Quotable Fanfiction

This is a collection of quotes from different fanfiction stories we've read over the years. They're also recommendations, for it's rare that we find a story worth quoting without enjoying it in some way.

[quotablefanfiction]

It’s always really uncomfortable to be stuck in a room with two people having an all-out-argument. It’s extra uncomfortable when those two people are extremely powerful AIs arguing over life-or-death stakes.

third wheeling an intense argument is never fun (chp. 1)

A Case Study On Mutualistic Relationships by CompletelyDifferent (AO3) The Murderbot Diaries – Teen #Canon Compliant #Canon-Typical Violence #Network Effect from Ratthi's POV #Ableism

Dr. Pranjal Ratthi has written papers on mutualism, symbiotic relationships where all species involved benefit from their interactions. It turns out that applying theory into practice with human-AI dynamics is a little more complicated than he might have anticipated. But worth it, in the end.

[Network Effect, from Ratthi's perspective.]

[quotablefanfiction]

“Bear thing?” Roy repeats, because he’s actually heard of Izumi Curtis, and he hope he’s wrong, but he’s pretty sure he knows where this is going. “Their teacher is insane,” Winry continues cheerfully, “and has decided that Ed is more than capable of taking down an animal to show his strength, and since when she was his age she fought a bear, that's what he’s going to do.” “…Where did she get the bear?” Maes asks, afraid of the answer. “She brought it down from up north,” she says, “Near Fort Briggs, I think.” “Those bears are eight feet tall,” Gracia says numbly. Winry nods, “Yeah, it should be a good show.”

No one from Resembool is normal (chp. 1)

Son of the Desert by ShanaStoryteller (AO3) Fullmetal Alchemist – Teen/Mature – Edward Elric/Roy Mustang, Trisha Elric/Van Hohenheim #Alternate Universe #Ishvalan!Trisha #Mixed Race Edward #Mixed Race Alphonse #Edward and Roy have a LOT of feelings

Every time Edward sees the circle on the back Mustang’s hand, he wants to scream, wants to reach across the desk and shake him, wants to wrap his hands around the older man’s throat and ask if it was worth it, if this desk and his rank is worth the screaming, crying, writhing, burning bodies of his people-

“Something to say, Fullmetal?” Mustang drawls.

Edward snaps the file shut, “Nope.”

[quotablefanfiction]

“I’m not leaving you here to get collected by Hydra when they sweep the place and you’re starving, right? There we go, bribery. Remember that burger I brought you? There’s four more like it if you don’t kill me.” “Not gonna kill you,” Bucky said, with a roll of his eyes.

Tony is not a subtle negotiator (chp. 2)

The Soldier And The Hurricane by copperbadge (AO3) Avengers (Marvel Movies) – Teen – Howard Stark/Maria Stark, Anna Jarvis/Edwin Jarvis #Alternate Universe #1960s #Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes #Parent-Child Relationship #What If? Fic

When the Winter Soldier fails to kill Howard and Maria Stark and is taken prisoner in the summer of 1967, his salvation comes in the unlikely form of a Russian-speaking, father-disobeying, endlessly-tinkering seventeen-year-old: Tony Stark.

[quotablefanfiction]

“Did you just imply that it takes a combination of Zhang Xinjie and Han Wenqing together to equal one of you?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Ye Xiu said dismissively. “One Autumn Leaf can’t heal.”

Ye Xiu is not modest (chp. 3)

Born of Fire (We Shall Not Fall) by TheDefenestrator (AO3) The King’s Avatar/Quánzhí Gāoshǒu – Teen – Han Wenqing/Ye Xiu #Alternate Universe #Canon Divergence #Alpha/beta/Omega dynamics #Ye Xiu joins Tyranny #Su Mucheng joins Tyranny #Mentions of Dubcon that doesn’t occur #Social Politics #Slow Burn #Incomplete

Ye Xiu has hidden his dynamic from everyone for years. Excellent Era makes the mistake of thinking that means he’s alone.

This is why they are businessmen, not master tacticians. They suppose wrong.

[quotablefanfiction]

“Why do I have obligations here, again?” Agatha chuckled. “Tarvek probably told you there was no one else he could trust, looking nobly regretful.” “And then I kicked him, and then I believed him anyway. Ugh.” “Well, to be fair, it probably is true.”

Violetta is resigned to being manipulated (chp. 3)

Throw Thy Cloak Aside to Feed Me by Asuka Kureru (Askerian) (AO3) Girl Genius – Explicit – Agatha Heterodyne/Tarvek Sturmvoraus/Gilgamesh Wulfenbach #Alternate Universe #No Sparks #Psychic Wolves #Psychic Bond #Pack Bonding #Wolves Made Them Do It #Jaegers are wolves #so is Bangladesh #Incomplete

Sequel to I’ve Come to Claim a Heart From Thee.

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Gilgamesh Wulfenbach is a boringly normal petty baron’s son, having a totally normal (boring) time at university in Paris with his wolfsister Bangladesh (not normal in the least.) (The wolf herself, not the fact that he has one at all. His father is one of the premier breeders in Europa, after all.)

Then he goes and falls for a duchess regnant (above his station) (kind of) (it’s complicated.) with her own wolfsister (not even on the same continent as normal but amazing either way.)

She’s so great he almost doesn’t resent Prince Weasel for falling for her too. (Just kidding, he totally does.)

Part 5 of the psychic wolves for every fandom yee series (AO3)

Note: This work is potentially abandoned, so if you know not being able to finish a story will bother you, you might want to avoid.

[quotablefanfiction]

“We’ll be fine.” Relena waved off his concern. “Your team’s waiting for you, Colonel. Go. Take a break from diplomacy.” She smiled. “I am.” “Why do I get this sinking feeling when you say that?”

Relena and Jack (chp. 5)

Upon A Fiery Steed by Vathara (AO3, FF.net) Stargate: SG-1/Gundam Wing – Teen – Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Winner #Alternate Universe #Crossover #Fandom Fusion #Violence #Genetic Engineering #Biowarfare #Culture Clash #Prejudice and Discrimination

Daniel. Duo. Two trouble magnets, one very unlucky System Lord…

[quotablefanfiction]

Jiang Cheng starts mentally counting down from a hundred. That’s never helped him before, but there’s a first time for everything.

Jiang Cheng has a bit of an anger issue (chp. 1)

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (AO3) Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed – Teen – Lan Zhan/Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing #Time Travel #Fix-It #Jiang Cheng POV #Guilt #Family #Jiang Cheng fixes everything through the power of brotherly love #knowing everyone’s secrets helps too

He can’t get Jin Guangyao’s words out of his head.

If he’d only believed in Wei Wuxian, if he’d only been willing to stand up for him, could it all have been avoided?

[quotablefanfiction]

“Sentinel,” Tony exhaled, breathless with emotion.  Or because of the punctured lung.  One of the two.

Tony meeting Steve for the first time (chp. 1)

In All the World by wallhaditcoming (uvcatastrophe) (AO3) The Avengers (Marvel Movies)/The Sentinel – Teen/Mature – Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Clint Barton/Phil Coulson #Alternate Universe #Crossover #Fandom Fusion #Sentinels & Guides #Soul Bond #Soulmates

In a world where Sentinels, people with five heightened senses, bond mentally and spiritually with Guides, people gifted with empathetic powers, Tony Stark has spent thirty-three years overwhelmed by the emotions of those around him and running from his own. Sentinel Steve Rogers wakes up sixty years out of his own time and struggles to deal with the massive amount of new sensory input while trying to find his footing in a New York very different from the one he knew. When they finally find each other, how will their bond change them?

[quotablefanfiction]

Sidon wondered if this meant the rumours of a bear on fire running through the woods was not as exaggerated as he’d previously thought it to be. Especially considering Link was silently offering Sidon the bomb again. He was starting to get the impression that Link may be a pyromaniac.

Sidon is getting ideas about Link’s habits (chp. 1)

Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy by Icka M. Chif (mischif) (AO3) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Teen – Link/Prince Sidon #Fluff and Humor #Fluff and Angst #5+1 Things #Kissing #Canon-Typical Violence #Video Game Mechanics #Cultural Differences #Mute Link #Memory Loss #Blanket Permission #Friends to Lovers #Mild Language #Mutual Pining

It was an old Hylian custom, one that Sidon barely half-remembered from before the Calamity had happened, of a Hylian pressing their mouth to the back of a person’s hand.

He remembered Mipha’s fond giggle as someone had done it to her in farewell, and the gesture seemed an appropriate way to honour Link as he departed to take on the next Divine Beast.

(Originally going to be ‘Five times Sidon kissed Link, one time Link kissed back’ but they’re not very good at keeping track of kisses)

Note: This is a restricted story and requires an AO3 account in order to read

[quotablefanfiction]

“Haven’t you been keeping up with your competitors?” Yakov looks like he might burst an artery. “It’s not like Viktor does.” “That doesn’t mean you should imitate him.”

Yakov doesn’t deserve this (chp. 9)

Katsuki Yuuri Solemnly Swears That Time-Travel/Alternate Universe Bullshit Did Not Happen With The Intent to Piss Off Yuri Plisetsky by Eldestmiddle (AO3) Yuri!!! on Ice – Teen – Katsuki Yuuri/Viktor Nikiforov #Time Travel #Feels #Yuuri is a small child #Friends forever #Hamster Hat #Yuuri just Viktor’d Phichit #Kenjiro is Savage #No one has any chill #Yuuri breaks Russia #Tears #Incomplete

He is wrong.

Note: This work is potentially abandoned, so if you know not being able to finish a story will bother you, you might want to avoid.

[quotablefanfiction]

“I hope this ends up being a trick, with an old man in a mask.” “If all this ends up being an old man in a mask,” Liu Qingge said flatly, “It would actually be creepier than a demon.”

Liu Qingge is not interested in any Scooby-Doo nonsense (chp. 266)

The Grand Unified Theory of Shěn Qīngqiū: Qi Refining by 00janeblonde (AO3) The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System – Teen #Canon Divergence #Fluff #Slice of Life #Time Travel Fix-It #New Game Plus #Canon Temporary Character Death #Character Development #Good Teacher!Shen Qingqiu #What if…Shen Yuan WAS Shen Jiu #Epic Length #World Building #Slow Burn

Shěn Qīngqiū new game pluses himself into a happy ending and unlocks some premium content along the way.

This fic is endgame Shěn Qīngqiū/Liǔ Qīnggē/Yuè Qīngyuán.

It takes time for the characters to get together, but there is zero partner infidelity and very little angst. There’s lots of pining, but it’s happy pining. This is fluff. Everyone is happy and loving and supportive.

Part 1 of the The Grand Unified Theory of Shěn Qīngqiū series (AO3)

Note: This story is complete but it goes directly into Part 2 of the series which is incomplete, so if you are looking for a complete story arc you might want to wait

[quotablefanfiction]

“He didn’t smell that mad when he was talking to you.” “I still find that incredibly off-putting,” Stiles told him, and meant it. Whatever privacy he had left after sharing a room for seventeen years was now going to decimated further by sharing it with a werewolf.

Stiles and his OC twin Brad (chp. 1)

cool story, bro by drunktuesdays (AO3) Teen Wolf – Explicit – Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski #Alternate Universe #Twins #Original Characters #Sex #First Time #Blowjob

Based on a truly ridiculous conversation with Kalpurna about a hypothetical Stilinski Twins situation that ended up sounding something like:

“FUUUUUUCK, is it a sweet valley high situation where Stiles is very aware that his twin is way more attractive and confident than he is, EVEN THOUGH THEY’RE IDENTICAL, and he always ends up with the hotter significant others and more friends and Stiles guesses that’s why he’s attracted to the pack at first, because it’s something that’s just his, not his twin’s too. But of course, Stiles’s twin gets bit and now he’s part of Derek’s pack, and Derek doesn’t snap at him like he snaps at Stiles, never slams him into things, fucking FIGURES, STILES’S TWIN GETS EVERYTHIIIIIIIING.”

[quotablefanfiction]

“I can explain,” Tony blurted in a rush. “Why am I instantly concerned?” Steve asked carefully.

Tony and Steve (chp. 1*) *3 by text

Celestial Navigation by sabrecmc (AO3) Avengers (Marvel Movies) – Explicit – Steve Rogers/Tony Stark #Alternate Universe #Alpha/Beta/Omega #Alpha Steve Rogers #Omega Tony Stark #Teenage Tony Stark #Implied/Referenced Child Abuse #Living Howard and Maria Stark #Attempted Rape/Non-Con (Not between main pairing) #PTSD #Self-Esteem Issues #First-time Sex #Tony as Unreliable Narrator #Secret Identities

Celestial Navigation: 18 year old Omega!Tony finds himself Bonded to Captain Steve Rogers. He isn’t happy about it until he is.

Note: This was originally posted in Celestial Navigation and other Thank You Fics (AO3) which contains some other stories, including a few in the same universe as Celestial Navigation.

Note: This is a restricted story and requires an AO3 account in order to read

[quotablefanfiction]

One of the unanticipated side effects of making a romantic connection with someone was that Katsuki had three modes rather than his original two; ‘surly and bored’, ‘surly and excited’, and now ‘you looked at my boyfriend funny so I’m going to rearrange your face.’  It just figured his love language was violence.

Bakugou is predictable (chp. 9)

You and What Army by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (AO3) Boku no Hero Academia/Star Wars – Teen – Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta/Yamada Hizashi #Alternate Universe #Canon Divergence #Crossover #Fandom Fusion #Set in BNHA Canon #You do not need to be Star Wars Savvy to read this fic #BAMF Midoriya Inko #Good Parent Midoriya Inko #Parental Yagi Toshinori #Bakugou Katsuki is a Good Friend #but a better boyfriend #Bakugo has many intense feels #Nerds in Love #Pretty much everyone is a nerd and they are in love #Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk #Midoriya Izuku Has One for All Quirk #Single Parent Midoriya Inko #Chaotic Good Hisashi #Slow Burn #Switching POV #All Might gets better #All Might lives #Sir Nighteye lives #Asexual Sir Nighteye #Aromantic Sir Nighteye

“M-mommy, do you think I can still be a hero even if…” Izuku choked on the end of his question.

“Izuku, can I tell you a secret?”

Izuku used his shirt to blow his nose and nodded. He got out of the chair when she beckoned him over and crawled into her lap.

I always thought you’d take after your daddy.” Inko pressed a kiss into his soft curls. “I never thought you’d be like me.”

“What?” Izuku squinted at her, disbelieving.

She pushed his hair back from his face. “Mommy doesn’t have a quirk either.”

“You do so have a quirk! Mommy has Pull.”

Inko closed her eyes and looked within herself. Part of her was afraid that she’d let her connection go dormant, but the Force responded to her as eagerly as it ever had; maybe even moreso.

“No, baby.” She whispered into Izuku’s ear. “That’s just what I tell people.”

Midorya Inko; Single Mother, Long Suffering Individual, and Renegade Jedi Master

An alternate take on ‘The New Normal.’

[quotablefanfiction]

“Your jounin instructor paperwork is three weeks overdue, Hatake.” There’s a long moment of silence where Kakashi simply blinks, and then he reaches up to rub faux-sheepishly at the back of his head. “Oh?” he asks guilelessly. “Really?” Iruka makes a sound like a cat dumped into a bubble-bath and pounces. Kakashi attempts to evade, springing for the rooftops, but the Academy instructor is hot on his heels and lunges again, knocking him off the roof as he touches down and following him over the far side of the building. The sound of wood breaking and something metal impacting something decidedly not rips through the air, and then there’s silence again.

Naruto POV (chp. 4)

backslide by blackkat (AO3) Naruto – Mature – Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Future!Uzumaki Naruto #Time Travel #Alternate Universe #Slow Build Romance #Angst #Humor #Fluff #Family Feels

Naruto’s friends are gone, his lover is dying, Konoha is destroyed, and Madara’s second return has pushed the entire world to the brink. Hunted and harried, Naruto is sent back in time to upend Madara’s plan before it even starts, and sets about changing everything. Butterfly effect nothing: the world is at stake, and Naruto is hardly about to let it fall to ruin once more. Not while he’s still breathing.

Note: This is a restricted story and requires an AO3 account in order to read

[quotablefanfiction]

“What the fuck is even happening?” Robin said. “Now you know how I felt when you came at me with the powerpoint. Karma’s a bitch.” “You’re a bitch,” Robin mumbled. “Heard that, you little shit.” “You were supposed to.”

Tim’s snarky when sleep deprived (chp. 3)

The Right Substitution is Key by AddictedApple (AO3) Batman – Teen #Canon Divergence #Jason Todd is Batman #Jason Todd is Red Hood #He is both #Good Sibling Jason Todd #Jason Todd Takes Care of Crime Alley | Park Row #Caretaker Jason Todd #Identity Shenanigans #Jason Todd Gaslights the Justice League #I wanna make prev tag a thing #Jason Todd Returns Home #BAMF Jason Todd #Crack #Crack Treated Seriously #Fluff and Crack #Humor #Jason Todd Kills Joker (DCU) #Dead Joker (DCU) #Jason Todd Swears #Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent #when he eventually shows up at the end #let Jason Todd be happy #Tim Drake is Robin #Stephanie Brown is Spoiler #Cassandra Cain is Batgirl #Protective Jason Todd #Jason Todd-centric #Competent Jason Todd #Red Hood? More like fatherhood

“The Red Hood has been good for Gotham,” Robin continued. “Crime in Park Row decreased by sixty one percent almost as soon as you showed up, and that’s even taking into account all the crime you commit. Drug overdoses have decreased by twenty two percent in adults and seventy nine percent in minors. Homeless minors are ninety two percent less likely to-”

“Kid,” Jason interrupted. “Enough statistics. What the hell is this about?”

Robin slowly lowered the tablet with his powerpoint presentation and looked up at Red Hood.

“You care about Gotham,” Robin summarised. “Gotham needs Batman. Batman is missing and so is Nightwing. We need you to fill in for Batman.”

“You want me to cover Batman’s patrols?” Jason clarified.

“No,” Robin said. “I want you to be Batman.”

Jason bluescreened.

(Or: Batman and Nightwing mysteriously disappear before Red Hood has even started antagonising them, Robin is desperate, Gotham needs Batman, and Red Hood is Batman-Shaped.)

[quotablefanfiction]

Sung doesn’t try to give him a hand up, which is good, because it’s bad enough that Ryuji has well and truly lost, but if Sung had offered to help him to his feet like an invalid, Ryuji might have to gut him on principle alone.

Goto doesn’t accept loses well (chp. 1)

First Blood, First Victory by cywscross (AO3) Solo Leveling – Teen – Goto Ryuji/Sung Jin-Woo #Alternate Universe #Canon Divergence #Jeju Island Arc AU #Pre-Relationship #Pre-Slash #Fix-It #Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies #Unresolved Sexual Tension

A Jeju Island Arc AU.

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The 4 vs. 4 spar passes uninterrupted, and a 2 vs. 2 spar between the Mage-class and non-combatant Hunters is suggested.

Ryuji is intrigued. And then he gets… invested.

Note: This is a restricted story and requires an AO3 account in order to read