i am the face of love's rage.

There's a podcast that I occasionally listen to titled "10 Songs That Made Me." 

The premise is simple. Musicians, artists, and other figures in the cultural zeitgeist explain the 10 songs that made them the artist and the person they are today. Some of these mark meaningful moments in their lives, were particularly impactful, or inspired their work today.

This is a list of the 10 fics, presented without ranking, explanation, or fluff, that did the same for me.

I love supporting my friends and fellow fic writers, so here are some fics that I’ve read lately that I loved, as well as some quick thoughts. These are not in any particular order, they’re all gems and deserve so much praise.

Always remember to read the tags, ymmv! My limits, likes, and dislikes might not be your limits, likes, and dislikes. 

And I'll Shiver Like I Used To by energetically 

• NCT, Johnny/Mark
• What happens when you're an anxious mess with an inferiority complex and don't know if you'll ever get over your ex, who's just so happened to have moved back to town.
• Mark is insane in this, love him.

say it like you mean it by chrysanthemumrising 

• Seventeen, Seungcheol/Jeonghan
• The dreaded E word. Internalized homophobia angst. Relearning how to be a person when you don't know anything except an industry that treats you like a commodity.

hips don't lie (kim seungmin is a virgin) by winter_swoldier

• Stray Kids, Seungmin/Changbin
• Seungmin is really bad at hip thrusts. They fuck about it. 

make it so good by fxbricxtedrexlity

• Red Velvet, Seulgi/Irene
• Canon Compliant/Idolverse. Also known as the universal trauma bond of becoming the pseudo-parental unit of a group of minors you suddenly have custody of.

Beach Read by TheSwingbyJeanHonoreFragonard 

• Boys Planet/ZeroBaseOne, Hui/Gunwook
• A very, very funny satire of bad fic dirty talk. Truly made me laugh multiple times. The picture of horny comedy, if that's even a thing. 

Fins and Fangs by Eyela

• Ateez, Wooyoung/Yeosang
• Wooyoung mistakes Yeosang for a mermaid. which he very much isn't. Unless mermaids eat human flesh. 

go color me like you by ivyclub 

• Seventeen, Mingyu/Jihoon
• Possessive, a/b/o brainrot that makes my brain go brrr (in the best possible way). I'm the number one shooter for omega Mingyu.

The Rhythm of Water by signifying_nothing 

• Ateez, Seonghwa/Hongjoong
• Beautiful, beautiful look at divinity and finding community when you fit in nowhere else. Also, a very novel take on hybrids.

player of games by linearity 

• Seventeen, Jeonghan/Seungcheol
• Jeonghan is a compulsive liar and Seungcheol thinks that's hot. They're both a mess. AO3 user linearity doesn't have a bad fic.

true wild one - where's your home tonight? by Syster

• Ateez, Yunho/Mingi
• Regency-era a/b/o. Alpha/Alpha. Interesting religious ties. There are no happy endings here but Mingi's devotion overwhelms his desires and it's both painful and beautiful.

No Take-Backs by eternal_octopus

• Ateez, Wooyoung/San/Yeosang
• They desperately need a stint in horny jail, your honor. Thruple horny guilt when one of your partners is jealousy-prone. So, so good.

beta fish by rhythmsextion 

• Ateez, Wooyoung/Yeosang
• The whole Woosang Hybe-to-KQ story makes me want to bash my head into a wall. This is a masterful take on that.

ocean like me by grinsekaetzchen 

• The Eighth Sense, Jaewon/Jihyun
• Breathtaking exploration of The Eighth Sense Ep 6 from Jaewon's POV.

our endless numbered days by suckerpunch 

• Seventeen, Vernon/Seungkwan
• Just in time for my personal Hunger Games renaissance. Always love settings with highly dystopic rules for public figures bc then i get to rub my dirty sociologist hands all over it. 

What Everyone Else Knows by halotolerant 

• OnlyOneOf, Kyubin/Yoojung
• Kyubin is an idiot who thinks making out with Yoojung will help him write better music (This is very serious if you know the lore). They fall in love (eventually).