#i also recommend downloading fics honestly. from both

[luluwquidprocrow]

posted about this on my main, but!!! all of my asoue fic has now been crossposted over on squidgeworld!

even putting my overall feelings about ao3 aside, we genuinely need to post fanwork in multiple places, and we need MORE places to post fic in the first place. there shouldn't just be one (1) single popular place to post it and organize it and find new fic, there should be multiple places used that all have a chance to achieve that popularity and are easy to find! even tumblr isn't actually super ideal for posting fic because it's harder to see work that wasn't posted recently! squidgeworld looks potentially promising right now, and I hope it continues to be that.

#i also recommend downloading fics honestly. from both #i have a big file where ive downloaded and saved my favorites in case they poof.

[verysium]

what do you read in your spare time? you’re one of the most eloquent users i know, id love to hear how you find the media you consume and what your favorites are

omg ei 😊 welcome back to the inbox! thank you for your sweet words although i'm probably not qualified enough to be considered the full definition of eloquent. i am going to preface this post by saying that i definitely don't read as much as i should, so this list is not going to be comprehensive whatsoever. the last time i even visited an in-person library was like half a decade ago, and since then my spare time has been nonexistent lmao. anyways, here are some of my favorite/most recent reads as listed by author:

POETRY

richard siken: i think siken is already well-known both in the literary world and in whatever booktok deems is popular culture. if you don't already know him though, he is best known for his poetry collection crush, which delves into themes of obsession, gay love, and violent eroticism. i actually read this chapbook unknowingly. as in i was hounding sketchy pdf download sites at 3 AM and saw a man with bloodied lips on the cover and decided to read it. he basically became my summer fever dream after that. the way he juxtaposes images is seamless, smoother than water. only richard siken can talk about violence without making it sound violent. i also enjoyed his other poetry collection war of the foxes, especially "portrait of fryderyk in shifting light." i think light is a common motif throughout most of his poems, and he manipulates it effortlessly. the most recent piece i read from him is "piano lesson." i have nothing left to say that he didn't already say, so i would just recommend reading it for yourself. he is the og big brain when it comes to word play.

ocean vuong: he's unforgettable, and i mean that literally because nobody forgets a person named ocean. time is a mother was exactly what the name suggests: an exploration of grief, loss, and the rewind of time after his mother's death. some of the poems are almost cinematic in quality. "künstlerroman" is my favorite because it feels exactly like watching a video tape in reverse. i think his most famous work is "someday i'll love ocean vuong." it was the first piece i ever read from him, and to this day, it remains my comfort poem.

silas denver melvin: i only recently discovered him through his chapbook grit. i think he's also on tumblr @/sweatermuppet. he writes a lot on the trans experience, and his work gives me a mix of southern gothic and country vibes. would definitely read his other publications if i had the time.

chen chen: one thing about chen chen is that he always comes to devour. my favorite works from him are "self-portrait as so much potential" and "song of the anti-sisyphus." you have to put on your thinking cap for some of his poems, but once you grasp the meaning, everything makes sense all at once.

franny choi: "disaster means without a star" was the entire inspiration behind my first rin fic. i relate to her more personally in regards to the diaspora experience, but her collections are worth reading in general because of the sheer quality.

pages matam: his poem "piñata" was what got me into slam poetry. his work mostly consists of political commentary which i feel is particularly relevant in today's social climate. "on learning america's english" also resonates with people who have encountered the entire losing/learning immigrant tongues experience.

laura lamb brown-lavolie: i've only read one spoken word poem from her, and tbh i only needed to read one. "on this the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the titanic, we reconsider the buoyancy of the human heart" is my two-headed calf poem. one day i will get this tattooed.

brendan constantine: once again, this was the result of me being chronically online coupled with the boredom of an august heat wave. i found "the opposites game" through TED. honestly, i was a bit unsure about it at first, but it's a cute little poem that makes you really delve into the intricacies of craft.

TEEN POETRY & PROSE

yasmeen khan: she could mouth her words onto every square inch of my body, and i would still be coming back for more. ingraining them into flesh is not enough. "movie stars" is by far my favorite work from her. she writes about femininity and womanhood so profoundly. it's tragic, but really i wouldn't have it end any other way.

kaya dierks: her writing is basically middle-of-nowhere small town stoner teenage life but personified. "crushed" is my favorite piece from her. the soundtrack for this work was definitely by ethel cain, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

FICTION

madeline miller: i was first introduced to her when i read the song of achilles. let's just say that book had me nonverbal for the greater half of three months. it was my metaphorical hatchet. i buried it once, and i never want to dig it up again. i read circe a few years later. the first time was during the blue hour at an airport, right between one red-eye flight and another transfer. i don't even remember that experience because i was heavily sleep-deprived. i read it again recently for a literature course, this time for academic analysis. overall, i enjoy the the heroine-centric narrative. typically, i'm a bit wary of novels with heavy feminist themes because they either project their agenda too strongly or they run the risk of misrepresentation. circe doesn't exactly have that problem. it was more about empowerment and less about exercising power over others.

charlotte brontë: as a historical figure, brontë was questionable, but jane eyre most certainly was not. that book rewired my brain, and that is saying something because i have never read any classic by choice. and it is so important to me that jane was the ugliest, plainest girl you could ever imagine. also cus i unironically enjoy angst, and this book was full of dramatic misunderstandings.

yoko ogawa: i love japanese literature, so there is no reason not to include this one here. "a peddler of tears" is one of my favorite short stories. i did not expect the ending at all, but it was welcome. something about violence, body gore, and dismemberment being framed as romantic and semi-erotic just gets to me. sign me the hell up. hotel iris is a hit-or-miss with some people. either you like the fact that art makes you uncomfortable or you shut it down completely. for me, i was alright with exploring some of its darker themes, but read at your own discretion.

NONFICTION

ross gay: he lives up to his name both in optimism and in carefree joy. probably one of my favorite creative nonfiction authors simply based off the accessibility of his writing style. easy to read and understand but still hits you with the full force of a semi-truck. i would recommend his book inciting joy. it's a collection of essays that delve into grief, but since this is ross gay, he makes it seem like a quintessential part of life.

paul kalanithi: sixteen-year-old me was mind blown by him cus before that doctors were shrewish old men with bald spots and sterile coats, not poetic surgeons who dissected the anatomy of word and recited t.s. eliot in the most heart-wrenching way possible. he is everything i want to become in both life and death. when breath becomes air literally does take your breath away.

#asks #moots ♡

[ipostmysimpingstuffanonymously]

Another post? damn

I was on vacation a few weeks back and had no internet so I downloaded all Fanfciton that were Satoru/Shoko tagged and rated them.

Here are the ones I rated 5/5 ... so i guess this is a ff recommendation post lol

The delicate art of flirting

3rdgymbros

Words: 1,960, Satosho, 5/5

This is so good. I love that the first years get brought into the infirmary and they just KNOW ahahahahah. Also it’s just this casual side thing but there something so much deeper that i hurts which i like about this ship

Like a lost shirt

Lua

Words:1,520, Satosho, 5/5

I am a sucker for raw and "practical" relationships. Like this is exactly how I imagine them to grieve for Suguru and I love that so much can be left unsaid but the reader and Satoru and Shoko both just know. What they have isn't healthy but it's the only thing they can have. A happy and healthy relationship with someone else would just simply not work. They are both too fucked up for that.

Sorry about the blood in your mouth (i wish it was mine)

Her_black_tights

Words: 17,761 Sashisu/ Satosho 5/5

So I am biased on this one cuz this is one of my headcanons. That Suguru fucked around with both and that his absence is why Gojo and Shoko are a thing. And I feel like this fic perfectly encapsulates the hurt, the brokenness and the necessity of their relationship. Like this is how they cope and its messy and unhealthy and i love it

Listen I love you joy is coming

Antioedipus

Words:3,938 Satosho 5/5

This one is cute. Nah cute is the wrong word, they are goblins but it’s nice. They are both fucked up which is funny. Also 100% can see that Shoko doesn't have the emotional capacity to console a crying woman but still would do the right thing even if she doesn't think it’s the right thing. 

Work and not run (skip and not fall)

Aminstrel

Words:2,300 Satosho 5/5

Love this! Cute! Exactly how i Imagine them. Also match cut? Peak comedy hahahaha goblin energy.

Catalyst

tiressian

Words:4,170 Satosho 5/5

AYOOOOO first tiressian ff. i remember reading this and having gotten new horizons opened xD Anyway: love it, super nice character interaction. Love it when Gojo is stumbling over his words, a tiressian special! Also love the aftermath, hilarious but sweet.

To my significant (b)other

Tiressian

Words: 6,621 Satosho 5/5

Another banger! Back to back? Spoiled honestly. I love this one just because it makes so much sense that she writes a list. Also Gojo high as balls is hilarious. Then the whole dialogue at the wedding with the chaste touches omg my skin is prickling. Love it.

Warmth

Satoluvs

Words:2,663 Satosho 5/5

I LOVE THIS. Omg adopted Yuji has my heart. Also consoling somebody by not talking it out but taking them in giving them affection to cure the sadness omg. Also also Satoru and Shoko just dating super casually i looooovee it.

Breathing underwater 

Shrimphony

Words:1,848 Sashisu/ Satosho 5/5

This one hurts so much omg. And this could easily be canon. Idk why Gege does not show us Shoko’s grief more…. Like even if it's platonic how can she not find solace in Gojo still being there hmm? And then when Gojo, Nanami and Yaga get ripped from her, that must have destroyed her…

Shore 

Tiressian

Words:7,161 Satosho 5/5

VERY TASTY thank you for the meal. I love their dynamic. Back with the tiressian special. Also Shoko making him do push ups, same girl same i get it. Love the banter, it makes so much sense.

Epoch

Tiressian

Words:6,341 Satosho 5/5

Yum, yes, very nice. Love cheerleader Gojo, he has my heart, that poor dude. No other comments it's perfect

Call it a hunch

Tiressian

Words: 5,560 Satosho 5/5

I think this is one of my favourites hahhaha. I love how panda is trying to convince everybody hahahahah. Also the snowball fight is glorious xD the little yuta/maki you slipped  in there, i see you hehehehe. And the end has me ROLLING HAHAHAHAH

It's the thought that counts 

Tiressian

Words: 2,182 Satosho 5/5

THE CUTEST ahhhh i love them i really really need to draw the three of them uff.

there's lots of 4/5 ones too that I'd recommend but i need to cap the list somewhere xD (the google doc has 12 pages wtf ahahahah) This is up for changes anyway :P but enjoy my recommendations xD

#this is the beautiful labor of 4 weeks reading 60+ fanfiction #thank you riley for motivating me by dumbing your thoughts too #and letting me rand about ooc and abo :'D #omg the torture of being a rarepair shipper #on one side you want more ff's on the other side some ff's are just pure trash xDDDDDDD #doesnt matter i will read through them all #satosho #satosho weekend #satoru gojo #shoko ieiri #jjk #fanfiction

[the-last-thread-of-my-sanity]

TOP 10 favourite AA fanfics?

Thanks for the ask! I previously tried to answer an ask like this with lots of links and things and Tumblr kept eating it- so I think I am going to give up on that and just put names and authors 🫣

‘Favorite’ is super subjective, always, but I am answering with fics that live-rent free in my brain or that I return to often. But my list of fics to read is super long and I’m sure nearly all of those are great too! Just haven’t gotten to them yet.

In NO particular order-

A leaf in the wind is all I want - by Anonymous (or @distortedclouds) - Beautiful one-shot of Annie and Armin eloping :) But EVERYTHING they write is incredible!

Paranoid- by Flailingkittylover ( @flailingkittylover ) - An amazing Cadets Aruani slow burn. There are moments from this fic that made me literally tear up, especially chapters/moments in Annie’s POV. I downloaded this on my e-reader so I can enjoy it over and over again

Moments- by lady_shudragon- Both works in this little series are great, but I chose the smutty one to recommend. Armin is such a supportive and caring partner in this and it makes me weak every time I read it.

Village By the End of the World - by moonspirits ( @moonspirit ) - One of the best fics I have read in any fandom, currently ongoing. The situations and conflicts the characters are placed in Post-Rumbling lead to such interesting developments. The characterization feels so lovingly accurate and canonical while also being unpredictable enough to keep you hooked. Bonus points for some beautiful narrative foils achieved through some engaging original characters. All the praise!

Silhouettes- by jelly - I am not usually a modern-AU enjoyer, but this fic is downright literary even for a one-shot and it makes such interesting use of the reincarnation trope. Reads like a fever dream in the best way possible.

To Be Human by brittle_bluebell ( @brittlebluebell )- A fantastic ‘first-time’ smut fic, but it’s honestly so much more than that. Great explorations of all of Armin’s and Annie’s relationships with the Alliance characters and their fears and anxieties Post-Rumbling

Dawn by aikrm- Perspective on Armin and Annie as new parents from Levi’s POV. Absolutely lovely. Falbi is here too.

washed in the tide of your breathing- by alyalyanime - A great Annie-centric retrospective on her feelings for Armin. I love the symmetry of this writing.

By Each Crime and Kindness (I’m bound to you) - by aruanimess ( @aruanimess ) - Currently ongoing. I have a Cadets Aruani agenda, and I love fics that depict awkward teenage relationships accurately. Love the sense of humor that is present within both tense and tender moments. Excited to see where this fic leads.

Warmth- by orphan_account (wish I knew who this was!! It used to be listed!) - Another cute Cadets Aruani fic. “And there was only one tent” trope- need I say more?

In conclusion, though, if you’re writing in the Aruani fandom, I think you’re awesome and it’s only a matter of time before I read your fic tbh because the brainrot has taken hold.

#aruani #annie leonhart #armin arlert #fic list #fic rec #thanks for the ask!

[chickenmetenders]

💝💕💘 [ FALL(ING)DOWN FOR YOU ] 💖💌💞

Happy White Day! To celebrate, here's a Valentine's/White Day-themed collaborative MAMIYA fanzine!!

Featuring lovey-dovey art & fic from 12 creators!

Read it digitally or print it out yourself!

⚠️ DDD spoilers

Get it here! ➡️ Google Drive (pdf)

Directions for printing/binding + contributor credits below!

PRINTING

This zine was designed for letter paper, but I think it should print fine on A4 (I haven't tested it, sorry). If it helps, each individual page is 5.5 in x 8.5 in (140 mm x 216 mm).

We're going to print using the Booklet setting, which requires Adobe Acrobat or Foxit to use. Both programs can be downloaded for free. (I'm using Acrobat for this tutorial, but Foxit works the same way)

To print:

Download the zine file to your computer and open it in Acrobat/Foxit.

Open up the print menu using ctrl+P or by finding the printer icon near the top of the window. The print menu looks like this:

3. Select your printer from the "Printer" menu, then select the "Booklet" option under Page Sizing and Handling, as shown in the image above. You can also check the box near the top of the window to "Print in grayscale (black and white)" like I'm doing, or leave it unchecked to print in color.

4. Select the "Print" button to print.

BINDING

Honestly, you can bind however you want! I chose something fancy this time (because I'm trying to show off for photos), but normally I go for something simpler. Here are some methods I've used to bind zines/booklets before:

Three-hole ribbon binding (this is the method I used here)

Stapling

Pamphlet binding/saddle stitching

Methods I haven't tried but would probably work fine:

Another three-hole ribbon binding method + ring binding

Perfect binding

Machine sewing

Regardless of which method you use, I always recommend pre-folding all the pages before doing any binding. I usually try to fold like 1-3 sheets at a time--enough pages that it doesn't take forever to fold all of them, but not too many pages because I want to ensure each sheet gets creased really well.

Watch out for page order, by the way, because these pages aren't numbered!!

Depending on how you've bound it, it should come out looking something like this. Isn't it so cute??

Feel free to contact me if you need help!

CONTRIBUTORS

Thank you to everyone who participated in this zine!

Gizzia (twitter @ GizziaAobara) Nana (instagram @ honeyqtea) Nikki Bane (twitter @ Ghosty_Bane) Kiwi (@kiwifie) WovenSnow Easter Cha (me) madhu (@bunycube) Rionne (twitter @ dawnspring45) Mio (twitter @ nifocide) Alle (@tindoiimu)

It was my first time organizing something like this, so I'm really glad it turned out so great!! You guys are all so talented and awesome and I love what we've made!!!!!!

#mamiya vn #fanzine #zine

[zuzusexytiems]

what other jp fics would u recommend? (aside from ooml of course wink wink)

Hello, hello! thank you for sending this (and sorry for getting back to it so late 😭🙏) I've recommended some of these at the end of OOML 11, but I've been wanting to make a version for the tumblr crowd so here you go! 😊<3

Please note that there are still a lot of Jeanpiku fics that I have yet to read yet tho, so this list is very limited 😭🙏🏽 But hopefully I get to add more in the future. 🥰

Anyway!

All but the brightest stars by astralcrow

Absolutely obsessed with this fic. It's a Jeanpiku college AU where Jean and Pieck start off a little rocky, but find they have more in common than they'd initially thought. It's got everything: angst, comedy, drama, playful banter—all of it written in a perfect balance.

The author, Crow, also writes in a way where you can perfectly envision everything that's happening; the characterization, setting, and pacing are rich and vivid without being too overwhelming, and I would honestly say that this fic is an actual piece of literature in its own right. It's also fully finished so you don't need to worry about updates! (Unlike OOML sdjkbhuysd SORRY usdihsdu)

Not-So-Adorable Home by yanniyogurt

Another all-time favorite! NSAH hasn't updated in a while, but it's definitely still worth the read. Jean and Pieck have a bit of a history in this fic: they were childhood friends and had a falling out, and meet each other again when they're older, when Jean—without realizing it—moves into the apartment next to Pieck's.

Yany's writing is brilliant and engaging—the kind where you immediately get hooked in and forget that you're even reading at all. If you end up getting into NSAH, please show her some love! Your encouragement in AO3 comments helps us authors a lot more than you know 🥹 <3

and then the sea swept in by @anarkvli

This is the first Jeanpiku fic I ever fell in love with. Jean and Pieck both have very troubled pasts (to say the least), and are dealing with their own personal demons when they meet. Filled with angst, mystery, and rich imagery, this fic is very much worth the read as well. Say hi to Rae for me in the comments! <3

All of @sparklekitteh's Jeanpiku fics on AO3

Jules is one of my dearest friends, and she also happens to be wonderful writer! Her works are sweet and special, and each one will leave you smiling when you're done. If you need a good dose of serotonin, I highly recommend her stuff!

bakedpotatocat's Jeanpiku Week 2022 fic collection

Saying that I loved every single one of these fics is an understatement. I've mentioned it at the end of OOML 11, too, but this collection truly is the epitome of hidden gems within the Jeanpiku fandom. I don't even know where and how to begin; please just read it. I promise you won't regret it. 🥹🙏🏼

save your love (for someone like me) by kosms

I'm not usually into arranged marriage AUs, but hooo boy, this was good. This fic has either been deleted from AO3, or the author has changed handles—I was only fortunate enough to download it to my reader while it was still up, but it was brilliantly written, and although it only had one chapter, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If anyone who's reading this has the updated link to it, please let me know, as I would love to continue reading! If you're the author of the fic and you'd like me to remove it from the list, though, please also let me know! Your comfort comes first.

@0venmit's Jeanpiku fics on AO3

I've always enjoyed 0venm1tt's writing; one of my personal favorites is Bear With Me, but I've decided to go ahead and recommend everything anyway because 1.) I really enjoy their writing style, and 2.) I still have some of them on my to-read list—leaving this here as a little reminder to myself to get back to it! <3 Oven, if you're reading this, thanks for sharing your work with us; I know it's been a while, but I hope you're doing well!

Everything Has Changed by @elmundodeflor

Flor is a very good friend of mine and one of the best people I know; she also happens to be a brilliant writer, as well! This piece is her first Jeanpiku fic, but her prose is exquisite. Please give it a shot! If you're into Levihan, Flor primarily writes for this ship as well—her AO3 is a treasure trove for LH enthusiasts. <3 Love you, bestie!

A special mention to All Things Go: Chicago no Kyojin by @opelemmescootpastya

Yet another fic I still have in my to-read list, but I want to mention it anyway bc I've heard a lot of good things about it, so I want to pass it on to you guys 💜 The author, Em, is also super sweet and supportive and has made a lot of contributions to the JP fandom herself! Some of the chapters also have accompanying art that I'm sure you guys are going to love—I know I did. 🥹💜

Em also has some published one shots that are definitely worth the read! My personal favorite the Jeanpikuween one, which you can find in her AO3. Fun, quirky, and had me smiling all the way 🥹 Please also send Em some love if you can; she definitely deserves it!

Another special mention: @antehatsy's Jeanpiku fics on AO3

Irina's fics are in Russian, but even with just the translate feature, her writing is still very much enjoyable and something I still recommend. A lot of her work features Jean and Pieck in a post-canon friendship with Mikasa, and it's a very fun dynamic.

I also recommend going through Irina's profile. She is one of my most favorite Jeanpiku artists (and have her work posted up on my bedroom wall, lol 😅)

Anyway, I *think* that's it! I really hope I didn't miss anything 😭🙏🏼 Again, there are still a lot of JP fics I haven't read yet (I'm very slow to read in general, my apologies 😭), so this definitely isn't all of it

If you have any recommendations, please feel free to reblog this and add some; you can also send some in my inbox (even if it's yours and would like me to read)! I can't promise to get back to it right away, but I will very happily add them to my reading list and recommend them to other JP's, too 🥰

Happy reading, everyone! 💜🐴🛒✨

#jeanpiku #jeanpiku fic #jeanpiku fic rec

[gender-trash]

how did you get into typesetting? are there particular resources/guides you'd recommend?

i am so incredibly sorry, because the answer to your first question is almost certainly useless to you: when i was 9-12 years old i took a bunch of online math classes from the Art of Problem Solving. AoPS classes (at the time; i haven’t followed what they’re doing in years) were formatted as a chat room where the entire lecture was given in text format (vv accessible to me for both adhd and auditory processing reasons), occasionally the teacher would ask questions for you to type in a response to, and a few of the fastest correct answers would be shown to the rest of the class. especially if you used latex math typesetting to make it Look Nice (the chatroom had limited latex support).

i, a small child extremely interested in math and in Proving my Skills to the other faceless usernames in the chatroom, was super into this. with practice i eventually got really good at speed-typesetting math in latex; i also habitually wrote up all my homework in latex because my handwriting was fucking unreadable (probably because of the dyspraxia) and it was honestly simpler *and* faster than writing it on paper and scanning it.

so at that point i was just kind of in the habit of using latex whenever i wanted to make a vaguely technical document Look Nice. math camp qualifying tests. final papers for technical classes in college. personal notes and reference sheets (i’m much more likely to study things if my study materials are visually appealing, i’ve found). i discovered that with practice it *is* possible to take class notes, live, in latex, and that if you send your ~fancy~ latex notes to your friends in the class they will love you forever. plus the extra Challenge made it easier for me to pay attention in class (fuck you, adhd).

thus, when i got into ficbinding my basic approach was “download a random latex book template -> modify to my own tastes -> consult stackoverflow if anything goes wrong” and it works pretty well for me, because i’m an extremely bullheaded programmer with a decade of latex experience. would i necessarily “recommend” it to a beginner? …not really.

anyway i hear you can use ms word or another word processor to typeset fic/danmei? lots of people in the ficbinding discord seem to be pretty successful with it, and @armoredsuperheavy’s introductory ficbinding tutorial goes into some detail (all of which i fully skipped) about typesetting in word. i can’t really provide any help here, though, sorry :(

otoh if you DO want to take the plunge and go latex or go home, i’ve found that overleaf provides some pretty good basic guides to latex syntax; if you want, i can also send you some of my latex source files and talk you through what’s going on with them. you’ll almost certainly want to use the “memoir” documentclass (not “book”), so hit up ctan and download the memoir documentation while you’re at it. personally i don’t use overleaf because i am physically incapable of using any text editor without vim keybindings; you might want to start there because the live preview is super helpful for a beginner, but i have NO idea what font support is like. if you’re not using overleaf, i recommend installing xelatex on your local machine, and if you don’t already have a text editor of choice, sublime text is free* and has some nice latex extensions.

*it will occasionally nag you to buy a license but you can keep clicking “maybe later” indefinitely

(someone recommended ConTeXt to me a while back, but i can’t remember who it was. that might be a friendlier option?)

actually, would anyone be interested in me writing up a more detailed Guide to Typesetting Books in LaTeX for complete beginners/cleaning up and posting my book template? (i am bad at modeling what “a complete beginner” to latex typesetting knows, but i will beta test it on a long-suffering @combat-epistemologist.)

#the trashcan speaks #devil venerable also wants to exploit the memoir class for evil purposes #OH YEAH also if you have a html file or epub (e.g. from ao3) you can use pandoc to convert it to .tex #you can use pandoc on nearly ANYTHING actually. highly recommend pandoc #also the only reason i stopped taking aops classes was that i took ap calculus bc when i was 12 and that was the highest level they offered #so when i was 13 i had to start taking fuckin’ honors multivariable calculus or w/e cross-registered at a local college #and let me tell you. i missed the faceless online chatroom classes SO. MUCH.

[safyresky]

Real talk, is ao3 better? Should I remove my story from ffnet and post it on ao3 instead to get better traction?

Honestly, it's really hard to say! I certainly don't have a definitive answer for you. Personally I think the whole ao3/ff dot net situation is very much up to each user's personal preferences, so I'll share my thoughts and maybe that'll help you make a decision that you're happy with?

I will say, that though I am crossposting, I am NOT going to be taking down my stories from ff dot net. Unless I make them original work and then have to bc LEGALITIES or whatever, lol.

See, the thing is people do still use ff dot net! And a lot of stories exist there that don't exist on ao3! And a lot of people don't use ao3! That's why I keep mine up there and have been updating on both platforms as best as I can :)

In terms of which is BETTER, that all depends on user experience, lol. For posting, I'm finding that I really like ao3! I'm a HUGE FAN of how the update interface works--the separation of Notes from the actual text, the tagging system, and how easy it is to pop in and edit post-posting a new fic/chapter/whatever :)

For reading, while ao3 is easier on the eyes and has 0 ads, I have a very hard time dealing with the huge amount of filters. ESPECIALLY since the sections for media also include the crossovers. I like the ff dot net separates the crossovers from the regular non-crossover fic automatically!

Of course, this is a LITTLE pet peeve of mine lol and the first thing I do in any category when searching for fic is filter OUT crossovers, and then the more intense M rated tag-esque stuff that I personally am not a fan of (though some people do like that and that's a-okay! What's gr8 about ao3 is that there's no like, ban on what you can write. It's not censored, that's the word I'm looking for! Another pro to ao3 if you wanna write some nitty-gritty angst or dark fic or what have you). Quite frankly, the amount of tags and filters going on is gr8 for stories and curating your reading experience! Lots of text just hurts my eyes, but I've been adjusting!

In terms of traction, ao3 may have a better platform for a wider audience. For starters, their stats aren't broken right now, so that's a pro! ff dot nets legacy stats are broken, so hits haven't been showing up, though comments and updates are coming through--just not the e-mails if you've opted out. Which they automatically do now bc of a gnarly spam problem the last few years. And the comment system is a lot more robust than ff dot net's PM replies and the like.

Overall, ao3 is easier to use and offers more in terms of categorizing your fics! I'd recommend posting to ao3 100% :). I know that my older fics won't get as many numbers as they did on ff dot net and that's okay! i keep them up on there for those that prefer it still over ao3, and for me to go back and see the reviews and the like.

If you do decide to take everything down from ff dot net, save save save! Backup the stories you have, download them, and take snapshots of any reviews you like, bc once they're gone, they're gone, and idk about you, but I LOVE going back and reading the reviews I have over on ff dot net!

tl;dr: both sites have their merits; ao3 has way more staff, and more opportunities for engagement, as well as easier layouts for posting and commenting. FF dot net isn't going anywhere, but has a much smaller staff and has changed some things about notifications, so definitely double check your e-mail settings. If you take stuff down from ff dot net, save your work first! And any reviews you're fond of, too!

But overall, deffs try ao3 before jumping ship. It may not work for everyone; I avoided it for YEARS bc it was hard for me to get used to and it has been a VERY slow crawl for myself in learning how it works, but BOY is it hella customizable and easy to use and I like it!!!

#dani answers #anonymous #i am very against mob mentality/doing what everyone else does tbh #for lakc of a better phrase/term #i am very much you curate your own experience; nobody can decide which is better for you but you #so poke around a bit; maybe crosspost one or two over and see how the feel/vibe is #and how engagement feels for you and such #and then decide from there #BUT NO MATTER WHAT. IF YOU DELETE WORKS OFF FF.NET. SAVE THE STUFF YOU LIKE! INCLUDING REVIEWS!!!! #I'D BE DEVASTATED IF I LOST SOME OF THE REVIEWS I'VE GARNERED OVER 10 YEARS OF STORIES SITTING IN SMOLL FANDOMS #DEVASTATED! #hopefully this helps a bit anon. sorry if it's rambly1 I'm running off to lunch lol #ask box shenanigans #anyone else wanna chime in??

[lexisglitching]

In 2021 I got really into reading books.

One of my favorite aspects of it was getting to see my stats at the end of the year. Something about seeing it all in neat little charts and graphs was really satisfying to me. In 2022 I got back into fan fiction and was annoyed at the lack of anything similar.

I set out this year to rectify that for myself.

Starting with a Notion that eventually moved over to Sheets with an attached form to fill out, I tracked each and every fic I read this year, all 168 of them. 

The above images are the results. 

(Q&A + Fic Recs under the cut)

Q&A Time - Readers Addition

While looking around to see what other fic readers included on their AO3 Unwraps I stumbled across this fun questionnaire ask box meme. I figured instead of posting and waiting for questions I’d just answer them because I really wanted to. 

You can check out the original post of questions by clicking here! 

Fic you clicked on the most times this year?

That would be Kings and Pawns by HittoSama.  Now there are some caveats to this. First, it was the fic I was reading while building my first fic tracker over on Notion. While building it and then again when building it in Sheets, I had to go copy the link a good few times. It’s also a pretty long fic and I was reading it before I was downloading to read them in Books. Between reading on different devices, as well as going back to link it on a few rec lists I made this year for friends….it racked up the hits from me! But it is a great fic, wonderfully written, and has some of the best Shikamaru characterization I’ve come across so you should all go check it out. 

First fic you clicked on this year?

Also Kings and Pawns. It was my first read of the year. 

Your most read Fandom this year?

Naruto. It’s actually the only fandom I’ve read this year. I have plans to branch out in 2024 but we’ll see how that goes. 

Your most read pairing this year? 

Kakashi Hatake / Sasuke Uchiha.  I’ve read 72 works for them this year.

Most popular fic by hits you read this year?

In Good Company by Weialala reigns supreme with over 404,000 hits. 

Your personal favorite fic you read this year?

In Good Company and its sequel Ragnarǫkr by Weialala were both standouts this year that I ended up rereading three times. 

Most recent fic you clicked on?

Technically Ragnarǫkr as I needed to fetch the spelling but not counting stuff looked up for this challenge, last clicked on fic would be The Blood-Soaked Road to Paradise by Renyanen. I’ve not read it yet but I was compiling my tbr for 2024 and it’s one I’m looking forward to checking out. 

Highest word count fic you read this year?

An unpublished story I co-wrote with my friend. It comes in at 643,478 words and is based on the concept of Itachi taking Sasuke with him to the Akatsuki. It’s my favorite thing and honestly very self indulgent and unlikely to ever see the light of day. Ten of ten recommend every fic writer to have one of these.  

Shout out an incomplete fic you read this year?

From This Earth by Embers.  I’m really looking forward to reading more of it in the future! 

Oldest fic you read this year?

I’m pretty sure nothing else I read beats In Good Company by Weialala. She began writing it over on FF.Net back in 2008. It’s sequel is currently incomplete and I await the day she returns to finish it. 🙏🏻

That more or less wraps us up here!

As a final section, as I take my leave, I want to give a small recommendation list based on my favorite fics I read this year. Many of these were mentioned above in the questions and images, some of them weren’t but still come highly recced from me. Enjoy!

The Rec List (in no particular order):

Kings and Pawns by HittoSama Sharingan Rising Series (In Good Company / Ragnarǫkr) by Weialala Wild Things by TheAdventuresOf From This Earth by Embers Eye to Eye by Embers Scarlet Ink and Paper Swords by Renyanen Mosaic Eyes by BitchBot3000 Hold Your head Up and Run by TakaGang Why Storms Are Named After People by Naava

#just a glitch #.. #... #.... #..... #fan fiction

[twopoppies]

Hi! I hope it’s not too annoying of a request but I was wondering if you or your followers can think of any fics that are kinda inspiring academically, especially regarding British literature, if that makes sense? I just finished rereading Come As You Are and every time I read it, it motivates me to read more and practice my writing because I want to be more like Harry from that fic hahaha and I’m looking for more fics which evoke this feeling since I’m starting my masters in October and I need all the help I can get. Thank you so much! (I absolutely love your master post and its my go to couple times a week!)

Hi sweetheart. Hmmm... I just reblogged my Dark Academia fic rec, but other than that I think it would be fics where one or the other are writers/poets etc. Not all of these are heavy on the writing/poetry, but they're all great fics.

Make Your Words A Weapon by @helloamhere (E, 36K) I recently read this a second time and it’s even better than I remembered. I love everything this author writes. This one just really hit me hard for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the way they explore Louis’ anxiety and coping mechanisms and pain and the way he pushes people away and protects himself, but also wants someone to push back just a bit and love him despite all of that. And the way Harry is the perfect foil for all of it, while also feeling like a fully developed character himself. Yeah, it’s probably all of that. Plus soul marks! (Musician Harry/Music Journalist Louis)

Our Lives, Non Fiction by @indiaalphawhiskey (E, 114K) this is, quite literally, the best fic I’ve read in years. It’s so well written, clever, funny, emotional, and sexy. Its draw you in immediately and you’ll end up falling in love with these characters before you know it. Don’t miss this one. Harry and Louis are both authors.

An Invincible Summer by Brooklyn_Babylon / @twopoppies (E, 45K) this one is mine, I hope you like it:

Never content to stay in one place for long, a few months down south researching for his novel seemed like an idyllic, slow-paced summer to Louis. He wasn’t ready for the blistering heat, the backbreaking work of watermelon picking, or how stifling the attitudes in rural Georgia would feel. And he definitely hadn’t anticipated falling in love with the farmer’s son.

The summer of 1946 would turn out to be everything worth writing about. Farmer Harry / author Louis

Mine Would Be You by @crinkle-eyed-boo (E, 115K) Beautifully written, flawed characters and an emotionally engaging and ANGSTY plot. Super hot smut that made me cry like a fool. Banter, OT5 friendship, and the gritty realness of New York as a backdrop. Loved this one. Artist Harry / Author Louis

where your lips land by BriaMaria / @briannamarguerite (E, 12K) Ok, I’ve recommended this one a few times and I really do love it. Anyway, I love fics where the two of them are both artists of some sort (Louis is a poet in this one, Harry is a photographer) because it allows for another layer of understanding and connection and support. I particularly love the way Louis’ tattoos are woven into this story with layered meaning. And, as always, just beautiful writing.

you’re writing lines about me by snazzyasalways (T, 4K) This is gorgeously written on that Dreamy, poetic style I happen to love. Louis is a blind poet, Harry is a baker, Harry falls in love with Louis’ words, then with him.

another hazy may by deLILah (M, 41K) Another author who writes great fic after great fic. This one has that dreamy quality I love and there’s also something about it that, at times, reminds me of a little bit of a Raymond Chandler novel. I know that’s weird...but, yeah, it does. Anyway, I love this one. Such a good read.

I would name the stars for you (I would take you there) by orphan_account (M, 91K) This is just beautifully written. Angst. Mutual pining. Dumb boys. Beautiful descriptions of art and creativity and fame and beautiful poetry.

Little Technicolor Things by scary_crow (M, 72K) This is truly one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read and it is an absolutely travesty that it’s not being talked about every day. This fic is gorgeous and poetic and romantic and heartbreaking and an explosion of metaphoric images and everything I never knew I needed but now that I have it I want to read it over and over and over.

But If This Ends by nonsensedarling / @absoloutenonsense (E, 107K) This author referred to this fic as their “depressed vampire” fic while they were writing, and it is that. But it’s also a unique story with beautifully fleshed out characters, plot twists, and super hot smut. Go check it out! Vampire Harry / Writer Louis

24K Magic by @justalittlelouislove (E, 33K) FINALLY a category in which I can rec this author! I love everything they write, but this was the first one I’d read and it’s just great. Smooth dialogue, sexy smut, great description of character growth…just a really fun fic.

the best part of me (was always you) by @moonshinelouis-archive (E, 6K) Gorgeous writing. The descriptions of heartbreak and missing someone and still loving them were really well done. And I cried. Of course.

'Sup by MediaWhore (GA, 7K) Divorced, awkward Harry pining for silver fox Louis is a trope I never knew I needed, but I love it so much.

I Will Never Rust by stylez (E, 38K) I must have read this at least 5 years ago and I honestly don’t remember details, but my notes say “gorgeous, sad, sexy” so... I’m crossing my fingers that old me knew what she was talking about. It’s frat boy Harry so that could go either way. LOL! Student/Poet Harry.

Loyal Knight and True by rainbowninja167 / (E, 52K) Really original story, mystery and magic, great characterizations. All around a very good read!

Turning Page by purpledaisy (M, 68K) This author does a wonderful job with their characterizations which makes their fics such a pleasure to read. This one really has you rooting for curmudgeonly Louis and skittish/secretive Harry to figure their shit out and fall in love. If you like this one, make time to read this author’s fic, Walk That Mile – it’s one of my all time favorites. Sports journalist Louis.

Black with Autumn Rain by Whimsicule (T, 93K) This author is a favorite. If you like intense, creative stories, with complex characters and tight dialogue, you should read all of their fics. This one has the flavor of a Daphne du Maurier novel – dark, creepy, and moodily romantic. Plus a supernatural edge. It’s so good. Journalist Harry.

That Sounds Fake But Okay by dancingontheceiling (E, 113K) This one has a little bit of everything: Enemies to lovers, fake relationship, famous/not famous... plus, really good writing and some sexy smut scenes. Actor Louis / journalist Harry.

Sing When You're Winning by hazmesentir (NR, 91K) another one I read ages ago, but I always like this author’s writing and the premise of newly out footballer Louis and journalist intern Harry who somehow snags the interview, is such a fun one. And I don’t know why it has an NR rating, there’s plenty of smut.

feel the chemicals burn in my bloodstream by togetherwecouldbealright (M, 123K) I read this one so, so long ago that all I remember is that I loved it, that there’s some really romantic and sweet moments, and that my notes from way back when only say, “OMG this one is so good! And I’ve barely gotten to the smut!” HAHAHAHA! Journalist Harry/prince Louis (this fic has been deleted, so the link is to a download).

#writers and poets #my fic rec #larry fic rec

[amarriageoftrueminds]

Do you have any recommendations of fics with stucky that doesn't have try to convince me that the sun shines out of Miss N@zi-hirer ass?? I am soooo frustrated with this lately, honestly, I start a fic I get to the part where they meet and the writer tries to convince me that the sun shines out of her ass, she's beautiful, she's powerful, she's the girl for steve if bucky didn't existed, and then Steve gets confused because he wants to f*ck both of them or he does, and she's like the part that was missing on their relationship and stuff and I am so fucking tired, there is this amazing fic I am reading 'If they haven't learned your name' and is really cool honestly but she's described exactly like that and I am dragging my feet to finish it because I don't want to read this, honestly I couldn't read NEC and it's like one of the most iconic fics in the Fandom but my patience for her just went down the drain, so can you recommend me something? Hope your dogs are better.

Anon I’m so sorry it took me so long to get to this, I’ve only just found it now!

(And thank you for your well wishes for my dogs, thankfully they’re all fine.)

I really understand your frustration but I’m sorry to say I’ve built up something of a callous for it, so I can’t tell you specifically whether most fics mention her or not? 🤔 (I’ll try tho; see below)

I do however have: 

this search set up on AO3.

(with stucky as main ship, excluding pc/sr, pc&sr, minor pc/sr, past pc/sr, bamf pc, awesome pc, pc/sr/jb, etc. as many as I can think of!)

Another possibility is to open the entire fic and do a CTRL-F for her name, and if you get a hit (and if so how many), don’t read it. 

I’d say AUs are your best bet, and also fics tagged Gay Steve Rogers.

Alternatively, (and this one is even more high maintenance) you could download and find+replace to get rid of any references to her (or replace her name with another character’s). If Disney are allowed to wipe out their characters’ pasts, why not us?

.

Here’s a small random selection I’m pretty sure either don’t feature her or only do so in a non-complimentary way:  

misdemeanor Some cop, unlucky enough to pull over Captain America of all people: Sir um could I see ur... uh... license? Steve Rogers, someone who never bothered to get one: ....no

pull apart the dark All in all, Sam really wished they'd just killed Steve, instead of turning Captain America into a baby.

A is for Aesthetician Or, the AU in which Steve is a medical aesthetician specializing in laser scar treatment, and Bucky is his patient.

a love of my own Bucky Barnes, three years out of the Navy and two years out of work, finally agrees to take his sister's old job as an advice columnist at a local paper. There, he meets Steve Rogers: cartoonist, smartass, and the source of more problems for Bucky than any letter from a love-lorn Brooklynite.

a memory like a haunting Or: Steve wakes from a nightmare only to find that Bucky no longer exists.

art nouveau Steve's on the worst date of his life. At least the bartender's cute.

never talk to strangers or; How a Forgotten Childhood Lesson Led Bucky Barnes to Appreciate Charlie Chaplin, Befriend an A.I., Slip on Soap Bubbles, Be Mistaken for a Succubus, and Try to Woo a Superhero.

critical miss(ion) When Bucky messes up on his second solo mission as Captain America he expects a lot of things – a write-up, extra paperwork, remedial training. Heck, even being fired. What he doesn't expect is being told to play Dungeons & Dragons. Featuring the Avengers as Family, D&D games, and a whole lot of snacks.

who invited you? Bucky and Sharon agree on one thing: they can't let Peggy get away with this. They have to unite against Peggy Carter.

it's just a jump to the left It really sucked that Steve had chosen to stay in the past with a woman he barely knew. Bucky just couldn't understand it, and he complained to his pals over a drink. So Cable lends Bucky his time-travel device to go fix the timeline.

call your girlfriend (it's time you had the talk) Natasha is out shopping for a dress and she drags her gay best friend, Bucky, along with her.Then they get a surprise visit from an angry woman claiming Bucky has slept with her husband.Things all sort of unravel from there.

getting away with murder Bucky really likes Steve, and he likes Steve's home. He doesn't particularly like Peggy, so he makes plans to do away with her and take her place. (or, the Bucky-murders-Peggy-comedy that several people asked me for, lol)

in which peggy is not the right partner for steve WARNING: This story is extremely anti Peggy Carter and anti Steggy. Do not read if you are a stan of Peggy or Steggy. You won't like it. After Peggy shoots at Steve, she finds he is giving her the cold shoulder. When she confronts him, Steve Rogers makes it clear to her that the right partner would never be violent or threaten violence to the person they love. 

.

ED: @barnes-rogerss came thru with a great list for you, too!

Hope that helps!

#long post #peggy-free fics #stucky fic rec #antipeggy #hey nonny #fic rec #stucky #antisteggy #antiendgame #toAyourQ #dat's me #endgame steve is a skrull #any recs anyone? #drop 'em in the replies if you do let's make this a Thing! #I might edit back and add some if I think of any #release the cracken

[lunafeather]

Hey there! An author on fanfic mentioned your tumblr blog , they were thanking you for helping them out with a chapter . I was wondering if you know if that author plans to update the story? The story is called “Better than a harmony” it’s soooo good and there hasn’t been an update in so long. Also if could recommend any fics that are similar to that? Or just any in general that you like? :)

Oh Anon, I am so, so sorry to say this, but my friend Lee has not been a part of the Good Girls fandom for almost two years now :( the Season 2 finale really fucked them up (we had literally just gone through another man of color being unceremoniously killed on another show, so Rio's horrifically graphic shooting was.... a lot) and they haven't watched the show since. Unfortunately they will not be returning to the story, an as such it will remain unfinished (which KILLS ME. The story was originally my idea that I pitched to them while they were visiting me in LA and we hashed out the details together. I loved it like my own child!) Lee feels terrible about abandoning it, they know how much it was loved :(

As for other stories like it, honestly I cannot think of any AUs quite like it off the top of my head? I personally do not write AUs (though I am working on an AU for @blizabrth that is kind of similar in that one of them is pulled basically right from the show in what they do while the other deviated a bit -- and you can always read my Brio fics here). I don't really read a lot of fic these days, sadly.

Stories that I love...

My favorite GG fic is Una Lady Como Tú (or...anything by Sleepylotus, I reread them ALL the time!).

I also love Like an Unsung Chorus and the I Got It Bad (and that ain't good) series by @pynkhues (I have both downloaded to read on flights)

and Listening Through the Air Shaft by @mego42.

Table it by @hereliesbb killed me when she posted it, I don't usually enjoy angst but this was just... so good.

Thirty Pieces of Silver by @riosnecktattoo is another fave I reread all the time.

And Where We Go, Nobody Knows by @medievaldarling is wonderful and dark and poetic (tw for graphic descriptions of violence/blood)

Good Sport by Fireinsideforfun is sweet and fluffy with that little hook of angst at the end (there is a happy ending!)

Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while by @fairhairedkings -- the only AU on here but it’s amazing and I love it. Magic and fantasy, which are my jam.

Does anyone out there in the fandom have any suggestions for Anon, stories similar to Better Than a Harmony?

#NBC Good Girls #gg spoilers #Brio #Beth x Rio #ask answer

[kiribakuficrecs]

hello!!! im going on a very long trip at the end of april and I'm looking for some very long fics to download to keep me entertained! i dont care what they're about as long as there's no major character death or mentions of non-con. ur blog is a godsend ilysm and you do such a good job thank you so much 🙏

hi there!! i definitely have a lot of good lengthy fics i can recommend to you!

quote love unquote by newamsterdam 

Sero nods. “It’s the chance of a lifetime, really,” he says. “We want you to date Bakugou, for the sake of his reputation with the press. Some public appearances, a few ‘candid’ photos. For at least a couple of months.”

“Bakugou sent you to ask me to date him?” Kirishima asks, baffled.

“Of course not. We, his people, are asking you to date him. He’s going to have to get on board, if he wants his career to survive. And in the bargain, Riot will get all sorts of publicity, because their lyricist will be dating one of the industry’s hottest stars. A win for everyone.”

When Kirishima Eijirou's band hits the big time, he's not prepared for his newfound fame. He's even less prepared to meet the actor he's been crushing on for years, or to start dating him as a publicity stunt. The closer Kirishima gets to Bakugou Katsuki, the more he realizes he's in over his head. But it's hard to stop, once his heart is in it.

acceptance and denial by poteto

It all goes okay when Kirishima decides to come out to his friends and it all goes wrong when decides that Bakugou is the best fake boyfriend material.

cause the darks not taking prisoners tonight by imatrisarahtops

“Are those soba noodles?” Kirishima asked.

Again Bakugou’s only reply was a grunt. He offered no further explanation—not that Kirishima honestly expected one—as though making soba noodles from scratch at half past four in the morning wasn’t at all a bizarre occurrence and made complete and total sense. For a fleeting moment, Kirishima even wondered if maybe he was the odd one here. Besides, he’d already decided it was generally not in his best interest to question these types of things with Bakugou, especially when it was something essentially harmless.

When Kirishima has a nightmare and is unable to fall back asleep, he accepts defeat and decides to study in the common area of the dorms. What he doesn't expect to find is Bakugou, also very much awake, and Kirishima can't help but think that maybe they're both having the same problems with sleeping. If he's worried, it's just because they're friends. (Right?)

the weight of your hand by kamin

That night, to the citizens, the explosions were a jolt of fear at every blast, but to the heroes and the students of UA, they were punches and swings, fierce fighting and loud strength. The explosions were the pulse of the battle, and the power of a boy that would never back down.

One after another, explosions set a chorus through the shuddering city.

And then, suddenly—the explosions stopped.

(In which Bakugou’s kidnapping goes a little differently, and just a few seconds could change so much.)

so take my hand (your life will be brighter) by multiclassmaps

When a stranger shows up at the ice rink during Bakugou's usually private training sessions, Bakugou expects to hate him. He doesn't expect to develop feelings that become increasingly difficult to deny, or for them to help each other sort through their emotional baggage. - Bakugou really didn't like Kirishima's smile. There was something about it that made his stomach hurt, something about it that made it difficult to focus. He definitely hadn't thought about that smile on his way to the ice rink that day. He definitely hadn't.

distance makes the heart grow fonder (false) by dragontrappedinhumanskin

When Bakugo and Kirishima get hit by a quirk that forces them to literally stick together or face the less then desirable consequences, how the fuck is Bakugo supposed to keep his crush hidden?! Well, turns out he never needed to.

-- “Well, this fucking sucks, how are we supposed to train?!” "Really closely?"

perihelion by tauontauoff

Bakugou was a comet, blazing out of reach. Kirishima knew he was stupidly lucky that his furious trajectory went by close enough that his fingertips got to graze the cowl of fire. It was enough.

During Christmas Class 1A and 1B spend a laid-back week learning about extreme environment hero work in the Alps. Kirishima was used to keeping part of his feelings for Bakugou hidden, and had every intention of keeping it that way, but things don't always go according to plan.

fight me by mr_todoroki

Bright red, spiky hair. Annoyingly bright smile. Clothes that radiate ‘look at me’ vibes. Neon yellow tank top with black shorts. And those were definitely crocs on his fucking feet.

Yeah, Katsuki hated this guy.

-

Bakugou gets a new roommate.

quietly by chezka

“We’ve been taking the same way to and from school for weeks,” Kirishima grinned, and then when Bakugou frowned at him he put on an affected pout, tilted his head so that he was looking at him through his thick, long lashes, “you never noticed? Am I that easy to miss?”

He could barely finish the sentence before a laugh escaped his lips, and Bakugou rolled his eyes, hit him with a shoulder a little more violently than necessary.

“You stick out like a sore thumb, broom-head,” he grumbled, promptly ignoring Kirishima's whining about his hairstyle when it started coming, “I didn’t notice ‘cause I didn’t care.”

“And now you do?”

everyone knows that cats are independent by purplepersnickety

Eijirou enjoys his job, working the graveyard shift at a 24/7 coffee shop. His daemon Riot is always there to keep him company, and he likes meeting the early-morning patrons and giving them the best possible kick-start to their day. It's been his routine for about a year now.

Then one day, a grouchy guy with a daemon in the form of a lion walks into the shop in the dead of night, and Eijirou decides to strike up a conversation with him.

punks not dead by wrunic

“So you want to use me to piss off your mom?” Kirishima summarized, raising one pierced eyebrow at Katsuki.

“Look, if you want to be all fucking judgy about it, I take cash,” Katsuki said, dropping his hand palm up on the table.

“Hey now,” Kirishima said, raising his hands in surrender, “I didn’t say I wasn’t doing it. I’m always down for a little chaos.” He flashed a grin, showing off his ridiculous shark teeth.

“Good,” Katsuki said. “We start tomorrow."

sent, delivered, read, loved by kiribakuhappiness

Kirishima E. [6.49pm]: ur okay for such an angry dude bakugou! :)

Bakugou K. [7.12pm]: FUCK YOU!

Kirishima E. [7.14pm]: haha! :D ttyl!

Bakugou K. [7.48pm]: FUCKING WHAT DO THOSE DUMB LETTERS MEAN???

Bakugou K. [7.52pm]: I JUST LOOKED IT UP DONT FUCKING TALK TO ME LATER!

Bakugou K. [7.52pm]: STOP TXTING ME!!!

- OR -

Bakugou's and Kirishima's relationship develops from classmates to friends to more, as told through their text conversations.

flicker by mr_todoroki

He was starting to feel depressed. Life was so uninteresting. It was so mundane and forgettable. He had no one to hang out with besides Kota, his family didn’t even live in the city.

He grew his hair out as some sort of rebellion, some sort of stand to make his life the slightest bit more interesting. But he could already feel himself giving in to the pressure of cutting it. He needed to work to live. Without a job, he’d truly have nothing.

OR

Kirishima never applied to UA, therefore never became a hero.

let’s get down to business by kjelfalconer

Katsuki Bakugou, one of the brightest rising stars on wall street, is in need of a new personal assistant. Again. Could Eijirou Kirishima finally be the one to last more than two months?

Katsuki's long suffering HR department sure hope so.

something about us by bigstupidjellyfish

nothing like being in highschool and having no idea how to deal with emotions

fireproof by inkbender

Four years after a classmate nobody seems to remember is kidnapped by the League of Villains, Kirishima drags an amnesiac hobo he found washed up on the beach into his apartment, attempts to teach him how to adult (with varying degrees of success), and discovers along the way that the line between heroism and villainy is quite fine indeed. Plot-divergent after episode 45, the Forest Training Camp arc.

blood riot by magicallee (alternatively)

Kirishima from a universe with no quirks is mind-swapped with an alternate universe version of himself where there are superpowers.

And in that universe he’s a super villain.

And Bakugou is the superhero who caught Evil-Kirishima and put him in prison.

blindside by drowclericpelor

“You’re the first guy friend I’ve had that I can just like, be friends with. You’re either the most unthirstiest boy ever...” Camie shrugged and made another wobbly illusion appear between her hands. It looked like a sparkly rainbow with the word ‘friendship’ beneath it, accompanied by what Bakugou assumed was supposed to be a twinkling sound effect, but it had a tinny quality to it and sounded far away. “...or I just ain’t got the kinda straw you like to ssssip.”

Carefully, Bakugou considered the strange turn this conversation had taken.

He had never been asked, point blank, if he was gay before. And he honestly had never thought about how he would respond. Lying about himself didn’t sit right with him. But he’d always wanted to wait until he was the number one hero - when he stood above everyone else - before coming out. Though he’d had times when he’d thought about doing it before then and had almost gone through with it once. But being the number one hero came first. It wouldn’t matter what people would say about it then as long as he’d risen to the top.

Bakugou knew his lack of a response would give Camie all the answers she needed.

flour power by wingsonghalo

“I’m telling you now, Shitty Hair,” the blonde growled, “I am not gonna play house with you. We will cart this stupid flour around for a week like the assignment says. But some of our idiot classmates are naming the thing and setting up ‘playdates’ and dressing it and I am not doing anything that stupid. Got it?”

Kirishima and Bakugou are paired up to take care of a flour sack for a week. It would be so simple, except nothing with Bakugou is ever simple. Also Kirishima might be kinda sorta completely head over heels for him.

sunchaser by chonideno

that feeling when you suddenly want to jump off a cliff for no reason but instead of a cliff it’s your best friend and instead of jumping it’s growing feelings out of nowhere

or how Bakugou has to try really hard not to throw everything to the wind, and Kirishima doesn't help

i also have a tag specifically for fics that reach somewhere between 30k-70k words long if you wanted to check that out as well! i hope you enjoy the fics here and that i was able to help, ily enjoy your trip!!! :D 

#kiribaku fic rec #kiribaku #answered

[dailyrov]

Well, life’s been stressful, et cetera and so on. Welcome to 2021, which will hopefully be better than 2020, but boy-oh-boy is the bar low.

I was minding my own business today when some kind person dropped a comment on one of my ‘fics (If It Takes a Lifetime). I replied to them and then read through my other replies, relived the story a bit...you know, Something Fanfic Authors Do. I was reminded of something I wanted to post here for a while, but struggled to put into concise wording: my relationship to the series.

My first foray into The Rose of Versailles was in 2008, all thanks to a certain @kippielovesyou who baited me into watching the anime because she claimed the main couple had some things in common with a pairing I was super into at the time. I got hooked. I marathoned the anime and went to work after episode 39 without having gotten any sleep at all. Shift start was at 6:30am. The assembly line started moving. One of my coworkers nudged me. “Hey,” they said. “Did something bad happen? You look miserable.”

I wasn’t miserable so much as emotionally drained. “Just tired,” I said, and focused on my work for the next 8.5 hours. I wasn’t about to tell them that my favorite characters in a television show just died. 

I went home and watched the 40th episode. I felt weird afterward. Still drained. Almost...empty.

Not angry. Not betrayed. Just...this really strange sort of blankness that I had rarely felt upon reaching the ending of anything. I recalled a similar feeling at the end of the 1989 film Glory, but no other piece of media could come close to touching it. I would almost call it peace, though the unsettling kind. I’m not supposed to feel peaceful about a tragic ending, right?

But I was hooked. 

I downloaded the entire series on a torrent, something I hadn’t done before OR SINCE. I burned it to discs and mailed them to Wisconsin so that my oldest internet friend (now husband) could watch it. He cried at the end. I forced my sister to sit down with me to watch the whole thing. She cried, too. I wrote fanfiction. I drew fanart (it was bad, don’t @ me). I screamed about it to countless friends on Livejournal. I recommended the series to everyone I knew and a lot of those people joined me in writing fanfiction.

What a time to be in fandom!! We flooded the fandom with regular English fanfic for the first time ever. The fandom was hopping. I met two amazing women (Kasia and Loulou) who spoiled me rotten for fanfiction reviews for the rest of my life. I bought the French manga and read the entire thing. I fell in love with one specific page (you get one guess as to which that is lol). I distinctly remember crying twice while reading the manga in a language I could only stumble through: first when Andre tried to count the stairs in the house, miscounted, and tripped, and secondly when Oscar threw herself onto her mother’s lap crying that she was a human being with feelings.

I still get emotional thinking about these scenes, particularly the latter one. The Rose of Versailles got me through so much. I honestly don’t know where I would be, or who I would be, without it. There is no way Kippie could have known that I would need RoV. For her, it was as simple as, “I enjoyed it, and I think you would, too. Because shipping.” And yeah, I’m a shipper who did enjoy it for that, but it became SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT TO ME.

I don’t want to spit the whole long tale out here, but shortly after I obsessed over RoV, I had my own identity crisis. It was a tough time for me, but it also cemented my future as an essayist who focuses primarily on the literary device known as Identity. When I went to college in 2012 that was my focus in literature, and nearly every essay I wrote I chose to explore it in some fashion. Identity. What makes a character, what shapes them, what changes or moves or motivates them. RoV motivated that love for Identity and my essays motivated the English Department chair to give me a selective scholarship (that they chose, it was never applied for). The reasoning they cited to me was that I had shown a rare passion for literature and the characters within. For the first time in my life I felt validated in my obsession with Identity.

I was in my early 20s when I first saw The Rose of Versailles, and something about the character of Oscar spoke to me, but I couldn’t quite name it. I felt that I understood her, and not just for being a woman working in a man’s field. There was something else. But what? I couldn’t figure it out. 

A few years later I started seeing an uptick in romantic and sexual identities online. Demisexual. Asexual. Aromantic. Greyace. Something clicked—for me, personally, as well as my understanding of the characters. And years later, Tumblr flooded with information about ADHD presenting in women, and autism in ladies. And my brain went, OH!!!! OH!!! OH I SEE!!

I know a lot of people love Oscar for their own reason, and I think that’s probably one of my favorite things about the series: that the main character is almost universally loved by everyone, and that she receives this love no matter how the individual fans choose to view her.

Something specifically that bothered me many years ago was a certain persistent disdain for Oscar not returning André’s feelings earlier. She was blind, she was stupid, she was mean, and the worst of all: she was Bad for these reasons.

My God, when I tell you now that the scene of Oscar falling onto her mother’s lap in tears over being treated like a doll made me cry, I know why. I spent years of my life wondering why I was born the way I was. I agonized over it. I didn’t want to be “normal.” I was happy being me. But nobody else was. My sister once accused me of not having feelings. I think of that moment every time I see Oscar struggling in RoV. She’s a private person who struggles privately, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t feel things. And there Oscar was in the manga, having lived her life the best way she knew how, only to have her father pull the rug out from under her without deigning to even explain himself to her. Suddenly, she was not allowed to have an identity of her own. Suddenly, she was not good enough as she was.

Do you know what marriage would do to someone like Oscar, particularly at that point in her life? It would kill her. How terrifying a fate to face, no control over her own life, or feelings, or even her own body.

There’s an important scene in the manga and anime where André considers that Oscar appears “as cold as ice” to others, but personally recognizes the fire of her passionate heart and finds that endearing about her... I always felt that he liked that about her because it was a side of her only he understood, only he recognized for what it was. Like she trusted that part of her in his presence and knowing this helped that love grow. I still think that’s true.

But beyond that, I think André is on the ace spectrum himself, and understands better than anyone how Oscar’s feelings work. (There’s so much more to it than that, but I’ll leave it there for now...)

The part of the fandom that felt Oscar was selfish or uncaring for not loving André back sooner...miss the point, I think, of her character, and of the romance of the series. It’s not that Oscar is unfeeling. It’s not that she can’t love André. It’s not even that she’s choosing not to love him. In my opinion, it’s that she’s ace and the way she shows her love and care is not only different than a person might expect it to be, but also difficult to express—though whether this is due to her upbringing or her romantic identity (or both!) is up to interpretation.

More importantly, she does not owe him herself.

(And, I think beyond all this, usually people who feel this way really adore André, and while that’s great, I think they’re ignoring a key component of his character, which is: he loves Oscar and never even once so much as suggests that she owes him anything.)

Anyway, that was a long post to say: I view Oscar as ace and ADHD and I wish I could go back to 2008 me and tell myself about both of these things, because it would have saved me a lot of worry and heartache all those years ago. But it’s okay, anyway, because I still felt that connection to Oscar, even without the specific words, and I knew André loved Oscar anyway, even though he knew she was different.

If you’re reading this now, in 2021 or later, I hope you’ve been able to find a similar connection to one or several of the RoV characters. It’s not often we get to see slices of ourselves in the media, written in a sympathetic and loving way. Having that made all the difference to me when I needed it the most. ♥ And I hope it’s had a positive impact on your life, too.

#The Rose of Versailles #rov #essays from versailles #Oscar Francois de Jarjayes #tl;dr: oscar is such a good character

[rchtzr]

reddie fic rec

I started this list a while ago, but here’s something to help us while we self isolate

COMPLETED FICS

Winterbreak (Push and Pull) by @thegloryof Summary: Oh baby, I think we both know this is a love we won't get right. Still, if you said that you wanted, I know I'll always have one more try. (Five times Richie and Eddie get it wrong and the one time they just might get it right.) My thoughts: This is it, my FAVORITE Reddie fic. I’m currently on my fourth re-read. Why I love it: 1) the Stozier friendship that is depicted here is *chef’s kiss*. It’s Richie centric and his friendship with each loser is presented really well, but this is the Stan & Richie content I’ve needed in my life. 2) The angst is perfect. If you’ve ever had a close friendship deteriorate this will probably hit you where it hurts but like, in a good way? I can’t recommend this story enough I love it.

Skin&Earth series by @hanscom Summary: A love song to both the Losers' Club and Lights' Skin & Earth album. My thoughts: This was the first Reddie fic I ever read. I hadn’t read fic in y e a r s, but I was still devastated after recently viewing It ch 2 and was like, eh. why not. I have been hooked since.

the edification of eddie kaspbrak by @kaspbrak Summary:ed·i·fi·ca·tion (n.) /ˌedəfəˈkāSH(ə)/ the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.

Eddie thinks that sometimes, the saddest stuff life is made of isn’t the permanence of death, but the tragedy of losing something you can still have.or, Eddie Kaspbrak falls and learns how not to hit the ground. My thoughts: I feel like it’s a fandom classic? But if you haven’t read it you need to. This fic spans years of Eddie’s life and his relationship with Richie. I’m just saying that maybe film canon could’ve taken a few notes from this final battle with IT

Satan Is My Username by @toziesque Summary: The delicacy of a man made numb by a life long effort to keep it all out, and the archaic entrance of a trigger in the form of an anti-Trashmouth Twitter activist.

@doctor_k: Richie Tozier's comedy is duller than the ache in my left testicle. #trashmouth

"It consumes us from the inside until we don't have a choice anymore."

(A slight AU in which the phone calls don't come, but Richie and Eddie find each other, anyway) My thoughts: There is a playlist that goes with one of the chapters and it is... incredible. I ugly cried to this fic in the best way. I downloaded a few of the songs from the playlist and whenever they come on shuffle I become that Kermit meme where he’s looking out a window into the rain. You know the one. Read this asap let me name the stars for you by @rchtoziers Summary: “So. To summarize. I’m stranded on Mars, entirely alone. I have absolutely no way to communicate with my crew or with earth, since our communications antennae turned me into a human shish-kabob. If the oxygenator becomes compromised, I’ll suffocate. If the water reclaimer stops working, I’ll dehydrate. Breach in the Hab means I’ll go poof. And if, for some god-forsaken reason none of those things kill me first, I’m gonna run out of food and starve to death. Oh, and we can’t forget that everyone I know thinks I’m dead. So… yup. Totally fucked.” * On Sol 6, an unexpected windstorm cuts the Ares III Mission short and six astronauts retreat back to Earth.On Sol 7, the astronaut they left behind wakes up gasping for air.(Or, The Martian au) My thoughts: This part is completed but it’s part of an on-going series. When I tell you I cried. I saw the movie The Martian years ago because a friend wanted to see it and I enjoyed it. BUT I LOVED THIS. The love Eddie and Richie have for each other is PALPABLE. And while it focuses mainly on Richie, every character feels substantial and real and like their personalities work. You simply have to read it. In Fact, Everything's Got That Big Reverb Sound by @dystopiary Summary: Richie Tozier deals with dry socket, the prodigal sister, shifting dynamics in his friendships, babysitting, and the maddening unavailability of Eddie Kaspbrak. My thoughts: I am a Richie Tozier lover first, and a human second, and I really loved this Richie and thought this story was refreshing and different and really well written. I Would Have by @blissymbolics Summary: “I would’ve let you. You didn't even need to ask. I would’ve let you.” My thoughts: Anything that deals with Eddie and Richie regretting time lost with each other really hurts me deeply and this is written really well. I also really like their other one shots!

WIPS

ribs by mikeshanlon  Summary: // you're the only friend I need sharing beds like little kids laughing 'til our ribs get tough but that will never be enough // --- Almost every time the lights turn off and they cram in the shitty twin bed, Richie seems to become a different person. Maybe not different, per say, but the stupid jokes and teasing die down, the guard of nonchalance dropping. Eddie feels lucky to see this side of Richie, soft and caring-- vulnerable. It’s not like he hates the other side of Richie, he secretly enjoys their constant banter and his dumb jokes. No, it’s that this side is rare, and it’s something beautiful. Here, safe in the soft flannel sheets, it feels like they are the only two souls for miles, and they can be themselves, and that is terrifying and reassuring all at once.“I’m gonna miss this. When we go off to college,” Richie admits, the weight behind his words telling Eddie he felt the same about their shared nights.“Yeah,” Eddie agrees softly, “Me too.” My thoughts: I... I love this fic so, SO much. I read each update as soon as I can. I feel completely immersed in each scene. The yearning... I feel like I’m drastically underselling how great I think this is. Just read it. pls.

& That’s For All Time by @tossertozier Summary: It's the summer before college, and Richie Tozier is prepared for approximately nothing to change. The club works at a Renaissance Faire, and somehow in between the turkey legs, marathons of Super Smash brothers and cheap beer, some of them have time to fall in love. My thoughts: This is more Losers Club focused than straight Reddie, and each loser is really well rounded. The tags “you think you’ve read slow burns, you wait, you just wait” are the most accurate tags. I never thought I was into playlist fics until ch 25. (I think it’s 25? idk when you get there you’ll know and it is AMAZING) Honestly the fic could never be updated again and I’d be completely satisfied with where it’s at currently so if you’re wary of wips it’s worth it. there's an angel and he's shaped like you by @89tozier Summary: "Guess I owe you one, huh?" Richie chuckles.Across the table, the boy blinks at him with those dark eyes, slow and calculated like a cat. For a moment Richie is struck with the terrible fear that he's going to end up in shreds and spatters of gore, too, but then the boy simply shrugs his narrow shoulders, digging his spoon back into the bowl and helping himself to another mouthful of Froot Loops. In the yellow kitchen light Richie catches the remnants of blood on his chin."I'll take that as a yes." Or: Richie, on the cusp of fifteen, knows he should be worrying about kissing girls and sneaking out and keeping his grades up just enough to warrant fewer trips to the principal’s office. ‘Harboring a runaway half-vampire in my bedroom in exchange for saving my life’ was never supposed on that list. Richie still isn’t sure it should be. My thoughts: @owlpip’s art for this fic is what initially inspired me to read it. I looooved this story. Very angsty and sweet at the same time. I want to say a lot but I feel like you just need to read it. Angels in Outfields by @reddie-for-anything Summary: He slams his locker shut just in time to see Stan walking over, smug look on his face and something clutched in his left hand.“I think I might have found the perfect thing for you,” he says. His voice is smooth and easy and his eyes read trouble. He raises his hand and holds a flyer in front of Richie’s faceDerry High School Baseball Tryouts Week of February 25th Please come with running clothes, a baseball mitt, running shoes, and cleats.“Oh, fuck no,” Richie says. He doesn’t even need to read the whole thing to know that this isn’t his jam. Nothing about this has is name on it and no. Fuck no. This isn’t happening.Except it is.Richie takes solace in his inability to play any kind of physical sport ever. He knows he’ll hate this, but he also knows he won’t make the team. Not in a million years. My thoughts: Do I know anything about baseball? No. Do you need to know anything about baseball to enjoy this fic? Also no. If you enjoy Stan/Bev/Richie being good friends, blonde!Eddie, jock!Eddie, angst, slow burn.... You’ll love this.

ONESHOTS

I Would Not Wish Any Companion In The World But You by @queen-sock Summary: 9th January 2003 // 06:24amThere are fifty four seats on the subway. Fifty four seats split across two carriages. Eddie knows this because he’s counted them. He’s counted them, over and over again, when he boards at seventy-eighth street, and takes the blue line south into the city every day at 06:24am. The air whips around his head cruelly, a mocking tempest that whispers in his ear, the rest of the world slumbers, the rest of the world sleeps like the dead. The subway station is buried deep in the underbelly of the street, five flights of stairs below the surface. Eddie descends every day, Persephone to her kingdom beneath the earth, a daily pilgrimage that he’d rather not take.The air whips around his head, a bizarre faux-breeze created by the whooshing of the subway trains, and Eddie seethes silently. [OR: Eddie gets the 06:24 train into the city, Richie joins the train at 06:45. Somehow, they always seem to be on the same carriage] My thoughts: This and De Profundis are really beautiful fics and they’re unlike any other stories I’ve read in this fandom. Highly recommend! De Profundis by @queen-sock Summary: Considering it was the first time in just under a month that they had spent more than brief moments in the hallways together, small waves and tiny smiles at each other over the raging sea of other students, before one of them got swept up in the tide and was pulled away before greetings could be exchanged.“I’m going to take a lit elective,” Richie said, as easily as if he’d just told Eddie that it was going to snow the next day. “Oh, and it’s supposed to snow tomorrow”“Pardon?”“Yeah, the weather dude said we were supposed to get a few inches over-night, but I’ve got a few inches I can give him overnight if you catch my drift,” Richie said, grabbing at his crotch gratuitously.‘What? No -- gross. I’m not -- No. I meant the lit elective, you’re taking a lit class?”“Yup,” Richie said, popping the ‘p’ like it was bubblegum, “I got it all sorted a few weeks ago, actually. I’m taking the ‘poetry and experiment’ class” [Or, Ben starts a new literary journal for the University of Maine, and, unbeknownst to each other, Eddie and Richie start submitting poems under psuedonyms] little pieces of the nothing that fall by @spunknbite Summary: Eddie shook his head, lips quirking upwards in a confused half-smile that Richie was immediately drawn to. “You seem stupid familiar,” he said with a laugh.“I don’t think we know each other,” Richie replied, then added, like the moron he was, “I’d remember you.”This guy wasn’t the sort you forgot.*Or, the one where it's 1998 and Richie sits down at the bar next to an asshole with a Palm Pilot. My thoughts: You HAVE. TO. READ. THIS. You just. Have to. Slow down, you crazy child by @anderbum Summary: Richie looks down at his own body and like the bed and the bedroom before it, he doesn’t recognize what he sees.A broken sound escapes his lips and he slaps his hand to his mouth. Then he pulls his hand away, looks at it again, and slaps it back in place before his mouth gets any smart ideas.“What the fuck,” he says against his not-hand. (A 13 Going on 30 AU, sort of.) My thoughts: Such a good idea and so well executed. Boyfriend by Anonymous Summary: Based on this post by tumblr user chenetic: Imagine Eddie being harrassed by someone at a party who can’t take a hint until Richie comes over and wraps an arm around his waist and says “sorry babe, they don’t have the drink you like here, who’s this?” and Eddie plays along until the person leaves and Eddie thanks him and asks for his name but Richie just says playfully, “you don’t know your boyfriend’s name?” and all through the night Richie follows him around as if they didn’t literally just meet.(In which Richie and Eddie don't remember that they know each other, when they meet at a college party) My thoughts: A meet cute but they’re both human disasters. In the best way. Okay I’ve had to save this draft a few times and the formatting of the post has become a nightmare so I’m going to stop here for now. If anyone has any fics they want to rec me, pls do!

#richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #reddie #reddie fic #fic rec #the fact that on desktop everything is bolded correctly but not on mobile is driving me nuts #but i also can't edit it on mobile #so #i'm sorry

[snowwhite-andtheknight]

Mini Fic Rec

Here’s my mini fic rec, for quite a few stories that I ended up not putting in the Bingo Board One, but are just as incredible and deserve to be mentioned. 

Okay, because the Bingo Board left me torn between sharing a few additional stories. Here we go. I recently discovered Eclectic80’s ZenYuki oneshot, Lessons in Self Defense. And it is adorable. I’m a sucker for stories that discuss Shirayuki’s grandparents and what they could have been like. (I want them to show up in canon in flashbacks or something. Shh….) (I think Fruits Basket is partly to blame for this craving. Kyoko is absolutely amazing, and she’s shown through flashbacks.) So, I love that element, the ZenYuki fluff is adorable here as well, and Shirayuki knowing how to throw a punch is incredible and absolutely fitting for her. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12130971 Okay, here’s a couple of lovely AUs. The Most Versatile of Guards by Eclectic80. It’s amazing. I love reading fantasy, and the adventures Obi and Shirayuki go on are pretty fun in it. There’s humor and shapeshifting and slowly falling in love. It’s a lovely read, very much worth your time. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13355589/chapters/30581235 Also, Plumage is amazing! It’s also by Eclectic80, and the story despite being a short multichapter fic, had me hooked from the get go. I actually jumped into it right around the time it only had one chapter, and got super excited every time that it got updated. (It felt like a birthday gift, despite not being updated any time near my birthday.) It’s an absolute delight. (I love Eclectic80’s writing a ton, which is probably pretty obvious now.) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13355589/chapters/30581235 blessed are the ignorant by fiesa is a very lovely MitsuKiki oneshot as well. You should check it out as well! It’s fun and character study-ish and relationship study-ish. It’s Zen’s perspective on MitsuKiki and despite being by fiesa, it reads almost like a companion fic to The Five Stages Of Partnership by geneee. It’s really interesting to read them back to back. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11436511/1/blessed-are-the-ignorant Also, I felt like kicking myself when I realized I hadn’t included this in the perfect slot for the Bingo Board, but In love with the monster (under my bed) by Kaedix is honestly an AU I had to look up the source material for. (I love the other AU, I mentioned in my Bingo Board a lot though too, which is why I didn’t change that one to this one.) So, I read this story having no idea that Kaedix hadn’t created this AU from scratch, and so when I found out that there was a webcomic out there with this premise I took the time to read it. (Until I found out I needed an app to read it to the end. I couldn’t justify downloading an app for one comic. But even teh source material is good!) So, I love this story by Kaedix! It’s the first thing that I read by Kaedix, and led to me binge reading Kaedix later on. It’s just amazing! Please go read it! https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556682 Also, Office Gossip by Lakerae is amazing. It’s on Tumblr, AO3, and Fanfiction, I think it’s on all three anyway. It’s the only story where I could find Kai as a main character, and it’s really, really good! (Also, the ObiYuki versus ZenYuki debate in it is pretty entertaining too.) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12775199/1/Office-Gossip Also, Vacancy by ikvros is really, really good. It’s a road trip AU, that basically made me crave a long multichapter road trip AU; I never knew I loved this AU so much, until I read this story. It’s probably the only Road Trip AU that I’ve ever read in any fandom. It’s funny, and mostly friendship, but it includes ZenYuki definitely, develops ZenYuki so to speak. Honestly, it’s a blast. (Obi’s really, really fun in it. The ZenYuki’s really cute as well.) https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13032286/1/Vacancy There, I think I covered all of the ones that I left out. If I’m missing one, hopefully, I’ll find a way to share one day. (Also, I have this strong urge to recommend an artist instead of a writer, because there’s an incredible artist that makes amazing comics and art, and I’ve had to rein myself in, and focus on all of the beautifully talented writers, and not mention one of the beautifully talented artists.) (One day, I’ll share. But for now, hopefully, these fic recs fill that void.) I realize I spent most of my time in this mini-fic rec gushing over Eclectic80, whoops. So, I discovered a couple things writing fic recs. Basically, they are really fun and really time consuming to write. I learned how to fill out a Bingo Board on a computer. (Which is impressive, because I’m not all that good at technology.) I rediscovered so many favorite stories of mine from all over the place. (Also, including the links became super helpful for me.) (I save these as documents on my computer first, by the way, which is where I edit them.) I learned just how many of my headcanons are shaped by those that I read, and just how personal these feel to write. So, now, you may know my main sources of inspiration for how to write certain pairings or ideas that ruminate in my head until they just come out on the computer. (You also now know several of my favorite writers, which feels particularly personal in it’s own way.) I also got to reread a bunch of stories and refall in love with them, so that was a lot of fun. Maybe they’ll reinspire me down the road as well, who knows? So, I hope you enjoyed reading my ramblings and gushing over all of these incredible writers from both lists and that it was as fun for you and eye opening for you as it was for me. (I also discovered that some writers, I thought I hadn’t read, I’d read and really loved the work of.) :)

#ansficbingo #fic rec #sctwilightvampwolfgal #submission