#firstaudrina

i didn’t read as many fics as i wanted in 2024, but i did manage to put together a list of 25 so here they are, separated by fandom !! the dair fics i've read helped give me sm inspo -- enough to start brainstorming again for my cult leader louis fic AND start my first dair fic, so big s/o to the dair fandom -- we were so robbed & somehow y'all still continue to give !! anyway, big thank you to all writers for continuing to bless us all w your creativity — readers, please remember to leave kudos & comments on fics you enjoy !! as always, fics are in alphabetical order <3

(also a moment of silence for @harruandlou who introduced me to dair & therefore had to listen to me talk abt nothing besides them for the last ~3 months)

dair fics:

an utter lack of self-preservation instincts by nevertothethird / @scabopolis

There are many things Blair Waldorf needs: the new sustainable division of Waldorf Designs to be successful, a fresh manicure, and maybe a weekend away with her best-friend.

What she doesn't need is a pretentious Brooklynite with no experience working in the fashion design industry to make her life harder. Or to bring her dinner. Or to look at her like she might be the best thing he's ever seen.

checking it twice by womanaction / @womanaction

Blair creates a checklist for her "perfect man", but someone surprising happens to match up to her demands.

flappers and philosophers by bookishandbossy / @bookishandbossy

Dan Humphrey first meets Blair Waldorf at a party he's not invited to. He doesn't mean to write a story that's all about her, but somehow it happens. Blair Waldorf has every intention of giving an aspiring writer a sharp talking-to about the character he's based on her. She doesn't mean to get fond of him, but somehow it happens. (1920's AU)

god help the girl by secondaudrina / @firstaudrina

At nearly three a.m., the idea of murdering one's neighbor starts to get just a little too appealing.

good night bad morning by secondaudrina / @firstaudrina

Blair refuses to be so hard up that she's giving Dan Humphrey the eye.

3) what is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

OH MAN OKAY i’ve had this scene in my drafts for ages, like at least 3 years probably, where Bodhi (from Rogue One) is allowed to be way more jaded and bitter and traumatized & he’s super critical of Galen (who i think was so fucking manipulative to him and wish there was more content addressing that) and the Rebellion’s use of actual fucking child soldiers while still deciding to do the right thing. here’s the part i actually got around to writing for anyone interested:

Bodhi swallows and rubs the back of his neck. “Okay then. So, uh, I'm not really used to doing this, do I just say it? Is there some sort of code-word protocol? God, I feel so stupid. Okay. I'm the pilot.”

Cassian stares at him. “The what?”

Bodhi swears. “Seriously? What kind of secret anti-government resistance are you, can't even keep up with a few goddamn code names.” He runs his hands over his face, tipping his head to the ceiling in silent frustration, and mutters something that includes “Galen Erso” and “resistance,” both prefaced by several forms of the word fuck.

“Okay,” he says after a second. “Okay. Humiliate me from beyond the grave, whatever, shouldn't have expected any less.” He sighs and looks at Cassian. “I worked with Erso. Sort of. And he said in the event of his death, people like you come poking around, I tell you I'm the pilot and they'll know what it means.” He rolls his eyes. “I am going to completely disregard the custom of not speaking ill of the dead. Anyway. These people aren't quite the cradle robbers your resistance folk are, but I've been here a while, I can help you.”

“I volunteered.”

Bodhi doesn't appear thrown by Cassian focusing on that facet of the conversation. “You were indoctrinated. Based on what Erso said, you were, what, seven? Six?” He seems to read an answer in Cassian’s silence. “Okay. Six years old. Running missions for an organization whose purpose you couldn't possibly understand, risking your life without knowing it—”

“I was aware of the risks.”

“They let you play at being a hero. And now they call you one, so you still can't see how fucked up it is.”

It’s almost bizarrely hilarious that they’re still whispering all of this. That someone has dissected his worst fears in a matter of minutes when the psychologist back on base has never come close. He really hopes Bodhi actually is trying to help them, with a mind like that.

6) what character do you have the most fun writing?

we will put the lonesome on the shelf {alexis + 1st autumn reunited with ted in NYC}

your silence, simple, as a ring by arriviste It was an accident. Enjolras certainly put no thought into it; one moment he was standing nose-to-nose with Grantaire, and the next he had his hands on Grantaire's wrists, and their long bones were flexing within the circle of his fingers. Enjolras/Grantaire, 4k, T Note: my favourite fic ever, if that counts for anything

lélio & ophelia by firstaudrina Find me, Lestat is saying in a thousand different ways, find me find me find me. Lestat/Louis, 4k, T

Desert Sand by VillaKulla The origin story of Goodnight Robicheaux and Billy Rocks Billy/Goody, 34k, M

there’s probably a word for it in unmodified sumerian by ghostsoldier It’s weirdly flattering, in a way, that Cecil can wax rhapsodic about his very cells. Carlos can empathize: every single one of his tests has shown that Cecil is just as human as he is, and yet he’s also absolutely not. Carlos knows he’s not, with the sort of bone-deep certainty he usually reserves for universal constants. Cecil’s not human, but he is, and Carlos finds he wants to shout it from the top of the radio tower. How wonderful this makes Cecil. How beautiful. How imperfectly and uniquely perfect. Carlos/Cecil, 1k, T

my whole trajectory’s toward you, and it’s not losing momentum by theappleppielifestyle 14 year old Eddie gets a glimpse into what's coming. Richie/Eddie, 8k, G

An Invitation You Can’t Decline by thehoyden “I have standards,” Aziraphale huffed. “Don’t I know it,” Crowley sighed. And then, like he’d done it a hundred times before, he covered Aziraphale’s hand with his. Aziraphale/Crowley, 1k, E

Love Hath Made Thee a Tame Snake by thehoyden He was the bloody Serpent of Eden, and he wasn’t going to stand for this kind of flagrant trespassing. Aziraphale/Crowley, 3k, E

all of this then back again by firstaudrina Magnus is joking when he says, "You," but Alec says, "Okay." Magnus/Alec, 2k, M

Believe Me if You Can (The House at Pooh Corner) by gyzym  In a world where Arthur is Rabbit, Eames is Tigger, Cobb is Pooh, Yusuf is Eeyore, Ariadne is Piglet and Saito is Owl, nothing makes sense anymore. Arthur/Eames, 11k, T

not so different, you and i by theappleppielifestyle Three years ago, the idea that Tony Stark being one of her best friends would have been something she’d laugh at. Not even laugh- she’d have given whoever suggested it a dry look and changed the subject. Nat & Tony, 15k, G

unintended results by theappleppielifestyle Tony stares at the ceiling, white-knuckling his pockets. I will not get off to Steve jerking it. I will not get off to Steve jerking it. I will not- That thought is put on hold as something starts to buzz, and Tony has to bite down forcefully on his tongue to stop himself from groaning out loud when he realizes what it is. Steve/Tony, 2k, E

Left Side Advantage by susiecarter Post-MoS AU: A year after Black Zero, the Metropolis city government decides to hold a commemorative gala, with Superman as a guest of honor. And after a year of trying to gather intelligence on Superman without all that much success to speak of, Bruce Wayne is definitely going to attend. Except it turns out he may not be the only one with plans for Superman, and there might be a few other pieces of the puzzle that he's been missing. Clark/Bruce, 61k, T

Enemies to Lovers by susiecarter Then: Bruce and Clark argued, fucked, kissed, and didn't talk about any of it until the day they stopped. Now: they're living together in the lake house, trying to figure out how to be around each other day in and day out without stepping on each other's toes or crossing any lines. Which might be easier if Clark weren't pregnant. Or if Bruce weren't being so weird about it. Or if the mother box hadn't rearranged Clark's insides on a whim in the first place— There's a lot that could have made this easier, basically. But then Bruce and Clark always did do things the hard way. Clark/Bruce, 28k, E

dear friend by firstaudrina Jo might have said, “I left something for you in the old mailbox and I think that you should read it.” Jo & Laurie, 1k, G

le coup de foudre by firstaudrina three vignettes about desire. Lestat/Louis, <1k, G

Circuit by thingswithwings Post-movie. Watson finds a reason to go back to the flat on Baker Street. Holmes/Watson, 1k, E

2 become 1, or: these are totally normal roommate shenanigans by dollsome Chloe decides to fake-seduce June in an act of vengeance. Naturally, June strikes back. Chloe/June, 3k, T

un oubli profond by arriviste Three (in)glorious days. Enjolras/Grantaire, 6k, M

How to Tame a God by theorytale Loki is unstable. Tony is a genius. Together, they fight crime still don't like each other very much. There might be some benefit in alternative tactics. Loki & Tony, 5k, T

Ready, Fire, Aim by gyzym There's no "I" in "Avenger." Steve/Tony, 21k, M

it should follow, you know this (like the panels of a comic strip) by gyzym Four, eleven, fifteen, twenty-one, thirty-six, forty, as old as he's always been, too young, and everyone knows Tony Stark. Steve/Tony, 1k, T

music to watch girls to by firstaudrina They're both laughing, helpless and stupid with it. Izzy doesn't remember half as much of this before Clary came here. She remembers smirks and side-eye and the occasional chuckle but never gasping laughing over something that isn't even that funny, when you think about it. Clary/Isabelle, 1k, G

let me lay waste to thee by postcardmystery Ink stained fingers and ale left untouched. The cheapest paper left to rot and cuffs stained with little spots of black. A life shared but never quite lived together. A boy who wanted to be a poet, remembered as a playwright, and a boy who wanted to stage, remembered for his blood on a dagger held by no one. Marlowe/Shakespeare, 4k, M

[end of year writing meme]

N: Anything you were planning to write that never got written?

I’ve talked a lot about the Unending WIP List of Doom, but that’s mostly stuff I started & never finished... if we’re talking stuff I wanted to work on but never got anywhere at all

Probably the sequel to out of some dreaming tree. I love the setting, the Forest and Demons and Guardians, everything just a little sideways from canon, from folklore, Alec & Magnus choosing each other, seeing echoes of themselves in other worlds with other choices, and I wanted to write more, but I never quite found a thread to grab, an idea to use as an anchor, never really got going at all.

(It’s odd, because normally I can’t do titles, and in this case I had a title but no story: this dream was climbing sky.)

U: Any stories that took a abrupt u-turn from where you thought they were going?

Hmmm. My first instinct is to say no? I mostly wrote short-fic this year, ficlets and snapshots that don’t have enough heft to go sideways... I did have a couple with severe scope creep, but they didn’t so much turn around on me as keep going.

I did finally write the end of a series of ficlets that started from a prompt for Sebastian Fan Week back in oh.... 2011 or 2012, iirc? So that’s... it’s not at all what I would’ve pictured eight years ago, but that’s more a question of degree and tone than a 180.

Thank you, it’s my pleasure! I just still love them so much. My favorite author for fic in general has always been and will always be @firstaudrina