Thanks a lot for the tag @221beloved
I just had a look at my AO3 stats and was surprised that I’ve written a lot more than in previous years. In terms of hits, kudos and especially comments, however, I got significantly less (less than half from 2024). Perhaps that’s because I wrote most fics for a new fandom (Dead Boy Detectives) and they didn’t find readership there – I still get most engagement from and with my Sherlock fics. Perhaps it’s a general trend on AO3, I don’t know. Anyway, here are the fics I started (and mostly finished) in 2025.
Octopus Pillow (Dead Boy Detectives, M, 14k)
About a year after the events of Port Townsend, the boys and the new members of the agency have settled into routine again – until a curious case at a local Ikea upends this equilibrium by tearing up old wounds. While Edwin pretends to be unaffected, and Charles delights in introducing yet another new associate to the agency, both are ultimately forced to confront old hurt and grief in order to move on.
The Great Lambada Craze of ’89 (and ’24) (Dead Boy Detectives, M, 27k)
Noticing how affected Edwin still is by Niko’s death and his torture at Esther’s hands, Charles devises a plan to both cheer him up and possibly – hopefully – restore his ailing magical powers. If he chooses a somewhat unusual route and so happens to learn (and finally acknowledge) a few things about himself in relation to his best friend and their relationship, all the better. He gets help from Crystal and Wispy, the agency’s newly acquired “pet” – and, interestingly, from Edwin himself.
The Case of the Stolen Barrow (Dead Boy Detectives, M, 78k)
The Dead Boy Detectives are approached by the Wee Free Men to help them find their missing home and family. Whatever could go wrong with a case involving a bunch of blue pictsies and a visit to the picturesque South Downs? Sounds like a job easily jobbed, right? Things take a turn to the strange, however, when the old magic of the landscape begins to work its spell. Crystal discovers new things about her powers. The boys are forced to be more open with each other about their respective takes on their developing relationship and the direction it’s going. Charles has some success in the figuring-things-out-department. And with the pictsies being able to go literally anywhere, could they possibly help locate Niko, wherever she is – and even bring her back?
The Case of the Mysterious Jar (Dead Boy Detectives, T, 820 words)
When Crystal arrives at the office carrying a strange glass jar she received from a fellow student at school, she and the boys embark on an adventure with a surprising outcome.
Fantasia (Dead Boy Detectives, M, 9k, WIP)
Following a mysterious lead that may enable them to bring Niko back from wherever she went after Esther’s attack, the Dead Boys, their (only sometimes sad) Psychic Girl, and the Agency’s new associate Wispy the will-o’-the-wisp embark on a journey to Gloucester Cathedral, which leads them not only towards insight into what happened to Niko but also a better understanding of themselves, their past, present and future.
A Study in Living (Dead Boy Detectives & BBC Sherlock, M, 14k, WIP)
A strange case of a boy who seemingly showed up out of the blue at a posh boys’ boarding school forces Sherlock and John to confront their respective pasts and potential future together, while at the same time, another pair of detectives are trying desperately to find a resolution to the same case and indeed predicament – albeit on an even more existential level. Family, found and otherwise, friends and even adversaries get roped in to help, old convictions are challenged, and new friendships are forged. And Charles Rowland finally gets his beloved spaghetti.
Letters to Santa (Dead Boy Detectives, G, 1k, WIP)
Drawings and ficlets showing the Core Four (of various ages) and others writing letters to Santa Claus.
I Lay You Down (Dead Boy Detectives, T, 9k)
When shortly before Christmas, a demon interrupts a quiet night at the Agency to take Edwin back to Hell (again and for real this time, really!), he gets more than he bargains for. Because a pissed-off Edwin Payne and a supportive, protective Charles Rowland are not to be trifled with. Keepie uppie, a battle of grammar and some realisations ensue.
I tag @raina-at @calais-reno @nuttersinc @ms-zilia @the-wine-dark-sea @lisbeth-kk @adventures-in-mangaland @sthilarions and anybody else who would like to play.