2022 Fave Fic List!

[swankitty]

WOOOOO we are back babeys!!!!

once again:
- fics i've bookmarked in 2022. roughly ordered by earliest bookmarked -> latest bookmarked
- these are MY personal faves. not necessarily something i would rec to someone else. let me be cringe in peace
- holy crap i only had 15 pages of bookmarks this year??????? it must be because in the middle of the year i had a whole "read actual books" phase
- as always read the tags etc etc etc i dont always remember to warn for nsfw or other things
- i tried writing good rec descriptions but you can tell when i just started to give up LOL so... enjoy! 

• Stag Beetles and Broken Legs, Aryashi & relationshipcrimes | Hollow Knight | I"M SOOOOO OBSESSED WITH THIS FIC!!!!!! You don't even need to know hollow knight...i promise you this fic is SOOO good. it packs an emotional punch and gives you a happy ending :) great depression read i am so fond of this fic

• Recognition, TheDefenestrator, qzgs || fenes never misses!!!!!! jiang botao meta fic!!!!!!!!!!!!

• no grave to hold this body down, demios, mdzs || CHENGXIAN!!!!!!!! such tasty chengxian....the soft post-canon variety :'D romantic chengxian is a tricky beast to nail and i think this fic did it very well
• secrets from flesh, lithosphere808, mdzs || DELICIOUS IMPLIED DUB/NONCON NIEYAO OF THE A/B/O VARIETY. BUT NOT IN THE WAY YOU MIGHT THINK!!!!!!!!!!!! i love shifty a/b/o power dynamics and the way it's written in this fic is so tasty. so under-the-surface awful but on-the-surface sweet. 
• cast your bitterness into the sea, Kilerkki, mdzs || jiang cheng/f!oc -- aka the fic i was not expecting to like as much as i did!!! i think i found this one while scouring the chengqing tag, but i was really intrigued by the summary. basically jiang cheng/f!wen ruohan's sister who overthrows him!!! no sunshot au!!! temporary arranged marriage?? i remember really, really enjoying the political intrigue, and also the way jiang cheng is written! the f!oc was very enjoyable as well. 

• 5 Ways To Rewrite Zhuangzi by karanguni, Zhuangzi || did you know i was taking a class on east asian culture when i read this fic LOLOL and we went over zhuangzi for one of our lessons!! i sent the link to my professor and he liked it too it's a real delight to read even if you don't know anything about zhuangzi!

• The Villain's Guide to Becoming a Plot Irrelevant Character by glowingreverie, mdzs || transmigrator meng yao au! i think this fic is a lot of fun to read and feels like a really ambitious story to write, so on the list it goes. i quite like this fic's meng yao, and i think the fix-it direction the fic takes is pretty interesting. 

And now for something a little different! This really great article about MDZS came out last year and I bookmarked it on AO3 because it was fandom related and I liked it :) From Now on I'm Taking All of My Storytelling Lessons From This Wild Epic About Love, Loyalty, and Necromancy by Kali Wallace 

• not until the bright moon shines by shoelaces, mzds || sangcheng reincarnation/modern cultivation/firewatch au!!!!! i've watched a video on two on the firewatch game before, and also a video or two on actual firewatchers so i was already SO down on the aesthetic of this fic. and the author delivers all that and more! a really delightful mystery/adventure fic

Some Chengqing smuts because at one point I was desperately reading anything I could get my hands on for them: 

• I want more berries and that summer feelin' by ladyofrosefire, mischiefseven
• all so-called civilized peoples by Pip (Moirail)

• the mouse was the only proof the field exists by xfrinz, mdzs || [meme voice] this shit hurted. time traveling jiang cheng finds baby wei wuxian and adopts him. this is not cute parenting fic :'D 
• A Most Auspicious Day by sugar_shoal, mdzs || THIS SHIT HURTED PT 2. jiang yanli marries :) 
• good hunting by baekhyun (baruna), mdzs || heh funnie jiang cheng time travel fic. a pretty self indulgent fave imo but it does tickle many of all my jiang cheng liker boxes

• farewell, my archaic lord PODFIC by lady_peony, genshin impact || MY FRIEND MELLY'S PODFIC LETS GOOOOOO a zhongchi fic and a love letter to chinese opera. really great listening experience!!! 

• If you ever worry about doing something embarrassing in front of your crush, just remember some people attempt murder and you can do better by teawriter, gintama || ginhiji | this fic is basically a gintama arc condensed into fic form. a GREAT casefic, super super strong and fun gintama voice, and a satisfying plot 

• yet the thunderstorm dreams by earlgreyhui, genshin impact || kazuscara from BEFORE any of scara's back story was more than just artifact lore!!!! for a while i accidentally took this fic's scara backstory as canon oops. anyway the vibes are immaculate 
• in mercy so deal with my soul by birdsofpassage, genshin impact || DAINSLEIF/ZHONGLI..........the impeccable angst!!!! 

• Secondary Sources by Anonymous, qzgs || zhang jiale outsider pov epistolary fic!!!!!!!! zjl my truest love

• sin-frenzied and full of teeth by martyrsdaughter, tgcf, beefleaf || beefleaf contains MULTITUDES and i feel like this fic encapsulates SO MUCH of the good tasty complex beefleafs. 
• 暴风舞水 | storm dancing over water by martyrsdaughter, tgcf, beefleaf || the only roleswap beefleaf i remember really liking -- calamity sqx, heavenly official hx! 
• Is he, you know, a follower of Ju Yang? by Airawyn, tgcf, fengqing || heh fun cracky fengqings. can't be a fengqing fic without a ju yang dick joke!!
• alright around this time i had a LOT of bflf and fengqing bookmarks but i can't quite remember any others that reeeally stand out in my mind so...rip.... 

• grandmaster ranked in demonic cultivation by tshirt, mdzs || jin ling plays league of legends. crack except when there are Emotions. great fun!!! 
• We Wrote Down Another Vision Of Us by Cerusee, mdzs, chengqing || chengqing gets married, wei wuxian didn't know but now he does, and then we get the good family content 
• Loaded God Complex by roseclaw, mdzs, sangcheng || sangcheng 1920's private detective/supernatural creatures au!!!!! i beta'd this fic for mdzs wip bang and it is SO much fun 
• It Gets Better by nirejseki, mdzs || jiang cheng qi deviation au where he gets shuttled off to qinghe nie for qi deviation care. short but cathartic

• to siphon away the clouds by baruna, tgcf, three tumors || cracky three tumors fic!!! i remember this fic just being lots of fun
• blood and the water by curiositykilled, tgcf, hua cheng & he xuan || i do love some ghost kings gen fic :'')) 
• come light me up by nobirdstofly, tgcf, peiqing || PEI MING/MU QING FUCK OR DIE LETS GOOOOOOOO i like it when mu qing gets railed 👍👍👍 

• the hurricane, listening by halcyonine, qzgs || TANG HAO REDEMPTION ARC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TANG HAO WORLDS ARC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love this fic so much halcy's hit it out of the park again!!!!!

• When I’m Not Near the Home I Love (I Love the Home I’m Near) by queer_occurrences, genshin impact || i don't remember what exactly happens in this fic but i remember it was a great mix of family feels and kaeya backstory 
• The Road To Gandharva by HAL_berd, genshin impact || cyno & collei's journey from mondstadt to sumeru! very sweet.

aaaand herein starts my deep dive into the dainsleif tag lmaoooo 

• the opposite of haunting is something very lonely by sepulcher, genshin impact, dainkae || DAINKAE!!!!!!!!!! alright ngl i don't remember what exactly happens in this fic either but i just know there was some sexy dain &/kae character studies and some great khaenriah angst
• The Hierophant by Anxiety_Pickle, genshin impact || kaeya and lumine go to the chasm :))) 
• interlude by droneheads, genshin impact || dainkae!!!!!!!!!!!! kaeya keeps dying, and keeps meeting a boatman in the lands between.
• a splinter of glass by MaximillianDelirium, genshin impact || albether canon au!!! honestly idek how to describe this fic its like kind of canon-based but also takes a steep au turn in regards to the abyss and khaenriah. it is a very intense and engaging read!

• our roots will always be tangled by astrocosmos, moonsteps, tgcf || feng xin and mu qing in the years between xie lian's banishment and his re-ascension :))) this shit hurted parrt 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• i sing of nemesis (swords, scales, daggers) by oneirois, tgcf || fengqing! au where mu qing is banashed from heaven after killing his disciples. tbh this fic has more of an open ending, but the journey there is very tasty :) 

HIII HAIKAVETHAM ARC TIME alas most of these fic were read & written before sumeru came out, and then before the sumeru archon quest fully finished. im also holding out on reading a LOT of heartlogos' new hkvthm fic until im back in the mood again for it. sooo blanket rec for everything heartlogos writes! 

• DO NOT GIVE NAMES TO THE ANGELS by earlgreyhui, genshin impact, hkvthm || pretty dense sumeru quad (kaveh alhaitham tighnari cyno) canon-divergent/canon au mystery non-linear fic. fic hasn't gotten far enough to rlly reveal what's happening with the plot but still an entertaining read! 
• end of the night by alstroemelia, genshin impact, hkvthm || kaven and alhaitham, after the 3.2 archon quest
• in closing by heartslogos, genshin impact, hkvthm || post 3.2 hkvthm again! i love heartlogos' hkvthms they make me insane always 
• Oof, Tough Crowd by goodnight, genshin impact, cynonari || NSFW!! but also great casefic fun ehehehe
• a roost of jasmine by heartslogos, genshin impact, hkvthm || outsider pov hkvthms it is SOOOOO good. i dont know how to explain this other than they are so funnily domestic and are being judged and fussed over by a neighborly auntie. its so good. 
• this is the body; this is your body by heartslogos, genshin impact || hkvthm, alhaitham & nahida | ONE OF TWO OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HEARTSLOGOS FICS!!!!!!!!!! I LITERALLY COULDNT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AFTER READING IT. basically AU where alhaitham is something god-adjacent, but not exactly the reincarnation of king deshret. he is kept in captivity with nahida by the akademiya, and the story is about what unfolds after. it is also a really, really interesting exploration of body and identity and sense of self. it can get pretty dark but it is so so good. 
• it returns to you by heartslogos, genshin impact || hkvthm, alhaitham & nahida | THE SECOND OF MY TWO ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HEARTSLOGOS FICS!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously if you read nothing else from my list read this one and "this is the body". i actually read this one first. its basically nahida astral projecting herself into alhaithams body out of loneliness. alhaitham lets her experience the world through his body in exchange for company and information. it's really quite sweet actually. there is SO much good prose and meta and character stuff in here. i really, really love this fic. 

alright im pretty sure. from now on it's the Return To Naruto Hell Arc



By the way, some of these I've definitely read prior to 2022, but only bookmarked it upon rereading. Usually I bookmark things more on a benchmark of "would i want to reread this the next time i get a hankering to trawl through this tag?" and i supposed these fic passed that test lmao

this is also when i show my madatobi bias not sorry!!!! i hope u can get converted to them too 

• cross-genre skill applicability by Cerberussyndrome, naruto, madatobi || this fic is SO funny it's modern au writer!madara x editor!tobirama where madara is writing a huge sprawling novel that's just naruto canon and tobirama is like what is absolute TRASH 
• Shock and Awe by WrithingBeneathYou, naruto, madatobi || tobirama gets kidnapped by madaizu, shares madara's rice wine, and edits a peace treaty
• come tell me where i am speeding, tell me my destination by clickingStranger, naruto, madatobi || FAVE FAVE FAVE FAVE tobirama is on a guard mission for a traveling merchant and madara is on a guard mission for a traveling noble lady and wow theyre in the same inn :> the tension in this fic is SOOOOO excellent tbrm is so stressed about it but unable to look away :)))) and then they bang 👍 
• I and Him and Our Venn Diagram by midnightfeast, naruto, madatobi || super cute..... tbrm does a lil senju marriage ceremony while mdr thinks its just business as usual. miscommunication trope that gets cleared up :)) 
• Each hour more deeply than the hour before by fencesit, naruto, madatobi || i love nearly everything fencesit writes btw!!! post konoha izuna lives au mdtb go on a mission together!! tbrm gets injured and mdr has to take care of him ehehe and then the opposite happens. tfw your first date is a mission where both of you get knocked out by chakra draining powder and now u have to share a bed...what then...
• Conditioning by AsparagusCrown, naruto, madatobi || nsfw, im pretty sure i read this one when it was first published in 2020 but heh a fun reread! pretty light hearted and fun ;D 
• Pomp and Circumstance by thatrandomnpc, naruto, madatobi || nsfw, another one i definitely read prior to this year. tbrm and mdr go on a mission where they need to be in a fake relationship, but they've been Involved for a while 
• What Brings Us Together by Asuka Kureru (Askerian), naruto, madatobi || asuka never misses w mdtbs either!!!! kind of handwavey situation where senju and uchiha need to get married or be destroyed by the daimyo but mdr is gay so when the senju are like here r ur list of women to choose from izuna goes :raised_eyebrows: and tbrm goes :rolled_eyes: ill do it but mdr is like :squints: hold up and -- just read it LMAO asuka does great borderline dubcon its so fun
• so now we fight alone by whopaintsthelion (Cerberussyndrome), naruto, madatobi || how 2 even describe this fic. i just like the light tbrm whumps n good senju bros content smile smile smile uhh non-explicit rape warning :( but not between mdtb!!!!! 
• The Pact by honks, naruto, tobiizu || this fic is so fun!!!!! founders era has quite a bit of marriage hunt and a/b/o aus so i always like a fic with those tropes that's got a bit of a twist :D this one's got an o/o tag heh heh heh 
• You've Got the Wrong Man by Nanimok, naruto, madatobi || cute fluffs!!!! light misunderstandings turned very cute ehehe
• I Do, (reluctantly and with great resistance) by bansenshukai, naruto, madatobi || this fic makes me die from 2nd hand embarrassment but it really is so so funny. mdtb arranged marriage taken to its logical cracky conclusion. only melodrama of the funny kind here! 
• no sword without an edge by Tavina, naruto, hashimadamito || i love this concept so much. fixing naruto one polyam relationship at a time! ok seriously i think this is a great exploration of how hashimada and hashimito can still win. and op's mito is a delight! 
• Meet Me in the Woods by Mornelithe_falconsbane, naruto, tobirama || *crowd cheering wildly* tobirama whump!!!! torture and jashinism what's not to love. happy ending.
• Here lies a grave, but do not weep by Mornelithe_falconsbane, naruto, tobirama, sakura || i cant believe its not time travel!!!! sakura is stuck in a ghostly murder forest that is tethered to tbrm's chakra or something. and so ofc she digs him up and puts him back together. really interesting concept! 
• don't trust them, brother (oh, but look at me now) by SilverUtahraptor, naruto, izuna & sasuke || an izuna wakes up in the aftermath of the uchiha massacre fic. never seen one of these with izuna before and was not disappointed!! op's izuna is so much fun and the fic is really interesting
• only future and past by Domoz, naruto, tobirama || tbrm my littest meow meow!!!!! basically post-canon tbrm travels thru hiraishin to stop tbrm from killing izuna!!! nice tbrm feels
• Precession by whopaintsthelion (Cerberussyndrome), naruto, madatobi(izu) || MAN HOLDING FLAMING CHAIR ABOVE HIS HEAD SCREAMING DOT JPG bro this fic is like the mdtb fic i read last year that has taken up the MOST brain space in my noggin after reading it its soooooo deliciously marriage hunt dubcon. Domestic Rituals and Political Machinations but make it SOFT DUBCON!!!!!!! its about the delicious power imbalance. its about falling in love w the husband u hunted against his will for peace. its about playing an obedient wife to keep your own agency. its about the domestic ritual of having a dance with ur spouse at the winter festival. (starts frothing at the mouth) . anyway  . 
• Technical Difficulties by AndreyaHalms, naruto, hashimada || secret agents au hashimada have to go undercover as a married couple to investigate a cult. very funny and lots of fun!! bonus shoutout to platonic bffs mdtbs i nearly never see that in founders fic
• Growing Pains by DrBlueneck, naruto, madatobi || very cute fluff and crack with f!madara for once!!! 5+1 fic where ppl wonder who tf tbrm is married to, and 1 time they find out who mdr is married to instead :) 
• Consequences Small and Unforeseen by SecretEnigma, naruto, mdr tbrm izna || tbrm whump!!!!!!!!!!! tbrm gets shrunk and picked up by izuna its hurt/comfort i guess
• A Tree's Uncle by kbokbok, madatobi || dilf tbrm (jkjk) ageswap where tbrm is butstumas (really) younger brother and mdr has a crush. the 3rd fic in this series has a scene i rlly liked bc tbrm whump ehehe 

(ohmygod save me theres so many fuckin founders era fic im already getting tired of picking out my faves from my faves list)

• Glitch Music by mountainbluebird, naruto, tobiizu || TBIZ TIME LOOP!!!!!!! they keep killing each other <3333 and then they DON'T <33333 
• The Slow Release of Tension by Kooriicolada, naruto, madatobi || this is definitely one of my super self indulgent faves lmfaoo uhh its a/b/o but theyre all like kemonomimi. being a warrior cats kid has cursed me bc i see cat ears and i go :eyes_emoji: anyway i like this fic a lot bc its tbrm whump and the animalistic worldbuilding is rather interesting  
• Kicking and Screaming by Aesoleucian, naruto, izuna & yamato || this one is so funny bc its like bby tenzou gets time traveled and picked up by a kind of going crazy izuna. and tenzou gets them kidnapped for ~peace~ and izuna pretends he doesnt care but he actually does. also ive literally never seen these two characters together before so that was also very fun
• will i get cancelled for tobikaga crimes. well. 
• Formaldehyde by Anonymous & Glass by Anonymous, naruto, tobikaga || im fairly certain these are written by the same person but who knows! these are older tbkgs and two diff flavors of relationships types but both r very nicely done imo. both r also nsfw 

some non-founders fic, separated for your convenience 

• Sunadokei by QuenchiestCactusJuice99, naruto, gaara || ATLA crossover!!! gaara gets isekaied into atla and adventures in the desert alone for a while, and then joins up with the gaang. really cool fic :> 
• No Tomorrow by Authorship, naruto, shisui || shisui time travel fixit fic!!!! he travels back like...two months before the day he dies and has to figure out what to do :) great fic, really fun and interesting plot, i love me a always-on-the-verge-of-breakdown shisiu!!! and great found family/friendship feels too
• Like a Ghost by Masu_Trout, naruto, sakura itachi kakashi || i love this fic so much!!!!!! sakura sees a not-quite-a-ghost itachi :)))) cool anbu worldbuilding! 
• The Ocean is Dark and Deep by Pleasedial123, naruto, sakura, zabuza, team 7 || wave arc sakura whump where she gets caught by gato and is zabuza's prisoner for a while :(( very whumpy and kinda dark, though while zabuza is an asshole and not very kind he is not villain-y either. happy ending. 
• a strong female woman by BeanieBaby, naruto, kakagai || f!gai where nothing much changes. quite a fun fic! 
• a genin team with benefits by teandfailure, naruto, kakaobirin || nothing hurts kkobrin!!!! navigating relationships & growing pains. its very cute. 
• Sharp as Ice, Soft as Snow by themidnightguardian, naruto, kisaita || hehehoho modern au olympics kisaita hockey player/figure skater!!! nsfw, and great fun.

aaaand the rare fe3h!! 

• gone to ground by merionettes, fe3h, sylvix || post-canon. sylvain is trying to sign a peace treaty with sreng. hes feeling good about it! theyre making progress! and then felix sneaks to the camp to tell him he's about to get betrayed, and then he does, and then they have to escape :) great sylvix hurt/comfort