NinthFeather's Meta Archive

 

Ichthyophobia is incredibly prolific and everything they write is beautiful.  They come up with really, really neat ideas for fics and then execute them better than you would’ve hoped for.  Their grasp of the characters and their voices is particularly strong.  Given the wave of Scarlet Arc hype that just swept through Tumblr, I eventually settled on recommending Two-Faced, Half-Faced , a fic with Scarlet Arc spoilers. It’s got a rare combination of characters—I don’t think I’ve ever seen KID and Akai in the same fic, with or without Conan and Sera—and is a little bit closer to the current manga timeline than the other DC fics on this list.

 

brawltogethernow  is really good at writing humor—but also using it to create drama.  Most of their fics are short but incredibly punchy, and simultaneously feel complete and make you wish that they weren’t, regardless.  Their grasp of the characters, both their voices and their thought processes, is flawless.   Makes Me Feel Alive is a MK fic about Inspector Nakamori and is one of the best analyses of the relationship between him and KID that exists. Go read it, you will not regret it.

 

miladyRanger is a friend, and I beta-read for her; that said, she’s also just an excellent writer and if you haven’t found her MK fic yet you’re missing out.  You can see the thought she’s put into her portrayal of the character dynamics in every interaction, and the writing itself flows really well.  Her descriptions are excellent, and she’s got a gift for surprising the reader.   Front Row Seat is an MK fic from Aoko’s perspective that’s part character study and part narrative, and definitely worth checking out.

 

darkcyan  is particularly skilled at using imagery. They’ve also got a firm grasp of Shinichi’s often disorderly thought process.  Their writing is generally top-notch, particularly the descriptions of the character’s tones and expressions, and the dialogue feels entirely natural.  Late-Night Conversations, a Heiji and Conan friendship fic series, is particularly worth checking out.

 

joishbishmyoga  has been writing in this fandom for years, but they’re still quite active.  They know how to construct a story; more than that, they know how to balance everything they need in order for that story to work—not only the genres, but also the characters, the subplots and the often shaky balance between science, pseudoscience and straight-out magic that canon leaves authors with.  They’re incredibly flexible in terms of genre, as well—equally adept at humor and angst. They write a variety of genres, ratings and pairings, so give their archive a look!  Inconceivable is a particularly skilled execution of one of the more common DCMK crossover tropes that distinguishes itself by edging into detective noir territory in places–I particularly recommend it.

 

Ocianne is another one of the older DCMK writers who is still active at the moment.  They specialize in creative AUs and filling in gaps in canon with creative headcanons that make as much or more sense than what Aoyama originally wrote. They also have a special gift for using their understanding of the characters to tear both the characters and the readers apart emotionally.  The way she writes Kaito is basically my headcanon for his thought process, now—her fics were that formative.  I know that not everyone loves crossovers, but if you want to read Ocianne’s work, I can’t in good conscience recommend anything other than the Promenade & The Way Home series.  I can’t do it justice other than to say that it is probably the best multi-crossover in existence, and also a good tour of the headcanons and shared OCs floating around the MK fandom at various points in time.

 

MeridianGrimm writes a lot of KaiHaku  which isn’t my cup of tea, but even when they’re writing gen they’ve clearly got the character dynamics between nearly everyone down. The dialogue in their fic is snapy, and often quite hilarious.  I particularly like the way she writes Hakuba. As for a recommendation, The Confidant is a nice little gen fic with three of four Gosho Boys and all the deducing you could want.

 

DetectableNinja has a good handle on the entire team’s personalities and voices.  They very competently mix humor and drama in their writing. They also have a good ear for dialogue, and a sense of timing that serves them equally well in dramatic and comedic moments.  Ten Feet Tall is a particularly interesting fic, with a unique premise—what if the whole team, not just Natasha, performed the Lullaby on Hulk that we see in Age of Ultron.

 

Imaginaryturtles is especially good at humor.  The way she writes Tony Stark is particularly in-character, both in the way he speaks and acts.  She’s got a knack for picking out canon details and pulling a story from them—which Reloj, a post-Iron Man 3 fic about Tony trying to obtain a Dora the Explorer watch—clearly demonstrates.

 

If you would like to see more Maria Hill, tielan has a lot of fic for you.  Her use of language is deft; she has an excellent sense of pacing and a gift for imagery. She’s quite competent at getting inside of the character’s heads, as well. The Tools to Hand presents a speculative AU ending for Captain America: Civil War.

 

gladdecease is a member of multiple fandoms who only occasionally writes MCU fic, but when they do, the results are usually spectacular. Their dialogue reads realistically, no matter how outlandish the actual subject is.  They write with a clear grasp of the characters, and they clearly know exactly when and how to end a scene and start a new one. Their fic Family Ties is a slight crossover with either the Marvel-616 comics or future MCU movies, depending on your perspective, but in either case, it’s an enjoyable AU.

 

BlackCats writes character studies even when she’s writing pairing fics, and I love it.  Every character interaction she writes gives you a closer look at how the characters she’s writing think.  Unconscious both incorporates Takane’s narcolepsy as something that actually affects her—the only fic I’ve read that does so—and uses sybolism beautifully.

 

feralphoenix writes a lot more for other fandoms than she does for KagePro, but what she has written is awesome.  She writes the characters in a way that seems effortless but clearly took some effort, because the voices and actions are all pitch-perfect—even characters that are only “on stage” for a few lines seem fully fleshed out.  In this post, I’d like to highlight the less-known of her two fics, briar prince, thrush princess, viper queen, a post-canon fic which features a Hiyori who is both in character and likeable—no mean feat.  

 

fan_nerd (weabootrashking on Tumblr) hasn’t written much for Kagerou Project, but their fic Lullaby For Mon Frére deserves attention.  It warrants a trigger warning for depression and suicide because it deals very directly with Route XX, but it’s also a really unique take on the parallels between the Kisaragi siblings.  They do some subtle things with language to reinforce the comparisons they make that I really love.

 

If you’ve read Kagerou Project fanfiction, you’ve almost certainly read something by [Bad username or site: thatzodiacsky. @ archiveofourown.org]  They have 60 KagePro fics, which would be an accomplishment all by itself—but, the thing is, all the ones I’ve read are good. They’ve written a huge variety of pairings, as well as a bunch of lovely gen/friendship pieces.  They have a touch for subtle character relationships that really helps their work stand out.  One of their lesser-known fics is Hide Away Come Morning, a beautiful little gen fic starring Hibiya and Seto.

 

Another well-known author is heartachequistion.  They’re also pretty prolific and writes mostly KagePro.  They do write a variety of genres, but they shine the most when writing fluffy, in-character pairing fics.  I have left their fics feeling physically warmed by how cute they were—even when all characters involved are still their dysfunctional, vitriolic, weird selves. A lot of that is the dialogue—it’s really natural and well-done.    A personal favorite of mine is Reach for the Stars, which is ShinAya and HaruTaka, but they’ve written for a number of other pairings if that’s not your cup of tea.

 

NoInspirationForMyUsername has also only written one KagePro fic. But 100% Paper Cranes is a pretty spectacular little AU, the kind I’d like to see more of in the fandom.  I love the way the characters interact and the premise itself is really great.  It is a Lost Time Memory AU, though, so proceed with caution if you need to.