#skulduggery pleasant fic

[neitherthehoneynorthebee]

In an effort to re-engage with writing oneshots, and to give myself a writing challenge, I've been bouncing around ideas of SP stories within specific genres. If you'd like to indicate which you'd prefer please do (after reading descriptions of each under the cut!!!).

I've already written a tragedy/thriller-adjacent oneshot "Endings", a dystopia "Don't Hope For Things Elsewhere", many AUs. But I'm thinking about leaning much more into genres I don't necessarily usually write, such as:

Erskine/Hopeless queer-platonic asexual romance oneshot, set before first war with Mevolent begins. Some degree of coming of age, and coming to terms with identity and definitions of love and attraction and partnership. Probably very sentimental and intimate without going beyond T rating, and while centring an asexual perspective and experience.

Ghastly-pov horror. Set right after Skulduggery murdered, before Skulduggery officially returns. Something psychological and about grief and death and disconnection and mental illness (experience of it but not demonised ofc). Probably would take longer to write this due to the sensitive topic.

Anton Shudder Horror fic: about experience of living with Gist, body-horror (probably).

Comedy AU. Slice of life, Dead Men collectively raising Saracen's child Arnold and associated shenanigans.

Maybe a Mystery? This is the one I'm least confident about, so I'd probably set it up as a mystery and then subvert it somewhere or another. This one would be Dead Men centric, maybe even Skulduggery doing his detective work. It wouldn't take itself very seriously.

[a-collection-of-cool-ideas]

Thank you wonderful fanfiction authors! You do a great part to make life wonderful. Recs below the cut (I CANNOT believe I haven't rec'ed some of these before!) Previous recs: 2018, 2020, 2022. Looks like I only do these every two years lol.

Gravity Falls

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, by @dubsdeedubs / WDW; complete multichapter. A heartbreaking concept with a happy ending. Sad but wonderful and a really fun idea. Working out just what is happening is a great challenge, and watching the pieces fall into place with mounting consternation is awesome.

In Search of Antidotes, by @astriiformes / azhdarchidaen; complete multichapter. An awesome Historical AU, and neither Ford nor Stan go through the portal (there’s still suffering though). Bit of freakiness, bit of funniness, bit of stubbornness, bit of coolness. A very cool read! A much more classic demon-possession story than canon with its modern sci-fi overtones. The gothic sci-fi horror takes the floor here. Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein, Dracula, it takes inspiration from all the best roots!

Just a Game, by @nikxation / nikxation; one-shot. Intense! High stakes! Well-written! Doesn’t mess around getting to the point, and hammers its beats into you! LOVE it! Bill holds a gun on Ford, while in Ford's own body. The tension in this is unbelievable!

An Outreached Hand, by @dubsdeedubs / WDW; incomplete multichapter. Something freakishly supernatural happened to Stan during his homeless days. It’s called Ghost Trick AU, and it’s super interesting and utterly engaging! It’ll have you tearing through it wanting to know what the heck is going on! The characters are all so intense in their own ways, and the plot is drip fed to you piece by delicious piece.

Snapshots from an Alternate Reality, by Rethira; one-shot. PORTAL STAN!! Just a short little one-shot about this alternate version of events, but incredibly cool to read. Love the writing style: it takes you through the scenes like a skipping stone, its wake mesmerising.

All Things Go, by @cantica10 / Cantica10; incomplete multichapter. A weird (in the best way) idea of a crossover between Timestuck AU (where Mabel is trapped in the past) and a Wings AU (where, you guessed it, everyone has wings). Adorable Stan and Mabel bonding, but is SO not afraid to get really dark. That being said, it’s also so sweet and fluffy, and explores the effortless love that Mabel feels for Stan, and that (broken, scared, young, sad) Stan feels for her. This is one of those fics I am compelled to keep coming back to. It’s such a full experience to read.

Snow and Pine, by @ancientstone / TheArchaeologist; incomplete series. A great concept!! Loved the idea of these two brothers being forced together by circumstances instead of intention. Some great selective description here, and the plot itself is a very fun ride. WERE. WOLF. STAN. Need I say more?

Lighthouse Keeper, by @impishnature / impish_nature; incomplete series. There’s a lot to this story; the main work is mostly a series of one-shots, with other works sprinkled between. The idea is so eerie and haunting, and the vibes are pretty different to most other things I’ve read. The instigating artwork by @sightkeeper is magnificent and Imp has managed to capture the images very well!

Triptych, by @scribefindegil / scribefindegil; one-shot. A very cool character study on Stan. Great for informing his central motivations. It's kept short and sweet, but the analysis is no less thorough for it. I loved the insight into my favourite character's life and mind. Scribe writes him so well.

Blind Faith, by pinesinthewoods; complete multichapter. Come on, how could I NOT mention this one? It's one of the many here I'm astonished not to have rec'ed earlier. Super dark, super scary, an AU where both Stan and Ford fall into the portal. Ouch, but cool. Really good, but be prepared to yell out loud in horror. This is a doozy, don’t expect a lot of happy feels going into it. That being said, it is INCREDIBLE. The structure of the story is fantastic, perfectly encapsulating the reliance each of the brothers’ needs to have on the other and how one has to step up when the other can’t. Stan and Ford are forcibly tied together in this, and they find they each mean more to the other than expected after ten years of bitterness and radio silence. A STAPLE of Gravity Falls fics.

Like They Were a Perfect Fit, by @sensitiveowl / hapful; one-shot. Aw, ow, cries. Love! Lots of tangled-up emotions and scenes that will tug at your heartstrings thinking about Ford’s life journey. Speculations on the importance of the photo that Ford is implied to have carried around with him for 30 damn years.

30 Seconds Later, by @invisibletinkerer / shayera; incomplete multichapter. Loved this to death! A really great concept executed fantastically. An AU where while it took Stan thirty years to rebuild the portal, Ford was only gone for thirty seconds. The characterisation of paranoid Ford and his interactions with the rest of his family are perfect, as is his reaction to finding himself in the future and his relationship to Stan. And Stan is wonderful in this too! A very good examination of age, aging, and the associated changes in perspective.

1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back, by @infriga / Ppleater; complete multichapter. An AU where Stan is turned into a kid in the midst of Ford’s pre-portal paranoia over Bill. It adopts the wonder and innocence that comes with youth, but still retains the darkness of Stan’s adulthood - wait, actually, his entire life has been kinda dark in this fic. This is one of those fics you can tell the author had a lot of fun with. It’s palpable in the chapter titles and the art :) The illustrations are beautiful, the story is heartfelt, and it is not at all afraid to go into some dark places. A very enjoyable, loveable, read!

The Road in Front of You, by @nicnacsnonsense / Nicnac; complete multichapter. Ford falls through a portal potty and gets dumped in Stan's path. MAN!!! This fic has a really great concept, and Nicnac’s writing is impeccable as always. A great look at Ford and Stan’s relationship post-high school, how their personalities have developed and changed, and most importantly how they reconcile the changes in each other.

Nothing a Little Sleep Can’t Fix, by AkitaFallow; one-shot. Oh MAN. WOW. Okay. A heavier look on the mark Sock Opera leaves on Dipper, featuring repercussions throughout the rest of Dipper’s summer. Absolutely, heartbreakingly, entrancing. The slow build up of the plot perfectly mimics the rising emotions that poor Dipper is struggling to keep a lid on until they inevitably explode, and watching the people who love him pick up his pieces afterwards is just golden.

Ad Infinitum, by @nicnacsnonsense / Nicnac; one-shot. My first read of the Same Coin Theory and it was awesooooooooome!!! There are so many repetitions of phrases that spark in my mind because of how great they were, and the aspects of Stan contrasted with Bill that thread through it are incredible. Kind of an unsettling concept. I couldn’t get enough. For a fic that’s all about cycling around, you'd think it'd get repetitive, but every paragraph is rich with novelty. A FEAST.

Some Sunny Day, by @anistarrose / anistarrose; complete multichapter. Another Same Coin Theory fic. The beats of the plot in this are stunning, with some truly awesome lines that left me reeling and thinking Oh SHIT that did NOT just happen!!! In the best way possible. A highly interesting story and some excellent takes on the Pines family and the world of Gravity Falls.

Towards the Sun, by @notthistimespock and pinesinthewoods; complete multichapter. EXTREME BROTHERLY FEELS. Incredible! Love the in-depth examination and speculation on Ford and Stan prefinale. A different ending for Weirdmageddon, following Ford’s journey through Stan’s mind. It gets sad, it gets scary, it gets freaky, you shed tears. Another one of those staple fics for the fandom. The story is a wild and heartrending adventure, full of imagery that stuck in my brain for years after the first time I read it.

Fisherman’s Knot, by @scribefindegil / scribefindegil; complete multichapter. MORE EXTREME BROTHERLY FEELS. Deals with postcanon adventures on the Stan’O’War II, including some reeeaaaally bad mental states/situations. Have tissues handy. I think this is generally regarded as the be-all-and-end-all of Stan twin angst. It is long, it is HEAVY, but it is also heartwarming and hopeful, and full of adventure and magic, and the kind of love it's made with really comes through.

Mob Boss Stan Pines, by Capricious_Passions; complete multichapter. A fic that you HAVE to read over again to get the complete picture. Complex and well-thought out, incredible attention to detail, but the first read will baffle you! A lot of fun trying to figure out what’s happening, and even more fun on the re-read picking up all the details you missed the first time!

Scrapbook, by Shyeye; complete multichapter. The complicated weight of grief hangs heavy over everyone in the story, and the difficulties in dealing with it are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. The depth each of these characters are written with is very much appreciated, not-so-pretty parts and all. This was a wonderful, touching, read.

Rescind, Reset, by @endae / endae; one-shot. Canon divergence where Mabel temporarily lost her life during Weirdmageddon, and the aftereffects on her and the rest of the family. It is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read, very emotionally raw. I cry every time. This incredible story is wrought with a filter of broken hearts being pieced back together as the characters live through the aftermath of their happy ending. It’s a shining, nuanced take on Mabel and how someone with her personality deals with the plot premise. I love the complexity of the emotions in this, not only from Mabel but also from the rest of the Pines as they work through their own traumas.

Safe as Houses, by @beastenraged / Beastrage; complete multichapter. If I could whistle I would! An entrancing read about the Pines family’s adventures from the perspective of their home. Some great and not too far-fetched ideas about how the Shack may have come across to its inhabitants over the years.

Greyscale, by @impishnature / impish_nature; one-shot. OH MY LORD. Incredibly touching and heartbreaking, I can’t look at this directly for fear of being emotionally blinded. Loss, and gain, and loss. Striking, powerful, so, so beautiful and painful. The aftermath of Weirdmageddon: another canon divergence where Stan lost his life. Except... Reverse Portal AU Stan stumbles across this sad dimension soon after. I swear, no fic has made me cry so hard and left me so much in shock of what the heck just happened to me. I love the look at how loss has affected the characters, and I especially love the path to recovery that is laid out for them.

Buying Gold, by @dubsdeedubs / WDW; incomplete series. Veeeery intriguing. It’s not really Same Coin Theory, but it’s a great read about the similarities between Stan and Bill and some cool speculation on Stan post-defeating Bill.

Any Family You Choose, by @nicnacsnonsense / Nicnac; incomplete multichapter. So sweet! Portal Dipper finds a young Stan Pines and decides to help him out. This concept is so wonderful, and the characterisation is blindingly clear. Keeps you guessing at the backstory!

Across the Universe, by Queen_Mab; one-shot. SUCH a great set of adventures. The multiverse really tries to hammer in its lessons sometimes, whether they stand a chance of sticking or not. Extremely well-written and fun, I devoured every word ravenously. Some scenes of Ford's portal time, with some VERY interesting encounters.

Star Wars

Anything Brighter than Even the Sun, by @hamliet / Hamliet; complete multichapter. The Rogue One crew survives and continues rebelling, as does Galen! The main focus is on Jyn and Cassian's characters and relationship, and how they navigate growing into a family. I love Jyn's character especially in this, with all those hard edges guarding a deep, deep well of passion.

Chirality, by @niobiumao3 / Niobium; complete multichapter. A Tech was CX-2 fic! It's great to see this fan theory explored, and Niobium writes so well! The plot is entrancing and has you hooked on the edge of your seat waiting for all the pieces to fall into place for our poor brainwashed guy. The way CX-2 thinks and melds with the personality of who Tech once was is beautiful and his interactions with his family and Phee are a sight to behold.

Crash Landing by @returnofahsoka / delightwrites; complete multichapter. Another Tech is CX-2 fic, can you tell this idea has a hold of me. The characters' voices in this come through SO clearly, it's insane, and the writing style is perfection. Jumbled and pained and confused and grieving, all threaded through with that little bit of hope. Wonderful.

I'll Keep You Safe (You Keep Me Strong), by @miadeardn / sheikahs; oneshot. An AU where Crosshair's chip never activates and he is as embroiled in adjusting to being on the run with a new little sister as the rest of the Batch. Just a sweet little moment between the two. Both of them are written very in-character, and it's great seeing a side of Crosshair that never came to regard his brothers as his enemies.

Talking in Defence, by @buskuta / buskuta; oneshot. An awesome look at all of Hunter's complicated feelings regarding Omega and Crosshair's relationship post-Tantiss. He's not a paragon of perfection, he's human. I can't emphasise enough how much I love this and how well he's written here.

Unyielding, by Face_of_Poe; complete multichapter. The scene immediately post-reunion between Omega, Hunter, and Wrecker, with some speculation on Crosshair's internal strife at that moment. There's a chapter for each of the remaining Batch and Wrecker's is EXCEEDINGLY well-written in my opinion. We don't get nearly enough exploration in canon or fanon about the depth of his thoughts and feelings.

Plan 100, by Face_of_Poe; complete multichapter. An awesome canon-divergence speculating on Omega and Crosshair's escape from Tantiss. The action is great, the strategy and coded communication is so sharp, and the feeling of desperation as Omega and Crosshair fight to evade recapture is fantastically taut. I especially love the small moments in this showing just how close these two have grown, and, in Crosshair's case, how little he's realised it happening. It feels very true to their characters.

Through Darkness Unknown, by @stardustandash / StardustAndAsh; complete multichapter. Holy shit the stakes are so high in this. A Tech Lives canon divergence of Omega and Crosshair's stay in Tantiss, and you can really FEEL just how helpless they all are to Hemlock's control. I absolutely love how this fic does not pull its punches, really forcing Crosshair and Omega into relying heavily on each other. There's so many great scenes in this that are seared into my brain!!

Ask Yourself, by StoneSage; complete multichapter. Omega is captured by the Empire while Crosshair's still working for them. I freaking love the complicated messiness of Crosshair's response to this- he's constantly challenged to act on the callous persona he projects, and constantly comes up short realising what he's actually willing to do to his family when it comes down to it. Very true to his character, and the quandaries Rampart presents him with a subtly terrifying. A fantastic examination of character and a great plot to go with it.

The Space in Between, by Misvet; incomplete multichapter. A series of stories focusing on the complications and dangers involved with Omega joining the Bad Batch. The writing style is great, the plots are great, the characters are great! It's all great! Just read it!

Maybe Fate Has Different Plans, by hanged_albatross; complete series. God I love this so much. Some incredibly touching and well-written moments of the Bad Batch protecting each other in a dangerous galaxy, with Omega, of course, at the centre. She is characterised so well in this, and constantly written with the idea of despite being so young, she is also no less protective of her brothers than they are of her.

Modern Batch, by kaydear; incomplete series. DUUUUDES just read this. It's such a sweet collection of stories about an alternate universe of the Bad Batch in a contemporary setting. Life is tough and complicated and full of pain, but also there are others right beside you to lean on when you need it, and so life is also full of love. I have cried multiple times while reading and re-reading this.

Skulduggery Pleasant

I Will Lay Me Down, by mcginnis; oneshot. This is perfection. A rewrite of the aftermath of the Lord Vile reveal in Death Bringer. I wish this was canon. Valkyrie and Skulduggery are PERFECTLY characterised in this scene, and the nitty-gritty of how they're both feeling is thoroughly explored and explained, and the tone of the story never once diverges from canon's- it is complicated, dark, and interspersed with ridiculous levity.

Pride and Prejudice

A New Addition, by @ralkana / Ralkana; oneshot. A great fic about Elizabeth and Darcy and childbirth, various moments in this are imprinted in my mind permanently. High emotions all over the place, incredible tension and wonderful dynamics between the two main characters and the rest of the family.

Mr Bennet Travels Through Time, by AMarguerite; oneshot. A truly great fic with a wild concept that totally works. Mr Bennet is actually from the 1990s. Weird and funny, but also touching and sad, and goes leagues towards explaining a lot of this man's quirks and contradictions. I was fully invested in this all the way through reading, and it did not disappoint. Utterly satisfying.

Once Upon a Time

The Worst, by @alchemistc / alchemistique; oneshot. The real-life dynamics of these ridiculous fairytale people had me grinning ear to ear. The mortifying ordeal of your family of fictitious characters helping you move into your college dorm as told from Henry's perspective. Love it to death.

[whimsylueur]

I’ve never drawn so mutherfuckin quick

[silverior968]

It's still just a sketch (admittedly a very detailed one), and it's also technically spoilers, but here's some art related to the TFP/Skulduggery Pleasant AU Fic I've been working on. I really like it when fictional characters come with themes that can be easily turned into visual symbolism of their tragic flaws.

[Image ID: A digital sketch of a person with long hair running with a scythe in their hands, wearing a tailcoat. Their other arm halfway covers their face, mimicking "The Fallen Angel" by Alexandre Cabanel. They're also wearing boots. The background is the front half of a huge great pyrenees dog leaping with the person, teeth bared and covered in blood. The dog has an anti-wolf collar on their neck that is covered in blood from presumably wolves. / End ID]

[billygaysanguine]

i need to do homework but the urge to write transgender fanfic is strong

[bubblemoon66]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my poll. Enough people said they were interested for the fix exchange, which means...

Sign-ups for this year’s Skulduggery Pleasant Fic Exchange are now open! 

If you've participated before, feel free to head straight to the sign up page. Sign-ups close at the end of August, so make sure you fill in the sign-up form before then! Please let me know if you’re interested in signing up for a pinch-hit too.

If you're new to the fic exchange or just want a refresher, read on:

What is it?

A fic exchange is an event where you write a fanfiction for someone else and in return you’ll get a fanfiction written just for you. It’s basically a fandom Secret Santa.

For this particular exchange, you get to request 3-5 fanfics. A writer assigned to you will then pick one of these requests to fill. In return, you’ll be expected to write a fic that is at least 1000 words long based on someone else’s requests. As this is a Skulduggery Pleasant fic exchange all requests and fills must be related to the books in some way.

More information is available on the Rules and FAQ pages.

How exactly does it work?

Fill in this sign-up form before August 31st. This is where you list your requests and state what you will and won’t write.

You’ll then be matched with your recipient. You’ll receive 3-5 requests detailing what they’d like you to write. You get to choose which of these requests you fill.

Then it’s time to write! You get three months to finish your fic. Completed fics should be at least 1000 words in length, but can be longer if you wish. It should be based on your recipient’s requests.

Once you’ve written your fic, you need to submit it to the group. More info on how to do this will be given at a later date. All fics must be submitted by December 1st

On December 31st all the fanfics will be revealed. You’ll receive your gifted fic and your recipient will receive the fic you wrote them. 

How do I sign up?

You’ll need an AO3 account to sign up. If you don’t already an account you can request one via this link. You can also message @bubblemoon66​ for an invite code if you don’t want to wait for AO3 to send one out.  

Once you’ve logged into AO3, fill in this form. There are two sections:

The first part is the request section. Requests are the fics you’d like someone else to write for you. You will have to make between 3 and 5 requests. At least one of these must be ship-free. Writers are allowed to choose which of your requests they’ll write.

The second part of the form is the offer section. This is where you say what you are and aren’t willing to write. I encourage participants to include as much information as possible in this section. E.G. It’s worth making a note of whether you’re underage, up to date with the latest books or uncomfortable writing other people’s fan characters.

Further instructions can be found on the form itself but if you need any help filling it in please message @bubblemoon66​.

Is there anything I can do to help?

If you’d like to help, you can sign up to be a “pinch-hitter”. Pitch-hitters are people who agree to fill in for someone who drops out the last moment. It means writing two (or more) fics in exchange for just one. Pinch-hitters will have different deadlines and word limits to everyone else. If you’re interested in becoming one or want to know more please contact @bubblemoon66​.

You can also help be reblogging this post and telling your fandom friends to sign-up for the exchange.

[meltdownchromium]

I can't believe it's been over a year since I've last drawn these two fuckheads??? Anyway I made the sketch for this in the very beginning of 2023 and somehow only now got that final burst of motivation to finish it, safe to say the brainrot is far from over, it's only been on a slight hiatus..

ALSO I could swear this is somehow based on a quote but my original draft for it was lost to the death of my last phone (along with so many other things rip)

[phantomchick]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

Been a while since I did one of these but eh.

Skulduggery Pleasant

And The Darkness Rained Upon Them by MaidOfDarkness

It's a Skulduggery Pleasant time travel fix it. There are Skulduggery Pleasant fanfics? You may well ask. There are. Congratulations. This one's particularly good and I love time travel fix its so it really hits all my buttons at once.

You'll take care of it, alright? by JinxAnn

Valkyrie (13) got sick during a mission with Skulduggery, so he drops her off at his place. Leaving it to his friends to look after her, while he's working and probably just avoiding a situation he's not comfortable with. Meanwhile each of the dead men adds to the chaos, until one of them decides to save them all.

BNHA

The Democratic Republic of One for All by featherlessquill (CinnamonScribbles)

It's decided then, says First. I'm transferring the quirk. For the record, this is a terrible idea. Third slumps back in his seat. There's an abrupt shift in perspective, and now they're back on the rooftop with the kid. I hate democracy. This from Eigth's shadow. Or. The vestiges democratically elect the next One for All user. They do not inform All Might of their decision.

Star Wars

Biting His Own Tale by ADragonsFriend

Darth Vader time travel fix it to his prequel era body. I love how it handles the symptoms of his trauma from outsider perspectives. I love how redemptive it is, like it satisfies all those cravings for Darth Vader to put in the work to earn his redemption, earn peace for the galaxy he helped oppress. In the movies it makes sense that it's Luke who puts in the work because his father's already so lost in the darkness, but here we see an Anakin whose found his way back to the light thanks to Luke getting through to him (so that effort wasn't for nothing) while also getting Darth Vader vs The War That Ruined His Life/The World.

Not a Karking Jedi by 786

" You killed Jedi ! " " They tried to take my baby daughter " " Great power in the Force, you and your children have " " And they will not join your order of slavers, they will not have their freedom to feel emotion and have families stripped " " We do not enslave !. Your children will make great additions to the Order " " Do I get to be in their lives ? " " Attachment is forbidden ! " " And your presence is forbidden near MY children

DC Comics

dead man's party by TheResurrectionist

This fics a long time fave. Jason can see ghosts, a typical trope but taken to the fantastic extreme with how it handles Martha his jewish grandmother haunting him and explicates on all the ways that could effect him and his life. I especially loved the moments when mannerisms he's absorbed from being around her give Bruce and Alfred the grief/nostalgia. The latest update was hilarious.

Naruto

The New Recruit by butter_peanut

He looked like a particularly stupid civilian. He looked like a sharp burst of wind would blow him over. He looked like he’d answered their advertisement thinking the Akatsuki was a cat appreciation society. “Are you kidding?” said Hidan, voicing what everyone was thinking. “This guy is supposed to replace Sasori and Deidara?” “Sukea is qualified,” Pein said in a tone that brooked no arguments. “And will be paired with Tobi.”

Kagura by lulu_lisbon

It's a naruto self-insert but the mc is legitimately such a freak. And not in a crack way. Compelling. Wish there were 20 more chapters so I could more fully hurl myself into the abyss of her personality.

The Sage Who Leapt Through Time by SarthakBikramPanta

Naruto time travel fix it with spirit world/youkai content for flavour. I don't dig the main ship but the plot itself is fantastic and I really like the writing.

tired to his very bones by cheshire_carroll

“You killed Izuna!” Madara snarls, as if Izuna’s death is a heinous, unspeakable crime, instead of just another one of the countless casualties of war. Usually, Tobirama would remain icily silent on this matter– he may be an “ice-cold bastard” at the best of times, but he does possess enough heart to be kind, even to his once-enemies. Usually, he is functioning on more sleep.

Understanding Does Not Presage Peace by Karmic Acumen (Karmic_Acumen)

One of my current favourite reads. Follows the story of a self-insert who's reincarnated as a normal Konoha civilian whose family was killed by the kyuubi. Lore! Fantasy Science! Entertaining dialogue! A banger of a title that gets more apt the farther you are into the fic. Definitely recommend.

Hear the Silence by EmptySurface

I went from being someone who never read self-inserts and assumed they were all badly written/written for the author not the audience as a rule, to someone who reads my fair share of them and this fic is definitely a significant reason why. Kyo is an assassin with a poison specialty and she's a great character in her own right, seeing her live and grow is so fun and interesting. Really well written. I love reading this fic.

Death Note

Back Again by Brenna1918

Time travel fix it with L/Light as the ship. On the one level this fic sucks because Kira keeps being justified in-fic and I absolutely do not believe in the death penalty, whether as a cautionary thing to make people 'too afraid' to commit serious crimes or as a punishment, especially to the level it's used in Japan. The justice system will invariably punish those from impoverished or under-privileged backgrounds more often and more severely than the reverse, similarly Kira's justice fails to take into account societal pressures that underpin high crime rates; and dismisses the value and necessity of reformative justice despite the fact light himself is reforming himself somewhat from what he was. On the other hand this fic is so fun! It's well written, it's silly, it brings back the vibes of the original death note and respects the side characters while not being afraid to deviate drastically. Also the L/Light ship writing is A++++ content, it's so funny and lovely. This is a fantastic romance centred time travel fix it so far. Very entertaining read.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

i'll come crashing by ohmygodwhy

A:TLA au. Zuko and his boyfriend Jet (derogatory) spend 45k doing a mating dance around each other's identities and psychological issues. I am obsessed with this fic but in like, an unhealthy way, I shouldn't be reading this. But I'm gonna. Summary: Li's scar is suddenly all Jet can think about. The scar, the scar, the old man’s hot hands warming his tea like he thought he could get away with firebending in the middle of a crowd. or: After getting to know Li on the ferry, Jet sees Mushi heat his tea. Instead of assuming Li is also a firebender, Jet assess the situation and comes to a rather different conclusion.

One Piece

see hope rise with the tide by Origamidragons

“If you’re looking for Arlong, he’s inside,” she says, pointing at the monstrous building. Jinbe doesn’t look away from her, from the bruise over her eye. She can’t be older than thirteen or fourteen. Her fingers are worn red and raw. As he watches, a drop of blood drips to the ground. A girl, with reddish hair and exhausted eyes and a ragged, forced smile, and it’s Koala but it’s not. (Jinbe goes to check in on his brother, and finds some things that need to be set right.)

This Bites! by Xomniac

One piece self insert. I was giving this a reread. It's a bit too punch and judy in the humour sometimes for my tastes but this is a fantastic and very creative fic. I love how it explores how different things could've gone for certain crew-mates with the right encouragement and I love how it handles Cross (the mc)'s knowledge of the future and how he can use it to benefit the crew without spoiling the sense of adventure. It's a very epic read and lots of cool events happen. Plot-driven with a lot of respect for Oda's world-building. The way it handles the female characters (with the exception of granny kokoro who absolutely did not deserve to be body-shamed no matter her age and whose treatment upset me a lot actually) is also nice if not perfect, they all get stronger in a believable way and don't get perved on as much. Their character growth is really great. And I also like how it handles fight scenes, which are very easy to imagine clearly based on the descriptions. A very cool fic. I crave the sequel.

MARVEL

Choking on Sunlight by issuedSideways

Tony Stark centric. Platonic Hanahaki. Hanahaki Disease was distinctive enough that even Tony could recognize it. He’d heard of it, he just hadn’t ever thought it could happen to him. It was the sort of thing he associated with lovesick melodrama, more fitting for a cheesy telenovela plot than real life. At sixteen, he felt far too old for that sort of thing. And more importantly, he wasn’t in love with anyone.

tempo(ral) by dakhtar

Tony Stark's last memory is of the sceptre touching his chest, the alien metal clinking delicately against the glass surface of his arc reactor, and Loki's triumphant face. His next memory is waking up in Siberia, bruised and confused, with FRIDAY apparently his AI and Rhodey - Rhodey! - in a wheelchair. (The sceptre does nothing. Except it does everything. Tony Stark's eyes turn blue, but only until he flies a nuke through a portal. And then--)

[agerefandom]

Regressor!Erskine Ravel Headcanons

for an anon, with love

Erskine seems easy to read as an adult: gracious, easy-going, thoughtful, ready to listen

his fellow Dead Men know that there is a deep rift of trauma under that smile, but that draws them closer: most of them share that particular coping strategy, after all

as a regressor, Erskine is all but unreadable

he just Stares at the people around him, almost never speaking, moving slowly and almost silently

he somehow hooks into people's 'poor baby' instincts more than any of the other regressors on the team: something about that wide stare, everyone is powerless against it

what baby!Erskine wants, baby!Erskine gets, and no one can put their finger on how exactly he communicates when he's not speaking, but they just know

he's a very sensory kiddo, running hands over different kinds of grass and moss, touching the beards and hair of the people around him, tugging their hands closer to bite down on their fingers

after his capture, Erskine is left in regression for a long time, and that's when the Children of the Spider nurse him back to health

he finds comfort in their clinging webs, in their cold hands and rustling movements

he never quite comes back from the events of that year, and his regression changes as a result: more drawn to pressure and blankets and darkness, hiding from the sun when he's small

[sunshinerotting]

if u put skulduggery pleasant in a room with skully pettibone do u think they’d find a way to make sweet bone clanking love. can anybody hear me

[neitherthehoneynorthebee]

Guess what day it is? Fyodor finally finally updates TOOM day! It’s a longer chapter than usual - “Interlude” - with a different POV. Check it out!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25707952/chapters/62420761

[pizzaboat]

*pre season 2*

Chandler, about Ben: Can it do any tricks yet?

Monica, holding baby Ben: I'm still working on it. Want to hold him?

Chandler: God, no, I'd drop it.

Monica: It's not an it. It's my baby nephew. Go on, hold him. You won't make a mess of it, i swear. Only an idiot could drop a baby.

Chandler: You always say I am an idiot.

Monica: But you're a special kind of idiot. Here.

[gideonthefirst]

Red Right Hand, Nefarian Serpine and Skulduggery Pleasant, 2k

The first day, Skulduggery Pleasant was out of jokes. Nefarian Serpine hadn’t been expecting that. When he’d lingered outside the door to Pleasant’s cell to watch him through the cracks in the wood, to relish in the moment, he’d seen the way the man’s shoulders were taut, the way he held himself standing and motionless despite the pain the manacles must have been causing him in that position, the way he stared forward, unblinking, unblinking. He’d seen that all but, still, had been prepared for a quip. Some insult about his hair, perhaps, or about the quality of the dungeons. “Is this really Mevolent’s finest?” Pleasant would open with. “We must be even closer to winning than we’d thought, if this is all he’s got left.”

Continue here.

[silverior968]

So, here's the TFP/Skulduggery Pleasant AU fic I've been working on and eluding to since may. Very Optiratch focused, although I'm trying to expand and add more characters and dynamics and such. For SP fans I can jingle the keys of Larrikin, Skulduggery and Ghastly making appearances and a bunch of worldbuilding about different magic disciplines, The Caves and Proto-Cleavers

In terms of where in the timeline the fic is, the latest chapter takes place in 1620, and so far only the oldest of the characters are around (because the rest of them quite simply haven't been born yet)

Also, here's a drawing I made related to the AU, a bit farther down the timeline than the current most recent chapter but still nowhere near present day

Unfortunately the giant Pyrenese dog with the Wolf collar is symbolic in nature, there are no giant dogs in the fic. It would be an altogether less grim affair if there were giant dogs, I think.

[Image ID: A digital painting of a younger, human Ratchet from the AU described above, accompanied by the front half of a giant great pyrenees dog. The background is a muted cyan color. The dog is farther away in the background, leaping forward with its teeth bared. Its white fur is stained red with blood, mostly originating from a rusty anti-wolf collar on its neck, which means that most of the blood doesn't belong to the dog itself. It has a sad look in its eyes. The rest of the dog disappears where its silhouette crosses over Ratchet's, who is likewise charging forward with a scythe wielded with both hands, bent backwards for a swing. The scythe's blade has gone black in certain parts, and is covered in blood. One of his legs is bent in front of him and the position of the scythe makes his arm cross over his face as an intentional reference to "The Fallen Angel" by Alexandre Cabanel. He's wearing an outfit that consists of white trousers, black boots and a white tailcoat with gold details, like buttons and epaulettes. The outfit is also stained in blood, with two large red spots on his side and thigh, from which Vitakinetic life energy is spilling out as white sparks. As an added effect of Vitakinesis ( the Skulduggery Pleasant version of healing magic) his bones are glowing white through his skin and his pupils are white. He's drawn as a white man with pale, lightly freckled skin and red hair. His irises are cyan-colored, and there are distinct dark spots under his eyes. He has very thick eyebrows and long, slightly wavy hair. The artist's signature, "Silverior968" is overlayed over the image in white. The color palette is inspired by the album cover for "The Albatross" by Foxing. / End ID]

[bubblemoon66]

I'm trying to get a feel of how many people are interested in taking part in a fic exchange this year before I commit.

The rules would be the same as last year's exchange, so have a read of those if you're unfamiliar with my previous exchanges.