game is horrible but rly appreciate you're tagging me anyway 💚

I don't really have something new to show bc brain is strange these days. And 2024 so far presented me weird vibes only kinda. In addition the next two months will be a little stressfull aswell bc I'll be moving to a new place so I'll see how much time I have for the fun things.

But here are some WIP thoughts anyway.

Art

That f-ing Kurt drawing I started over a month ago needs the last finishng touches. By that I mean redrawing his face over and over again till my perfectionism is satisfied.

Here have a small detail. Tumblr compression will eat up all the textures anyway.

Still have that Witcher Cyberpunk Crossover next on my list but the urge to draw Aon became so strong the last days so probably will go for that.

Writing

Currently rotting on my 'Like Napalm' chapters. Will actually take some small timeline changes in the chapter that's already on AO3 bc the two ambassadors of Kurt x Myers (you know who you are) gaslighted me so hard into that ship that I will incorporate it in my fic. But it'll help to close the last plottholes I had so thanks frens.

VP

I rly want to do more photos cause it's a lot of fun but I am already putting so much work on myself lmao. Probably will be an occasional thing even if it seems you ppl really liked the pics I took. Still like the idea of making it a series and not just randomly doing some shots.

That's all for now. Would like to see what all of you are up to atm. But no pressure as always!

@blackrevell @olath124 @elvenbeard @pinkyjulien @wanderingaldecaldo @kharonion @bloodydragam @bumble-v @chevvy-yates

[thebrandywine]

20 Questions for Fic Authors

@catgirladjacent tagged me! and i like to infodump! let's go!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

97 including some that are under pseuds, though I did orphan a few once I started fixating on Resident Evil more fully. I was embarrassed lmao

2. What is your AO3 wordcount?

865,796 o__o

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Resident Evil exclusively now!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

don't worry about this one cuz it's under a pseud lol

[every picture tells a story], 387 kudos

[lantern], 376 kudos

broken machine, 356 kudos

[the quality of mercy], 332 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do!!! more often than not it's just with some emojis now lol but i relish and treasure every single comment i get

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh, this one has yet to be published :) don't worry! <3

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hmm... probably Two Cakes (which is coming out this month)? made me feel all sappy at least :]

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not now, but I definitely got some hateful comments on things when i was a lot younger-- mostly people complaining that i was a bad writer or that i should delete (which i did, so they got their wish lol). now if anything i mostly get people who comment on my stuff to kind of pressure me to update XYZ (the nivannedy catboy fic is notorious for this, which is why i haven't been working on it very much lately). the block button is my friend tho <3

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

yeah :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest crossover you’ve ever written?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i think someone wanted to at one point and then never did lol

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

i've talked with some people about this before but we've never gotten around to it :P

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

i love chreon but there's just SOMETHING about nivannedy---

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

the lethan re7/re8 rewrite. i really want to keep working on them but i just have so much more on my plate that i keep pushing it off, especially when it'll require the research of rewatching playthroughs a few times to reimaging the plot points. maybe one day tho!!

16. What are your writing strengths?

i've been told that my dialog is good which makes me happy because there are a few fics where i'm actually really proud of it :3

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

describing things, especially people! for some reason i always feel like it breaks the flow so i just... am like "there is a man. anyway--" sorry readers but it's your job to imagine him skjfnskdnf

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

i only speak english and i'm also VERY american. i don't personally want to mess around with that because it would be google translate type shit and that's just sad imo :/ so since i don't know enough i will abstain

19. First fandom you wrote for?

pokemon!!!!!!!!! i literally found THE first fic i ever wrote which would have been somewhere between third and fifth grade because i PRINTED IT and DREW PICTURES. it is called The Mysterious Manaphy and makes no sense. i read it aloud to my partner and they howled. yeah, it was just that good

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

listen, i love broken machine, but dualities has seriously taken the cake!!!!!!!!!

thank you for tagging me claire :3 i tag @flurrin @fonulyn and @silvercap!!!

[billyharringson]

My 2023 in fics

Thank you @lorifragolina for tagging me. I know you tagged my main account @jad3w1ngs but as all my fics were Stranger Things this year I'm going to do it here.

I'm going to only talk about fics that I either started or finished during the month as I've written an awful lot this year and it was very hard to pick faves.

January

I'm choosing my current ongoing Byergrove fic 'Take a picture, it'll last longer' that I started on New Year's day last year. I've loved writing such an angst heavy fic and exploring the trauma that might occur from what Billy went through at the beginning of this fic. Also Jon is the best boy in this and he's so soft (which is quite a departure to how I seem to normally write him).

February

For Feb I have possibly my favourite Mungrove one-shot that I've ever written. 'It means to lie beneath' was a Billy Hargrove Bingo fill and definitely something that is on my list to expand into a full fic (just as soon as I finish some of my other series). It was really fun writing a Succubus/Incubus fic and I can't wait to further explore the world I built.

March

Considering that this is my biggest fic and also the one that really got me into this fandom I have to shout out my Harringrove fic 'To submit is such sweet pleasure'. My first foray into A/B/O and I just love these boys together in this fic.

April

This is possibly my least read fic but one that definitely holds a special place in my heart. My first submission for Mungrove week, 'Ghost' was my chance to try a good old fashioned song fic and practice some more poetic writing.

May

'Swapping more than clothes' was the Stoner Polycule fic that I finished in May and was also a Billy Hargrove Bingo fill. Really enjoyed writing each of the boys dynamics in this and of course having some straight up smut where Billy gets railed by multiple partners is always good.

June

I can't believe I only started 'Forged' in June. I love, love, love this fic and can't wait to actually get to the point where I introduce Eddie (or Edeval as he is in this) as a character. For a Mungrove fic of mine it is quite funny that we're nearly on chapter 6 and he's still not appeared.

July

Another fic I'm obsessed with writing, 'Chokehold' is my darker Stoner Polycule fic. We're still early days with this one (considering it's chapter 5 on what is at least a 19 chapter fic) but I think about this fic almost daily.

August

Wow, I finished 'The Stolen Sapphire' all the way back in August? That feels so long ago. My pirate Harringroveson fic that was such a pleasure to write and so many people seemed to love, I can't not put it here.

September

I was struggling between 2 of the Mungrove fics I wrote in September but considering the sheer number of times I've re-read 'Knock Once' that's got to be the one I go for. Pure smut with my best two boys, and also the beginning of my realisation that this might just be my ride or die ship for ST.

October

I just have to include one of my Harringrove kinktober fics for this month so I'm going with 'Wanna see what's under that attitude' because it's chock full of all the kinks, and Billy in lingerie is always a pleasure.

November

Another fic that I personally feel went a little under the radar but one that I love nonetheless is 'little and broken, but still good'. My first attempt at writing one of the boys as a dad and I just adore Eddie's daughter Chrissy. Also kindergarten teacher Billy is something I need to write more of. Needless to say this is another Mungrove fic and was one of my last fills for the Billy Hargrove Bingo.

December

I've only just started this one, and I had planned on it being a short fic but I've gone a bit ham with the world building so we're in for a longer ride. Anyway, 'To keep good company' my historical A/B/O Harringrove fic is actually going to be my first attempt at some proper slow burn (although is it slow burn if they're already mated?)

This was a lot of fun, and very nice to look back at all that I've accomplished in 2023.

My absolutely no pressure tags are for @shieldofiron @weird-an @ihni and anyone else who wants to join in 😄

[fluencca]

20 Questions for Writers

Thanks for tagging, me, @jinxquickfoot

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I—it's complicated—what is a work, anyway? Who's to say?

...19. I have 19 works on ao3, and that's dating back to 2012. Prolific I am not.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

299,486. They're not much, but they're mine.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

MCU (primarily Irondad), and White Collar. I wrote exactly one (1) little thing for Supernatural before I dipped out of the fanfic side of the fandom, but I don't think it counts as a fandom I write for.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

This is a little funny to me, because I have so few fics to begin with, but here goes:

Insane Mistakes Everybody Makes

Details (White Collar)

Hi, Everyone (Irondad)

Unlooked For (Spider-Man & Flash character study)

Fill in the Blanks (White Collar)

Huh. These are actually fairly diverse in fandom/tropes. Cool.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try my absolute best to! Sometimes it'll take me time, if I'm having a very busy time in rl, or if the comment made me very emotional; then every time I look at it I get embarrassed and overwhelmed with gratitude that someone actually found value in what I wrote and shut down for a few weeks before I can respond. I've responded as the comment came in, and I've responded two years later, but I really do try to do it sooner rather than later.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A modest little thing titled Recalled in Tranquility, but the angst isn't really mine—the story just leaves Steve Rogers right at the beginning of Infinity War, which was his lowest point in canon, I think.

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

It's gotta be You Always Start from Scratch, but also here I have to admit the happy ending isn't really mind, I kinda relied heavily on the happy ending in kitkatwinchester's tear-jerker (positive) This is Where... (the fic was written for a remix event).

I guess I tend to go for bittersweet, middle-of-the-way endings, rather than super angsty or super happy.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Very happily, and very luckily, no. I've had some commenters who weren't always happy with a characterization, but they were at worst dissatisfied, not hateful.

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

I write very much gen, because those relationships are the ones that have captured my imagination the most. I imagine that should a romantic coupling pique my interest, there would be sex involved, in some capacity.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I do not. I've read some cool ones, though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. I wouldn't even know how to look.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

I did, and it was amazing!

The One Where T'Challa is Shuri's Weakness was cowritten with @jinxquickfoot, and it's special to me for several reasons: It's the longest fic I've ever (co)written; it's probably the best plotted; it's the first time I wrote Shuri; it's the first time I branched out to explore Tony's relationship with a character he never interacted with in canon; and it's the first time I got to share in the process of a writer I admire, and man, was it a fantastic learning experience.

Also, I really love the fic.

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

Do platonic relationships count? I'll pretend they do because I don't really have strong feelings about most romantic pairings, as long as they're written with a modicum of forethought.

Anyway, all-time favorite? I think I have to go in the way-back machine and rely on Mulder and Scully for this one. They took up residence in my heart a very long time ago (back when we had the no-romo side in the ship "wars").

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

I don't doubt I will, I will, for sure, because I've been working on this since 2019 and it keeps getting pushed aside for other things (a baby, a pandemic, writing a thesis, cowriting a novel with Jinx, a ficlet, reobsession with White Collar, yet another baby, real-life drama), but I've recently gotten back to it and I swear it will get finished. Even if I'm barely a third of the way through at 40k words. But it's a Tony-Steve-Peter character-study with unnecessary and overtylu gratuitous whump (it's me, hi, I'm the problem it's me) set before Homecoming.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at squeezing canon for all it's worth. Did someone blink in a place that seemed a little unintuitive? Did someone have a filler line that, if you squint, can be construed as less than straightforward? Prepare for a backstory to explain it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

At the top of my list would have to be my unbearable, insurmountable

s l o w n e s s

I need to take my time to get it to a place I feel is right, and, you know. Hence 19 fics in 12 years. The one fic I rushed I was never really happy with.

And as for weaknesses in the writing itself, I'm sure there are others who can elaborate better than I can ;)

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

It's rarely relevant to provide the dialogue in the foreign language in huge amounts. A single word or sentence? Sure, it sets the mood that the pov character doesn't understand what is being said, and the reader can pick up on it from contextual clues (and we've done that, when we wrote Shuri, whose first language is Wakandan which we felt was important to keep).

But if the pov characeter does understand what's being said, you can put that text in English and for your readers, and note that the character is speaking in a foreign language.

And if the pov character does not understand what's being said, who are providing all this French/Russian/Wakandan/Whatever for? Even with a footnote, I find it cumbersome as a reader, especially if I have the limited pov of the main character (and if it's not a limited pov, then the narration can provide the translation much more smoothly—"he commanded his men to shoot to kill if Steve so much as breathed funny. Unfortunately, Steve did not understand Wakandan")

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural. A little gen thing that focused on the early-season relationship between the brothers, written long after the show abandoned things like "emotional stakes" and "character motivations." I very quickly moved on to White Collar, where the show was still providing those things in spades, and made writing all the more rewarding.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

My answer changes every time I'm asked this question... At this moment in time it's a tie between The Art of Losing and Insane Mistakes Everybody Makes.

Art of Losing has a big piece of my heart in it, in how it handles grief and loss.

Insane Mistakes is probably the better written one, and the one that best handles a large cast. It also has a lot of meaningful interactions and some of my favoritest headcanons about irondad and Tony and Natasha, including the reason Peter calls Tony "Mr. Stark." I think that explanation captures the heart of irondad as I see it, and regardless of how true or accurate it is, I'm proud of myself that I was able to distill all my big feelings about Tony and Peter and fold them into such a tidy sentence.

Thanks for tagging me, Jinx!

[may-bonne]

fast & furious ships on ao3 - statistical dump

i have no idea if anyone else finds this interesting, but i have graphs!

big brian/dom resurgence in 2023, which i'm guessing comes more from the old films coming to international netflix than from the fast x release (since you can see that f9 barely slowed the drop in 2021). in general, there was an explosion of fic in 2023, and i think that'll continue into 2024.

the hobbs/shaw juggernaut is pretty firmly on the decline after outpacing brian/dom for four years straight, but maybe a sequel will turn that around.

the dom/letty and mia/brian trends follow each other pretty closely, which i think is unsurprising. there's a mia/brian bump in 2011 from fast five, but dom/letty's been the dominant het ship since 2016. i'm expecting a big dom/letty surge in 2024.

letty/mia's been on the rise in the last two years, but 83% of that fic is by me. tragically, i don't think it'll stay the second-most-popular ship in 2024 unless someone else starts writing it, since realistically, i can only put out about 40 letty/mia fics per year.

mia/vince had an absolute banner year in 2023, which is kind of funny to me.

hobbs/shaw never made that much of a dent, basically; brian/dom is really (unsurprisingly) the dominant ship.

letty/mia doesn't show up as a secondary ship to dom/brian very often, even though you would think that would make sense. a lot of the time, letty's dead or mia's back in LA, which might explain it.

for whatever reason (one prolific author, maybe?), brian/vince fic without brian/dom peaked in 2017.

the het ships (excepting han/gisele) are almost always secondary - although there are about a hundred fics tagged with both mia/brian and dom/letty but not dom/brian that aren't shown here. mia/vince doesn't have a single otp:true fic on ao3. dom/letty and mia/brian peaked pretty much when you'd expect: 2009 and 2011, with the fourth and fifth movies.

letty/mia's been the second-most-popular otp:true ship for the last two years, but unfortunately, 98% of that fic is by me.

i do track the poly ships too, but they're so inconsistently tagged that it's pretty hard to visualize any trends.

anyway, invest in brian/dom and dom/letty, hold your letty/mia and mia/brian, and dump your hobbs/shaw if you haven't already! i thought aimes/reyes might become a hobbs/shaw-style secondary juggernaut, but it really hasn't taken off the way i was expecting.

[performativezippers]

As a non writer I’m curious about something. Do you decide to write a specific genre and then work an idea into the genre or do you write the idea/story you want and then look to decide which genre it is? I guess I’m curious if the story or genre comes first?

Great question!

For fic: I write whatever the fuck I want and don't worry about it! I mostly write things that end happily because that's what makes me happy, but as long as I tag things appropriately (AU, platonic, IN SPACE, whatever), I don't let any of that bother me. Fic is so fun because it can so easily slide between genres. And most fic is romance AND something else; romance and crime/mystery, romance and scifi, romance and fantasy, or simply contemporary romance. There's a big thing in the publishing world right now where people are like "omg, ROMANTASY, aka fantasy with a primary romance, HOW THRILLING" and I'm like...dude...this not new! Welcome! Have you heard of a lil fandom by the name of XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS??? Do not cite the Deep Magic to me Witch. I was there when it was written.

For novels that you're trying to get published: I had to learn what book genres were! I queried my first novel—which is when you send it out to agents like a job application, with a cover letter and writing sample, and hope they want to represent you, aka help you sell it—being like THIS HAS NO GENRE and it turns out the genre was romcom with speculative elements. Aka low key romantasy, lol. Anyway, that book was Revelations and it didn't sell, I think primarily because the genre conventions were not met and it was confusing. It worked great as a fic, but required several big overhauls and ground-up rewrites to get it to place where it meets genre expectations and is maybe sell-able.

Usually the idea that comes to me is clear what genre it is, now that I know what they are. I primarily write romcoms, some speculative and some not, and so the ideas that percolate for me most are romcoms. However, my agent said recently a new idea I have might be more on the line of romcom and women's fiction* which surprised me. But that's fine! It doesn't change the book I write; it might change how we talk about it in the pitch process and, if it gets sold, how the marketing team frames it. But that won't change the story structure from a drafting perspective, I don't think.

Some genres are very close to each other (upmarket vs. book club fiction vs. women's fiction), while others are quite distinct (if you want it set in space, that's probably going to be sci fi). I think the main questions are:

(a) Setting: Is it on a space ship? (sci-fi) Are there dragons? (fantasy) Can people use magic? (fantasy or speculative) Is it in our world, in our time? (contemporary) In our world but in 1250? (historical)

(b) Character motivations (what do they NEED): To repopulate their planet? Save their mother from the evil magician? Fall in love? Save her bookstore from capitalism?

(c) Obstacle (why don't they have it ALREADY): If the obstacle is primarily internal, like she can't fall in love because she hates herself, then we're looking at a straight romance or literary fiction. If the obstacle is world-building related, like the spaceship is broken or the magician is too powerful, that's going to be firmly sci-fi or fantasy or whatever.

There should always be at least 2 obstacles: one internal and one external, but you should know which one is paramount, or which would win in an epic battle. And that will help you figure out if you're writing, say, romance with speculative elements (soulmates) or fantasy with a strong romantic element (fourth wing, i think, i haven't read it because it seems bad). Whichever you list first is your primary genre, aka which section of the bookstore it'll be in. Are you shelving this in fantasy (fourth wing) or romance (Revelations) or "fiction," and then the rest gets more specific from there.

*also, just like, FUCK the name "women's fiction." Men's fiction is called "fiction."

[jaynovz]

copying my reply verbatim to do the thing Properly:

hello public use silver 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

I decided to answer the first one and just tag the others who asked heheh 😂 @hms-tardimpala @etoilesombre

So a very long time ago, in 2021, I was sort of batting ideas around with various folks about ship's whore of the Walrus John Silver instead of ship's cook. As in, to make up for stealing the page he would be thrown into the fuck tent because he can't cook anyway and he can't sail so what good is he ahem, except for certain things? And historically sailors were all very gay about getting needs met while at sea ESPECIALLY using pretty little boys like John Silver bc uh. Look at him?

Around that same time then I read a hazing fic by @asterofthevoid which was particularly inspiring and I wrote a lot of notes down in my concept doc but then went on to other projects for a while.

And so anyway I was starting to think about it again recently and about how no one even made any crass remarks about fucking him and that's not very historically accurate, is it? Like even if they didn't actually go through with it, sailors are pretty vulgar and need to blow off steam by making ribald jokes which is a thing they do all the time in other representations of this period and they would ABSOLUTELY make mention of how pretty Silver was it's frankly NOTICEABLY ODD how Black Sails avoids it.

Anyway all that to say I started drafting a Silver messes up with the pig during careening ep somewhat alt canon where they don't immediately go after the Andromache and the crew are Done with his shit and want a piece of his ass to soothe their tempers. And so instead of having it forced he sets it up all snakey scheming but still very dub con.

All of this is of course a setup to make Flint very possessive and have weird feelings about it and then a funneled into a borderline fetish hurt/comfort with its own FASCINATING powerplay/power imbalance sort of scenario after the actual public use Silver part comes in with the entire Walrus crew.

Some prelim dialogue notes for your viewing pleasure --

(Silver gathering the crew in the galley, addressing them very 2.2 style, dramatic, flourish-y, sultry, showman) "I humbly apologize for joining under false pretenses. And I wish to make it up to you. All of you. By offering myself as a gift as apology for leaving you unsatisfied in your suppers. But I will improve and in the meantime I guarantee full satisfaction for every man in this ahem, particular endeavor." -- (Flint reaction during the act, hissing at Gates) "You have to stop this, it cannot be allowed to continue." (Gates eyeing Silver and the crew publicly fucking him, all cheering etc, with calculating expression, then makes a face, shrug) "Nah, the lad is right, Captain. It would have happened one way or another. Pretty little thing like that on this ship? He's a good lad, good that he knows it. Look at him, it's like he was made to take it." "If I were a few years younger I'd give him a go myself." (ironic chuckle, completely unfazed by this) "It'll keep the crew happy, even more so that he's doing it willingly. Unless you're keeping him all to yourself, might as well let it play out." (Flint turns to Billy with wordless rage/frustration but he agrees) (Billy distasteful expression but resigned) "Hate to admit it Captain, but they've been restless since the disastrous careening. It'll stay another mutiny attempt."

Anyway!! this will probably get written in a fugue state one weekend (because I'm finding it very hard to write things during the week when I'm working.) But I have basically the whole thing outlined so it'll just burst out of me like a flood of... Well. 👀

Thanks all three of you for asking!!

[proshippers-against-censorship]

I want to confess something kinda funny about one of my fics because I saw a post somewhere about how antis put "not a ship" under their work (and then the work itself has the most sweetest shippiest vibe ever lol). I hope this is amusing.

I made this one fic about a pair of siblings, a fic I intentionally wanted to make platonic because I do not ship them personally. I don't judge anyone shipping them, I myself just don't for whatever reason. All I wanted to do was write a nice wholesome fic for them.

Except I'm abysmal at writing non-shippy physical touch and emotional exchanges. I mainly do various flavours of angsty romance or aromantic sexual relations, so... some of the points at the fic I thought "this is gonna come off as kinda maybe romantic isn't it". So, what I remedied it with was a tag. I tagged it with 'not a ship' of course. Because that's gonna fix it, right? Literally slapped it on like a piece of tape on a burst pipe. I'm so smart!!1

Now, it's OK if people read my fic with shipping in mind, it really is. The point is that I'm such a failperson that when I try to write cute gen friendships it comes across like they're in danger of tripping into a booty grabbing hug all the time and it's so mortifyingly funny now that I think of it after the fact.

Imagine wanting to draw a circle and going about it by drawing a square with extremely rounded corners. Like technically it passes for a circle but there's something vaguely suspicious about it. And you wonder if people see it that way as well.

I'm thinking of taking the tag out but then again it's just so damn funny maybe I should leave it there for giggles because maybe it'll crack a bonafide sibling shipper up, idk. Moral of the story I'm the writer equivalent of the doujin artist doing cheeky shit like automatically inserting messed up ass and tiddy shots into serious emotionally impactful scenes. I'm the mfer that draws the old evil man with plump glossy lips and big naturals.

Anyway have a beautiful Sunday my lovely people 🫶

Pfft.

[gffa]

about the anti post, tbf it wasn't in the ship tag so technically not crossing lanes but it was in the character tags and as a babs fan it can still be annoying going in her tag to see that kinda stuff esp cuz a lot of db antis are bigger dick stans and are more critical and negative towards her than him in subtle and not so subtle ways, you know?

anyway thank you for your response! it reminded me why i love their relationship so much! theres so much negativity surrounding this ship that sometimes i begin questioning myself, wondering if they're really that bad and am i missing something?? so its always reassuring seeing others who feel the way i do and view them positively :)

I hear you, it can be really hard to avoid this kind of thing, even when you're trying to stay in your lane and others are trying to stay in their lane, too. And, it really doesn't help when a lot of anti-Dick/Babs people come into our space to be jerks about it. (I don't know if it happens in reverse, I'm not in those spaces enough to tell, I can only say that I haven't seen it any time I wander outside of my corner. But if it does, that's not cool, either.)(Nor do I know the context of the post you saw, for all I know, it could have struck me totally different than it did for you.) And, yeah, honestly, there does have to be room for everyone to like and dislike their own stuff, even if that means we come across posts we find annoying and it means that we find the complaining too much to be around. We have to have a little grace for disagreements, just as people who disagree with us have to have a little grace with us. That said, you know what I find a thousand times more fulfilling? Yelling happily about what I like, because I don't want the entire experience of Thing I Like to be negative and when I see other people having fun, I want to join in on that fun, too--so, I would suggest that any time you feel frustrated by someone being a jerk, find your favorite comic moment or animated series moment or fic you enjoyed reading, and yell very loudly about how great it was and put that in the tag (both characters and ship) because then I'll see something happy when I go through the tag and it'll remind me why I love the ship, too! Or find your favorite Barbara moments and talk about her, because fandom does sometimes overshadow her and I would love to see more about her view of her life and relationships and family! And, honestly, while plenty of people have perfectly valid reasons to dislike a ship--literally ANY ship, this isn't just about Dick/Babs, but it could just as easily apply to Dick/Kory or Dick/Wally or Dick/Roy or Dinah/Babs--there's always going to be a fair amount of ship war nonsense, where criticism isn't even about what the ship is really like, just that it's not the person's OTP. And then who cares! Use that energy to make positive content for the ship because that's a better use of your time! And you deserve to have a nice experience in fandom, too. Dick/Babs is a great pairing, they're adorable and they're flirty and they love each other and they support each other and they're not afraid to have it out with each other when they need to and they just like being around each other. Whether someone OTPs it or just thinks it's fine enough/is a multishipper instead, it's totally great to enjoy a moment of theirs because they can be utterly delightful and nobody's wrong for loving them. 💕