#law school fic fest

[fruitcoops]

So I was just watching Matty Healy’s “celebrity school run” interview from BCC Radio One, and my mind jumped right to imagining Sirius with a couple awestruck hockey kids in the back of his truck, navigating questions as he drives them around (maybe to hockey practice instead of school??)! Congrats on finishing finals!! <3

Fic O'Ween Day 9: Sugar Rush! Cap credit to @lumosinlove and fest credit to @noots-fic-fests <3 Cutie patootie start to the weekend!

“Ask him!”

“I don’t wanna ask. You do it.”

“Everything alright back there?”

A small boy in a blue shirt dropped an elbow into the side of his, equally small yet significantly blonder, companion. “How does the internet work?” the blond boy blurted.

In the front seat, Sirius Black frowned at the road. “Quoi?”

“I told you it was a dumb question!” a redheaded little girl whispered across the seat.

“The internet,” the blond boy repeated, twisting the pocket of his cargo shorts into a nub in his fist. “How’s it work?”

“Uh…”

“My mom said the government tells you on your first adult birthday,” the dark-haired boy informed him as he leaned forward onto the console. “So you’ve gotta know, ‘cause you’re totally an adult.”

“Your mother is right, Ethan,” Sirius agreed. His eyes darted to the small camera stuck on the car’s dashboard. “That’s—yes, you’ll have to wait until you’re eighteen to find out. I can’t tell you. It would be illegal.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “But you’re Canadian, so American laws don’t apply to you.”

“It’s international.” Suburban homes rolled past outside, surrounded by fresh spring foliage. “The UN decided on that rule.”

“Aw, man.”

“Are you really getting married?” the redheaded girl piped up.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Summer.”

“But when?”

“Summer,” Sirius repeated with a laugh.

“What day?” She poked her head between the front seats as well, bumping shoulders with Ethan. “Can we come?”

“Definitely not. Both of you, sit back, you’re going to get hurt.” Sirius glanced into the rearview mirror as he turned onto another narrow street. “Look at Jacob. He’s doing it right.”

Jacob preened, shooting each of his companions a Cheshire grin. “Lydia said you’re getting married to your boyfriend. Is that true?”

“Fiance, but yes.” Sirius reached back to shoo Lydia and Ethan back into their seats, one hand on the wheel. “Why do you know so much about my wedding? Aren’t you supposed to ask me hockey questions?”

“We have time. School doesn’t start for an hour.” Lydia folded her hands in her lap and squinted to look out at the road. “Also, my sister plays hockey and she was telling me that her team was telling her that you're gonna be the first married hockey player ever.”

“That’s…that’s not true.”

“Of course it is.”

“There are so many married hockey players!” Sirius laughed.

“Oh yeah?” Jacob challenged. “Who?”

“James Potter, Pascal Dumais, Sergei Ivanov, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, Brad Marchand—I think most NHL players are married, actually.”

“Is the Earth actually round, or is the government lying?” Ethan asked, picking at the back of Sirius’ seat.

Sirius pressed his lips together for a moment. “Ah,” he began, coughing through a laugh. “Nope, it’s definitely round. People have known that for a long time.”

“My uncle says the government lies a lot.”

“Well, my uncle works for the government,” Jacob scoffed.

“Well—”

“Why is the Earth round?” Lydia butted in. “I think you’re lying. If it was round, everything in Australia would be upside down.”

“Oh god,” Sirius muttered. “Okay, new rule: no flat Earth discussions in the car.”

“Cause you’re lying?”

“Cause Galileo is spinning in his grave.”

“Isn’t that the bird from the movie with the girl and the volcano and the lizard and Russell Crowe and that one lady?”

Jacob gasped and turned to her. “My mom loves Russell Crowe! Y’know, Mr. Sirius Black, you kinda look like Russell Crowe.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“He kinda does,” Ethan admitted.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Nuh—”

“Okay,” Sirius announced as he paused at a stoplight with a thousand-yard stare. “We’re not doing any ‘nuh-uh’s until you are safely at school. Do you act like this when your parents are driving?”

All three children stared at him from the backseat. For a singular second, their fidgeting paused. “Like what?” Lydia asked, clearly bewildered. “The lady with the camera told us to ask you questions.”

Sirius seemed to process that for a beat. His fingertips drummed on the steering wheel while they waited for the light to change. “I’m starting to realize I don’t spend enough time with kids to know how you’re supposed to act.”

“Isn’t your brother a million years younger than you?”

“Six years.”

Lydia gave him a skeptical look over her glasses. “I’m only eight, so that’s basically forever.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How come clouds have different shapes?” Ethan asked. “Is it because birds fly through them and turn them all thin after they’re fluffy?”

“No, the wind does that.”

“Why?”

“It’s the wind, it doesn’t have reasons.”

“How do you know.”

“Because I’m an adult. Hey, look, a pigeon.”

All three children lunged toward the window, straining at their seatbelts and booster seats. Sirius glanced at the dashcam with a small, pleased smile and made a smooth left turn onto Main Street. “Where is it?” Jacob asked eagerly. “Was it big? What color was it? I don’t see it.”

“Oh, I think it was in the parking lot back there,” Sirius said casually. “Keep an eye out, see if there are more.”

“I’m never allowed to ask adults this many questions,” Lydia gushed, swinging her feet above the floor of the car. “Do you pay taxes?”

“Yes.”

“How do they work?”

“Good question. I have no idea.”

Ethan, apparently tired of pigeon-spotting, sat up straight and began peeling a sticker off the side of his booster. “Do you speak French?”

“Ouais.”

“Can you say something in French?”

“Ouais,” Sirius repeated with a grin.

“Please?”

“I just did.”

“Way,” Ethan mimicked. “Ha! That sounds like a duck. Wah-wah-wah-wah—”

“Yellow punch buggy.”

A flurry of movement and stifled ‘ow’s followed on swift wings; Sirius winced, but didn’t seem particularly regretful. “So,” he tried again. “What do you guys like to do at school?”

“Have lunch.”

“Read.”

“Recess.”

He nodded with a light laugh. “You know what, that’s fair.”

Jacob cocked his head to the side. “Did you like school?”

“I loved school.”

“What was your favorite subject?”

“Math.” A simultaneous false gag from three different mouths made him jump slightly, glancing over his shoulder. “Jesus—”

“I hate math,” Lydia declared. “We started multiplication and it makes my head hurt.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Ethan’s nose wrinkled. “I like math, but it’s definitely not my favorite. Hey, do you have tattoos?”

“No.”

“Can we see them?”

Sirius’ brow knit. “I just told you I don’t have any.”

“You’re a hockey player, you gotta have tattoos. Thomas Walker has them, Cole Reyes has them, James Potter has them…”

“James doesn’t have tattoos,” Sirius snorted. “Where are you getting your information?”

“My brother. He knows everything.”

“How old is he?”

“Eleven.”

Sirius nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. “A wise age.”

“How many teeth are you missing?”

“None, dude,” Jacob interrupted. “Didn’t you see earlier? He has perfect teeth. Hey, Mr. Sirius Black, did you have braces?”

“No.”

“Your teeth just grew like that?”

“Mhmm.”

“I just lost a tooth last week.”

Sirius stopped at the corner, looking over his shoulder at them. “Oh, really? Your first?”

“Nah, my fifth,” Jacob answered, as jaded as a third-grader could get. “It’s boring now. I got a quarter for it, though. My sister wanted to tie it to a doorknob, but my dad didn’t let her.”

Lydia nodded solemnly. “My cousin lost her first tooth when a piñata hit her.”

“I lost mine while I was eating a tuna sandwich,” Ethan added. “Then it was a blood sandwich. It was crazy.”

“Gross,” Lydia said with great approval.

Apparently satisfied with the direction the conversation had gone, the car remained near-silent for almost fifteen seconds. They headed past several gas stations (and their pigeon-filled parking lots) before stopping once again at a red light.

Ethan let out a loud gasp. “Tim Hortons!”

Sirius turned as if on instinct, craning his neck, before he seemed to realize the danger of the situation. Lydia slapped at the back of the driver’s seat with an excited hand, bouncing in her booster. “We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta go.”

To his credit, Sirius spared a half-second to consider it. “Absolutely not.”

To his demise, Sirius spared a half-second to consider it. They fell on him like miniature wolves to a downed caribou.

“Please,” Ethan begged. “Please, please, their hot cocoa is so good, you don’t understand.”

“I’m Canadian, I understand better than you do.”

“Then we have to go!”

“There is no world where I get three kids on a Tim Horton’s sugar rush before school.” He shook his head and began turning off Main Street. “Not in this lifetime. Your teachers would hunt me for sport.”

“You’re Canadian! You’re—you’re Queb—” Ethan made a frustrated noise and turned to Jacob. “What’s the word for Quebec people?”

“…Canadians…?”

“Quebecois,” Sirius informed him. His eyes widened slightly. “Wow, is that the first question you’ve asked that I can actually answer?”

“You’re Quebecois,” Ethan continued, stumbling over each syllable. He made it there in the end, but not before everyone else in the car made a pained face. “That means you have to take us to Tim Horton’s.”

“No.”

Lydia’s eyes were fever-bright in the backseat, as if she had knocked back a handful of jellybeans and Red Bull. “Timmy’s, Timmy’s, Timmy’s…”

“Please, no.”

Jacob and Ethan brightened immediately, because of course they did. Sirius watched the road in mournful disbelief, like he was driving into his personal hell with no exit ramp in sight. “TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S—”

“I’ve never having children.”

“TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S, TIMMY’S—”

The shouting came to an abrupt halt. Sirius parked the car under the shade of a large oak tree and waited for several seconds, until all three kids started to exchange wary looks. The silence dragged on. Polyester and cotton rustled.

Sirius rested his elbow on the console and turned to the backseat, one eyebrow raised. “Are we done?”

“Are you gonna turn this car around?” Jacob whispered in quiet horror.

“Non. I have a deal for you, though.” Instant curiosity overcame their concern. Sirius held three fingers up. “One: don’t kick the back of my seat. Two: don’t yell in my car, it’s very distracting. Three: Count five pigeons by the time we get to school. I will ask your parents if I can bring you Timbits—”

Gasps of delight filled the car.

“—if you promise to do all three of those things.”

Jacob tucked his hands under his legs, all but vibrating with anticipation. “Can you get cinnamon ones?”

“Can you find five pigeons?”

“Of course I can,” he whispered.

Sirius nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Do you make a million bajillion dollars?” Lydia asked.

“Non. But I do have money for Timbits for nice kids who ask cool questions.”

Ethan’s mouth fell open. “We’re nice kids who ask cool questions!”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Sirius gave a teasing hum. “I don’t know. Think you can prove it in the next five minutes?”

“What kind of dog do you have?” Lydia asked without hesitation.

“Oh, that is a good question.” The car rumbled to life, and they pulled onto the road without issue. “I don’t know. She’s black, and she has pointy ears.”

“How long do you want to play hockey?”

“Oof. A while. Maybe ten more years? We’ll see.”

Ethan finished peeling the sticker off his booster seat and reached over Lydia to stick it on Jacob’s. “Is being an adult fun?”

“Yes.”

“Is it hard?”

“Yes.”

“If you could get in a time machine and be eight again, would you do it?”

“No.”

Jacob frowned. “How come?”

“Because I like being able to make my own dinner, I would miss my friends, and I wouldn’t be able to get Tim Horton’s whenever I want to.”

Lydia started to kick the back of his seat in boredom, but quickly tucked her foot behind her other leg. “If you were eight and went to our school, do you think we would be friends?”

Sirius smiled, moving slowly past a wire fence. “Sure.”

“Can you say more French stuff?”

“Comme quoi?”

“Um—can you say ‘hello’?”

“Bonjour.”

Jacob chewed on his lower lip. “Can you say…this school is super cool?”

“Cette école est très cool.”

“Is ‘cool’ the same in both?”

“Ouais.”

“Okay, stop, stop, you gotta do English now,” Ethan said hurriedly, waving his hands. “I don’t speak French.”

“That’s okay, you can learn,” Sirius laughed. They rolled to a stop in a mostly-empty section of the parking lot; he waved to someone outside, and the children quickly followed suit. He propped his arm on the console again and raised his eyebrows. “I think your parents are ready to have you back. Any last questions?”

“Do you like books?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“What kind of Timbits do you like?’

“Have you been playing hockey since before we were born?”

“How does electricity work?”

“Do you kiss your boyfriend? Oh, yeah, how do cars work?”

“How come the sky changes colors but the ocean doesn’t?”

Sirius didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, blue, all of them, yes, I think it’s something with electrons and metal? Yes, engines and combustion, and because the sky and the ocean are made of different things.”

“Okay,” Jacob said with a decisive nod. “Cool! Thanks!”

“Thank you, this was lots of fun.” Sirius unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the car, then came around and opened the backseat door for them. They spilled out in a pile, each meeting his gentle fist-bump with incredible enthusiasm that only grew when he feigned injury at the strength of their hands. Their booster seats came free with little finagling. “Alright, go see your parents. I can carry these.”

“Wait!” Lydia yelped, turning on her heel halfway through a step. “What about the Timbits?”

“Nobody kicked my seat or yelled,” Sirius mused, gathering the boosters in his arms. “Pigeons?”

“Two on the sidewalk, one in the parking lot, and two at the Gas ‘n Sip,” Jacob announced.

“Then they’ll be here when you get out of school,” he promised. They shook on it, tiny hands dwarfed by his palm, before they were off at a sprint once more. “Be safe! Don’t trip on the concrete!”

[gimmethatagustd]

✨ jai polls ✨

Hi friends, this is for everyone who reads my mxm fics 🙏🏽

I joined an event on AO3 that encourages writers to finish at least one active WIP by the beginning of October. Those who know the truth about me know I have many unfinished series already posted on AO3 and many upcoming fics I've signed up to write for fests. This event will help me complete my unfinished series since it gives me a hard deadline, and I work best under pressure.

Anyway, please vote for one of my unfinished series to prioritize. The summaries, moodboards, and poll are under the cut so you can make an informed decision 😌 I'll eventually crosspost all these fics on Tumblr.

Disclaimer: This poll only includes the WIPs I'm okay with finishing later in the year. For example, I want to finish "Keep Singing This Lie" before October, so it's not part of the poll. 

cosmic collision

A responsible weedman, Yoongi always tests out new marijuana strains before selling them to his customers. When his supplier offers him a new strain, Cosmic Collision, Yoongi is eager to try it. What he doesn't expect is the alien that comes with it.

○ Pairing: Weedman!Yoongi x Alien!Jungkook

○ Genre: Supernatural, humor, 420 blaze it

-

the flower knight

A disciple of the Mugunghwa Temple, Yoongi has lived a pious life free of the vices of the outside world. That is until the temple must become a safehouse for wounded soldiers when war breaks out, and Yoongi catches the eye of a certain military commander.

○ Pairing: Soldier!Taehyung x Healer!Yoongi

○ Genre: Historical fantasy, pistilverse, forbidden love

-

i always thought we could be perfect

It would be Jimin's luck that the first time he sees Hoseok nearly a year after their break-up is to get tattooed by him.

○ Pairing: Tattoo Artist!Hoseok x Jimin

○ Genre: Tattoo shop au, exes to lovers

-

love galore

Law student Taehyung is determined to fight for the rights of hybrids in a corrupt world. Little does he know that the adorable bunny he adopted is a hybrid wary of humans.

○ Pairing: Human!Taehyung x Hybrid!Jungkook

○ Genre: Hybrids, strangers to lovers, law school au

-

trying my best

Forced to attend Alcoholics Anonymous by his manager, Yoongi, a washed-up frontman recently kicked out of his band, struggles to come to terms with the fact that he needs help. Jungkook doesn’t know much about music but knows how to be a good sponsor.

○ Pairing: Rockstar!Yoongi x College Student!Jungkook

○ Genre: Rock band au, Alcoholics Anonymous, hurt/comfort, recovery

-

witches & devils

Yoongi has a habit of getting himself into trouble, and Jimin is exceptionally good at mending wounds.

○ Pairing: Vampire!Yoongi x Witch!Jimin

○ Genre: Fantasy, enemies to lovers, idiots to lovers, humor (?)

-

[dramioneasks]

HP FESTS: Plot Bunny Adoption Fest

Plot Bunny Adoption Fest 2023:

young, dumb & in love by riddikulus_puff - E, one-shot - Hermione Granger was the girl that everyone wanted to be. She was one of the most popular senior girls at school and Head Cheerleader, as well as Valedictorian. She was everything and more. Every teenage boy wanted to date her and every teenage girl was jealous of her. She was winning in life. Hermione recently started dating an older man, Antonin Dolohov, and she thinks that love is everything when she looks at her older boyfriend. But, there was someone that wanted Hermione for himself. Draco Malfoy, a popular football jock, at the school. Draco was jealous, he was possessively in love with the curly-haired cheerleader. He became obsessed with having Hermione all to himself and would stop at nothing to make her his for good. (WARNINGS: RAPE/NON-CON, CHARACTER DEATH)

Between the lines by shaparecium - E, WIP - After four years of living without magic in the Muggle world and travelling Europe, Draco Malfoy comes back to London as a changed man. And for the first time since the war ended, Hermione found a person who truly understood her.

Call Me by my Name by JessicaLovejoyAO3 - E, 5 chapters - Hermione wakes up with memory loss and is horny. She wakes up with the realization that her stupidly hot ex-bully and current coworker and her are in a relationship together. So she asks him to act out their sex life to jog her memory.

Curiosity by Nefaria_Black - M, one-shot - When the Golden Trio is caught by Snatchers and delivered to Malfoy Manor, Draco doesn't sell them out. He does something far braver. Even if his curiosity will never be satisfied.

Find and Still the Mind by slytherinsprincess02 - T, WIP - For Plot Bunny Adoption Fest 2023. Bookstore owner!Hermione has an unexpected visitor in her shop: Draco Malfoy, who she hasn’t seen in years. It turns out he needs her help; Theo is hosting a massive birthday party for his boyfriend Harry and has invited Draco, but he doesn’t know what gift to get. A bookstore gift might not be the way to go, but Hermione has some ideas for him and they spend the day in Diagon Alley. or Draco has to work to redeem himself in the eyes of not only Hermione, but the rest of his friends while finding a birthday gift for Potter

The lights we could not see by Vofastudum - M, WIP - A marriage law fic where terminally ill Draco schemes his way into marrying Hermione to give her the life she deserves. If only she was ready to let him give up so easily.

The Luck of the Dragon by nissasxnotes - T, WIP - Hermione was obliviated the night after they were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor. She's given a new identity and sent to the University of Dublin (Trinity College Dublin) under the protection of the Irish Ministry. Three years later, Draco Malfoy is sent to bring Hermione home. Using a fake name and a disguise, he is determined to get to know her, return her memories, and bring her back to London.

Lilith by RedSlytherin - not rated, WIP - Marked, conflicted, and with danger looming over his family and friends, Draco Malfoy decides he's done playing the prince. He picks up the wands, brings with him the arrows and knives, and becomes a hunter, one death eater at a time. Don't they tell you that Slytherins are Ambitious, cunning, and resourceful? They are that and a lot more. Fearlessly faithful. Unwaveringly loyal. Ruthlessly protective. This time, Draco's not fighting for himself. He's fighting for the friends who had stumbled and lost, he's fighting for the love he wants to keep. Slowburn Dramione sixth year AU. (WARNINGS: VIOLENCE)

A Royal Pissing Contest by RedSlytherin - not rated, one-shot - When danger creeps over both the Muggle and Magical worlds, Head of Muggle Relations Hermione Granger and Auror Malfoy have to step in. A talk with the royals and the Prime Minsiter would go a long way, but with one smug Windsor heir getting too close to his Hermione, how long would the Malfoy heir to stay respectable? Cue a royal pissing contest.

Words that hurt, words that heal by pinkhairandbooks - M, one-shot - The words spoken to you by your soulmate mark themselves on your skin. But instead of it being the first words they have ever said to you, it's the first words spoken aloud after they realize they have fallen in love with you.

Wrackspurts & Muggle Jeans by pinkhairandbooks - E, one-shot - As Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts with the rest of his class to complete his final year, he discovers that he still hates Hermione Granger. However, his hatred towards her is not because of her blood status, magical abilities, or overall insufferable swottiness. No. Draco Malfoy hates Hermione Granger because of the muggle jeans she wears when she's not in her school-regulated uniform. He cannot stop thinking about her muggle jeans and how they accentuate her delectable, heart-shaped ass.

This fest is ongoing.

[thiaquiche]

Feedback Fest 2024

Since the @transformativeworks is holding a Feedback Fest in honour of International Fanworks Day, I figured I’d join in the fun and put together my own reclist for the occasion! So, in no particular order, here’s ten fics I love and why you should read them! I’ve got a wide spread of fandoms here, so hopefully you’ll find something interesting. I have all of these fics downloaded, so if you’re seeing this in the future and a link to something you’re interested in ends up broken, just let me know and I’ll gladly send you a pdf.

Something’s Wrong with Danny Fenton Vol. I by Perfectly_Inconspicuous

Danny Phantom. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 55 065 words.

Danny Fenton.

The enigma of Casper High.

It's the first day of the winter semester when she notices him.

She notices him for what feels like the first time. Maybe because at this point he's the only alternative kid other than her.

Or maybe because boom, there he is: the locker next to hers.

--

A No One Knows AU where Danny transfers from a different school to Casper during Junior year and ends up befriending Sam and Tucker. Written for Invisobang 2021!

Why you should read it: This fic packs a wonderfully creepy, unsettling atmosphere that really makes this horror!Danny premise come alive (ba dum tss), and makes the development of his friendship with Sam and Tucker feel all the warmer by comparison. It’s incredibly gripping.

Soldier, Poet, King by Stargaze_Sunflower

Ducktales 2017. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 104 510 words.

Dewey has always felt like something was missing from his life. Something big. And really, it's just like him to get caught up in a kidnapping plot and stumble across the puzzle of his life on complete accident, and now he's got more pieces than he knows what to do with. Luckily, he's got help in the form of new friends, his moderate skills with a sword, and the determination to believe in the impossible.

This gives a whole new meaning to 'Found Family'.

Why you should read it: This fic is an awesome medieval fantasy romp, and it’s just plain fun.

Friendship Games by WhiteBAG

Milo Murphy’s Law. Teen and Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Gen. 42 662 words.

Milo and his friends enter the Friendship Games. Dakota and Cavendish time travel to fight the monster.

Why you should read it: Without saying too much, the way the time travel plot winds back on itself is just so much fun. Even now that I’ve left the fandom, and haven’t read this fic in a long time, I still find myself thinking about it.

More Than Legacy by PanellaDePonce

Pokémon. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 11 637 words.

It was time at last for the 150th Annual Convention of Pokémon Sciences to begin. Every year, the brightest minds in the field would gather together to present their findings to an eager audience of burgeoning scientists and casual enthusiasts alike. 150 years ago it started in Jubilife Village, and today, the conference is held in Jubilife City.

Before the conference begins, however, many of the leading researchers gather together to argue and debate, verbally slap fighting and throwing around their theories and ideas. Lucas found this tradition tiring, annoying, and most of all, incredibly boring.

Little does he know, something very interesting is set to happen at the meeting. Something he wouldn't want to miss.

Why you should read it: This thing made me BAWL. I was fucking SOBBING. Waaaaaughhhhhhhhhhh

Give Me Healthy Coping, or Give Me Death by Prince_Enby

OMORI. General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, F/M (past Hero/Mari) and Gen. 5420 words.

There was something weird about how Kel was acting, Hero thought. Hero's thoughts were all over the place these days, though, so that observation probably didn't mean anything.

Still, though, he was curious about that glint in his brother's eyes. It was the look of a man on a warpath - and all over a bowl of soup.

Weird indeed.

Why you should read it: This fic is chicken soup when I’m sad, and I wanna share the comfort, plain and simple.

Mari Suzuki’s Overly Busy Afterlife by ShardOfHope

OMORI. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, M/M (Basil/Kel/Sunny), F/F (Aubrey/Kim), and F/M (Hero/Mari). 127 480 words.

Mari never left Sunny after the accident. She forgave him and promised she would stay until he was ready to tell the truth. Until he was strong enough.

Four years of staying with her gremlin shut in brother has made her slightly regret that promise. Well, more then slightly.

A retelling with a ghost, and a brother with no survival instinct.

Why you should read it: This fic is riotously funny. Like, wheezing on the floor funny. Rolling around, falling down the stairs and breaking your neck funny. (Yes I did have to force a stairs joke in there. Sue me, but sue me after you read this fic.)

Coming to Light by Candyland1030 [DeviantArt]

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. PG. 2819 words.

What goes around comes around. Sooner or later, everyone has to pay the piper.

Why you should read it: This is my favourite fic for seeing Bill Hawks get his comeuppance. A delicious dose of justice for a guy who got off far too easily in canon.

Theo’s Surreal Mountain-Climbing Adventure by CelestialHorizons (TerminalMiraculosis)

Celeste. Teen and Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen. 5519 words.

Madeline has been able to dash her whole life. She thinks this is rather mundane. Theo disagrees.

Why you should read it: Extremely funny depiction of speedrunning, also Theo is simply best boy. You agree. Read it.

An Empire of Ice by TimeCloneMike

Frostpunk. Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen. 4621 words.

The Great Frost has come and gone. That was the easy part. Rebuilding human civilization? That's when things start to get difficult, even with automatons to do all the heavy lifting.

Why you should read it: Both oneshots are great, but I especially recommend the second chapter. The story of Project Legacy saving New Manchester in the actual game has always been touching to me, and this fic’s depiction of the rescue of New Manchester’s last scout gives me warm fuzzies every time. Both parts of this fic add a human element to the game’s more zoomed-out storytelling that I deeply appreciate.

Marital Bed, by MadameReveuse

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask. Mature, No Archive Warnings, Multi (Randall Ascot/Angela Ledore/Henry Ledore). 3526 words.

A comedy in two parts.

The Masked Gentleman imagines all the ways in which Henry and Angela Ledore might have backstabbed him. Later, Randall sees it all with clearer eyes. Maybe his fantasy can still come true - in an altogether better, lovelier way. With himself included.

Why you should read it: I don’t normally talk about, let alone recommend, sexually explicit fics, but I read this one recently and just fell in love with the characterization. Considering sex in the context of Randall’s misguided hatred and Angela and Henry’s deceptive marriage adds an interesting layer to their whole *gestures* everything, and I found all of the headcanon ideas presented very plausible. However, warning for Azran Legacy spoilers offhandedly mentioned right at the beginning.

Bonus:

This awesome Miracle Mask AMV that has been so stuck in my head lately, lol. Editing’s great, song’s great, all around great. (Don’t watch unless you’ve finished Miracle Mask though, it’s spoilers.)

[recentadultburnout]

So I wrote a PatPran fic for the Songkran Fest 2024 event. It's pretty dialogue-heavy😅

Ao3

Part of yours

Summary:

After so many years of sneaking around, Pat and Pran are finally accepted by each other's families.

Or

Pat joins in with Pran's family during songkran.

"It's going to be Songkran soon."

At night Pat says. His arms hang loosely around his lover's torso.

"So what?"

Pran ask in return, still paid more attention to the headphone reviews than the conversion.

"You want to go out?"

He pushes Pat's hand away a little, making it easier for him to grab a pencil for his note. With the discount, this one will be in the budget. It would be worth it if the reviews were true.

"Nah, not really..."

And now Pat's head is in his lap. Demand attention.

"It's just... Ugh! I don't even know! After grandpa passed, we don't even Rodnam properly anymore. When it was Songkran, we just laid around the house together. Order something to eat, maybe. It's been what? Since high school?"

"But ink has been there these past few years, you know? Apparently, Pa also went to Rodnam with her parents too." Pat complain.

"So?"

"Ink lives hours away. Our houses are right next to each other! Don't you see how ridiculous this is?!"

"You actually want to Rodnam my parents?"

That was quite a surprise. Pran didn't think Pat even wanted to be in the same room with them before, and now he wants to Rodnam them? Go sit there at their feet, ask for their blessing, and act like a sweet obedience child. Pat? With his parents?

"Eh... maybe?"

Pat looked pretty hesitant with his answer, but after a moment of silence, he did not change it.

"We can try."

"Really?"

"So you just want to vent but not actually do it?"

"No! I want to do it! Really! For real!"

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like they don't know we live together."

"They know?"

"I'm pretty sure they know. No one has said anything yet, but... I don't know. They are not stupid, you know. And lately, we didn't even try to hide."

"I don't think my mom is going to flip just because I asked if you could come pay respect to her. Maybe she will flip if I tell her I'm going to pay respect to yours. But I don't think she will ask, so I will probably just not mention it and skip that conversation."

"I will have you know, she has come quite far."

Pat made a face.

"I hope that's true."

"That's final, then. We're going to be at my grandmother's on the 14th, and Uncle Pok's family will probably be there. Aunt Pann too. I'm not bringing you with me that day this year. Let's start with just my parents first. From 12 to 16, other than 14, you can pick any day."

"Kay"

.

He is the one who tells his boyfriend that his mom will be fine with him coming in on Songkran, 'intruding' on family time, but will she really?

Pran wants to say she definitely will. But still, he was scared.

If he decides not to go through with it, Pat will understand. He might be teasing him for a bit for chicken out of something he suggested himself, but he will understand.

He can still scrub the plan.

Nah.

What is he? A coward? Definitely NOT.

.

"My mom agreed."

She acts like she knows and has been fine with their relationship all along. Pran is not sure who she tries to deceive—herself or him.

It seems pointless.

Well, this attitude is better than before, for sure, and he is not about to question it.

"I never think I'm going to live to see the day your mom accepts me as her son-in-law."

Pat pretends to swoon.

"What son-in-law? I have no husband."

Pran retaliate. The word 'yet' nearly got out without thinking.

"One day, you will."

Is it bad that he got a butterfly from that? Just a little, he swears.

"Let the bill actually pass first, then we can talk."

"Awww, I know you want me."

"Don't be stupid."

Pran laughs, pushing Pat away.

"What about your dad?"

Pat made a face.

"He didn't say anything. My mom says she is happy you want to join us, and my dad keeps his quiet—no complaints, no weird noise of disapproval, nothing, just quiet, so yeah, all is well."

.

"Did you know my dad never joined my mom's family on Songkran before they married?"

"Don't your parents marry less than a year after they met?"

"You are no fun."

"You love me."

"Yeah, I love you. You little joy killer."

.

"Pat, why does your Nam Ob come in a plastic bottle?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Where do you even find Nam Ob that comes in a plastic bottle? I swear it's only come in a glass bottle. And what brand is this? It smells weird."

"It's not! It from 7–11. It literally sits there in front of the drink shelf in 7-11. You just dropped by there this evening. How come you don't see it?"

"You buy Nam Ob at 7-11? Wow, just wow."

If he sees Nam Ob at 7-11, he probably buys it there too instead of going to the other shop just to buy one thing every year, but Pat didn't need to know that.

.

"Why can't we just pour the Nam Ob straight from the bottle into their hands?"

"Pat, I swear."

"What? What's wrong with that? Korn has done it too!"

"Yeah, and Korn is the exact same type as my mom."

"Next, you're going to suggest we use that plastic water bowl you got as a package deal with Nam Ob to catch the water during the time we Rodnam my parents."

"It sure would be a whole lot easier to clean compared to that delicate, unpractical little glass tray with pedestal you brought. THAT gives me a scare of my life every moment I have to hold it. The plastic bowl will not."

"Why glass, by the way? If you want to go for traditional, shouldn't it be the gold or silver one? Or maybe Benjarong? Do we use Benjarong for this?"

"My mom likes it. She is the one who brought a set that was used during my dad's Songkran every year. I think there is another set for her parents too, but I was too young back then, so I don't remember much."

"Did you pick what you will bring as a gift yet?"

"Is the tea box set good enough? It's a premium tea from Doi Mae Salong. Super fine plucking too. Your mom loves tea, right?"

"Shouldn't it be some type of cloth?"

"Umm, why?"

Pran sigh.

"If I wronged you in any way before, please forgive me."

If you ask, Pat will tell you that he is 100% sure he was the one who was wronged by them, not the other way around. Sadly, this is what he asked for, so he will have to suck it up.

Having to sit through an awkward meal and an even more awkward family ritual where he clearly out of place isn't that enjoyable, but the fantasy of having the main door open for him is too great for anything to weigh him down.

At least it's going to be done soon.

"I wish you good health. Anything you think of, let it become true. Let your life and career be more and more prosperous."

The blessings are as generic as they can be. Nothing is meaningful like what Pran gets.

Pat is just glad he gets any blessings at all.

The brief touch at the top of his head feels surprisingly nice. Better than he thinks it will be. And with that, the ceremony is done.

Now Pat can pretend to be a good child who wants to help tidy everything up in earnest and escape the scenes for a while. He is grateful for the fact that after so many years of sneaking around, he finally gets to be an invited guess, but he is also in urgent need of alone time away from their eyes.

If Pran can come with him for a bit, that would be great, but at the moment, it seems like the most Pran could do is distract his parents while Pat flees.

.

Pran is still with his dad when Dissaya approaches him at the front of the house, where he is putting all their belongings in his car.

Due to the lack of topics he can think of, Pat just started thanking Pran's mom again for today. It's a little too uneasy, but that's pretty much all he does all day.

Her acknowledgement is practically permission for him to marry her son, for all he cares. Never think he will ever see this day, really.

She sighs and breathes in deeply. Her eyes make Pat paranoid. Pran's beloved mother will never be Pat's favorite person.

"Pran is my son. He will always be my precious little boy. I didn't approve of him being so close with you before because I didn't want him to make the same mistake as me. I will admit that I judged you too harshly and too soon. You make Pran happy, have been for quite some time now. If Pran wants you to be part of our family, then yes, I can look past the other things and accept you."

This little speech of hers makes Pat want to roll his eyes.

Madam Dissaya sure is pretentious.

But contrary to what Pran may think, he does practice self-restraint. So, of course, he thanks her again.

Today is a success.

"Since they now officially know about us, I can openly go into the house wherever, right?"

Pat slides one hand onto Pran's knee before asking teasingly. His boyfriend seems to be in a very good mood, since he let it sit there without starting to lecture him on the topic of the dangers of carelessness while driving.

"Don't test my mom's patience too much."

Pran scolds him, but there is clearly mirth in his voice.

"You mom say I make you happy~"

"You do"

Those two words sound so loving. Pat can help but melt a little.

"She says she accepts me as a part of the family."

He brags further. This time, Pran was actually surprised.

"What? Really? Word by word, or?"

"Word-by-word"

His love reaction makes him feel all puff up. Like that cute little bird he saw on the timeline.

"Is my mom proposing to you for me?"

Pran laugh. His hand is playing with the hand on his knee now.

"It's a yes, by the way."

"I didn't ask yet, you dorks."

"No need. My beloved mother-in-law already asked for you."

"I should be a good son and marry who she picks then."

"Yeah, you better."

"That bill—should we try to win the title of the first couple to register after it passes?"

"Sure, I want to be the first in everything, don't you know?" Pat jokes.

If this is Pran's hint for him to propose, he wouldn't be opposed to it. More than ready, actually.

Suddenly, there is something cold sitting on his finger.

"If you don't like this one, the shop allows us to return it and pick up a new one in a 30-day time frame. There will be some fee, of course."

Pat nearly crashed the car.

[onedirectionbigbang]

This doesn’t need to be posted I just need to scream into the void. First, I LOVE BIG BANG! Almost all of my absolute favourite fics have come from 1d big bang over the years so it is really the gift that keeps giving. My second comment is more just me reflecting on the absurdity of things. The first year I was paying attention to this fandom’s big bang was 2018 and it perfectly overlapped with my IB exam period. The next four years following that I was always in undergrad exams when fics were released, and now I’m in my second year of law school with fics starting the come out less than a week before my first exam. Despite this, I am one of the insane people who almost always reads every fic the day it comes out. I’m not sure whether this helps or hinders my studying but given that I’ve gotten this far, I’d say it can’t have done too much damage. Thanks for keeping this running and I cannot put into to words how excited I am for this round of fics. All the work that goes into this is so so deeply appreciated <3

Nonnie, this is a secret look into those of us here at Big Bang HQ preparing for this round's posting to get started, so we feel it! hehe

Okay, so maybe we aren't all physically dancing, and maybe we aren't so young and chipper as these guys, and MAYBE we are still working on the most nerve wracking part of the whole fest as mods: the posting schedule (that is a loose we in many ways, but we sure do ADORE and greatly appreciate all of the time and effort @beccasafan puts into this for us)... but in so many ways we really are dancing in excitement for this round's fics!

I also love that you have this almost tradition of pairing the Big Bang reading with your studying every year, and have to agree it doesn't seem to have done you any harm! I hope that as you continue to study and read fic as a way of balancing work with fun that it will bring you much luck and easy remembrance during your exams again this year! Best of luck, and (soon to be) happy reading!!

[saintsenara]

other women and of purer blood narcissa malfoy/severus snape explicit | 7.7k words

narcissa could not pinpoint the exact moment when she realised that married life was not what she expected. perhaps it had been when she had tried to make polite conversation with abraxas about the malfoys’ new business ventures in palermo, which were forcing lucius to spend several nights away from home a week, and her father-in-law had looked at her with pity and said that the family had no investments in italy as far as he knew. perhaps it had been lucius’ face last month, when she failed to get pregnant again, as she had every month for the three years they had been married. she had not expected, when lucius presented her with the magnificent diamond which seemed to be growing looser on her finger every day, that she would be so lonely.

narcissa is adrift, rattling around malfoy manor, when an equally lonely man comes into her lonely life.

this piece was written for @womenofthehouseofblack fest [you can find the other fics in the collection here].

author's notes under the cut

the title comes from voldemort’s line in deathly hallows, spoken when harry has just revealed to him that snape was in love with lily potter:

He desired her, that was all, but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him.

when i first read this, i immediately had one person in mind for voldemort to be speaking about: narcissa.

after all, she and snape definitely have a tension in half-blood prince, when she visits him at home - and how on earth does she know how to find his house so easily if she hasn’t been there before? - in cokeworth. 

and i have never been able to see snape and voldemort sitting down for a chat about women in general, but voldemort forcing him to confess an attraction to narcissa - a revelation which would give the dark lord the opportunity to humiliate lucius, draco, bellatrix, lily’s memory, and snape and narcissa all at once - is something which seems extremely plausible.

all of which is to say, i think that snarcissa is canon.

other women and of purer blood is set in the summer of 1978, after lucius and narcissa have been married for three years and snape has just left school. it is primarily an examination of two things: class and gender. [so, yes, as many commenters have pointed out, the lady chatterley’s lover vibe is deliberate.]

in her post-series writing and interviews, jkr is clearly of the opinion that the wizarding world is egalitarian in terms of gender - and certainly aspects of its history, such as the fact that there were female ministers for magic centuries before british muggles found themselves with a female prime-minister, support this. but, within the seven-book canon itself, gender roles do seem to be considerably more restrictive than she believes, especially when they intersect with the expectations of social class. the canonical narcissa, like almost every other pureblood woman we meet [such as Molly weasley] does not work, and her narrative arc across the series is defined by her role as wife and mother.

i have always wondered about how narcissa must have felt a pressure to conform to class and gender expectations, owing to both bellatrix and andromeda’s rejection of social convention [for example, i think you can read narcissa’s estrangement from andromeda as something she feels she should do, while bellatrix wants to do it]. in nor all that glisters gold [author’s notes here], another piece i have written for this fest, i look at how bellatrix chafes against marriage, which she sees as coming with a curtailing of her ambition. the narcissa of other women and of purer blood feels the same - reflecting on the opportunities for work and study that her marriage has brought her.

bellatrix also chafes against motherhood. the narcissa of this piece is uncomfortable with the fact that her own childlessness aligns her with her wayward sister - and, as she points out, that motherhood is something which andromeda has "won" against her.

bellatrix is happy, though, to be thought immodest - something lord voldemort is all too happy to make use of. [poor narcissa, realising that bella is having much better sex than she has ever had, despite the fact lucius is hot and voldemort appears to be made of melting wax…]

narcissa, in contrast, has a more complicated relationship with modesty and desire. the description of the witches’ clothing is intended to bring to mind the high-collared and long-sleeved dresses of the edwardian era - which lacked the looseness and ease of the medieval clothing magical people are often depicted as wearing. narcissa in this is someone who is rather buttoned up, and who finds it difficult to express her own wants and opinions selfishly. that lucius - who is written here as neither cruel nor abusive, just distant - doesn’t realise this, and assumes that her need for validation and attention [a trait shared by the canon draco - he must get it from his mother] can be bought with pretty presents, is but one cause of the rift between them.

snape, in contrast, provides narcissa with the comfort of understanding. where lucius patronises her about her "little parties", he supports her greater ambitions. he also offers her a way of freeing herself - even if just for the time they’re together - from the restrictions of her class.

[as i’ve mentioned in the notes to nor all that glisters gold, this is something i also believe voldemort offers bellatrix, and the parallels between snarcissa and bellamort in other women and of purer blood are deliberate.]

the canonical lord voldemort does not appear to respect narcissa - he clearly underestimates her, and his complacency in assuming that she isn’t a complex person proves to be his undoing. but he does not, i think, lack respect for her because of her role in the home. we are almost always shown voldemort in a domestic context in canon - which is fascinating, given that he’s always emphasised as someone who has managed to infiltrate the masculine-coded spaces of wizarding politics - and we see this play out in other women and of purer blood. voldemort recruits his death eaters through the male patron-client networks which are shown to govern wizarding society [lucius’ letter of introduction for snape, for example], but he also makes use of women’s social networks. lucius may not completely appreciate why voldemort regards gossip and female friendship and who has asked whom to be a bridesmaid as useful [narcissa, who is constantly subjected to gossip, understands very well], but the dark lord has clearly been reading up on the spread of all sorts of social movements in which women play a key role in converting their male relatives to the cause…

i also don’t think that voldemort’s lack of respect for narcissa comes from her gender. his lack of respect for lucius however, does…

lucius malfoy’s relationship with his masculinity is something which is displayed very interestingly in canon. he is written as somewhat effete - something which was played up in the films - but he also clearly regards himself both as a protector and as someone whose role as the male head of an elite family should be accompanied by a certain level of deference from men whom he considers beneath him. this is the reason why voldemort chooses to emasculate him in the opening chapter of deathly hallows by taking his wand, and why voldemort keeps him confined to the domestic space of the manor from this point onwards. this masculine competition drives lucius’ relationship with snape in other women and of purer blood - in which he notices the flirtatious vibe between his wife and a man he considers his social inferior and chooses to assert his dominance with humiliating ease.

lucius’ relationship to his manhood is also why i am certain that voldemort knows about the unbreakable vow made between snape and narcissa in half-blood prince - he would be delighted to remind lucius that his failings as a death eater drove narcissa into the arms of another male protector. draco is, of course, not a character in this story, but his presence is still felt. after all, i have always wondered exactly how voldemort got his claws into him - and exactly what role narcissa played in it.

we have one suggestion here. when voldemort disappeared in 1981, narcissa breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was never going to collect on the debt she owed him for his silence…

she was wrong.

[hp-lawofattraction-fest]

banner by the lovely @fantalfart

Welcome! We're so glad you're here! Let's talk about how the Law of Attraction Fest is going to work:

General:

This fest is open to anyone over the age of 18!

This is an anonymous exchange fest, with a hint of a challenge! You'll make a gift for someone based on an assignment, and receive a gift in return.

Because the exchange is open to creators of all kinds (artists, writers, crafters), the gift you receive could be any of these mediums!

This exchange is focused on any Lightning Era queer pairings. By this, we mean characters who were at Hogwarts during the years 1991 to 1997, when Harry studied there. It doesn't mean you can't use other characters in your work, only that the main pairing must have frequented Hogwarts during this time (not necessarily joining the school in 1991, but being there during this 7 year span in whichever school year).

Be mindful of rare pairs and poly ships. Since this is an exchange, we might be unable to match you with the pairing you want. We recommend that if you really like a rare pair, you can let us know in the ‘Anything else?’ section of the sign-up form!

If you wish to take part in this fest, you need to accept and respect the Three Laws of Fandom: SALS, DLDR, and YKINMKATO. We have a zero tolerance policy for unpleasant comments of any kind.

Sign-Ups and Matching:

Sign-ups will open on 28 April 3 pm GMT+1 (convert to your timezone)

Sign-ups will close on 14 May 3 pm GMT +1 (convert to your timezone)

Participants are matched based on their answers (that including likes, squicks/triggers, common pairings etc). 

The exchange will work in pairs, though each participant will remain anonymous to their matching pair until the date of posting. This means you will NOT know who you are creating for until the works are posted!

Because the exchange is open to creators of all kinds (artists, writers, crafters), your gift could be any of these mediums!

Participants will be capped at 30 (meaning there'll be a max of 15 pairs).

Both sections (creating and receiving) of the form are required to be filled in order to sign up.

Once sign-ups time is over and we've matched all the pairings, you'll receive the information about your matching pair and your assigned theme.

Creating:

We'll have several pre-selected "opposite attracts" themes (e.g. "Light and Dark" or "Old and New") which will be randomly assigned to each matched pair using Google Sheets’ "Randomize Range" feature.

Then, each person of the pair will randomly get one half of the "opposites" from the assigned theme. We highly encourage you to deeply explore your assigned theme and think outside the box, bringing out your most interesting ideas!

You can create and interpret the themes however you heart desires ✨

If you're unsure of how to explore these themes, check our FAQ with some examples and brainstorming ideas!

No minimum requirements for anything, including written work. We are not looking for any 100k long fics or the new Mona Lisa (unless you want, of course!), but we expect some effort put into your work of course 😊

We recommend that you have a beta for all written works. If you’d like any help seeking beta/alpha readers, feel free to let the mods know!

All works will be proofread and looked over.

Some of the accepted works: fics, ficlets, drabbles, craft, art works, drawings, photography, paper craft, origami, poetry, embroidery, animation, anything as long as it's made by you! Get in touch with us if you want to create something we haven’t mentioned.

Strictly no AI art or fic allowed.

Gifts are due 31 July 2023. If you think you won't be able to finish in time, not to worry! Just reach out to us asap, so we can figure out an extension or try to find a pinch hitter in time!

Submissions:

Submissions are due 31 July, but if you're finished earlier, you're welcome to submit before the deadline.

Once your work is done, you can go ahead and submit it to LawofAttractionFest AO3 fest collection, and add the fest mod account lawofattraction_mod as a co-creator. If you don't have an AO3 account, reach out to us asap and we'll get you an invitation link.

Remember to tag appropriately and ensure that the HTML coding (the basics for ao3: italics, bolds, centered etc) is working as it should. It's always nice to acknowledge your alphas, betas and creative team, but that's up to you!

Regarding the tags, the mods ourselves will later be adding a unique tag to all the works pertaining to the theme that would link the two paired works. The mods will also be adding a fest end note to each work.

Once you are done, you should send your header to our fest email lawofattractionfest@gmail.com with the following as the subject line:

SUBMISSION — [ART/CRAFT/FIC], [Theme] by [Creator]

Example:

SUBMISSION — Art, Light and Dark by Fantalf

Header form:

Title:

Creator:

Subtheme:

Rating:

Word count/medium:

Warnings/tags:

Ao3 link to work:

Once you've signed up for the fest, we'd love to see you in the discord! This invite link will drop you in the #server-rules channel, and you are welcome to explore from there.

[elisedonut]

As a writer, are you an evil dictator, a ship captain, a trauma dumper, a mad scientist, a carefree hedonist, or a vengeful rogue?

Which fic do you secretly root for to get the most hits/kudos, etc.?

Assign each of your fics (or a selection) a dnd alignment.

A mix of ship captain and carefree hedonist probably? most of my fics are ship fics but i do tend to just write what i want unless it's for a fest

Secretly root for- easy I wake up every day and hope Raspberry Muffin has finally beat out Rhododendrons and False Indigo as my top kudoed fic

it hasn't and it won't because there is over 100 kudos in difference between them but a girl can dream

Alignments

Lawful good

Hot Chocolate (1,962 words)

Raspberry Muffin (2,961 words)

Raven (255 words)

Teeth (814 words)

Colin's Cookbook (1,734 words)

Neutral good

at least we're trying (2,051 words)

I’m damned if I do give a damn what my family says (692 words)

Rest (647 words)

Chaotic good

Anyone But You (1,777 words)

Camera Cutie (3,170 words)

is it creepy to stare? (302 words)

Experimenting is Just Part of the Fun (2,395 words)

Lawful neutral

Essays & Crystals (1,914 words)

A Shell for a Mate (2,659 words)

School Uniform (603 words)

Falling Snowflakes (1,532 words)

(True) neutral

Makeup (1,049 words)

Storytime Cuddles (353 words)

Sickness (365 words)

Missing (535 words)

Courting Gift (662 words)

Bird Feeder (443 words)

Chaotic neutral

Lemonade (1,115 words)

The Window on the Seventh Floor (1,504 words)

Are seashells for collections or pets? (1,406 words)

Secret Fantasy (6,129 words)

Dreams & Dread (961 words)

Preening (912 words)

Lawful evil

Lemon Cake (543 words)

Storytime Naps (535 words)

Rhododendrons and False Indigo (2,242 words)

Gift (1,352 words)

Neutral evil

Melting Resolve (2,266 words)

Deceased. (656 words)

Arborvitae (782 words)

Chaotic evil

Sleeping Princess (516 words)

Shenanigans (510 words)

To Make a Child (1,553 words)

[firsttraintovictoriaville]

Just Leave a Comment Winter 2023 Totals

two days late but better than never!

Total comments left: 55

Fandoms read from (in no particular order): Merlin, MyScene Dolls, Harry Potter, Miss USA (Webseries), Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ted Lasso, Winx Club, Xmen Evolution, Succession, Sense and Sensibility, Law and Order: SVU, The Vampire Diaries-TV, The Vampire Diaries- Books, Justice League Unlimited, Smallville, Hawaii 5-0, Yugioh, Littlewood, Rise of the Guardians/Frozen, School 2013, Romance Is A Bonus Book, Aggretsuko, Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food, Teen Titans

Now for some fanfic recs for every day of the fest (disclaimer: I truly loved every single fic I read for the fest and if asked, I am more than happy to give out links to every single one of them)

Day 1: First Fandoms: Dedicated To... by MissHyperbole (MyScene Dolls, G, 1,173 words, Barbie/River)

"The bass player dedicated a song to me! But then we saw him giving his number to another girl."

Barbie and River have a moment at the 11c gig.

I adored this fic so much, it felt exactly like reading a MyScene webisode. The River/Barbie plotline was also my fave from the CD-ROM game and this just brought me back to that game quest with Barbie tying that red string around her finger and tracking down dog tags.

Day 2: Bookmark Day: The Poet's House by spacewitchbot (Romance Is A Bonus Book, E, 4,467 words, Cha Eunho/Kang Dani)

Cha Eun-ho slid a tiny piece of paper across the table to Dan-i. She unfolded it and read the note. “Marry me, Kang Dan-i,” he’d written.

She looked up at him with a smirk and shook her head, just enough for him to see. Nearly everyone had filed out of the room. He smiled and turned away, saying nothing more. But, he noticed as he glanced back, she hadn’t crumpled the paper. She folded the note neatly and tucked it in her notebook.

This fic felt so much like watching the drama. If you finished the drama and wanted to settle into the post canon world a bit before re-watching then this is the fic for you. The first chapter especially!! All of the Gyeroo employees together was just ahhh!!! so so so much like their interactions on screen

Day 3: Old Favorites: An Unexpected Attachment by umbrafix (Sense and Sensibility, G, 11,532 words, Colonel Brandon/Elinor Dashwood)

While Marianne was ill at Cleveland, Colonel Brandon was everything that was kind and attentive to Elinor.

Re-reading this fic (and commenting on it finally after reading it two years ago at least when I first finished S&S, eek!) reminded me of how much I loved Colonel Brandon and Elinor and how much I need more of them all the damn time. umbrafix's writing style pairs perfectly with Austen's and this fic was so good and scratched all the right places in my brain that if S&S had played out like this fic then maybe it would top Northanger Abbey as my fave Austen

Day 4: Fandom Curiosity: Dark But Just A Game by linnycarol (Succession, E, 3,952 words, Gerri Kellman/Roman "Romulus" Roy)

Gerri spends Fourth of July weekend with the Roy family and sparks fly between her and Roman.

This fic accomplished the goal of fandom curiosity and seeing Succession on my dash and making me finally want to watch the show. It was such a well done fic with spice and tenderness and realism. I can't wait to watch Succession, finish Succession, and then go back and read this fic with the knowledge of the canon

Day 5: Rec A Fic aka I Used This As A Free Day: party of one (party of none) by uncut (deadwine) (Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food, G, 540 words, Yoon Jinah)

Jinah searches for everything the day takes away from her in the night.

This fic was a treat for the senses. Every detail brought me into Jinah's world alongside her. It was an excellent character introspection that was so beautiful and poignant to read. If you have yet to watch Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food AKA Something In The Rain if you're searching for it on Netflix, I highly highly recommend reading this fic before watching because it captures Jinah's feelings at the start of the show so well.

[jaywalkers]

twenty questions for fic authors

i was tagged by @decaflondonfog! thank you, i loved reading all of your thoughts on your own writing so i'm vv excited to do this.

How many works do you have on AO3? 21 revealed, and then my super secret fic for the @aftgthenandnow fest (which people should totally go and check out if they haven't already)

What's your total AO3 word count? 443,022 words, which is horrifying and likely to hit 500,000 by the end of this year. lord have mercy

What fandoms do you write for? i'm currently very happy in my tfc shaped hole and have been for the last while but i do have some wips floating around for the likes of teen wolf (long live cringe) and mdzs still!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? these bad boys! total pick'n'mix of fandoms here a made thing [10k, sangcheng, T] sunset, like survival [86k, kandreil, E] postcard mouth [7k, matchablossom, G] the post-impact stage [3k, andreil, G] work song, crawl home [3k, sangcheng, G]

Do you respond to comments? Why/why not? in all honesty once i've written a fic it's out there in the world and i am absent from anything going forward of it. i dearly, dearly appreciate everyone who puts time into commenting because it truly is the thing i stick around fandom for, but i don't have the time or energy a lot of the time to reply effectively and to not just keep repeating thank you's!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? considering it uses the 'Bad Ending' tag, it'll have to be a room full of knives! it is canon-compliant though, so is the angst really my fault?

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? i feel like most of my fics have a somewhat happy ending, if not just a simple open-ended one, but i might say sunbreak for this because the ending of it is very joyful and there isn't much else left to say to hide the happiness.

Do you get hate on any fics? not really! i did get the worlds most insane comment on NOSTOS a couple years ago that was kind of horrible to read but it was anger at a character and not my fic lmao.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? i'd never written it until this year because it was on my writing goals list for the year! i can't really say what kind because i've only written a couple of scenes so i'm not sure where they sit in the grand scheme of things but i have written some!

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've ever written? not really! i am a big AU fan — the kandreil teen wolf au i wrote this year with the beloved and highly esteemed @dayurno is probably the craziest, but i have a kandrew 'gideon the ninth' au planned too! if we're talking actual crossovers, there was a hilarious in-joke au partially written in a group chat a couple of years ago that was a WOH and MDZS law firm au. xue yang owned jby's soul. wei wuxian had bitcoin. i have a customised t-shirt for it.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? yup! and it's the reason i put writing away for about four years when i was in high school because i was so demotivated to share my stuff.

Have you ever had a fic translated? i think there's two or three of my fics that i've given permission for russian translations! i don't think they've been finished though so it would be cool if that ever ends up happening!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? as stated earlier, i spent eight months in an echo-chamber with @dayurno in which we went into a mutual fugue state and came out with wet-eyed banshee kevin and his high school boyfriends. maybe one day we'll get to the twinyards sequel of it i do also have to shoutout @picturedframes who was half of the mastermind behind sunset, like survival, and has contributed an insane amount to other works like diachronic and all that looking down.

What's your all time favourite ship? don't ask me this,,,, it chops and changes from year to year! i think in favour of being nice to myself i'm going to just say percabeth — they're the OGs from day one and they still hold up in my heart

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? either my 'the old guard' wenzhou au, or the other installments of the nostos 'verse! i loved them dearly at the time and i do think they would be well worth writing still, but my interests have moved on fandom-wise slightly! maybe one day i'll revist them, but not any time soon i don't think.

What are your writing strengths? ohh. digging my teeth into a character, i think. i use fic as a way to kind of just write thesis' and loveletters and stories all at the same time, and i think i'm good at holding up a character and writing out what makes them tick! and maybe a weird one but fleshing out the wider world? i'm very proud of like, my background characters. describing people who take coffee orders and who are studying in the library too and who are one-line classmates.

What are your writing weaknesses? this time last year i would have said dialouge but i think i've gotten better at it this year! probably being too verbose. i think i have a tendency to get carried away with thoughts and descriptions and i think sometimes that means they lose their potency when i really need them! it's a goal for next year i think; learning how to pare back my writing and make it more effective.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? ahhhhhh aha ha ha aha . you're talking to the bitch who's current fic is all about kevin relearning gaeilge/irish so you bet there's a lot of dialogue in other languages in it! also diachronic and sunset, like survival both have a substantial amount of other languages: diachronic uses french, gaeilge, and japanese, while sls throws german into the mix!

First fandom you wrote for? the bible just kidding lmao though i did write stories when i was in catholic school with biblical characters. i think it was fairy tail!

Favourite fic you've written? noooooo don't make me answer this one. there's many different questions inside of that one question (what one i'm most proud of, what one i feel the most for, what one i had the most fun with), and i don't think there's one that works for them all. i think i'll say diachronic, maybe, for now. my first forway into the head of my beloved kevin day and certainly not the last.

i don't know who has/hasn't been tagged in this so it's an open invite, but i am going to tag @dayurno @sunriseinorbit @moondal514 @kamyska

[elskanellis]

Getting to know me

Thanks for tagging me @goblinmatriarch (her delightful answers are here)

Three ships: Drarry (HP), Maxiel (F1), Spirk (TOS)

First ship: the first time I was outraged that two characters did not get together in canon was Anne/Diana.

Last song: "Who Is It (Carry my joy the left, carry my pain on the right)," Björk

Last movie: Frankenstein (1931). With the 12yo, who enjoyed it, and whom we will be showing Young Frankenstein (1974) next.

Currently reading: Go Down Together by Jeff Guinn. I'm hip-deep in a Bonnie & Clyde / Barrow gang research-hole–slash-hyperfixation right now. The book is fine. If I had world enough and time, I would instead be reading the entire 948-page FBI file on the Barrow gang, made available online (thank you, FOIA). I paused Wolf Hall to pursue this avenue, and will shortly go back to it.

Last thing I wrote: this drarry microfic and my contribution to the HP Law of Attraction Fest.

Currently writing: anon fic for unnamed fest

Are you named after anyone? YES! My first name is after my mom's grandmother. My middle name I chose and is in honor of (among others) Emily Brontë.

Favourite subject in school: any foreign language.

Do you have kids? Two! (Only one of them can handle James Whale horror films. The other one is afraid of the Arthur version of The Tell-Tale Heart.)

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I used to, but then I found out that I was a really poor judge of .. I guess the trajectory of my sarcasm? Where it would land, basically. And what I'd hoped would be witty and suave might just as well be cruel in the end. I enjoy sarcasm in other people but rarely use it myself.

What sports do you play/have you played? As a child I joined a municipal soccer league and was literally laughed off the team.

What's the first thing you notice about people? Their.... mien, I guess? This question confuses me.

Any special talents: I can sing "Landslide" in front of other people without crying.

Where were you born? Kentucky, USA

What are your hobbies? Reading, writing and avoiding writing, knitting, tarot, looking at things and talking about them. Currently I'm learning about the Barrow Gang (as mentioned) and I just started studying Uzbek.

Height: Six feet even, 182.ish cm.

Dream job: [redacted] because it's my job now, just without any pressures of capitalism.

Tagging, if you'd like to do it and no pressure etc, @citrusses , @sweet-s0rr0w , @hmmihaventdecidedyet , and anyone else who wants to do this!

[xthelastknownsurvivorx]

fic stats

Thanks for the tag @historicallysam!

Rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

Most Hits: I Told You, I Don't Usually— (ORV)

Or, there was Ways Of Survival fanfiction. Kim Dokja read Ways Of Survival fanfiction. He reads it again. Then Yoo Joonghyuk catches him. All in all, it gets sappy then the rest of kimcom come home and the kids jump on Kim Dokja and everyone showers him in affection because it's what he deserves goddammit.

Second Most Kudos: Some Element of Mystery (RWRB)

Or, five times that Alex thought Henry was a stripper, plus one time Henry corrected him.

Third Most Comments: (also some element of mystery so instead second most comments) SNL | Season 45 Episode 2 | HRH Prince Henry & FSOTUS Alex Claremont-Diaz (RWRB)

Or, the fic in which I said bet and sent firstprince onto Saturday Night Live instead of having Alex go to London for a weekend.

Fourth Most Bookmarks: I Think, Perhaps, If It Helps, It Was, Er, Rather Inevitable (RWRB)

AKA the time Henry came literally tumbling out of the closet, as told by HRH Prince Henry of Wales himself

Fifth Most Words: Be My Last, Share My Every Breath (RWRB)

Alex gets lost in his head stressing over his workload for law school. Henry is there to pull him out of it. Distract him. Alex welcomes this particular kind of distraction

Least Words: Burn (They're Watching Us/I Hope That They) (RWRB, 295 words)

Or, a rewrite of the lyrics of "Burn" from Hamilton, set immediately after the email leak, told from Alex's pov.

Not all too surprising given that the data nerd in me enjoys keeping tabs on my stats but this was a lot of fun! Also I truly never expected the ORV fic to explode with both hits and kudos the way it has (especially since it's not even my main fandom). For any ORV enjoyers, I do have a long fic that I'm hoping to get back to after I finish my main WIP, plus a few short one shots for various fandom fests, so keep an eye out for that.

Tagging @celaestis, @cricketnationrise, @14carrotghoul, @myheartalivewrites, and anyone else who wants to jump in!

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #10 - August 28th - September 3rd

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from August 28 – September 3, 2022. Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Challenges/Prompts:

The following is a roundup of open challenges/prompts. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

The fic drive for reproductive rights is looking for authors to participate in their auction event. Learn more here.

Trope Soup: A Josh/Donna Tropes Fest is open for prompt submissions and claims. Fics will be revealed on September 24. Learn more here.

Big Block of Cheese Day announced its September prompts. Submit to the AO3 collection here. 

The September 20 prompts in 20 days are up on Tumblr.

 Photos/Videos:

May we all prosper in the Janel Employed Era! Here’s what was posted from August 28 - September 3.

Janel Moloney posted a photo of herself on set and announced she’s playing a cop in season 3 of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which premieres September 22. 

Richard Schiff posted pics of his wife and himself over the years for their 26th wedding anniversary. 

Marlee Matlin posted a number of photos on Instagram this week, but highlights include getting tattoos with her daughters and posting a selfie with her husband for their 29th wedding anniversary.

Donna Moss Daily: August 28 | August 29 | August 30 | August 31 | September 1 | September 2 | September 3 Daily Josh Lyman: August 28 | August 29 | August 30 | August 31 | September 1 | September 2 | September 3

No Context BWhit: August 28 | August 28 (2) | August 29 | August 30 | August 30 (2) | August 31 | August 31 (2) | September 1 | September 2

@JanelMilfoney: August 29 | August 29 (2) | August 30 | August 30 (2) | August 31 | August 31 (2) | September 1 | September 2 

Miscellaneous:

@JanelMilfoney tweeted a link to an archived transcript of Janel Moloney’s appearance on The View on June 17, 2002, and a highlight thread of quotes from the interview. 

Creator Spotlight:

Welcome to our weekly creator spotlight. Each week, we will talk to a fandom creator and ask them questions about their work and their process. We’ll also give you the opportunity to ask questions of them, too! Want to be a featured creator? Find us via one of the methods listed at the end of the briefing!

This week’s creator is @sinistercherubs, who both writes and makes edits! You can find the spotlight on tumblr or on twitter.

 Editor’s Choice:

Break out your PSLs and your best light academia looks, September is here! In honor of so many educators and students going back to school this week, we thought we’d share some of our favorite fics with back to school vibes: high school AUs, university AUs, law school AUs, professor AUs, sending the kids back to school fics… there’s SO MUCH in this realm and we know we missed a ton of amazing stuff, so we would LOVE for you to reblog/retweet with some of your favorite back to school fics that we missed!!! 

what if i told you, i feel like i know you? but we never met. by annmeredithperkins | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Donna Moss meets an unfamiliar face when she knocks on Sam Seaborn’s door for their English project. His name’s Josh Lyman and he’s good at bothering people. High school AU. 

boy quit foolin' around by sam_writes_fics | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | “I don’t follow.”

“It’s detention, Josh, you sit there quietly minding your own business until the bell rings, what did you expect?”

// met in detention au

sometimes it's like you grew up down the street by starsontheceiling | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Afterwards, he’ll say he did it without thinking and all their friends will laugh at him in disbelief, and he understands why but it’s still true. University AU. 

 I'd Go the Whole Wide World (Just to Find Him) by Lily_Padd_23 for supernatural_mondler (starzinoureyes) | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Josh meets a cute boy. Law School/Model UN.

Final Exams by shutterbug_12 (shutterbug) | Rated G | Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler, Ainsley Hayes, Amy Gardner | Complete | One-sentence glimpses of to-be-staffers as law students during finals week.

Professor Josh by cookme25 for JessBakesCakes | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | Josh's first day of school as a professor! Features Mama Lyman, Donna, and cute kiddos!

The Best Lesson by AndAllThatMishigas | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet, Leo McGarry/Annabeth Schott, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Will Bailey/Kate Harper, Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn  | Complete | Jed Bartlet leads a quiet life as an Economics professor, but everything is turned upside down when he meets Biology professor Abbey Barrington. Features the whole tww gang, though with quite a few twists thrown in. University AU. 

Office Hours by hufflepuffhermione | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | It doesn’t take Josh Lyman long to become one of the most storied professors in the history of Georgetown University.

 when i’m in my sweet daughter’s eyes (my heart is now ruined for the rest of all time) by JessBakesCakes | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | The first day of school in the Moss-Lyman family is, as seven-year-old Nora puts it, a big freakin’ deal. Josh has come to enjoy it as much as the girls do – watching them all take on another school year with (mostly) wonder and excitement fills him with pride.

// the Moss-Lyman family's first day of school

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own. If you are so inclined, please be sure to leave the authors some love in the form of kudos or comments. Be mindful of posted warnings/tags for each story.

Josh/Donna

it’s you and me (that’s my whole world) by hanyolo | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Healthcare Reform by hufflepuffhermione | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

And the world spins madly on by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

i hope this pain’s just passing through (but i doubt it) by sam_writes_fics | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

when i’m in my sweet daughter’s eyes (my heart is now ruined for the rest of all time) by JessBakesCakes | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

darling, so it goes (some things are meant to be) by mikaylawrites | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

no disorder but the heart's by fairwinds09 | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Jed/Abbey

The Weight We Carry Is Love by piratequeenofgreenthings | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Wait For Me by imperfectirises | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Holding Hands by Thedoctorsblogger | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

Sam/Josh

nothin' like you by sam_writes_fics | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete

Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail by Legends_Never_Die | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | In Progress

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

fudge sauce & other persuasions by Ashling for ElasticElla (Set It Up crossover) | Rated G | Ainsley Hayes/Kirsten (Set It Up) | Complete

to whom it may concern by rearviewmirror | Rated T | Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry | Complete

burnt toast, sunday by fleurfemme | Rated T | Amy Gardner/Donna Moss | Complete

Chosen Family by eowyn_of_rohan | Rated T | Josh Lyman, Sam Seaborn | In Progress

to feel you in my arms by rearviewmirror | Rated M | Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry  | Complete

i’m yours to keep by fleurfemme | Rated M | Amy Gardner/Donna Moss | Complete

Multiple Pairings

constants and variables by rearviewmirror | Rated T | Abbey Bartlet/Leo McGarry, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | Complete

the morning after by rearviewmirror | Rated M | Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | Complete

you're my achilles heel by flowersinapril (Newsroom crossover) | Rated M | Josh Lyman/MacKenzie McHale, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Paradise City by casliyn | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet, Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Amy Gardner/Josh Lyman, Helen Santos/Matt Santos | In Progress

The Girl from Madison by Shinyrosa | Rated T | Donna Moss/Sam Seaborn, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

i was seven (and you were nine) by jazzjo | Rated G | C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

turning in place by jazzjo | Rated G |  C. J. Cregg/Toby Ziegler, Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, C.J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt, C. J. Cregg/Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler | In Progress

There are no second acts in American lives (except when there are) by norahb | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Sam Seaborn/Original Male Character(s), Josh Lyman/Original Female Character(s) | In Progress

 THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com

 Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx, What’s next?

[theautumnisnoble]

we'll learn to swim in the oceans you made

After listening to Shirtsleeves by Ed Sheeran this scenario immediately came into mind, also heavily inspired by Jenn Im's pregnancy youtube video titled, "We're Pregnant!"

[Also a very big thank you to A (@solhwippedsubs on twt and holdoutandwin on ao3) for beta-reading this. I love you my solhwi fluff confidant!]

Word Count: 2k words

"Wake up!" Sol removes the comforter that was covering his husband's body and started shaking him. "Han Joon Hwi, ireona!"

"Mmm, Sol-ah. Why?" Joon Hwi covered his eyes with his arm to shield them from the rays of sunlight and wondered why the love of his life was forcing him out of their bed so early in the morning.

"Ireona! Jebal.." Joon Hwi immediately shot up as Sol's voice started to crack and he examined her face. Sol teared up and Joon Hwi noticed she was holding something tightly, stick close to snapping into half.

"Babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Joon Hwi held both of her arms and looked up at her.

Sol had been so emotional these days, well, more than she usually is. Sol always has been a passionate ball of fury, but Joon Hwi especially had it rough this week. He doesn't find Sol annoying or tiring for any of that matter, but he would wonder why Sol would suddenly cry or get mad at him for absolutely no reason, and if there was, then he avoided asking it as when he did that one time, Sol only got more mad at him. There was also yesterday when Joon Hwi sprayed on himself the perfume that Sol gifted to him on their wedding anniversary last April and Sol suddenly pinched her nose close and walked outside of their bedroom. And now, Sol was in tears, sobbing, at 7 am in the morning.

"Babe.. I'm starting to worry. What's wrong?"

"I told you to be careful!!!" Sol lightly punched his shoulder and bawled.

Joon Hwi raised his arm and wiped her tears using the sleeves of his sweater, pulling on the cloth with his fingers. "What did I do wrong? Calm down for a sec and tell me.."

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

"O-okay." Joon Hwi surrendered for a while and let Sol release all of her emotions. Moments later, her sobs started to simmer down and Joon Hwi opened his arms wide. "C'mere."

Sol bended down and let Joon Hwi's arms circle around her. Her lower body slowly went closer to him and then she sat on his lap, her shoulder against his chest. Joon Hwi wiped down the dampness on her face and caressed her arm. "Now, babe, talk to me, okay? I'm never gonna know what I did wrong if you won't tell me."

Sol faced him and tried to form intelligent words. "Well, you—"

"Hmm?"

"I'm—" Her mouth started to form into a pout and tears started fall again from her eyes. "Joon Hwi-ah." She released sobs again and buried her face into his neck. Joon Hwi sighed and patted her arm.

"Babe—"

"I'm pregnant."

Joon Hwi paused his movements and pulled his head back away, lightly pushing Sol by her shoulders, to let Sol face him. Sol's eyes wandered down to her left hand and Joon Hwi followed them, then he grabbed the stick from her hand.

It was a pregnancy test. Two red-dyed lines. Positive.

Joon Hwi faced Sol, his lips starting to form into a smile. "Babe—"

"I told you to be careful!!" Sol again whimpered, tears still falling.

"W-what? Is it because I—"

"Nevermind!" Sol wiped her tears in a rash way and breathed out to calm herself down. "I-it's actually not your fault." Sol now realized the irrationality of her internal reasoning.

Joon Hwi held back a chuckle and tucked a hair behind his wife's ear.

"Remember April?"

"When we shared a sloppy kiss under the rain?" Joon Hwi tried to lighten the mood by reminding her how they had to walk all the way to the bus stop under the heavy pouring rain, just right after they had their wedding anniversary date at a fine dining restaurant four months ago. It was a funny, but sweet memory.

"No! Before that, when I got diagnosed with PCOS."

"Aah."

It left Sol and Joon Hwi almost hopeless for a child when she was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. But Sol, even before that, was convinced she didn't need to have kids and that she was satisfied with her life with Joon Hwi, content that they'd be that couple with no children. They were already busy with their very time-demanding jobs and Sol— she convinced herself she wouldn't be competent with the whole mothering a child thing. But after knowing her condition, the question, "should I?" turned to "could I?". The condition that would possibly rob her of the choice eventually made her think about how it wouldn't be so bad, because Joon Hwi was there. So after the news of her condition, she decided on one thing.

"A-after that I got off birth control." Joon Hwi nodded and listened to Sol, who was still tearing up a bit, and he also wiped down those tears when he could.

"Then yesterday, when I realized I wasn't on my period yet, I got to read my period calculator and saw that I- I was 16 days late." Sol exhaled for courage.

"Then I bought the pregnancy test." Sol paused and looked at Joon Hwi, and her face looked like she was about to burst again. Her lips were shaking and her eyes were still crystal with tears ready to fall. She was scared.

"You can take it slow, I'll be here. I won't stop listening." Sol released a small smile, tidied her face and tucked in her stray hairs, preparing to tell Joon Hwi more while also now trying to relax herself.

"I didn't know if I should take it though. I mean, everything would change if I was pregnant. But I did wanna know, I wanted to be certain. And it said that I should use my morning pee for it so I waited until morning."

"But you hardly even slept.." Joon Hwi recalls her wife tossing and turning beside him, and then ultimately giving up trying to sleep then went downstairs. He bets on Sol reading up on her cases, which works as an alternative sleeping pill for her.

Ever since she was diagnosed with PCOS, Sol really took effort into having a more healthy lifestyle— like exchanging coffee for matcha, this among other things, and also trying to get some more sleep. So Joon Hwi knew that Sol would definitely try to catch up on sleep.

"I did, a bit." She smiled. "So, after that I took it just earlier. A-and I tested positive." Sol's emotions now returned to her and she closed her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed and tears started to fall again.

"I'm scared." She looked at him. "I don't know if I'm gonna be a good mother. I feel like I should be happy or something, but I'm just really scared." Sol now covered her face with both palms and cried, Joon Hwi pulled her in to embrace her.

"Babe.." He patted her back.

"What if I try my best, and our kid still doesn't love me?" That was it. Sol released another wave of sobs and her body shook against Joon Hwi's embrace.

Sol thought she wasn't ready. Even if it was her choice to get off birth control, she didn't think she would immediately become pregnant. After all, her doctor said it was now almost impossible to be. In her mind, pregnancy would change everything— from how much devotion she has to her work to maybe how her and Joon Hwi's relationship would change, and maybe for the worst. And she didn't like change, her idealistic plans for her future would need to be altered, and she also didn't like how it would most likely change their marriage. She couldn't have that, she couldn't live with a ruined marriage because she didn't want anything to change between Joon Hwi and her, and she also couldn't live with her child possibly having to live through all that. And what if he gets tired of taking care of me? And tons of other doubts and insecurities showered her.

Why does my mind do this? Sol asked herself. Why can't I just be excited? Joon Hwi is the father of this child. I'm sure he's disappointed in me right now.

Joon Hwi pulled away after she calmed down. He wiped her face, again with his already damp shirtsleeves. He placed short kisses on her wet cheeks and cupped her face. "Sol, I believe in you."

Sol melted and her lips turned into a pout, her face still showing fear and uncertainty.

"I'm with you, whatever your decision is. I will be always there for you as I always have. If you arrive to whichever decision, I will give you my opinion but at the end I will always support you. If you don't want to have the baby, I'll still be here. If you want to try and see it through the end, I will be happy and help you every step of the way. I'm your husband Sol-ah. I know you don't trust yourself that much yet, but trust in me. "

Sol put her arms around him and hugged him tight. "I love you Sol. We'll take it slow, step by step. I know you're panicking right now, but there's no rush. We'll do it together. You're never gonna be alone. I'll be there every single step of the way. And I'm sure our kid will love you. You were an amazing older sister to Byeol and you still are, she adores you so I'm sure our kid will, too."

"I love you Joon Hwi. I love you so much. I love you."

"You love me that much?"

Sol pulled away, annoyed. Joon Hwi released a chuckle.

"I love you too."

"You sure I can do it?" Sol asked. "Being a mom? What if I'm going to be too busy for it?"

"We can always ask Byeol to babysit. Or your mom, she has said she already wants a grandchild."

"You always know the solution to things don't you?" Sol rolled her eyes.

"That's why I'm the perfect husband to the ever worrier Eomma Sol."

"Eomma Sol?" Sol raised her voice, taken aback by the sudden nickname.

"And I'm Appa Joon Hwi. " Then Sol bursted out, laughing. Her tears were now drying on her cheeks and she was more relaxed now.

"See? It's cute." I just wanted to see you smile. Joon Hwi thought.

Sol pulled him into a hug again. "You better not regret being a father to our child, Han Joon Hwi-ssi."

Joon Hwi let himself fall into bed, taking down Sol with her. They both laughed and Joon Hwi pulled her into a kiss, tasting the bitterness and sadness of her tears. They made out, feeling at home and Sol, feeling assured and loved by the person in front of her. Joon Hwi kissed her, tasting the ocean, drowning in the one she made.

"I will never regret it. I will fulfill all the promises I made on our wedding day, to be by your side, To support you, to be a loving husband, to be always there to annoy you—" Sol laughed, remembering his one-liner during their exchange of wedding vows. "To always wake and sleep beside you whenever I can, and to never leave your side." They both smiled at each other and Joon Hwi placed a kiss on her forehead. They pull each other close, feeling each other's warmth. And Sol is now close to slumber, fatigued after her nonstop crying.

"I'll be the happiest father to our child. Of course I will, you're the mother, after all."

[lawschoolnet]

Law School Fic Fest Bingo Challenge

(Please read till the end carefully)

There will be two Bingo Cards available for the Law School Fic Fest: One SFW card and one Spicy card (18+). The SFW version is exclusive to SolHwi (Sorry). Each bingo card is of 5 x 5 dimensions, with 25 boxes. Each box will contain one prompt. In total, one card will have 25 prompts. 

How to participate: 

It is pretty simple. To participate, you will have to write fics using the prompts in the bingo card. and post them on Tumblr.

What are the rules:

You have to download the image of the bingo card that will be posted on this page.

You have a pick a prompt you like from the bingo card and write a fic using it. Oneshots are preferable for this challenge.

Once you have written a fic using the prompt, you have to cross out the box that contained the prompt. You can use more than one prompt in a fic. In that case, cross out the boxes of all the prompts used for that fic.

The fics from these prompts are to be posted on tumblr (at least until the end of the Law School Fic Fest) 

A prompt can only be crossed off once you post the fic you have written using that specific prompt on tumblr.

Please remember to post the image of the bingo card with a cross mark on the prompt you have used with its respective accompanying fic.

A prompt that you have already used for a fic and crossed off in the bingo card cannot be used by you again for the another fic in the challenge. 

You repeat steps 2 to 7 with the next prompt you wish to write till you achieve a bingo.

To win the challenge, you have to achieve a Bingo. To do so a participant must have to cross off five consecutive boxes on the bingo card either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. 

On achieving a bingo, you have to use the tag #Law School Bingo: Verdict on the final fic.

PLEASE INTERACT WITH THE SPICY CARD ONLY IF YOU ARE AN ADULT. THAT IS AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD.

Do not plagiarize 

At the end of Law School Fic fest, participants who manage to complete the challenge and achieve a Bingo will be featured on ‘the law school network’ Tumblr page. 

Tags that participants have to use: 

#law school bingo

#law school bingo: prompt name

#law school fic fest

#law school month

On achieving a bingo: #law school bingo: verdict

Very Important: Mature content writers will have tag their fics with appropriate tags like #mature #minors dni #smut. #tw: smut  and warnings like spicy content ahead, minors do not interact, mature ratings etc. Keep spicy fics under the cut is the mantra.

If your fics have any triggers that you know of, please tag them appropriately and give warnings, for example: mentions of suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, blood/injury to name few.

Some notes:

You can continue writing using the card even if you achieve a bingo. The goal is to have fun.

Do not be disheartened if you don’t manage to achieve a bingo. Even if you write one fic using the card, you are very welcome with open arms.

Feel free to post your own fics on ao3 after the fic fest is over.

Even if you wish to use the prompts on the card after the fic fest is over, please feel free to do so.  

Finally I would like to invite new authors, people who have never written and/or posted before to give the bingo a try. Bingo prompts are generic enough. Have fun! 

Please reach out to the mods with any query you have.