#word count: 10k to 30k

[mp100ficrec]

a decade gone up in smoke by mercury_wings

Fic can be read HERE.

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Case Fic, Character Study. Completed. Rated: T. Word Count: 13235

Pairings: Reigen Arataka/Serizawa Katsuya

Trigger Warnings: Family Issues, Smoking, Alcoholism, Canon-Typical Violence, Possession, Self-Harm Mentions, Child Abuse Mentions, Self-Hatred

“Reigen started smoking somewhere around his sixteenth birthday and hasn't exactly stopped since. Sure he's taken a break or two, but never long enough for it to mean anything.

It saddens his family and it saddens him too, but quitting a bad habit after sticking to it for so long is awfully hard; he would know, he has collected a lot of those throughout the years.”

[dallonwrites]

THINK i am halfway through this chapter it just Feels Right, though based on what i know needs to happen i feel like the second half will be longer and the first half is 4.5k so like, laugh out loud !

[moonshine-nightlight]

Should we expect another chapter of Dale this weekend, or is it next weekend?

@roolsilver

this coming weekend is officially a Dale weekend. i should have put up the next Free Piano chapter this past sunday, but i'm behind (which is why Dale basically posted an entire week late).

work is still really busy (i'm at the office right now)

my plan though is that i'm gonna prioritize Dale and then post a few off sunday Free Piano parts to get back to my original schedule for that story, hopefully within a week or two cuz i'm also trying to do nanowrimo? which is probably a mistake? and work likely isn't gonna slow down, though i'm trying to catch back up with that too

i just don't want to get behind on Dale because January-March is The Busy Season for my work and i will be on hiatus for probably all writing during those months (which i did last year and is why there was that big gap between Part 3 and Part 4 lol) it might be more mid-Jan to mid-April but still a three month hiatus

[thompsborn]

me: *hits 2k words on homeward bound chp 16*

me: omg so much progress! i only have—

me: *checks my chapter word count goal and sees that it’s set at 10.5k words*

me, eye twitching: 8.5k more words. easy. no worries.

[orcelito]

I finally finished scene 1 and 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 emotions

AND WITH THIS. I am finally OFFICIALLY finished with writing chapter 41. Current count is 17.5k words (lmfaoooo), so editing will take some time lol. I'm gonna take a break to eat & recharge, and then start working on tackling getting this beast finished >:))))

[royalberryriku]

How do people make regular updates for Nanowrimo?? Like y'all here able to know how many word you wrote per day??? That sounds harder than actually writing for me

I'm here like *writes chapter, rewrites chapter, edits chapter, writes next chapter, repeating that process before going back and chaotically rewriting but or deleting and redoing whole sections* and then look at the total word count which changes from 1000 to 20 000 back down to 10 000 and changes all over the place until it's impossible to know how much I wrote precisely, only that the end result is what it is at the end of the week.

TLDR how I write is too chaotic for me to track at this point and the best I can do is give updates on chapters via incoherent screaming while I try not to spoil the plotline by being too excited about it and MAYBE an estimate on the progress which is very subject to change to be more or less.

[aroyallybigbangrwrb]

A Call to Join the Royal Court 📯

A decree to everyone in the kingdom of the Red, White and Royal Blue fandom to join us for A Royally Big Bang -  an event where we welcome all of you, but first:

What is a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a fandom wide event in which authors and artists are paired up. Authors will write a work within the parameters of the timeline proposed and the Artists will transform said work into a pairing piece of some kind within the timeline as well. The works are then posted together in harmonious union. 

Who can participate?

We invite all authors and artists and betas over 18 to be a part of the festivities. We welcome all forms of transformative work here. As an artist, paired pieces are only limited by your imagination, let it be a podfic, a gifset, a playlist, a moodboard, visual art, etc!

When is this happening?

👑A ROYALLY BIG BANG STARTS RIGHT NOW!!! 👑

AUTHORS: Sign ups for Authors start (today!) February 1st and will close on February 22nd. 

You can sign up in three tiers according to minimum word counts and posting dates. This “Big Bang” has three different tiers (see below) for all authors' creative needs. The bigger the size, the longer the timeframe you have to write.

ARTISTS: Sign up will start on February 23rd and run until March 8th. You will be able to rank your top choices based on summary and tier.  

BETAS: Sign up dates will start on February 23rd and run until March 8th. You will be able to share what you are and aren’t comfortable to beta based on tag restrictions and tier. 

What do tiers mean?

🎂Tier 1 - Mini Bang: 10k+ words. Posts May- June

🎂Tier 2 - Medium Bang: 30k+ words. Posts July - September 

🎂Tier 3 - Big Bang: 50k+ words. Posts October - December 

Works within Tier 1 are expected to be a minimum of 10K words leading up to 30K words. If your work is over 30K words it is within Tier 2, and so on and so forth. 

SO… ARE YOU READY? 

✍️AUTHOR SIGN UP FORM IS HERE

ARTIST SIGN UP FORM (coming Feb 23rd) 

BETA SIGN UP FORM (coming Feb 23rd)

But what if I have more questions? 

You can check out our original FAQ here and our new Live FAQ here and if that doesn’t answer your questions you can send us an ask here on Tumblr, A DM on Twitter, or an email at royallybigbangrwrb@gmail.com and we will get back to you as quickly as we can! 

P.S. Once signups are completed and pairings created all authors and artists and betas will be invited to the RBB Discord server for easier direct communication with the mods, support from other participants and to make this a royally good time!

[drarryspecificrecs]

2023.11 ~ Top 5 longest fics posted on AO3

1. Seagulls Cause Storms, or the Essence of Chaos by @writandromance [M, 311k]

►Alternate universes never seem as real as our own. Draco felt no differently. He never questioned whether, in a far-off knot of space, he started hating Harry Potter at eleven and never stopped. All he knew was that here and now, it was unthinkable not to love him. /// This is Draco’s story from eleven to seventeen, should the flap of a butterfly’s wing change fate just enough to coax him down a different path.

2. Recursion by @tessacrowley [E, 132k]

►A process is recursive when it defines or contains itself; e.g., the Fibonacci sequence, which determines the next number as the sum of the previous two. But not all recursive processes are mathematical. Recursion can happen in a temporal context when, for instance, the powerful magical force that is true love drags you back in time so it can create itself, endangering the fate of the Wizarding World—not to mention the very fabric of space and time—along the way.

3. Christmas Courting by Kai_Embers [M, 87k]

►‘Christmas Courting’ or ‘Yuletide Courting’ is an ancient ritual that many Pure-blood wizards - and all members of the Sacred 28 - go through when choosing their intended. [...] Draco has no family, limited prospects and a legacy he needs to live up to, so on the 1st of December his name is published on the Christmas Courting list with Blaise backing him through the process as suiters vie for his hand. The Malfoy name is still worth something in the right circles.

4. Strand's Seven Stars by @shewhomustnotbenamed [E, 83k]

►Draco seeks out the help of a detective who is known for his discretion. Despite rocky introductions, Draco and the detective, Harry Potter, become friends as Draco is forced to share very personal information that reveals more about himself than he would have ever admitted to under any other circumstance. Fortunately, Harry is not only understanding of Draco's sexual preferences but encourages him to keep doing what he loves--perhaps with Harry himself.

5. give me touch (‘cause I’ve been missing it) by yaz113 [E, 65k]

►Harry Potter is living the life he'd always dreamed about, happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Ginny Potter née Weasley and playing as the star seeker of the Montrose Magpies. One minor quidditch accident and one trip to the medical center later, Harry finds himself under the spell of Team Healer Draco Malfoy, inadvertently putting his dream life at risk.

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 10k

※ Word count: 10k ~ 40k

change on the fly by @legen-wait-for-it-drarry [T, 30k]

the earth from a distance by @andthepeople [E, 15k]

The end is renown by @onehundredflamingos [E, 21k]

Falling For U by mik_exe [T, 13k]

The Hierophant by @hsvh-hp [M, 29k]

I Remember You... But It Wasn't Really You by @nakyrah [M, 32k]

Obliviate by ScarletTokugawa [T, 12k]

People You Know by Zoythren [M, 30k]

Rush by @mono-chromia [E, 10k]

Starting Over by Justlikewriting [M, 19k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Harry/Draco Career Fair 2023 | @hd-fan-fair​

HD Sudsfest Lite 2023 | @hdsudsfest

HP No Nut November 2023 | @knot-your-mothers-mods

Sugarfest | @hpsugarfest

Shadows and Spells

[ourdawnishotterthanourday]

ANNOUNCEMENT — SEVENTEEN World

✧ The second chapter — Melon Pang! (Coming soon!!)

— CEO au, optional SMUT [18+], fluff, angst, slow-burn, strangers to lovers; word count: 10k+ (but based on the storyline probably closer to 20-30k lol)

💼 Part of the SEVENTEEN World Series ღ I advise you to read the prologue and Wonwoo's chapter first :) ✎ Really couldn't wait to share this teaser with you all!!!! But please note that it may take a while for me to publish the actual chapter since I still have a lot to write and I really want it to be perfect :') But I will (hopefully) publish some smaller projects while you wait for the chapter ^^

Barista!reader x Managing CEO Choi Seungcheol ~ The last thing Seungcheol expected was to argue with a random stranger in a bakery after an awfully stressful day. But how could he not when this person was about to take the last melon pan? You were in a similar position. Your boss had been nagging you non-stop at work and all you wanted was your favorite snack, followed by a movie marathon on the couch. Instead, you find yourself having to deal with this stubborn guy who thinks the whole world is his.

Preview

“Excuse me?” You turned around at the sound of a male voice, assuming that he was talking to you since the bakery was pretty much empty at this hour.

“Can I help you?” you asked wearily, raising your eyebrows at the blond man that had approached you – the mask he was wearing covered most of his face, so it was hard to get a read on him. And seeing as you’d gone through your fair share of uncomfortable encounters with strangers, it was only natural for you to have your guard up.

To your surprise, he pointed towards the hand that was holding the snack you were planning on buying. “Would you mind giving me that melon pan? I really need it tonight,” he spoke.

Your weary expression slowly morphed into a confused one as you raised the sweet bread slightly. “This...melon pan?” you asked, wondering where this was going.

The stranger nodded. “Yes, that one. I just got off from work and I’ve had a pretty rough day, so I need it. It’s my favorite snack and I’m not planning to leave the store without it.”

You almost wanted to laugh at the audacity of this guy. As if you would hand it over just because he supposedly ‘needed’ it. It wasn’t your problem that you'd been faster.

“Well, it happens to be my favorite snack too and I’ve also had a pretty rough day, so no. I’m not giving it to you.”

“Oh, come on. What’s it going to take? Name your price,” he motioned before reaching into his pocket to pull out what you assumed was his wallet. What the hell was he doing?

“I just told you, I’m not giving you this melon pan,” you responded firmly – your free hand automatically squeezed into a fist as you tried to keep your blood pressure under control. Getting into an argument with some random stranger was not part of the relaxing evening you’d planned.

“And I said, name your price. Everyone has one. How much do you want for it? Fifty thousand won? A hundred thousand? More? Just tell me. Money is not an issue here,” he shrugged nonchalantly, his wallet now wide open for you to see.

His outrageous proposition left you in a state of awe. The disgust was no doubt evident on your face, but he didn’t seem to care one bit.

“Are you seriously trying to bribe me for a fucking melon pan?!”

Judging by the way he was dressed, you were pretty certain that the guy was loaded – the combination of the dark brown suit and black coat he was wearing probably cost more than what you earned in a whole month.

Still, that didn’t give him the right to treat others like garbage.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” He didn’t. “You have something that I want. You’re not giving it to me, so I’m offering you an alternative that will make both of us happy,” he stated, completely oblivious to the fact that he was coming off as an entitled asshole.

“You are so unbelievably rude,” you scoffed. “I’ve never met anyone as ignorant and entitled as you. Just wow. If that’s how you treat people in your life, then you probably don’t have many friends.”

It was clear that your words had struck a nerve when the shameless stranger narrowed his eyes in response. “I’m rude? I think you are pretty rude to someone who’s just trying to reason with you. Trust me, if you had any idea who I was, you wouldn’t be speaking to me like that.”

Oh look, he’s a narcissist too...surprising.

“Listen, mister whatever-your-name-is. I’m going to say this one time. I don’t give two shits about who you are and I’m not giving you my melon pan, so you can keep your damn money. Now, I’m going to walk away, pay for my snack and leave so that this,” you motioned between the two of you, “doesn’t escalate into something worse. Have a good life,” was the last thing you said before rushing towards the checkout.

Your blood was boiling by the time you left the store. The whole encounter with the rude stranger had put another damper on your mood, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Because just who the fuck did he think he was? And what kind of weirdo would try to bribe someone for a melon pan?

You truly hoped to never see him again.

☀ if you want to be added to the tag list, leave a comment or send me an ask, but be sure to mention that it's for the SEVENTEEN World Series!  ✎ Make sure to enable the MATURE community label if you want to read the SMUT!!!!

☀ Tag list: @multiplums​ @hipsdofangirl​ @brrrkdslek @sonybear40​ @omyeol​ @matchahyuck​ @bumblebreanna​ @haneulparadx @queentoriasworld @letsimagineyouandme @jadesniall @kimingyuslover @lockburn-castle @celestialkmg @shinetogether17 @i-dont-give-a-fok @minhui896 @miraes-world @bmkgemz @6969lilithcat @hopefulchick @yoonguurt @fantasies-of-a-bookworm @xiaoting999 @yearnoclock @mingyucookies @itswaffleberry @strxbrymilkkuu @kwonhoeshi @honeywonuu @hoshi-is-ult-bbg @nomnom2001

[olderthannetfic]

This may sound really stupid, but I've been reading your asks for a long time and I would like your input.

Even after many many years of using Ao3 I have problems understanding how to use the "word count" tags because the numbers mean litteraly nothing to me. My first fanfiction site used "number of chapter" tags and when I started to use Ao3 I tought they were a better system of sorting.

Now I can see why the word count may be useful (I've seen obscenely long one-chapter stories on Ao3), but I still think sorting by chapter number is easier to use and understand, mostly because I prefer long fics and only read one-shot if I am in a "one-shot mood" and that doesn't happend often.

What do you think? And do you have some suggestion on how to use the word count tags or I just have to feel it?

--

I don't find chapter count useful on AO3 because so many people have chapters of less than 500 words. I mean... it might be useful to be able to screen out people who write chapters that short, but aside from that, their massively inflated chapter counts tell me nothing about the length or meatiness of the work.

People routinely post 50k works with section breaks that function like chapter breaks to AO3. That chapter count also means nothing.

Most people don't tag for work count on AO3. The automatic calculation can be helpful for a general sense of what kind of bucket a thing falls into.

<10k - short story

30k - novella

60k - concise novel

200k - bloated epic

--

How on earth can you know the length without looking at the length?

Sure, on some older, smaller sites, people wrote in a more consistent style where X chapters was usually Y words, but that just isn't true on AO3. Only wordcount—the wordcount automatically generated by AO3—has any hope of telling you how long a work is.

[mp100ficrec]

Take Two by metukika

Fic can be read HERE.

Age Swap, Angst, Dad Teru. Ongoing. Rated: T. Word Count: 16287

Pairings: Hanazawa Teruki & Reigen Arataka

Trigger Warnings: Child Neglect, Teenage Pregnancy

"See, that’s the second worst thing about Hanazawa Teruki-- aside from the whole, you know. Everything he did-- That he’s trying. That no matter how infuriating it is, Reigen can’t really be mad at him for trying. Well, he can. But inevitably the anger would come from a different source.

(or the age-swap AU where Teru is Reigen's biological father, but only meets Kageyama much later on)"

[blondiest]

i'm curious! assuming the work is complete, and all other factors are equal (writing style, characterization, genre, etc)...

[strafepanzer]

atmospheric | masterlist

a @mybigbangacademia collab with @54prowl

pairing: prohero!bakugo x fem!reader

rating: explicit

word count: est. 30k

tags: fake dating, angst, fluff, explicit sexual content, mentions of death (prior to beginning of story), single dad kirishima

When Katsuki is offered the chance of a lifetime to help change his public perception, and in turn, climb the hero rankings, he begrudgingly snatches it up. Can he handle all that comes along with that, though? The girl, the glitz, the guilt?

playlist | moodboard | BEAUTIFUL ART and banners by @54prowl

Act I: Cumulus

9.4k words

Act II: Nimbostratus

est. 11k

Act III: Cirrus

est. 10k

[ataleofcrowns]

Chapter 11 Progress [14/MAY]

Hey everyone, it's been a minute since my last update on the blog!! Happy mother's day to all the moms out there 💖

By the time of writing this, I have 40k words written for CH11, and I am both happy and mildly horrified to report that CH11 is looking up to be the biggest chapter yet by a mile. It's very likely the total word count will break through 90k words, primarily due to the LI routes.

First, I've finished the first draft for X's route for CH11 and am mildly exasperated by my inability to properly estimate how long these sections will be.

I thought it would amount to 10k at most, but X's route ended up with 18k words. This is mostly due to all the Imperial Court variations in their opening scene, because I'm a masochist. A single playthrough of X's route is more like 14k words, though, depending on the variations you get.

I'm also close to finishing R's route and have 8k words written for it so far. Their and A's routes will be a little less in word count, since they got more content in CH10, but they'll both likely still be 10-12k words. D's will likely be closer to X's route in word count, around 14-15k.

Altogether, this chapter's LI routes alone will likely be close to 60k for all four. So that leaves the rest of the 30k for the main plot, which I haven't started yet. I literally only have words written for R and X, as well as bits and snippets for A and D so far lol.

Please pray for me so that I can release this chapter in July and give you all a summer miracle 🙏🏼

Anyway, enough about the word count!! I've got some preview posting to catch up to, so beneath the cut you'll find various snippets for X and R's routes in CH11 that were posted on the Patreon.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some for A and D soon as well, once I dig into their routes in the coming weeks.

Here's a small preview of a bit you might see occur across all LI routes, though it still depends on who is appointed to your Imperial Court (and the Lord Samal referenced here is specific to X's route as well):

“Chief Minister, is this allowed? There must be procedure for the appointment of officials—” “It is all at the Crown’s discretion,” Chief Minister Karwan states simply, turning away from the representative again to face forward instead. “But this is highly unusual!” The Minister breathes an exasperated sigh. “Oh, quiet down! Were you not using the same technicalities to get your way a moment ago, you insolent dog?” “Do not speak to me that way!” Lord Samal erupts. “I serve Mîr Behram!” “And I was already serving the Crowns of this Empire when your master was still suckling at the teat!” the Chief Minister snaps. “Now be a good boy and come to heel, we have many more matters to discuss.”

Here's a preview for X's route:

“Why do you have that dagger?” You turn to look at $aname, taken aback by how stunned $athey appears. “$xname gave it to me.” “$cxthey gave it to you?” $aname repeats incredulously, glancing back down at the dagger in your hands. “Did $xthey tell you who it originally belonged to?” “It belonged to someone else?” You assumed $xname was the only one who owned it, but looking at it again, you can notice subtle wear and tear despite its well-cared-for state. Little scratches along its sheath, the edges of pearl looking a little worn along the handle. “Whose was it?” “$cxtheir mother’s.” Your fingers tighten around its sheath in shock, then twitch with the urge to put it away. “$cxtheir mother’s? Why would…” You look down at the dagger in complete disbelief. “Why would $xthey give it to me?”

And finally, here's a preview for R's route:

Your hands reach for $rthem, but then halt and hover in mid-air, uncertain of whether you should even touch $rthem while $rthey’s in this state. “It’s alright,” Perjin speaks quietly from beside you. “You can hold $rtheir hand, if you wish. Your magic won’t cause any problems.”  You take a slow, deep breath, calming yourself as you sit down on the edge of the bed and gently take $rname’s hand in yours. “$crtheir fingers are cold.” Alarmed, you rub $rtheir hand, feeling how clammy and cool $rtheir skin is. You turn to Perjin. “Why does $rthey feel cold? What’s happening to $rthem?” 

That was it for this update ✨

I’m posting further updates and CH11 previews on the Patreon for all tiers, as well as all sorts of fun extra LI/Crown snippets, so if you’d like more AToC content while you wait for CH11, consider pledging!!

As always, thanks so much for your patience and support 💖

[bookinit02]

bookinit’s byler fic recs

happy new years! to celebrate, i’m posting a list of some of my favorite fics of this year, sorted by word count. i tried not to include a bunch of super well-known, commonly-recced fics, and of course, there are SO many more that i didn’t include just because there isn’t enough time in the world. but i really wanted to lift up some amazing authors, my friends included, as well as some more underground fics. happy reading!!🥳

my top byler fics of 2022

1 - 10k

- it’s a choice (getting swept away) by @wiseatom. i just skimmed this again to see if i wanted to include it, and even just SKIMMING, i was having goddamn heart palpitations. there is something so special about healthy communication and resolving misunderstandings with emotional intelligence and kindness instead of anger. don’t get me wrong, big dramatic blowups are lots of fun to read, but this one stands out for how quiet it is. how gentle. not only is the willel done FANTASTICALLY, but byler here is so soft and tentative, and i was eating up every minute of it. as always, with thea, a phenomenal read. (categories: post s4, mileven breakup, painting conversation, getting together, willel)

- the body is a blade by inblue. this author is severely underrated—incredible prose, such unique fics, and so much genuine emotion in such a short space. i sincerely recommend all of their works!! phenomenal, and despite their short length, they’ve stuck with me since i read them—this one in particular. (categories: poetic, unique, character study, will byers needs a hug)

10 - 20k

- i’m caught up in you by @wiseatom. the first half of this is genuinely novel-worthy—beautifully written & crafted, to the point where i couldn’t stop writing down sentences as inspiration. the second half kicks you into an apocalyptic adventure, filled with byler banter, miscommunication, wound tending, a Painting Debacle™️, and literally everything you could want out of byler in the upside down. thea’s byler is SO much fun to read—they absolutely are best friends, and they don’t let you forget it! the banter is so realistic and snarky and fun, and i’ve read this a million times over at this point. infinite kudos always💗💗 (categories: byler in the upside down, miscommunication, angst & fluff, tension, wound tending, will has a gun)

- i hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this) by blackdeathmamba. a classic, and for a good reason. great tension & pining, super butterfly-inducing, with a twist at the end that simultaneously had me yelling and giggling into my pillow. ADORABLE. so, so wonderful. (categories: pining, miscommunication, college byler, roommates, fluff)

- running up that road by @smoosnoom. i had a really hard time trying to figure out which of moon’s fics to rec bc i feel like all of them, in general, defined my 2022. and of course, everyone and their mother has recced tearing you asunder! but going back over the fics, i think this one truly had the biggest impact on me. first of all, it was the first fic i ever read while listening to the accompanying playlist, and that experience literally changed my life. it is so hard for me to read without listening to music now😭 but seriously reading this w/ moon’s song choices felt like watching a movie. second of all, i really got inside mike’s head here. his character was great, and the fic displayed some of his more unpleasant qualities that some people might shy away from, like anger or resentment. this was just a very real portrayal of byler, and of mike in general. and a lot of the scenes in here—specifically the beginning and end—have stuck with me since i read them. overall, incredible experience, and i’d read it again in a heartbeat. (categories: post s4, character study, mike centric)

20 - 30k

- the gaps and the silence by delusionaltogether (whyyyyy) aka @parkitaco. i read this last night and cried my heart out—not big dramatic sobs, but more of a silent & continuous cry that would pop back up without warning. this was just so exquisitely written—the best of parker’s work that i’ve seen, which is such an impressive feat because i love absolutely everything they publish. the resolving of miscommunication, the healing of byler’s fractured relationship, the responsibility taken on both sides, and the love that still persists through all of it—this is a masterpiece. it is a triumph of human emotion, and a truly excellent mark of good writing. cannot recommend enough—along with absolutely all of parker’s other works. (categories: angst, miscommunication, reunion, college byler, first dates, mutual pining)

- mike wheeler’s guide to falling in love with a superhero by @smoosnoom. this was my first introduction to spiderwill, and i loved every minute of it. this is fun, fast-paced, a little crazy, and just SUCH an enjoyable read. plus, i get a cameo as bagel girl, which in my opinion, is the best part!! but fr this was honestly so well done and even as i’m writing this, i’m getting the urge to read it again. loved, loved, LOVED. (categories: spiderwill, fluff, light-hearted, energetic)

30 - 40k

- you can hear it in the silence by @astrobei. there is truly not enough praise in the world for suni’s fics, or her writing in general, but this one was really something special. mike in this fic is one of my favorite mikes ever, and i think about his big conversation with robin at least once a day. this is truly just a magical coming of age romance. it is so soft & tender & real, and i genuinely could read it every single day and never get bored. also, as someone who worked in food service, i appreciated the accurate portrayal🫡 but also. never again. customers can suck my dick. getting off track here :) (categories: coming of age, friends to lovers, mutual pining, soft)

- i know, i know, i know by aude_sapere. season 4 rewrite!! the writing of this is incredible, the plot is fantastic, and it was one of my first really notable reads in this fandom. really gives will his main character moment, as he deserves!! (categories, s4 rewrite, main character will, pining, action)

40 - 50k

- i’ve come home, i’m so cold by @astrobei. this one is just. ohhhhh my god where do i even start?? this is my ideal college byler fic. it’s literally so perfect, start to finish. will’s narration is incredible, and additionally the plot is just so, SO interesting?! there’s something about suni’s writing that i just can’t get enough of. she writes exactly the way i think and it results in prose that flows effortlessly and is so much fun to read!! i am just chomping all of her fics up one by one and i am still hungry☹️ i think suni needs to write just for me forever & always actually. (categories: college byler, mystery, pining, best friends to lovers, roommates)

- boys don’t cry series by @padmedala. this series is so special to me, specifically the first installment. it was one of the first works i really read that focused on will’s queerness in other terms than his relationship with mike! there was so much queer joy & healing & growing up in this series, and it was really beautifully explored in a way that left me crying, but still unable to put my phone down. really, really wonderful, and criminally underrated. (categories: coming of age, season 4-5, queer joy, healing, romance, pining)

50 - 100k

- chiron in gemini by babydraygen. this was one of the first season 5 fics that i read, and i still think this is a REALLY interesting take on it. eddie’s alive, mike is kind of a dick, and the apocalypse is in hawkins, but everyone’s pretty chill about it. i think the characters here were so complex and interesting, and i was honestly hooked the whole time. (categories: season 5, coming of age, angst, getting together)

- there is a season by ghostlin. yet another s5 fix-it, mike-centric this time. really well written, great character development, and truly so much fun to read. to quote my original bookmark: this is, without a doubt, one of the best fics i’ve ever read. writing is impeccable, everything (EVERYTHING) is perfect, and i cherished every single word. this is my season 5. if you are reading this right now, stop and read this fic. yes, me too. read it again. (categories: s5, character development, slow burn, apocalypse, drama)

- i’ll find a new place to be from by @andiwriteordie . clearly i have a thing for s5 fics, but this was honestly so amazing!! i think about it a lot, and am definitely pulling inspo for my own eventual s5 fic (hopefully coming next year!) andi has written so many (and i mean SO. MANY) wonderful fics for this fandom, which is a gift in itself. but there’s nothing that i think about more than this one. (categories: s5, drama, will byers has powers, getting together)

100k +

- you are the heart by touchthesky. i spent months reading this one, chapter by chapter, as it uploaded, and i don’t regret it one bit. this was such an interesting, complex, and well-done take on season 5. there were some really shocking plot twists, gripping moments of turmoil, and satisfyingly resolved arcs for every single character. the action sequences are god-tier, the internal dialogue is fascinating, the worldbuilding is INCREDIBLE, and i honestly just cannot say enough good things about this fic. will probably be giving it another read soon! (categories: s5, angst, the full package, slow burn, will pov, intense worldbuilding, main character death)

again, there are SO many more—and yall are always welcome to search my bookmarks on ao3—but those are the ones i was thinking about today. here’s to more great fics in 2023!!🥳🥳

[lapis-lights]

.·.·Blog Masterlist·.·.

Here is the masterlist...to all the series' masterlist :')

Every work I upload will be added here regardless if I finished it or not, so this is really all my stories in one place for anybody who needs to binge read some things. All of it is Leon Kennedy so far so yuh! Anyways, enjoy!

.·.·Car Lights·.·.

Part One

Part Two

• Summary: Leon Kennedy is your best friend who you've been hopelessly enamored with for quite some time. However, fears of what might happen and how his reputation might be affected have always held you back.

It's only when your humanity is slipping away and the chance of ever getting to tell him how you feel is next to nonexistent that you finally begin to understand.

• Author's Notes: Ah, ye olde faithful Car Lights, my first ever Leon Kennedy write that regrettably wasn't broken up into more parts bc I was too used to uploading 16k one shots on an old blog, which is why 30k words was split into only two chapters. Definitely a fan favorite and I hold it near and dear to my heart as it broke my previous word count record by almost doubling it.

.·.·Falling From Grace·.·.

Masterlist

• Summary: Active within two different groups trying to fight the war against the ever-famous bioweapons, you and Leon have always maintained a healthy rivalry. It's not uncommon that you'll butt heads on overlapping missions, engage in countless fights ending in draws that begin with two guns pointed at each other, and say words of hatred spit in the heat of the moment while the two of you try to get the edge on the other.

However, one night, you show up on the doorstep of his room at the raggedy motel he'd hidden away in to recuperate after the events with Glenn Arias.

On one hand, he doesn't trust you at all. On the other hand, you were bruised, and bloodied, and looking like you were on the verge of death.

Somehow, you soon have Leon wrapped up in your ploy to take down the company that bound your life in a contract. As the two of you stay trapped together working as unfortunate allies, conflicting feelings arise and threaten to turn your world upside down.

• Author's Notes: My passion project and ultimately magnum opus at the time of writing this note. Big behemoth story with 51.2k words a whole lot of effort put into it. Definitely a story you might have to sit down and take the time to read as none of the four chapters go underneath 10k words. Hope you enjoy this one :)