Riz (@rizlowwritessortof) is the winner in the Novella category for her Russell Shaw featured story - Guardian.
Read on to see how her fanfic writing journey started...
When did you start writing fanfiction?
I started writing fanfic sometime in 2013. Originally. I posted on Ye Olde Fanfic.net and moved everything over to AO3 in 2016. But I was writing stories back in high school; my HS bestie and I wrote fiction about each other and our crushes, and it was ridiculous and fun.
What drew you to writing fanfic?
I've always loved writing. My imagination has always manufactured stories and scenarios, so when I fell head over heels for a certain green-eyed hunter (and then for every character he's played!), it just kind of happened.
I was terrified at first to post what I had written, but it got easier every time I posted. And then when readers started interacting with me - well, there's really no greater motivation than that. Readers sending messages, or reblogging with comments, or responding with gifs, or cutting loose in their tags - those are the things that really make you feel like you're not just dropping things into the void. Hearing that something you created made someone cry, or laugh (or flail with sexual frustration 😂) is the greatest feeling in the world.
I do believe that we should write for ourselves, to make ourselves happy, but readers who interact with us just fuel the inspiration! I absolutely love and appreciate every one of the readers out there who enjoy and respond to my fics. 💖
You can find more wonderful stories on Riz's Master List, and show her some love by reblogging and commenting on your favorites.
Check back as we highlight a couple of her personal favorites.
Twelve months ago, a few brave writers stepped up to take on a challenge so momentous that even the great Dean Winchester would have thought twice about attempting it.
These courageous souls sharpened their pencils, plugged in their laptops, plotted, and pantsed their way through a grueling year of work to craft incredible stories featuring Jensen Ackles and his iconic characters.
We here at Storytellers Contest are immensely proud of all the contestants, but alas, only a few can win.
And with that, we are pleased to announce the winners of our inaugural contest, The Jensen Ackles Chronicles...
Magnum Opus Category
First Place ~ Never Too Late by @copperboom82
Prize: Book binding of your epic story.
Second Place ~ The Journey to Get There by @cleighwrites
Prize: PopCosmic art piece.
Novella Category
First Place ~ Guardian by @rizlowwritessortof
Prize: Podfic of your story by Drasna (Sandra) from Idling in the Impala.
Second Place ~ Run me with a hot blade by @crowleysmistress
Thank you so much to all the awesome readers who joined us in devouring the amazing stories written exclusively for this contest! Your votes have been counted and the results are in...
The First Place Winner of the SC: TJAC Readers' Choice Awards is
The Placenta Effect by @bettystonewell
Some praise from the readers:
"Beth is incredible. She captures the voice of Dean's stream of consciousness perfectly. Clever and cheeky and riddled with self doubt, Beth's characterization in The Placenta Effect is nothing short of embodied. What a fun, delightful adventure!"
"I sobbed – and not just because of hormones. Amazing fic, realistic storytelling, and an emotional ride from start to finish."
"Betty really knocked it out of the park with this one. Using the time jumps to really help us get into Deans head and see him work through his own issues as he struggles with the idea of being with someone he cares about dearly. holding onto the one good thing he has going for him. UGH it was amazing!!! She really had me screaming inside Deans skull hoping he could smarten up and thankfully he did just that! what a wonderful story!"
Second Place goes to
Run me with a hot blade by @crowleysmistress
Some praise from the readers:
"It was very intense!"
"Crowleysmistress is truly amazing - such a thoughtful writer!"
Please join us in giving these authors a huge congratulations! And, if you haven't read the stories yet, go give them a read!
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
A collection of Drabbles, Ficlets, and One-shots, using the Wordle answer of the day.
Multiple fandoms. Warnings will be listed accordingly.
Fics written by @princessmisery666 + @deanwinchesterswitch -
A simple idea to help each of us with some creative motivation!
While we likely won’t write a piece every single day, we will be attempting as many as we can.
Catch up here -
May 2026 - 16 fics. 11,195 words
June 2026 - 13 fics. 18,473 words
July 1, 2026 - Demur
July 2, 2026 - Maven
July 3, 2026 - Baton
July 4, 2026 -Pizza
Reacher - TBC -
Reacher x Reader. W/C: TBC Warnings: TBC
July 5, 2026 -Swami
July 6, 2026 - Toddy
July 7, 2026 - Sling
July 8, 2026 - Demon
July 9, 2026 - Amend
July 10, 2026 - Canal
July 11, 2026 - Avian
July 12, 2026 - Clack
July 13, 2026 - Stout
July 14, 2026 - Steak
Top Gun Maverick - Another Wednesday - sequel to The Right Choice. Jake’s too focused on making the night perfect that he’s forgotten the most important part.
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
This will be a month of summer evenings, small wonders, and lights in the dark. Think fireflies dancing over fields, wishes made at dusk, warm nights that seem endless, and magic that just appears when you look closely 🤫
Have fun writing and as always tag @monthlywritingchallenges and #fireflyjuly
Prompts
1. First firefly
2. Golden dusk
3. A wish
4. Barefoot in the grass
5. Lantern light
6. Summer thunder
7. Tiny miracles
8. Stargazing
9. "Did you see that?"
10. Catch and release
11. The longest evening
12. Secret garden
13. Warm breeze
14. A pocket full of treasures
15. Midnight picnic
16. Dancing lights
17. Summer nostalgia
18. The perfect moment
19. Sunset
20. Moonlit path
21. Glow
22. The sound of crickets
23. Hidden magic
24. Staying out too late
25. Childhood wonder
26. A sky full of stars
27. Fleeting
28. Night swimming
29. "Let's not go home yet."
30. A promise
31. Warm light
✨ Soft or magical. Realistic or fantastical. Just follow the light. ✨
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
Summary: Confidence begins to waver under the desire to please.
Warnings/Genres/Troupes: fluff, implied smut. W/C: 775. Pairing: Bradley x fem!Reader (you - no descriptions of body type or ethnicity).
Word of the day (May 14, 2026) - Waver
Betas: @deanwinchesterswitch
Graphics: title card design @deanwinchesterswitch
Master Lists: Word Of The Day // Main
Frankly, there should be laws. Laws against a man looking like that in the morning.
The sun spills through the kitchen blinds in warm golden stripes, catching on the broad line of Bradley’s shoulders, the faded gray Navy tee stretched across his back, bare feet planted on your kitchen tiles like he’s lived here for years instead of spending the night for the first time.
One night. One spectacular, sleep-lost, heartbeat-stealing night.
And now the man who can land a fighter jet on a moving aircraft carrier is standing at your counter, absolutely losing a war with a slice of sourdough.
You lean on the doorframe, arms folded. “Need me to call in reinforcements?”
He glances over his shoulder, hair sleep-ruffled, mouth still swollen from kissing you senseless hours ago.
Your knees file for resignation, but you shake it off by taking a step forward.
“I’m fine,” he says.
The bread springs out of the toaster, startling him enough that he nearly drops the knife.
You snort.
He points the butter knife at you, smiling. “Don’t.”
“Oh, I’m going to, you’re being beaten by breakfast.”
He turns back to the counter with the grave focus of a man defusing a bomb. His hands, tanned and capable enough to make your skin remember things instantly by just watching him work, drag the butter across the toast in uneven trenches.
And there it is again. That tiny shake. That little waver in his hands.
Barely noticeable if you hadn’t watched those same hands confidently guide steel through the clouds, gentle at your waist, reverent against your skin in the dark.
“Bradley.” You step close.
“Mm?”
“You’re nervous.”
It happens again, the slight shake of his hands.
“I am not.”
“Your hands are shaking.”
He tries for casual, but it falls short. “That is slander.”
“You’re buttering toast like you’d waterboard Hangman for pissing you off.”
You move beside him, hip brushing his. He stills immediately.
The great Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, king of easy smiles and laid-back confidence, is suddenly very interested in the countertop again.
You soften. “Why are you nervous?”
He exhales once through his nose. “Because.”
His pause is too long. “Compelling answer.”
“Because,” he says again, quieter this time, “I really like you.” He keeps talking, eyes glued to the knife in his hand. “And I know I’m supposed to be cool and casual this morning, maybe even charming or say something funny.” He sets the knife down. “Instead, I’m in your kitchen with my hands shaking over dairy products.”
You stare at him. Then you laugh, not at him, but from the sheer unbearable sweetness of it all.
His head drops. “And now she’s laughing.”
“I’m sorry,” you say. “You’re just unbearably sweet, and I don’t want to mess this up, so now I’m nervous.”
His head lifts at that, surprise chasing the embarrassment off his face.
“You?”
You huff a laugh and step between him and the counter. “Yes, me. Shocking development, I know.”
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. He’s trying to fight it, but it's slow and warm and dangerous to your ability to think straight.
“I thought you were the calm one.”
“I was, right up until I saw you standing in my kitchen looking like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like a problem.”
That earns you a real grin, the confident, bright enough to rival the morning sun smile. “A problem?” he asks, sounding a little too proud.
“A serious one.”
He steps closer, crowding into your space until your back presses into the counter behind you. His hands settle at your waist, no waver remaining in his touch. “Good,” he mumbles. “I’d hate to be the only one having a crisis before coffee.”
He dips his head, nose brushing yours, giving you every chance to pull away, but you don’t. This kiss is different than the ones in the dark.
Last night had been heat and hunger, months of stolen glances snapping under pressure. This is slower, softer, the kind of kiss that says this isn’t fleeting, this is the real deal.
He makes that sound again, the same rough one from last night that ruined you as he moves from your mouth to your neck.
The toaster pops a second slice into the air, and you both jolt.
Bradley groans into your shoulder. “I hate that thing.”
“You’ve flown combat missions, and you're letting breakfast defeat you.”
“Worth it,” he says, lifting you onto the counter before kissing you again.
His hands are steady now, roaming and exploring again.
The toast goes cold. The coffee never gets poured. Neither of you is troubled by it.
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This is so warm and sweet and soft, Staaaaace, why are you making me feel things for Rooster?!
First off, that image of him in her kitchen first thing in the morning was beautiful!
Then his bashful confession that sets off the butterflies 🥰
Then he goes from sweet to hot!!!
He dips his head, nose brushing yours, giving you every chance to pull away, but you don’t. This kiss is different than the ones in the dark.
Last night had been heat and hunger, months of stolen glances snapping under pressure. This is slower, softer, the kind of kiss that says this isn’t fleeting, this is the real deal.
He makes that sound again, the same rough one from last night that ruined you as he moves from your mouth to your neck.
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
Reader's Choice voting begins June 22!
The Stories:
@rizlowwritessortof ~ Guardian
@kazsrm67 ~ The Ghost
@crowleysmistress ~ Run me with a hot blade
@cleighwrites ~ The Journey to Get There
@bettystonewell ~ The Placenta Effect
*Fics will be added as the authors post them, so check back often.*
Here, please find the incredible stories written by the talented contestants braving this Storytellers Contest. Please read, enjoy, and give them all the love and interactions they rightly deserve!
Reader's Choice voting begins June 22!
The Stories:
@cleighwrites ~ The Journey to Get There
@crowleysmistress ~ Run me with a hot blade
@rizlowwritessortof ~ Guardian
@kazsrm67 ~ The Ghost
*Fics will be added as the authors post them, so check back often.*
