#it's crazy how a fic can change my writing style even when i'm not exactly writing it

[brick-a-doodle-do]

Fake fic idea!

Tiny but mighty 😜

something about tinies overestimating their abilities and ending up in a situation that only their human can get them out of...but they still make sure to do it themselves......

tommy's main goal is to try something cold. maybe like, that ice cream shit he sees wil eating all the time. he's never had it, but it looks good, therefore he has to find his way to it. he's seen where wilbur get it plenty of times, and despite the humans many offers to give him some, he's declined each time, because he can find his own food, thank you very much. (oh my god guided evolution has embedded that into my brain) his plan is simple: latch his hook to the handle of the freezer and walk to the edge of the counter so he can pull the door open. and it should've been easy, in fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he slipped and kind of, maybe, fell from the counter, he would've opened it. well, actually, he did manage to open it, somehow. he shakes off this little error in his plan and manages his way up the thin rope, soon enough finding the handle. he can stand there now. tommy takes his hook out of the freezer handle and just barely manages to hook it onto the corner of the freezer; the perfect place for it to get stuck. then, easily, he climbs up. and now he's there. see? he's perfectly find without wilbur around. now, he just has to find the fucking ice cream, and it'll be mission success. content with himself, he starts searching. but, it's really dark. like, even the light from the kitchen isn't helping. oh, there is no light from the kitchen. because the freezer door is sealed. tommy begins to notice how fucking cold it is, and finally, finally tries to call out. of course, wilbur's absent in this moment. fuck this, he'll find his own damn way out.

[xenokattz]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Nabbed from everyone such as, but not limited to, @umber-cinders , @tielan , @suzukiblu (I think), and @beatrice-otter . Please check their posts out!

Listed from oldest to newest. Ish.

Extasie Doth Unperplex

Most of all, Clark loved Lois for not running.

Clois. Comics Superman but can be read as any Superman universe, smutty smut tentacle smut

TW: none known

That time I turned Superman into a Cthulu-style alien & then wrote atmospheric smut. This is one of maybe 2 or 3 fics that burst forth fully formed from my brain, written frantically in 1 night, and thrown at my friends/betas asking them to judge the hell out of it because WTAF. 🤣 I've never written tentacle sex/monster fucking before, I'm not sure I ever will again, but damn I love this one incoherently.

Cho Chang and the Jasmine Code

Before returning to help her former schoolmates in the Battle of Hogwarts, Cho Chang fought against Voldemort & his follows in a more covert manner.

Cho Chang, Victor Krum + many HP side-characters. War is hell, para-canon (is that a thing?)

TW: violent injuries, mentions of death/severe injury to underage characters, refugee experiences

I've never described myself as a Potterhead/rabid HP fan the way I am with superhero media & Star Wars. I was more interested in the world-building than the plot and was, therefore, very disappointed when there was nothing extensive about the other schools of magic after "Goblet of Fire." Also at the time, my bestie was into creating various East Asian HP magic so I jumped on board her crazy train and tried to play with how culture would affect magic the same way it affects other forms of research & technology.

D'Ancanto

Drugs. Multi-state gangs. Mutant-killing virus. Civil unrest. Plot to assassinate a racist senator. Just another Tuesday for Marie D'Ancanto, NYPD detective in the country's first Mutant Crimes Task Force.

Rogue | Marie D'ancanto + many other X-Men including Gambit, Colossus, & Jubilee. Fox-movieverse X-Men. AU-ish futurefic/canon divergence.

TW: drug use/abuse, someone causes the violent death of their friend, mutants as a blatant metaphor for racism/homophobia.

Parents shouldn't have favourites but, NGL, this is one of my most precious babies. I was gonna scratch the serial number off this sucker & try to shop it as an original series. Still might. Again, I wanted to worldbuild-- what does being a mutant mean outside of superheroes? How would your average mutant, passing or not, be treated by society in general? How would society organize themselves with this new minority? I planned for this to be a trilogy; the sequel, Rasputin, has HEAVY trigger warnings for sexual exploitation/slavery (with a suspicion that it could happen to a minor but it doesn't), kidnapping of a minor, terminal illness, violent death of sex workers. Probably my only dead dove.

A Flame in Two Cupped Hands

Six years and two thousand coffee cups separated Lois and Clark's first real hello and last real good-bye.

Clois. Man of Steel Superman. Coffeeshop AU with a side of plot and smut that's miiiiildly hot for teacher.

TW: none known

I really, really, REALLY wanted to love Man of Steel. Henry Cavill's Clark was hot, Amy Adams' Lois had promise plus they played with her being older than Clark. The whole Krypton society thing is EXACTLY my jam. But the more I went back to it, the less the story failed to resonate with my understanding of Superman. Which is one of the reasons we fic. 😁 This fic also goes to show I cannot write without plot. Even my coffeeshop AUs & porns get plot.

The Pearl I Carry in My Heart

"Am I understanding you correctly, Princess? That your suggestion for strengthening our alliance is arranged marriages between our available tribal leaders and theirs?"

Shuri smiled, a forced twisted thing. "Not quite, Elder. My suggestion for strengthening this alliance is an arranged marriage between K’uk’ulkan and me."

Nashuri with side Attoye. MCU Black Panther & Namor. Post-canon, political marriage/alliances, enemies to friends to lovers, ridiculous slow burn I'm not kidding about how slow it is.

TW: mentions death of a sibling, injury causing amputation, a major character has depressive/anxiety episodes due to PTSD

For more than 5 years, my writing dried up. Lots of different factors in there, both fan and life related. Then Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came out. And there was RIDICULOUS world-building, both expansions of Wakanda and the new society of Talokan, where colonialism never happened. I'm not of indigenous Mesoamerican descent but their history and that of my ancestors are so similar; EVERYTHING about Talokan resonated with me. I already loved Wakanda but add Talokan and it. Just. Was all. *Kermit flail*

Soft, no pressure tag to @pilesofpillows, @dasphinxone & @gaal-dornick because I'm pretty sure everyone else I know has done this already. But everyone else, please feel free to nab!

[just-jordie-things]

i dont know if you were asked this before, sorry if i am bothering you! Do you have any writing tips? I don't have anything specific but just any in general. I really admire your work!

you're so sweet!! i feel like i'm the last person who should be giving writing advice as i just blindly go into a brainrot induced stupor and spout off into docs as if i'm screaming into the void-- i have been asked this before but it's no trouble to copy it!! <3

a biggie take your time finding your style- as you can see on my masterlist i have a looot of shit on there from years of writing fanfic and experimenting. getting out of my comfort zone can be kinda hard for me personally, but with writing it was so worth it bc you can really see a metamorphosis there of when i was writing just to write and when i was writing with a drive.

don’t be afraid to ignore the rules of grammar. run on sentences are beautiful. i’ve found that especially so when the plot is driven by someone’s stream of consciousness as though they’re narrating it. thoughts are messy, they’re long and sometimes awkward and there’s no such thing as grammar in your mind !! of course spelling and punctuation are important and i’d recommend editing tho (idk her 😳) but get creative with it!!

thesaurus.com is my bestie 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 i often find myself using a lot of the same words and i don’t want to bore readers with repetitiveness! and also it’s just an easy way to expand my vocabulary too. (in person i stammer and have the reach of a fourth grader lmfao so i always want my writing to be concise and make the reader feel exactly what i want them to with my language)

also something i’ve started doing recently !! when i’m away from my wip and daydream about it, i write it down right away! in my notes app or on sticky notes or even my hand hehe. sure if it’s a significant enough plot point i’ll probably remember… but there’s no time like the present!! i want A to look at B a little differently in that one quick scene? i want to make them eat something different for foreshadowing? little details like that can be huge in your writing !! something a reader might gloss over but then realize later it was all a part of a greater scheme?? yes. so take note of those thoughts and daydreams you have !! even if you don’t end up adding it to your work, it’s better than having a profound, fic changing idea that you forget before you get the chance to write it!

this one is simple but a biggie- think about what you would want to read. i’ve been trying to keep this in mind as of late, especially when writing longer pieces where i want to make y’all suffer. find new ways to build the tension in your plot. give us different points of view, give us an untrustworthy narrator that thinks they’ve got it all figured out. throw in extra conflict. fanfiction is the melting pot of whatever the fuck you want !! so go stupid go crazy and make it something you love, and you should be good to go!! not to be cheesy but as long as you love it then you’re solid. doing something you love over and over will naturally lead you through growth and finding your style. don’t be wrapped up in notes right away (yes it can be a bit of an issue on this app- but none of has have control over how people enjoy your work- so you might as well focus on enjoying it for yourself) because as long as you’re doing something you’re passionate about and sharing it with us, more people will soon flock to enjoy it with you <3

lastly i just enjoy making mini playlists for whatever i’m currently working on. they don’t have to correlate completely with your plot. sometimes the sound of a beat is good enough for me to throw it on. if it gets me excited and planning out scenes i haven’t gotten to yet then it’s good enough for me!! i will listen to the same song on repeat in the name of ✨vibes✨ even if the words themselves have nothing to do with the plot i’m writing. that’s probably lazy basic advice but it works well for me and i love listening to music so !!

hopefully the copying of a previous ask isn't annoying and ya find this helpful! just my thoughts and processes tho, you gotta find a style that's best for you! and remember its a hobby. if you get stressed take a break and come back later! you're on your own schedule, and you don't owe anyone anything, so just have fun!

[corrieguards]

Hey! Here are some asks from the writer prompt:

🎈, 🎉, 🕯️, 💥

Have fun, and I can't wait to see your answers!

fic writer asks

Tysm for sending these in Beth!! <33

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

Honestly idk, I feel like it can swing both ways.

I can get kinda stuck in the loop of my little habits and end up repeating the same tropes and styles. But bc of this I make a conscious effort to widen out and try out different things every now and then.

I've got a wip I'm working on rn that's kinda differnet to what I usually write so I'm curious to see how it'll land once I post it

🎉 how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!)

Probably not as much as I should tbh.

I do have a little 'Completed Fics' tally that I mark off every time I finish a fic. Which as pathetic as it sounds it genuinely feels like a little reward for me every time i get to mark another one off lol

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn't think it would take you?

I think the hardest and most intense one for me is an OC x Rex series I'm working on rn (it's the one that writing vent post was about yesterday)

I haven't really talked about it that much yet, and it still needs work, but I'm putting a lot of my soul into it and really working hard to try and get it 'post' worthy.

Idk when/if it'll ever see the light of day, but I genuinely love the story and I'm enjoying figuring out all the little plot points (even though it is kinda driving me crazy lol)

💥 find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

Ao3 down rn :( so I can't tell you exactly which fic has the least kudos. But if I had to guess i think its probably 'With death comes loss'

I kinda get why it didn't get as much attention, but at the same time i really did love writing it. It has a lot of feels and it was almost kinda healing for me?

Even though it didn't do that well, I don't regret writing it at all. In fact it's probably one of my own fics that I re-read the most <3

[imogenleewriter]

💫🎈💝

(I just found this in my drafts. I haven't read the answers properly, but I saw down the bottom that I'm talking about releasing a new WIP which is Save Me, and it's been out for over 2 weeks now. Also, I can see that I said that ychiits was the 15th most commented on. It's actually now the 11th (!!!), So if some answers seem off, it's just because it's at least 2-3 weeks old, but I can't be bothered reading through and updating).

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback? All of them! I am SO SO SO blessed by the number of comments and feedback I get. Like... I don't even know how to explain it. Actually, I DO! If you sort all 42,000+ Larry fics by comments... my fic, which I started uploading less than 4 months ago and has only been finished for a month, is 15th. The fifteenth most commented-on Larry fic EVER. INSANE!! Like, that's so crazy, and I'm so, so thankful! But out of everything, there are two types I've obsessed with. The first are Tiktok videos about my fic. In a few days, two people (with large platforms) have reviewed it, and it's so amazing listening and watching people talk about it! It's so surreal.

The second are comments I got really early on. Two in particular stick out and I'll post them here:

But honestly, the fact anyone goes out of their way to interact at all means so, so much to me and there was no way I'd have gotten the fic done (or moved on to the next two WIPs if it wasn't for that).

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change? This is a weird way to write this question. I'm going to assume they mean process as opposed to style. I have a lot of coping techniques to fall back on when writing based on my mood. Best case scenario, I'm in a good mood, I know exactly what I want to say, I'm focused, and it all just comes out.

Worst case, nothing is working, and I spend the whole time procrastinating and answering questions like this in long detail.

Overall, yes. I'm a pretty big planner because that's what works for me (and I like weaving things through my fics, and that's hard to do on the run). I work out the goal of each chapter before writing it. Sometimes that's easy and it's literally just a sentence and everything flows.

The more stuck I get, the more I write out what the goal of the chapter is. And then break it down into scenes. So by the end, I might have 1000 words of notes about what needs to be included in the 6000-word chapter.

I'm very... immersive and try to get into characters' heads. One example of this is I have a notebook for each fic that fits the character's personality. So, like.. (okay this is weird), for my current WIP YMAEWK, Harry is a singer so the notebook I have for the fic is a leather bound one because I feel like it suits the fic/characters. Then another fic coming out has a teacher in it so the notebook I use for that is quite plain and gives off highschool teacher vibes.

And yeah, just a really big plotter. And when I struggle, I come back to the plot.

Okay, that was a lot.

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

Lol, so I have a burner ao3 account where I post things that I don't want to be associated with my actual account. Mainly just for pure smut so I get better at writing it. I wrote an outrageous one-shot that I was embarrassed to post even though it wasn't associated with me at all. Every few days I get an email saying it's gotten kudos and every time I'm like.. you have to be kidding me.

In general though, all of them. The fact they have readers is crazy. I'm surprised by the PA fic because people already seem invested which is great.

I'm really interested to see how a new WIP I'm releasing in two days is going to be received because the premise is so different to anything I've done.

[zartophski]

Hi Zee <3 1, 4, 7, 8, 20, 21 and 27 please :3 (feel free to discard any of these if it's too much I know I'm greedy xD)

hello hello!!

Describe your comfort zone - a typical you-fic

Found family my beloved <3 khjfsdk I love that genre of hurt/comfort, found family. I can’t exactly pin down the patterns of my writing, but I know I tend to write with worldbuilding or headcanons in mind. I think most of my fics have the goal of either strengthening the group, or showing off a specific character

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Too many hjgsdhk I say that as both a joke and the truth. I haven’t been able to finish my wips like I used to, part of it because I’ve just been busy, part of it because I have too many going on. For the count we’ll go with fifteen, though I have a lot more ideas that haven’t even gotten a doc yet. And one of them I’ll share is titled Unspoken, and will be the third post-lu fic I’ve written. This one focuses on Time and how he deals with the end of the LU journey.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

I’m just gonna link Visitor for this one hjgfhsdjh it’s a shorter piece, but the entire focus of it is prose. It was based off this piece by tenten, and when I was writing it, I wanted to focus more on the scenery and the feeling you get from it, rather than building up a plot and dialogue. And I’m pretty proud of it, actually. It was a different style, and I had fun trying it out.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

Okay, again, can I just link R.I.P (Rest In Pancakes)? Hjgfhdfhjg Okay so, I mentioned it kind of recently, but I feel like every time I write dialogue, the characters will at some point have a snarky little banter or comeback or some sort of dramatics in the way they respond. This fic I just let myself go crazy with it. I wrote it all in one sitting kinda late at night, and the fic itself is taking place late night/early morning right before finals in an IHOP. It’s just very fun imo gsjdhk

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions

I am comfy somewhere with some sun with my earbuds in, listening to some game tracks. I usually use the Sprinto bot on Discord while I write, and the best is when I get in a groove of a lot of sprints back to back and seeing that word count start to rack up. 

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting

I do a lot of my large revisions as I’m still writing the first draft. I write jumping around a bit with the scenes, so any big changes get made as I piece things together. But before I post I’ll usually do two final read throughs. First one in the doc I’ve been working in, second one in the ao3 preview.

27. How do you feel about collaboration

Love collaborations! I’ve done a couple low stakes ones, and had a great time with them. But I'm not sure how well I'd do in a longer project with collaborations, just because I'm honestly not that great at longfic hfgjsdhk

[narryblossom]

Sorry to bother, but I'm new to the Narry fandom. Your blog has really taught me a lot. I was wondering if you have a rec list of your favourite Narry fics? The longer the better. Thank you for being awesome!

No bother at all! I’m glad to be of service, Narry truly is a wonderful ship. Let’s talk about fics! Here are 50 that I love:

if I got a condo on a cloud then I guess you can stay at my place by orphan_account – 8.3k, pretend boyfriends au

Harry can’t just show up to his sister’s wedding where his ex boyfriend is going to be without somebody with him, I mean he can’t just loiter around the chocolate fountain. So that’s why he enlists Niall’s help.

Turn all your grey skies blue. by mogigraphia – 9.7k, kid fic

Niall’s a new single dad, and Harry’s his daughter’s teacher at the daycare.

The Wedding Singer by littlecather – 27.5k, strangers to lovers

It’s not that Harry doesn’t believe in love, exactly - he just thinks that romance and marriage and all that comes with it are overrated. Niall has sung at over a hundred weddings, and is determined to prove Harry wrong. After all - there’s a reason for all those songs.

Frenemies by alteringegoism – 8.1k, enemies to lovers

Harry hates Niall. Niall hates Harry. But Harry wants Zayn and in order to get to him, he’ll have to go through his best friend Niall. Harry will just have to kill Niall with kindness. That’s if Niall doesn’t kill him first. Oh and Liam and Louis are getting married.

When I Close My Eyes, All the Stars Align by FallingLikeThis – 11.6k, soulmate au

A Beauty and the Beast Au in which Harry’s only beastly qualities are his hair and his bad attitude and Niall arrives to spy on him for his sister but ends up staying for so much more.

Lips As Red As Mistletoe by runawaymind – 9.2k, friends to lovers

It’s near Christmas time at Hogwarts and these damn magical mistletoes seem to chase Harry wherever he goes, and it’s a riddle of its own as to why Niall is close by every time one of those stupid plants seem to bloom out of nowhere.

take me over the edge by jamesniall – 6.7k, smut

“The bathrooms are in the end of that hallway, turning to the right.” Harry says, voice slightly lower and deeper than what Niall was used to hear out there in the golf grounds. “Go in there and wait for me.” Harry finishes, softly slapping his cheek, cleary not intended to hurt Niall, but still enough for him to feel it in his gut, making blood rush faster down to his cock. It feels heavy, more than halfway hard in his briefs and Niall has to bite down a whimper when Harry opens his mouth again.

“And don’t touch yourself.”

Or, Niall is Harry’s caddie for the first day at The Masters, at least that’s how it starts.

baby, you don’t know what it’s like by peerpressure – 31k, strangers to friends to lovers

Harry tries really, really hard to only see Niall as a friend.

It’s not working very well.

Because Niall is simply amazing and Harry is so stunned that he’s even allowed in his presence. And also because he wants to suck his dick. Just a little. But he also wants to cuddle him and maybe share food and fight for blankets and press cold feet against each other and shampoo each other’s hair.

Harry just wants to be with Niall.

(In which Louis is a good friend, Liam is kind, Zayn is always stressed, Niall is the new guy and Harry falls in love)

friends just sleep in another bed by littlecather – 39.2k, canon complaint

“Just - I’ve just been hanging out with Harry. A lot - slept over a couple of times.”

“You slept over?” Dougie echoes.

“Not like that,” Niall rolls his eyes - even though it kind of is.

Tour starts; Niall and Harry grow closer.

must have been the mistletoe by countthestars – 7.3k, friends to lovers

“Hey, Harry,” Niall says, voice low and conspiratorial. “Look up.”

“What?” Harry whispers back, because there’s a lot to look at up there, blinking lights and boughs of garland and… “is that mistletoe?”

“'Fraid so,” Niall confirms. His lips twitch like he’s fighting a smile, but he keeps a straight face as he taps his finger against his mouth. “It’s bad luck not to kiss someone underneath mistletoe.”

let’s spin the world around by jamesniall – 4.4k, college au

“Superlatives are just about putting the word más before an adjective or a sustantive. Like más grande which means bigger, or más fuerte, which means harder” Niall says, looking pointedly at Harry and Harry is 99% sure he’s doing it on purpose.

“más rápido means faster” Niall continues, “Are you getting hard from this, Harry?” and if Harry would have had something in his mouth he would have spilled it all over Niall’s face.

Or, Harry learns spanish thanks to Niall’s dirty talk.

Maybe You’re My Snowflake by pintsandguitars – 20k, college au

Harry Styles loves the snow. Niall Horan loves the stars. And somewhere between snowflakes and night skies, they start loving each other.

A head for business and a body for sin by flickerbyniall – 2.1k, au

He first time he caught Harry’s eyes was about an hour ago, the boy was eating some strawberries from the buffet table around the corner, oblivious to the fact he was standing out in the crowd with his rebellious look.

or Harry goes to a Gala and can’t take his eyes off the boy wearing a leather jacket.

Searching by littlecather – 12.1k, au

Niall has been hired by a magazine to track each employee’s searches on Google. Harry uses Google a lot.

wide open spaces by outwardbound93 – 18.8k, au

“Well,” Harry says at the end of the day. The sun sets late in Texas like it doesn’t want to go, clinging to the scrubby flatlands with the last reaches of striped sunbeams. Niall leans on the broom and watches Harry fidget with a bundle of notecards he has to fill with peoples’ heartfelt sentiments. Love notes, apologies, get-well-soons, Harry’s got them all. “Will I see you tomorrow, then?”

Niall props the broomstick against a shelf holding a bunch of little green plants he doesn’t know the name of. The shop is bursting with green leaves, colorful blossoms like pops of candy mixed with buttered popcorn at the movie theatre, and at the heart of it, Harry. Harry, with his languid speech and that one curl that stubbornly sticks out on the side of his head that Niall always wants to twirl around his finger and that smile that arrives in a flash or unfurls slowly.

“Yeah,” says Niall. “I’ll be here.”

Relatable Content by makesomelove – 12.3k, au

Harry glances down at the floor, then up at Niall, lip curling up in a bashful smirk. Niall wants terribly to kiss him. The opportunity is right there in front of him, and it’s the worst idea in the entire world.

It would reach the press. He’d be in the news - CEO and Founder of BeepFodder Niall Horan Sexually Manipulates Underlings. His mum has an alert for him on her computer and she’d see it and have a heart attack. They’d lose sponsors. Even if they didn’t publish the footage, it’d still exist. It all still would have happened. Harry would know Niall likes him. The thought of the most vulnerable spots in his heart being captured on film and shown to millions of people makes Niall sick. Going through with this in a legitimate way would ruin his life no matter what.

just a little rush, babe by theamazingpeterparker – 10.3k, vampire au

“You know everything they say about Dracula? All that stuff I wrote in my paper?” Niall asks as he rips one of the glazed donuts in half. Harry hums. “It’s all bullshit. Real vampires do tomato juice cleanses and do yoga. Fuck.”

Harry’s a vampire who’s awful at parallel parking, being scary, and being alone. He meets Niall walking home alone one night.

this could be the end of everything by basementhero – 20.4k, mythological au

The Norns remembered each cycle of time and would recount the tale if asked: Harry and Niall were not the first of their kind, nor was it the world’s first attempt at existence. Some cycles were short while other stretched on for tens or hundreds or thousands of millennia. It was always the same in the end, though, no matter how many intervening years it took to get there. Baldr always fell; the giants always attacked, and the realms of Yggdrasil—the world tree—were always plunged back into the void after Ragnarök, waiting for rebirth.

But not everything was so set in stone; at least, it didn’t seem to be.

(or: Niall and Harry are immortal deities, but even gods are subject to fate.)

We Could Be The Ones Who Matter by jibrailis – 17.5k, canon complaint?

Harry and Niall both get weirdly intense about things, and by things, they mean competitive Scrabble.

Uncertainty Principle by jibrailis – 81k, au

He didn’t expect this: Australia, the vineyard, and Niall who won’t look him in the eye.

lovesick boys will write you lovesongs by narryblossom – 15k, past relationship

When Niall walks through the gate at Dublin Airport at four in the morning, jet lagged to hell and back, he feels like he’s home. He thinks he’s never felt so happy to hear an Irish accent, and he certainly has never been so happy to have no fucking clue what he’s doing.

(Well, he has some idea of what he’s doing, he just isn’t sure it’s going to work out the way it does in his head.)

(An AU where Niall dreams of his lost love and finds himself going home to search for him.)

let yourself be enchanted by acastle – 23.8k, hogwarts au

“Which means, I’ve got a Charms post to fill. And do you know who he suggested for the job?”

Harry doesn’t trust the wide beam on his face, and Louis goes on, “Well, he’d told me about this bloke. Class of 2011, student rank number three but top at Charms of his class, Hufflepuff, prefect, atrocious Quidditch player, but he makes a great treacle tart-”

“He suggested me?” Harry says blankly.

Along the Way (Something Changed) by catrinahart – 25.2k, au

For the last five years, singer turned actor, Harry Styles has had Niall by his side to help manage his incredibly crazy life. They met and quickly became the best of friends. Then people start asking questions, making Harry think, what do they see that he doesn’t?

baby, you make my heart beat faster by countthestars – 9.8k, au

Niall’s into Harry. Harry’s into taxidermy.

move your world a little closer by countthestars – 45.8k, alien au

In which Niall is a bit lost, Liam and Louis can’t seem to get their shit together, and Harry is literally out of this world.

(aka: alien narry)

and days gone by by outwardbound93 – 20.7k, college au

Niall catches himself glancing at Harry in the backseat. The tops of buildings are lined with Christmas lights like the iced piping on a gingerbread house, and the crisp sharp light of a winter night makes Harry’s skin look warm and soft.

riverina by outwardbound93 – 13.2k, royalty au

Harry looks up at Niall, the sharp, almost antique lines of his face thrust into regal beauty by the stadium lights. Harry’s ribs press against the size of his heart.

Or, a royalty!au where Niall’s a prince and Harry’s the reporter that writes about him.

and you know in your heart it’ll be worth it by outwardbound93 – 12k, mythological au

“At home, we sleep on the,” he points at the ceiling. “The top, so we don’t float away.”

Niall laughs. “The ceiling, you mean?” He traces the line of Harry’s dimple. “I figured you slept inside a castle, like in the pictures of what Atlantis looked like.”

“I doubt that’s accurate,” Harry says. He palms Niall’s thigh, running his hand down to his knee, where he pauses to feel out the unfamiliar bones with his fingertips. “Otters sleep holding hands so they won’t drift apart, did you know that?”

“What, are you an otter?” Niall asks.

“No, but it might not be too bad,” Harry says. He lays his head to rest on Niall’s chest, over his heart. His fingers tangle with Niall’s in the sheets, his skin tanned and smooth, Niall’s pale and scarred.

“Eh,” Niall says. “It’s not too bad, I guess.”

let me photograph you in this light by storhan – 29.6k, college au

“I like that one,” he says, turning the camera back around to show Harry the picture he took earlier that day of Niall reading. Harry also finds himself smiling, he quite likes that one too.

“Me too,” Harry says softly.

Or, Harry’s a photography major and Niall is his muse.

something so magic about you by storhan – 14.7k, kid fic

Niall’s a single father and Harry’s his neighbor who never seems to wear a shirt.

i sing you like a song i heard when i was young by disequilibrium – 17.7k, magic au

Niall never thought he’d find his way back home. But then, the wind works in mysterious ways: a stranger at the door, an impossible escape. A whisper that changes everything, forever, again.

St-st-stuttering by asaprockme – 8.8k, college au

In which Harry has a stutter that he just can’t control. Niall doesn’t mind.

If we dream forever, whatever happens next by brokendrums – 6.3k, au

Niall meets Harry on the train and can’t stop thinking about him. Then one evening when they get off the train, Harry invites him back to his.

let’s start right now by dramaturgicallycorrect – 29.6k, au

[Harry’s a professional cross country road trip driver, and Niall is his latest fare.]

What’s A Fella T’ Do? by iwanna_seeyou_undoit – 35.6k, pretend relationship

Pretend!Boyfriends AU where Harry doesn’t own any trousers that don’t have holes in them, Niall is the only one who can drive, and they definitely aren’t shagging.

I’m not trying to stop you, love by littlecather – 27.4k, college au

Niall and Harry are the only ones left on campus over the Christmas holidays, and even though they’ve never really hung out before, they manage to spend most of the week holed up in Harry’s room, together.

the piano man’s playing some old melody by littlervoice – 5.6k, pianist au

Harry is a piano player. One day his neighbour puts in a request.

Do you want to come to the gym? by maxette – 3k, strangers to lovers

Niall is Harry’s personal trainer: a romantic comedy without the middle forty-five minutes of misunderstandings.

running around in love again by mozartspiano – 2.5k, college au

they meet at a coffee shop on valentine’s day. it’s all a horrible cliche.

place your head on my beating heart by takesmeunder – 5.3k, college au

That’s usually how they fuck, with Harry on his hands and knees with Niall doing him from behind. It’s impersonal and something they both enjoy, but something twists in Niall’s heart at the thought of doing it that way tonight.

You Feel Like Home (You’re Like A Dream Come True) by roughvoiced – 16k, pretend relationship

Niall sighs and unwraps the scarf from around his neck. “A plus one,” he repeats. “I need one.”

“For what?” Harry asks, watching as Niall unzips his coat, letting it slip off his arms and drop to a rumpled pile on the carpet before slipping off his shoes and striding over to Harry, plonking himself down on the sofa beside him and snuffling up under his arm, waiting for Harry to pull him in close before he speaks.

“Greg’s wedding.”

or, the au where Harry offers to be Niall’s plus one and ends up with a whole lot more than he bargained for.

This Time Tomorrow by colbyjack – 36k, dancing au

Even under the yellowing light of the streetlamp above them and the faint, milky glow from the moon; even in a vacant street in a bustling city and the entire span of states farther than the hills’ green border; even under the rain, Harry thinks Niall is the most wonderful person he’s ever met—the very ‘you’ in his journal.

*

A story in which a contemporary dancer/ballet teacher and a Latin ballroom instructor fall in love within the first year they meet.

Another Auld Land Syne by colbyjack – 6.2k, this is probably my favorite narry fic of all time i think of it constantly and idk why ok bye

“We drank a toast to innocence We drank a toast to now. And tried to reach beyond the emptiness, But neither one knew how.”

-

Harry and Niall are old flames who eventually find each other again, of course, because the universe doesn’t want to give up on them.

stacked against you by siempreniall – 3.3k, college au

Niall hates the library. All of the computers are always taken, the stacks make him feel claustrophobic, and his short attention span has never given itself well to studying anyways. The cute boy at the information desk makes it all worth it, though.

i want you so much (but i hate your guts) by siempreniall – 6.2k, secret relationship smut

Niall doesn’t know what he’s still doing there. This isn’t really how he likes to spend his Sunday nights. He doesn’t want to be yelled at and made to feel guilty for something that happened months ago. All he wants is to leave, really.

heartbreak hero by acastle – 30k, enemies to friends to lovers

“So you want me to hear your side of things?“

“Yes, that would be a start.”

“Fine,” Niall steps forward, so he and Harry are practically nose to nose. “Come back tomorrow at 8, so you can air your side of the situation on my segment.”

In which Niall is a love guru of sorts on the radio, who thinks love is the bane of the world, and Harry is a fuckboy who’s lovely, surely, but is not the best boyfriend in the world, not by a long shot. His girl breaks up with him while on air with Niall, and Harry isn’t having that, so he forces Niall to help him win her back.

(Alternatively, Niall’s Guide On How to Win Back the Girl, patent pending. It should work, in theory.)

hold me closer tiny dancer by countthestars – 3.6k, strangers to lovers

Dancing isn’t really Harry’s strong suit. Niall doesn’t really care.

Home is Wherever I’m with You by ziamfcks – 5.3k, strangers to lovers

Niall is blind and Harry works in a coffeeshop. It’s love from the start.

[Click this link to see drabbles from tumblr I’ve rec’d]

So there’s that! I’ve read soooooooo many fics over the years and I’m sure there are a ton that I’ve forgotten. There’s also a narry only fic rec blog called @thenarrystore that posts every day so that’s a good place to find more!

[incaseofjeon]

hellooo i just finished reading lucky strike and i really like your writing!!! it's the second thing of yours i've read :) for some reason i can relate a lot to JK?? in his decision to run away i mean HAHA really interesting style too especially at the beginning, when i was starting to get into the plot. i look forward to reading your other stuff! :) a few questions though (and i'm sorry if this has been asked) but 1. what was jimin's power?? 2. what are your fav books? yay! thanks!! -c

omgg THANK YOU SO MUCH ;A; im so so so happy that you read that fic and enjoyed it ahhhhdhsfjds ;__; though ohh i wonder what the first of my fics you read was 👀? hahfbds

and im glad you found his character relatable ;;;; when writing it his story was also the one sort of closest to me personally? so im really glad that other people found him relatable too ahhfjddsj so jUST. thank you!!! thank you so much, for reading and for taking the time to tell me this T–T im really happyy

as for your questions! here ill put them under a read-more bc i just know im gonna get rambly omfgdf

ok so, jimin’s power - I’M ACTUALLY SO GLAD YOU ASKED, because it’s a part of the story that almost no one’s asked about even though it’s kind of a big deal for jimin. which is….jimin doesn’t have a power lmaO. almost everyone in that au has superpowers; its the norm to have one, but fic!jimin just..doesn’t. it’s something he’s probably felt odd about growing up; in his growing years he probably tended to feel like he had to work extra hard to be sort of special or noticed and stuff T-T that’s also part of the reason he originally was drawn to jeongguk in school after the dictionary incident - by that age he’d kind of started to guess that he wasn’t going to develop a power, since it’s really rare for it to develop any later than teenage years, and jeongguk was the first person he’d known to not like his own power ;; so to jimin it was kind of eye-opening to realise that the power he’d always been upset about not having could possibly bring harm as well as good ahjsbdsjhd..so yeAH!! im so so glad you asked this omdfd i feel like..im finally doing fic!jimin justice in telling his unwritten story T–T

and MY FAVOURITE BOOKS. omfg there’s so so many im just going to list as many as i can think of off the top of my head:

1. The Raw Shark Texts (by Steven Hall)

this one is one of my all time favourites, and a HUGE huge huge inspiration in writing that’s left an impact on me for a really long time ;; IT’S SO UNDERRATED but it’s super gripping and interesting and experimentally fresh, and has really well-written themes of like love and loss and unfaithful memories and losing memories and a lot of cool internal/mental things like that! the ending is super cool to me, too ;;; the writing style is like nothing ive ever really seen anywhere else and is just super compelling in the way the author selects and arranges certain simple words in un-simple ways? and there are many parts of this book that are ambiguous in what exactly happened; that’s exactly why i love it? idk i jsut - i get super super excited about this book pleasE READ IT 

2. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (by Aimee Bender)

actually, i have loved about every single thing by aimee bender that i’ve read, but this is the only novel of hers ive read so far so i’ll go with that hjsbdjhsf…her short story collections are super lovely too, some of my favourite short stories by her are Job’s Jobs, Appleless, Death Watch, Motherfucker, I Will Pick Out Your Ribs (from My Teeth), and Faces. Aimee Bender is really one of my favourite authors ever, she has a really distinctive style and flavour thats creative and poetic and charmingly matter-of-fact all at once, that makes the most mundane stuff seem magical and the most magical stuff seem mundane. like. idk. IM REALLY IN LOVE with her writing ;;;;; ahdsbfjhbfds please check her out if you can!!!

3. A Wrinkle in Time & its sequels (by Madeleine L’Engle)

this whole series is just..really lovely in its ideas and hopeful and really gave me a huge sense of wonder the first time i read it? and there are some scenes in it that were just so beautifully magical (even though it’s actually sci-fi) and moving that i’ve never forgotten them to this day ;___; even though i first read it when i was 11 lmaO. but really, this is so soso osos o lovely idk if youve ever read it but i hope you have/get to read it some day abfdf

4. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

jhasgfjhs kate dicamillo is another of my all time favourite writers, i grew up hunting library shelves for her name lmao her writing is just..really beautiful in its ideology and style? there’s something very pure and innocent and whimsical and so so poetic about the things she writes and the way she tells stories, i always tend to read her stuff in one sitting bc it’s just so hard to stop ;;; i love her work so so much 

5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

i actually…can’t remember the exact story of this anymore BUT I DO remember that when i read it, i was completely blown away by the power of the writing style? bradbury’s writing is just…really distinctive in a heavier kind of way? like it’s poetic but kind of grips you around the heart idK im not sure how to explain it. i’m always stunned at the way he chooses his words and crafted his world in this book ajhsfbjd i love it sooo much ;;; i want to reread soon sdhfds

6. The Monstrumologist series (by Rick Yancey)

THIS ONE IS SO UNDERRATED i love it omg..it’s more gory and dark than most the things ive mentioned but the gore never feels like..needless? idk. i just love it so much and the kinds of ideas like the blurring of lines between man and monster, as well as the changing relationships of growing up - the book series just handles that so so well and with a really exciting gripping plot too ahdgsd i love it i love iiit. my fav book in the series is probably the lsle of Blood; there’s a line in there about a plate that haunTS ME ALWAYS 

7. Skellig and Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond

david almond is another writer i grew up reading ahhHH it’s honestly been too long for me to exactly remember what i loved about these 2 books - BUT I LOVE THEM

8. The Seas by Samantha Hunt

i actually am reading this book literally right now, so i havent reached the ending and im not sure if ill still love it as much as i currently do by that point, but so far i definitely am loving it SO much!! the writing and metaphors and characterisation are so damn beautiful and interesting and the writer has a lovely flow and really fresh way of arranging words and delivering ideas ;; it’s just really prettily and freshly and creatively written ;A; plus, i have this…Thing for the ocean so i love that a central part of this book is about the sea ahhH 

9. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 

I WISH I HAD MORE HARUKI MURAKAMI THINGS TO TALK ABOUT but this is the only of his books ive found so far - and I LOVE IT TO DEATH. i actually read norwegian wood and the particular sadness of lemon cake in the time period when i wrote my latest fic (thought you knew) and they really ;;; damn, a double whammy of inspiration omfg. norwegian wood is just…really really interesting and deep and real without being too heavy-hearted in the way it talks about things like relationships, devotion, alienation and loss? idk, it’s just- i love it so so so much, especially the ending paragraph ahhhh

10. Cathedral and A Small, Good Thing (by Raymond Carver)

THESE ARE TECHNICALLY SHORT STORIES, not books. but i just love them so much i have to mention them ;;; i honestly love raymond carver and his way of writing a lot, he just..he says so much with so little? he’s a huge inspiration i look up to like crazy especially when it comes to crafting dialogue ahhh. i also really love his poem Hummingbird!

11. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

idek where to start with this one..THE PLOT IS JUST. FUCKING BRILLIANT and it’s a really interesting take on the idea of devotion, especially devotion to..um..unhealthy kinds of levels? idk. it’s just….so well thought through and super cool i was Mind Blown™ when i read it kasjndskdf

12. Bunker 10 by J.A. Henderson

this is another one in team BLEW MY FUCKIGN MIND ahhh ;; i read it super super long ago but the plot is so so good? it’s the kind that’s a bit confusing at first, but then everything gets revealed and i’m completely shook and eye-opened and want to read it again with the new knowledge, you know what i mean? just- i cant remember what the writing style was like but the PLOT and setting was soo so so cool T—T

and that’s…all i can think of at the moment ajhbfjsdhf IM SORRY YOU PROBABLY DIDNT EXPECT ME TO BE SO EXTRA AS TO GIVE SUCH A LONG ASS REPLY but im just…..very very very passionate and invested in the books i love, ok. im so. akjsfbjhdsf

anyway yeah!! thank you so soso soso SO much for reading my writing and liking it and making the effort to let me know ;;;; im really so happy reading and replying to your message, it means so much to me T-T i hope you have a great great day ilY anon c!!!