#and now we’re exchanging book recs

[skinreflectsthesun]

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[duckprintspress]

Fandom Lexicon: R

We’re in the home stretch on updates to our main fandom lexicon! Today, check out the entries starting with “R”!

View the entire Fandom Lexicon posted to date.

See something we missed? Notice a mistake? Let us know!

Lexicon Entries Starting with R: (read more)

RACK: Abbreviation for “risk-aware consensual kink.” A term used by members of the BDSM community who engage in more dangerous power-exchange activities to emphasize the importance of being educated about the risks associated with that activity before engaging in it. See also: PRICK. Read more about RACK.

Ravatar: On Ravelry chat boards, a person’s avatar is often called their “ravatar” as a joke on the name of the platform. See avatar.

RB: Abbreviation for “reverse bang” or “reblog.”

Re: [Thing]: Shortened way of saying “In reply to [Thing]/As regards [Thing].” On social media, Re: precedes discussion of [thing], usually as a means of circling back to [thing] after talking about something else or to make it clear that a point being made is directly related to a specific previous thing that has been mentioned.

Reader Insert: Stories written so the reader might imagine themselves as the protagonist. Often use Y/N or YN (both short for “your name”) to refer to the protagonist. Reader inserts are tagged as “Reader” on AO3, for example: Reader/(Character). May also be referred to as “x reader” fics. Read more about read inserts.

Reblog: Tumblr lingo that refers to sharing a post written by another blog using the “reblog” function, which ensures the content remains connected to the original blog. Not to be confused with a repost.

Rec List: Shortened form of “recommendation list.” Like a mixtape of the creator’s favorites in a given category. Could be fanfic, movies, books, TV shows, blogs to follow, etc. There is no upper or lower limit on how many things can be in a reclist. Can be very specific (e.g. only works featuring a precise trope of a specific ship in a specific fandom) or very broad (e.g. “my favorites”).

Redacted: A term that means the previous text has been removed for Reasons (specified or unspecified). Within fandom, this is typically used facetiously to refer to information that fans are not supposed to know (or not supposed to share), assumptions that may or may not be correct, unpopular or controversial opinions, or simply for the laughs. Read more about redaction.

Reddit: A forum-esque social media platform. Visit reddit.

Remix: Mixing up the elements of a source material. Fandom usage can refer to art, writing, video edits, music, or pretty much any other media imaginable.

Repost: Copying an original post (most often artwork – including photographs – or animated gifs) and posting it to one’s own blog, rather than using the reblog function. When done without permission, this is a form of content theft. When done with permission and credit, it’s fine. Don’t take other people’s hard work without asking! Not to be confused with a reblog, retweet, or other platform-based forms of post-sharing.

Reverse Bang: A collaborative creation event in which artists create an art piece and write a small amount about it to offer guidance, then writers sign up to write a story for that piece, usually with a minimum length of at least 5,000 words. See also: big bang, creation challenge.

RN: Abbreviation for “right now.”

RPF: Abbreviation for “real person fic.” Fanworks about people who actually currently are alive or have been alive in the past, rather than about fictional/made-up characters. A lot of RPF involves shipping real people together. Sports fandoms and bandoms are big, popular examples of RPF communities, and it’s also common for lead actors who play popular fictional ship characters to get shipped together (for example, the actors Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins from Supernatural who play Dean Winchester and Castiel, the very popular ship Destiel, are also often shipped together as the popular RPF ship Cockles). Read more about RPF.

RPG: Abbreviation for “roleplaying game.” A game in which individuals create characters or play a game-assigned character and play the role of that character throughout. RPGs can be played via any venue/channel/platform that allows individuals to interact with each other or with a gaming system. See also: JRPG, MMORPG, TTRPG (pending).

RPS: Abbreviation for “real person shipping.” See RPF.

RT: Abbreviation for “retweet” on Twitter or “retoot” on Mastodon.

Rubberduck Debugging: Explaining a problem to an unresponsive target in order to identify and fix the origin of that problem. Originates from The Pragmatic Programmer. Read more about rubberducking.

The Rules of the Internet: The Rules of the Internet is a loose, unofficial list originally spawned from 4chan. The list is memetic and subject to change, and a few specific rules have been widely adopted in fandom. Read more about the Rules of the Internet. Rules most often mentioned in fandom spaces:

Rule 34: If it (whatever “it” is) exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions.

Rule 35: If there is no porn of it, porn will be made of it.

Rule 36: No matter how fucked up “it” is, there is always worse than what you just saw.

Rule 63: For every male character, there is a female version of that character, and for every female character, there is a male version of that character, and there will always be porn about both versions of that character. This is by far the most widely spread Rule in most fandom spaces, and “rule 63” is a common tag used on content of this type. See also: genderbend, genderswap.

Rule 64: There is lore for everything that exists.

Rule 65: If there isn’t lore yet, there will be imminently.

Rule 66: The longer a piece of lore is, the weirder it will get.

[skepticbeliever-bookclub]

Hello lovely followers,

Ever wonder about the fics that don’t make it through the final round of voting for the bi-weekly read in the book club? You’re in luck!

The book club is structured so that we solicit nominations from our members, either based on a theme or a trope or simply a request for their favorites, and develop a list of ten nominations, which are then narrowed down to a top three. The top three fics end up in our weekend vote and the winner of that vote becomes our book club fic for that week.

‘Tis the season; in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights are drawing in and our final round of the year is upon us! This week, we took nominations for all fics winter-holiday themed, to get us in the mood before our December break.

Our top three voted fics for this read were all from the Skeptic Believer Book Club Secret Santa fic exchange that took place in 2020. More on the winning fic very soon, but for now, here are our delightful runners-up:

I Think We’re Snowblind - 7_Magpies | 3.3k, E, complete 

Things are tense between Shane and Ryan.

Then they get stuck together on a ski lift.

made of glass the way you see through me - uneventfulhouses | 19k, E, complete

Now he’s hearing things. We should probably start thinking about how to save this trip, maybe Ryan—

“Are you talking to me?” Ryan asks again.

“No,” Shane says, more adamantly. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I feel like I keep hearing you say something,” Ryan says.

It’s probably a concussion, and the symptoms didn’t look—

or; the one where a little christmas magic lends ryan a peek into shane's mind.

Finally, for all you writers, please remember to check out this year’s open fic event: the Skeptic Believer Book Club Advent Calendar 2022! There are 24 seasonal prompts for the month of December, and we’d love it if you took part. 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

[acertainmoshke]

I’m thinking tonight about the people we know when we’re young and then our paths diverge and we never see them again. What happened to my best friend from when I was 8? The girl I meant to exchange numbers with before we both left the duplex, but never did?

Or the girl I took a parks and rec cross country ski class with. I hated skiing—I was always the smallest and slowest—but she made it worthwhile. I used to bring a notebook and we would pass it back and forth. We were writing a book together. I typed it up later and still have it even though we only got a couple chapters in. I had just read A Patch of Blue, an old book about an abused white blind girl who ends up in an interracial relationship, so of course in our story an abused blind girl ran away from home on her own (we were too young to have an interest in giving her romance). Isabel was a couple years younger than me, and I only knew her for a few months while I had other friends I saw from middle school until graduation, but I have a line in my journal at 13 about how she was my only friend who didn’t make fun of me.

I wonder where she is now. I hope she still likes to write, too.

[sunderedstar]

@blitzlowin​ /cracks knuckles/ i do this for u. there is no order to this list, but here we go -

the jasmine throne - 2021, epic fantasy. fantastic. lesbeans. just gorgeous worldbuilding, and the main characters Priya and Malini are likeable and smart while they’re maneuvering around each other and the other moving pieces in a colonized country under the thumb of an empire that’s rapidly taking a turn towards war. the cover for book 2, the oleander sword, just dropped, and I’m dying.

-

the luminous dead - 2019, scifi/horror. lesbeans, with even more emphasis on the morally grey aspects this time. absolutely fucking terrifying - the threats in this alien caves are very real, stacked with the psychological tension of having someone above control the caving suit that keeps you alive while underground for weeks at a time and the economic pressures of being trapped on a dead-end planet, leaving you no choice but to keep delving deeper...and deeper... 

again, the worldbuilding is insane. I reread it periodically and can never get over how well-paced the beats are. this is the kind of merch you get:

-

iron widow - 2021, scifi/fantasy. the bisexual poly love triangle we’ve all been screaming about. I describe it as an inverse Pacific Rim, but you won’t get why until pretty much the final pages. all three of these have had morally dubious protagonists but in iron widow Zetian GOES OFF AND WE LOVE HER FOR IT. she’s chaotic furious. she’s unhinged in the best way. “May he stay unsettled.” the author themselves has described this as accidentally furry Dragonball Z with giant Pacific Rim robots and monsters, essentially. I have absolutely no idea what will happen with book 2 but I know it’ll be balls-to-the-walls insane (complimentary).

-

the outside - 2019, cosmic horror scifi. lesbeans. humanity is ruled by AI gods throughout the stars, the angels are cybernetic post-human cogs in a repressive machine, and Yasira accidentally makes a scientific leap that invites in a disruptive, heretical, reality warping presence that destroys a space station. things spiral out of control from there. the second book didn’t hit as well for me (mostly because mysteriously it was half the length it needed to be? it goes from a novel to a sequel novella almost, so not sure what happened there) but the outside is 9/10.

-

the world gives way - 2021. scifi. you will cry. like that’s it, it’s a short little novel written entirely to gut you. that is all.

-

murderbot - scifi. I feel like everyone by this point has heard about/read murderbot by this point, but the fact is I can’t in good conscious leave it off a rec list. there are six books, now, a mix of novellas and one full length novel about Murderbot, and Martha Wells (bless her for this and for the Books of the Raksura, her series full of bi poly shapeshifters) apparently has a contract to write at least three more murderbot books so we’re set for life basically. Ms Wells has never let me down ever, in her life -

-

the darkangel trilogy - 1982-1990. scifi/fantasy, though you may not realize the scifi at work at first. 

okay. okay listen. listen. hear me out. you read the first book description. it sounds like a traditional dracula hetero set up. Aerial and her mistress are kidnapped by the darkangel. it has an almost fairy-tale kind of logic to the magic system. it ends with Aerial literally exchanging her heart with the darkangel’s to save his life, causing him to fall in love with her. 

meredith ann pierce then spends the next two books deconstructing the consequences of that choice, as Aerial finds herself more and more estranged from the rest of the humanity-adjacent people of her world - including the darkangel himself - and becoming a sorceress whether she wants to be or not, inextricably linked to the sci-fantasy workings that keep their world turning under the light of a [spoilers] COMPLETELY IRRADIATED EARTH. ultimately she has to make a choice to give the darkangel his own choice back, and take up a responsibility that will leave her cut off from her humanity entirely but for one person who stays with her to the very end. meredith ann pierce’s meld of scifi and fantasy is what I aspire to - the worldbuilding is so subtle at first that you don’t even realize what’s happening until it happens. 

(do I like to imagine it ends on a slightly lesbean note because of that last part? maybe so...)

-

tgcf/heaven official’s blessing - 2017, now being published officially in English starting with book 1 in December this year. putting the g in LGBT. before, I could have linked to the free online English translation, but everything has been taken down since it was licensed officially for publication. Xie Lian ascended to godhood 800 years ago, and through a series of catastrophes and extremely traumatic events was banished, ascended again, got banished again in even more disgrace, and spent the rest of that time wandering the world, luckless and alone, until he finally...ascended again. but the evil and mysteries that plagued him 800 years ago haven’t gone away, either. (MXTX also did MDZS/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, the basis of the Untamed show.)

[aftgficrec]

HIII !! I’m so happy it’s open omg

I’m looking for fake dating AUs preferably coffee shop or band ones for andreil and kandreil if you can find any. Like « Surface and Symbol » by OfficialStarsandGutters

Or maybe just you favorites from any of these AUs

We’ve got some real treats here for you! Fake dating kandreil is rather thin on the ground (maybe the fandom can help us out here?), but there’s plenty of great fics for andreil here, and of course you can also find ‘Surface & Symbol’ in the previous recs. Clear your schedule and settle in to read, friend! - S

Previously recommended:

long cute fake dating here

fake dating and friends to lovers here

‘Sugar & Spice (and everything... nice?)’ here

‘Married to the game’ here

‘Make it in America’ here (the only fake dating Kandreil fic I have found)

‘Run Away With Me’ here (since updated)

‘At The Prince's Behest’ here

‘dating & other disasters’ here

‘Fake it ‘til you make it’ here

‘for better or for worse’ here

‘Wanted: Random Guy’ and ‘Andrew Minyard: Tiny Gay Disaster’ here

‘Heaven We’re Already Here’ here

‘I’ll Follow You (into the light)’ here

‘Heavy Dirty Soul’ and ‘Surface & Symbol’ (since updated) here (Kevneil)

‘Chemistry Experiments’ here

‘The Bodyguard’ here

‘Like A River’ here

‘tis the season to be folly’ here

‘A Midsummer Night's Fib’ here

‘Friday Night Big Screen’ here

‘my star’ here

Coffee shop aus:

staff recs june 2021 here

mafia/coffee shop aus here

‘to know a man’ here

‘wingpeople’ here

‘Coffee & Lies’ (now complete) here

‘The Sweetest Leaves’ here

‘Coffee-Cats-Home’ and the ‘(Neil lives out of his car remix)’ here

‘the foxhole - coffee shop au’ series here

‘the ballad of the cat café’ here

‘cocoa dust’ here

‘tread lightly on my ground,’ ‘Dough-Filled Hearts’ and ‘said to be’ here

‘Daily Special’ and ‘coffee shop au’ here [‘Daily Special’ has a podfic]

Band aus:

band aus here

band aus for a fandom novice here

instrument/music band here

‘Ultraviolence’ here

‘Something, Nothing & Everything’ here

A Book for Christmas by CurvedYellowFruit [Rated T, 13736 words, complete, 2021]

Andrew joins an online book club to stave off boredom. None of the other book club members have any opinions worth engaging with, but one person is particularly infuriating. Andrew decides he hates Smart_Alec10 - right up until he suddenly doesn’t. Cue adoptive-parent Nicky pestering Andrew about Christmas dinner, and you have a recipe for fake dating and a trope-filled Christmas.

Somebunny To Love by JayJFox [Rated T, 24641 words, incomplete, last updated Jan 2022]

Andrew was there when the Date Me, Neil Josten dare started. It goes like this: each week Neil must fake-date the first person to ask him out on Monday morning. If Neil can pull it off for 3 months, he wins.

Two months later, the dare is still full-on and there is no lack of candidates to fake-date the lacrosse captain and darling of the Foxhole Academy. Not that Andrew is jealous or anything...

Everyone gets purely platonic fake dates and exactly 5 days.

No exceptions.

Until Andrew.

coffee & crosswords by tomat0head [Rated T, 10542 words, complete, Aftg Winter Exchange 2021]

25 year old law student Andrew Minyard has a pretty boring life, but it’s better than he could have ever expected. His life takes a turn for the better when professional exy player Neil Josten walks into Andrew’s regular coffee shop and asks to share his newspaper.

I have a Prom-Posal by jingerhead [Rated T, 12836 words, incomplete, last updated July 2021]

Kevin snapped his fingers “I have an idea,” he said, eyes lighting up.

“Kevin, you know you shouldn’t be thinking,” Neil hummed, enjoying the neat loops his purple pen made as he wrote.

“You’re going to be my fake-date to the prom.”

Well, there went the neat loops. Neil looked up. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kevin leaned in, starting to grin. Neil leaned back, unsure how to feel about this version of Kevin. “You’ll be my fake-date to the prom, and that’ll make Jeremy and Jean jealous. Then they’ll confess that they want to be my boyfriends, and we’ll go on dates.”

“What kind of novel do you think you’re living in right now?”

~*~

Or, Neil is Kevin’s fake-date to the prom, Kevin is a disaster the entire time, and Andrew is in no way jealous.

so hold me tight (or don't) by sandersea (SHCombatalade) [Rated T, 8247 words, complete, 2019]

It turns out that being in a fake relationship with someone for both four weeks and thirteen years takes up far more of Andrew’s time than he thought.

All in all, pretending to date Neil Josten feels very much like actually dating him. Until it doesn’t.

all's well that ends well to end up with you by papencuts [Rated T, 4911 words, complete, Aftg Valentine’s Exchange 2020]

Andrew starts fake-dating Neil out of spite for Nicky's wedding, but finds himself in a little deeper than expected.

What other things can you fake? by All_for_the_andreil [Rated T, 13853 words, complete, 2020]

Andrew accidentaly tells Nicky he’s dating someone and now he needs a fake boyfriend. And who’s better than Neil? But maybe they realize their feelings aren’t that fake after all ;)

-or-

Fake dating au no one asked for

strawberry sweetness and light (doesn't taste like lies) by ephemeralsky [Rated T, 6193 words, complete, Andreil Week 2019]

The third time Nicky asks him about it, he says, “I am already dating someone.”

This is a lie.

Nicky’s face unfurls like a clearing sky, eyes widening and jaw dropping. “You don’t say! Who is it?”

Andrew’s mind flies in a thousand different ways, grasping for an answer, a diversion, another lie. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpses Neil walking out of the locker room, hair damp and bag slung over his shoulder.

“Neil,” Andrew tells Nicky, and Nicky gawps, shocked and famished for more information.

“I am dating Neil,” Andrew says.

(or: in which Andrew and Neil - due to purely rational, strategical, and beneficial reasons - convince everybody that they are dating)

fluffy request: kandrew are mistaken for a couple by @yougavemeakey-andcalledithome [tumblr, 2021]

The news arrives late on a Sunday evening, when Andrew is sitting at the kitchen counter peeling an orange for Neil and watching a fly crawl up the wall.

Of Proms and Peas by @jingerhead [tumblr, 2021]

"Is it weird that the only one of us with a date is Aaron?" Neil asked. He was tying his tie in front of the mirror with Kevin standing next to him, doing far worse at tying his own.

Book shop and fake relationship AU by @spanglebangle [tumblr, 2018]

Fwsshhhhhh

Fwssshhhhhh

Fwsssshhhhh

Andrew closed his eyes and listened to the pages of the book riffling under his thumb. It was a much better sound than the beep of the store clerk scanning in new stock in the back, the wheeze of the AC unit, or the pretentious ‘indie’ music plink-plonking in the background.

[palimpsessed]

Author Self-Rec

Thanks for tagging me in for this @bazzybelle @facewithoutheart @bookish-bogwitch @nightimedreamersworld @tea-brigade and @sillyunicorn

post your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers

I have 10 fics so I guess I’m recommending half of them 😂 . Which means none of these will be surprising because I’m sure you’ve all heard me talk them to death by now.

1. Slings And Eros (M, 95k and counting)

I couldn’t make this list without this fic. It’s a beast, but it’s my baby. It’s my longest by a wide margin, which probably feels intimidating to potential readers, but I still hope people give it a chance because I just feel all kinds of ways about this one. It’s on the surface an Eros and Psyche Greek myth au but it’s also barely that at all and does not require knowledge of the original or of mythology. It follows star-crossed god Simon and human Baz as they work with Penelope to save Baz from the wrath of Simon’s father. In the midst of that, it explores prophecy, destiny, morality, accountability, identity, and all the ways we can love. And it also weaves in as many themes/characters from the books as possible ofc. I look forward to the day this one is complete and I can read it through and hopefully still love it.

2. A Man of Letters (T, 54k)

I’ve easily read this fic more than any other (mine or anyone else’s). It was so much fun using the unsent-letters-cum-diary format to construct the narrative and I think this ended up being a super successful way to write it. Baz gets to live that Beau Brummell life and Simon gets to play with swords. There is trauma, class anxiety, miscommunication, and oodles of romantic tension. Also! Lady Ruth! Who, I dare say I did a pretty bang up job of characterizing pre-awtwb. (You didn’t hear it from me, but Lady Ruth may do a bit of Plotting™️ of her own...🤫 )

3. Chamber by Chamber (E, 19k)

My most kudosed fic now apparently. Maybe I should just rec the series it’s in. There are three fics that do all build together, but they can stand on their own, depending how deep you want to go. This fic was my way of having Simon and Baz finally fully accept the monstrous in themselves by giving that to each other, using Simon’s WS quote as a kind of outline. I termed it therapeutic smut, which is accurate, while also being very kinky—but look at who we’re dealing with. It was also an excuse for me to write all the tail sex. Fully (and very explicitly 😅) illustrated with a banging playlist.

4. I Can’t Believe He’s Not Butter (T, 5k)

Yes it’s crack, but I still really love this fic. Also, most of my fics are chaptered and 10k+ so this could offer some nice entry level commitment. Do you yearn for sensual scenes of butter spreading? An oversaturation of saucy puns about sauces? Poetic musings from the syrup caddy at table six? Have a need to see the only appropriate use of the word “nubbin”? This is the fic for you! I truly had no idea how much worldbuilding I was going to do for this one. Did I need to explore the interpersonal relationships and social/power dynamics of diner condiments? Well actually yes, yes I did. I hope pancake syrup!Baz and margarine!Simon are very happy together in their blue plate special life.

5. To the Manor Borne (T, 43k)

My COC entry from 2020, using each day’s prompt to write another chapter; the plot is intentionally loose at best, so the chapters are pretty standalone if you wanted to do this one in shorter installments. The ws-era gang spends the Christmas holidays at Pitch manor doing dead spot research, arts and crafts, caroling, canoodling, and introspection. Shepard teaches Baz, Penny, and Agatha how to tie their shoelaces the Normal way. Simon is back in therapy and trying to convince Baz to go to, too. Penny is doing work on her dad’s team. Agatha doesn’t know why she’s there, but she’ll figure it out. Snowbaz exchange gifts, have touching moments in the rain, go flying, and are just generally nauseatingly adorable.

And that’s it! If you read to here, hi, thank you, and if you’ve not done this yourself, consider this your official tag. Also tagging in five people: @bloodiedpixie @starwarned @skeedelvee @prettylightsbigcity @otherpeoplesheartachept-2

[bulletnotestudies]

Summer Reading Challenge - our historical fiction picks on the left, retellings on the right

for each prompt, we’re bringing 4 books into the spotlight, as well as giving you some additional recs because we simply couldn’t settle for just four great reads!

The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah

After being displaced due to a raid by slavers (only mentioned) Hassana fights for a way to reunite with her twin Husseina, after experiencing dreams that let her have hope her sister is alive. The story is told from both points of view, following as they live life to the fullest, one in South America, the other in Africa, all the while trying to find their way back to each other. (blurb by our incredible Hannah @hannistudies) ---- > this read has: hope, self-discovery, culture collisions ! be sure to check the content warnings

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Every 10 years a village girl is picked to be sent to the Dragon, a magician who lives in a tall tower in exchange for his protection from the Wood, the dark forest that is slowly swallowing the land and the people who get too close. No one really knows what happens to the girls during the decade they spend with him, but they come back changed, unfitting for a life in the village and usually leave soon after. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka fears her best friend Kasia will be the one, but instead, the Dragon picks her. (blurb by our incredible Hannah @hannistudies) ---- > this read has: folklore-rooted fantasy, high stakes, vivid worldbuilding ! be sure to check the content warnings

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

One Life to One Dawn. In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. In an act of revenge to change his pattern of violence, Shahrzad volunteers to marry the caliph. You've read the original, now settle in with this fresh, yet still cruel new look at the A Thousand and One Nights. The first book in a series of novels and short stories. ---- > this read has: magic, romance, captivating storytelling ! be sure to check content warnings

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

A portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship. Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Follow Daniel, a young Spanish-American photographer stuck in the hot summer sun, looking to make his way in the world, and Ana, whose secrets are tied to the city’s darker secrets, as lives and hearts collide. A captivating narrative about identity, unforgettable love, repercussions of war, and the hidden violence of silence. (blurb by our lovely Kenny @coffeecupstudyblr) ---- > this read has: romance, politics, intrigue

More recs under the cut:

Retellings: • Cinderella is Dead by K. Bayron • Troy by S. Fry • Circe by M. Miller • The Song of Achilles by M. Miller • Lovely War by J. Berry • These Violent Delights by C. Gong

Historical fiction: • The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk • The Book Thief by M. Zusak • Salt to the Sea by R. Sepetys • All The Light We Cannot See by A. Doerr • The Montague Siblings series by M. Lee • A Thousand Splendid Suns by K. Hosseini

[hyenahunt]

Jun Sazanami - Idol Story 2

Writer:  Kino Seitaro

Season: Summer

Characters: Jun, Nagisa

Proofreading: 310mc (JP) & Skyress (ENG)

Translation: hyenahunt

Nagisa: ...What I'm reading now is a long novel titled "In Search of Lost Time", written by Proust. Have you read it before, Jun?

[Location: Cospro Office]

Jun: ......

Nagisa: ......

Jun: (Man, this feels weirdly awkward...!)

(It's just me and Nagi-senpai here... Usually we either gather as all four members of Eden, or as the two of us in Eve.)

(So it's pretty rare for just us to be alone together like this.)

(It looks like he's reading some kinda complicated book, so I probably shouldn't try to make some awkward small talk or anything, right~?)

(Seems like I'm gonna have to wait here in the office for another half an hour, so maybe I'll just pick out some manga and do some reading too.)

(If I remember correctly, we've got some free manga lying around here from a collab we did — )

Nagisa: ...Jun. Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?

Jun: Eep!?

W-what's up, Nagi-senpai? Hearing you talk outta the blue made me jump a lil'.

Nagisa: ...My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you.

...It's just that you seemed to be concerned about me in some way. I simply wanted to apologise if I'd done something to trouble you.

Jun: Nah, you haven't done anything like that. I was just wondering what kinda book you're reading, really!

I'm not all that familiar with big books like that, so I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me what it was...

Nagisa: ...I see. Come to think of it, reading is one of your hobbies, isn't it?

...I believe you mentioned in an interview that you read a lot whenever Hiyori-kun isn't around, or something to that effect.

Jun: Yeah, absolutely! Whenever Ohii-san's around, he's so noisy that it's impossible to focus.

So I read a lot more when I'm alone in my room, y'see~

Nagisa: ...Is that so? You sound like quite the avid reader.

Jun: Ahaha. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself that, but you might be right there... ♪

(Whew, that was close...! Nagi-senpai might look like he's spaced out half the time, but he picks up on the smallest things~ Well, that's him and his perceptiveness for you.)

( — Wait, huh? Did I just proclaim myself an avid reader...?)

Nagisa: ...What I'm reading now is a long novel titled "In Search of Lost Time", written by Proust. Have you read it before, Jun?

Jun: Uhhh. Proo...?

Nagisa: ...Proust. He was one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century.

Jun: Oh, right. Sorry, I've never read it before. I'm kinda clueless about that kinda stuff, y'see.

Nagisa: ...Well then, would you like to try?

Jun: Wha?

Nagisa: ...I have no doubts about my own memory, so it's no issue if I were to lend this to you midway through reading it.

...I figured I'd try every now and then to read literature regarding the humanities, as you can gain a more thorough understanding of human nature from them.

This book is particularly interesting as it clearly depicts concepts of the human mind, and explores them, too.

...So if you'd be interested, I'd also like for you to read it, Jun.

Jun: Oh, um, well... I feel bad borrowing it while you're in the middle of reading, yeah~? And on top of that, it looks hella complicated, so I think I'm gonna pass.

I mean, I don't really read serious books like that... I don't have a clue about all those refined books you read, y'know~...?

Nagisa: ...Well then, what kind of books do you read?

Jun: Uhh, well. It's a lil' embarrassing to say...

Nagisa: ...If you've been merely playing the constructed persona of an avid reader for the sake of interviews, and all your answers were in fact falsities, then that would be rather disappointing.

Jun: N-noo, you've got the wrong idea...! Ibara's whole constructed idol character strategy's got nothing to do with me!

I do read books and all, but um, how should I put this.... What I read is manga, y'see.

Nagisa: ...Manga?

Jun: Yep. Sometimes I pick up the odd light novel, too, but for the most part I pretty much just read manga.

I'm real sorry for getting your hopes up. Even I've been thinking about how I really gotta educate myself a lil' more, you know?

Nagisa: ...I see.

...However, is there any issue with enjoying manga?

Jun: Come again?

Nagisa: ...Be it novel or manga, the fact that they are both works of writing doesn't change. Why do you feel the need to put yourself down for it, Jun?

...Personally, I believe one would derive the same kind of entertainment from either of them.

Jun: Wha—!?

Y-You're right~ That should be the case, huh...?

After seeing you read such complicated books, I felt a lil' self-conscious telling you I read manga, but...

You've got a point there — neither's better than the other, huh?

Nagisa: ...Indeed. Precisely because there is such diversity amongst people, competing for the merits of entertainment is a pointless errand.

...While we're on the topic, would you introduce me to what manga you read, Jun?

Jun: I'd be happy to give you some recs, but... I can't be sure if you'll like them, though?

Nagisa: ...Thank you. Rather than judging a book by its cover, it would surely be better to find out by reading it myself.

...I too will try to gain a better understanding of your interests, Jun.

...In exchange, I'll lend you Proust's works as I'd like you to read them.

Jun: G-gotcha! I dunno if I'll be able to read 'em all the way to the end, but since it's no fair if I'm the only one giving recs, I'll take on the challenge!

Nagisa: ...Fufu. If you are to learn the pleasures of sating your own intellectual curiosity, Jun, then I too would be delighted.

...Here you go. This is the complete set of "In Search of Lost Time".

Jun: U-um, pardon me, Nagi-senpai, but... The heck's up with this absolute mountain of books?

Nagisa: ...Why do you ask? There are merely a dozen or so volumes in total.

...You look rather surprised, though. Is there something wrong?

...Perhaps this number of books is indeed too much for you?

Jun: O-oh, um, not at all. Seeing such a huge stack of books was just a lil' overwhelming, I guess...?

I'm gonna give reading it a go so that I can grow as knowledgeable as you, Nagi-senpai~ But man, I dunno how many months it'll take me, y’know...?

✦✦✦✦✦

← prev ✦ all ✦ next →

[ineffableplanner]

Newsletter #93 - The week of Saturday November 27th 2021 - Saturday December 4th 2021

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! I am still in this fandom to a certain point, but twice-weekly posts (and finding the information save the ones you lovely people send me) is beginning to take its toll on the gazillion other things that are lining up. I am considering ‘abdicating’ the newsletter if I can find someone who is willing to pick it up and run it. If you do, please contact me through ineffableplanner@gmail.com. There’s a gmail to take over, a twitter, a tumblr and even an instagram I never got around to using. As well as a pillowfort account and a trello. I will still be around to assist if needed and I WILL vet applications. If you've ever started shit in this fandom, I'll probably know and the answer will be NO. I have too much respect for the users of this newsletter to just go for the first and best offer.

What’s new this week? A new discord server :D - but nothing else just yet (we have some things coming up later in the year that you can already take a look at now). But if you know of an event going on or coming up, feel free to let me know :)

Go forth, have fun! Create much!

If you run a GO tumblr with recs or resources, let me know. Running a zine and want to get the word out? The inbox is always open.

If any discord servers go AWOL or you feel one should be added (remember to clear it with the MODS first) feel free to let me know. As always, the email ineffableplanner@gmail.com is always open for business.

12 Days of Blasphemy - December 25th - January 5th

EVENTS WITH DEADLINES

NEW Naughty & Nice +18 Exchange SIGNUPS CLOSE ON NOV 30TH!

NEW Make Yuletide Gay (oursidezine event) Nov 28th - Jan 1st

NEW Chanukah Omens 2021 - November 29th - December 6th

Good Omens Bingo 2021 [runs the entire year of 2021] (note that I am affiliated with this event) SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN UNTIL END OF NOVEMBER!

EVENTS WITHOUT DEADLINES

Good Omens Zine Archive (mainly of interest to zine publisher/handlers)

Jukebox Event - (no deadline)

We’re On Our Own Side - weekly prompts (no deadline)

Good Omens Fic Rec Bingo - (no deadline available)

T-RECS Tuesdays (GO fanfic recommendations) (no deadline/ongoing)

#ButterOmens (ongoing multi media event(writing/art/whatever you want))

Encourage good feedback (no deadline/ongoing)

OPEN for sign-ups

None at the moment, feel free to let me know if you know of any or run one and want to give signups a boost.

OPEN for mod/help applications

Let me know if you’re looking and want a boost

INTEREST CHECK

Let me know if you have one you’d like featured

As always, when entering a discord server, follow its rules, check out the dos and don’ts and don’t harass the mods or your server sibs.

NEW! The Buggre All This Server (18+) - Book, Radio, Musical Omens

Good Omens Petrolheads Reference Library - specifically for GO vehicle talk/research etc

Ace Omens Discord Server - Click here for information post (link updated feb 13th)

The Bookshop’s Backroom (18+) The Bookshop’s Backroom (18+) is a community server based on Good Omens (Book, TV, Radio).

Do-it-with-style - runs various events. Takes all ages.

Fuck Yeah Good Omens Characters - give the other characters apart from Aziraphale and Crowley some love. Takes all ages, NSFW optional.

Good Omens Fic Writers (you don't have to be one to join! Direct link to server)

Good Omens Party House (18+) - Click here for information post

Good Omens Stitch-A-Long (ever wanted to learn how to stitch?) - Click here for information post

Good Omens Whump (18+) - Click here for direct access

Ineffable Wives Discord Server - Click here for direct access

Soft Omens Snuggle House (18+)- Click here for information post

SERVER INTEREST CHECK Interest check for a TopCrowly server

Book Omens (book) - This is a community for the novel Good Omens, by Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. There are communities for tv!omens, specific GO ships, and mixed book, radio and tv content, but we've been lacking one that's focused on just the book, so here we are!

GoodOmens - A community for the book by Neil Gaiman & Sir Terry Pratchett and its adaptions to radio and TV with an extra large helping of Ineffable Husbands/Wives/Partners.

Good Omens (TV) - Community for the TV version of Good Omens

Ineffable Husbands, Ineffable Wives, Ineffable Partners - A community solely for Aziraphale and Crowley from the Good Omens book/radio adaption/TV series being in some kind of romantic or platonic relationship. =) Please read the "Rules and Info" section before posting/reblogging here!

If you have any suggestions for blogs with recs and/or resources, feel free to let me know.

Aziraphale’s Library (themed recs and more)

Recs by Dannye Chase/@holycatsandrabbits

Recs by Prolix (various pairings done by tags)

**Ineffable Husbands Fanfiction and Fanworks** (FB group, requires membership)

Community Calendar (Trello) can be viewed here (it is updated through the week if I hear of any events to add and will often have some more information on the events/zines etc.).

-----

This newsletter is mirrored on pillowfort and tumblr and announced on twitter.

* This is something tumblr never learned but PF has adopted from the old LJ format - if anyone wants a PF invite, just ask - we get 3 per week anyway to give away and there are pillowforters who will happily share invites.

-----

If you have an event you want to add to the calendar and the weekly Newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know either in the asks/PM or via ineffableplanner (@) gmail dot com.

Also, feel free to share this post. This blog is NOT for reblogging of events, but for listing and perhaps making it a bit easier for everyone to keep track of these events before they’ve come AND gone ;)

Disclaimer: I am not running any of these zines, events or servers (in the few cases where I am involved in the mod work, I will make note of this). Please use your common sense and if you feel you’ve entered an event/zine/server/community you feel uneasy about, do not hesitate to step away from it. You may let me know if there’s a problem with one, but please know that I am not able to police every single one of them, nor will I play God in other people’s domains. I will let the mods know there is a problem (without mentioning your name and if it’s grave enough, take the link off), but please do not expect miracles and do not use me as your tool to get back at servers/server mods for personal reasons. I abhor being pulled into fandom wars and kerfluffles.

[excelsi-or]

your type (pt. 6)

Hiiii friends, it’s only been like two weeks! Pretty good in terms of posting for me lol. I don’t know what it is about this story in particular, but I feel so self-conscious about posting new parts. But I’m also not someone who likes to leave things half finished.

I hope you’re all doing well :) 

BIPOC recs: I actually have a few! Two books: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 - Cho Namjoo (basically follows a woman’s life in South Korea and all the micro-oppressive things that women face in their personal and career lives); Winners Take All - Anand Giridharadas (a non-fiction about how billionaires create such a disproportionate world for us all; I love listening to Anand’s talks about this subject. I find it fascinating). Music: Cross Country - Breland (excellent country song); Boyz II Men - Kirby (I love this woman’s energy)

w.c. 2.6k

pairing: jihoon x OC/reader

pt. 1; pt. 2; pt. 3; pt. 4; pt. 5

The summer semester has her in the research lab 8 hours a day. Luckily, Jihoon is also on campus for just as long. His professor got him a gig working on music for a few groups in various companies. It helps get his foot in the door, and while the deadlines are tight, he genuinely enjoys working.

They take their lunch breaks together, wandering the green or just wandering hallways if it’s too warm outside. But since he doesn’t have other classes, Jihoon’s been chatting with a few girls he’s met.

And he’s told her all about them, so she isn’t blindsided if someone else decides to share it with her.

“How was your date last night?” she asks at lunch.

Jihoon shrugs. The girl had come over since Seungcheol was at Jihyo’s. “She was whatever.”

She lifts an eyebrow, eating the sandwich that Seungkwan made for her lunch. She’s now taken to spending the night at Seungkwan and Hansol’s when Seungcheol visits.

Jihoon sighs. “Jiwoo was uninteresting.” When she has no response to this, he pouts. “She didn’t really have any opinions on anything, so we couldn’t find anything to talk about.”

“But you didn’t just go for dinner.”

“She was fine in bed.” Jihoon shrugs. “Didn’t really tell me what she liked, so hard to say how she felt about it.”

“Ahh.”

“What does that mean?”

She pops the rest of her sandwich in her mouth. “I don’t really know how to continue from that.”

Jihoon snorts. “Well, you’re the one who asked.”

She thinks for a minute. “Are you just saying she was uninteresting?” She kicks him lightly under the table. “Did you listen to her?”

“Of course I did!” Jihoon sips his coffee. “You said that I need to look at people more,” he makes a point of staring at her, “and to be aware of my body language because it comes off as standoffish.”

“And still?”

“All she talked about was her dog. I love talking about people’s dogs, but not for two hours.”

“Dinner was two hours?”

Jihoon shakes his head in frustration. “The kitchen kept getting the order wrong. Anyway, enough about my failed date, how’s your research going?” He pushes a napkin towards her.

She pulls out the pencil she was using to hold her hair up. Her hair cascades around her and she begins sketching out her reaction. While Jihoon hasn’t quite learned all the chemistry terminology, he recognizes various things, specifically the compounds she’s working on. She’d taught him some basics about catalytic testing, using drawings to help him follow along.

Multiple times she’s insisted that her research is really boring, especially for people who aren’t in science. But Jihoon likes listening to her talk, and her research lets her dominate the conversation. He asks questions and clarification, and she’s always great at simplifying things.

Jihoon has learned that her amazing attention to detail translates well to analyzing his songs. And she’s always very honest about the parts she likes and doesn’t like.

“I have some finished works I want your opinion on.” They start to clean up their table.

She glances up at him. “You don’t have a date tonight?”

Jihoon waits for her to fall into step with him. “I do, but I also have deadlines. So, if you’re not tired later, meet me in the studio?”

She waves goodbye to him. “I’ll let you know where I’m at.” She waits for him to exit the building before going to put her earphones in. As she’s heading to the stairs, she sees Seulgi heading towards her. They cross paths in the chemistry labs, but have never been on real speaking terms.

She smiles at Seulgi, about to go around her like normal, when the woman asks, “Are you and Jihoon dating?”

Despite her earphones in, she does hear the question. She turns. “Uhm, no.” She pauses and Seulgi says nothing. “Why?”

“I just…” Seulgi gives her a once over. “You seem too nice to be dating Jihoon.”

She’s taken aback by that observation. While Jihoon has given off the hot-cold vibe, player energy, and a slight lack of communication skills, she can’t say Jihoon’s ever warranted a comment like that. “We’re just…” She tries to come up with a word. “We’re just friends.”

“You’re smart.” Seulgi seems to mull something over. “But smart girls like you have fallen for his charm.”

“Like… you?”

“Once, but I’m not talking about me here. I’m talking about my friend.”

This piques her interest more than she wishes it did. Jihyo has warned her against listening to all these testimonials of women dating Jihoon.

“Maybe you just need to give the man a solid chance. If you’re gonna spend all your time with him anyway.”

Against Jihyo’s advice, she asks, “What happened to your friend?”

“Jihoon broke her heart. He doted on her and from the sounds of it, worshipped her, but then all of a sudden, he went cold. Stopped answering messages, stopped picking up the phone, avoiding her in the hallways. Then he said—”

“‘I’m ignoring you now, please leave me alone?’”

Seulgi tips her head. “Have you talked to Wendy?”

She runs her tongue along her bottom teeth. “No. I haven’t.”

“So how did you—?”

“I met another girl he’s dated. And… he’s a creature of habit, so… figured he’d say something similar.”

Seulgi hums. “Well, Wendy refuses to see any other man now. But she’s fine, mostly. We just can’t mention Jihoon around her. So, just…”

“Be careful?”

Seulgi chuckles. “So you’ve heard the warnings before?”

“A couple times.” Under her breath, she mutters, “Maybe I should heed them more.” She gives Seulgi a friendly nudge as she walks away. “Thanks for the warning.”

“Is everything okay?”

Jihoon received her text around 4:30, saying that she wasn’t feeling well and would go straight home after she was done in lab.

“Yeah, I’m just… I think I’m getting sick.”

She had seemed fine when he saw her.

“Okay, I’ll walk you home then.”

There’s a long pause. “I actually caught up with Taehyung, Jungkook’s boyfriend? He said he would walk me home.”

Jihoon turns in his chair at this odd development. “Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll… see you tomorrow then.”

“Bye.” Almost like an afterthought, she adds, “Sorry.”

Jihoon turns back to stare at the pieces of work he has open in the task bar that he wanted to show her. Instead, he closes them and goes back to work.

Time passes without him realizing. Before he knows it, it’s time for him to meet up with Ara. He glances at the clock, thinking.

Jihoon (19:14)

Meet me at the gym?

Jihoon (19:14)

Hey, don’t think I’ll be able to make it tonight. Caught a cold.

Soonyoung (19:15)

Sure. See you in 10.

Mingyu (19:15)

I’m in.

Ara (19:15)

If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you have another woman in mind.

But okay.

Get well soon, babe.

True to their word, Mingyu and Soonyoung meet him at the gym near their homes. Soonyoung leads the way inside and they go stretch while Jihoon disappears to change.

When he reemerges, Mingyu asks him what’s wrong.

“She cancelled on me.”

“Who?” Soonyoung is stretching on his right.

Jihoon crosses his right arm across his body, feels the stretch in his upper delt and across his arm. He updates them on what’s happened in the last 7 hours, from lunch, to her saying she’s sick, to Ara.

Mingyu frowns. “I didn’t realize you two were still going on dates. I thought you’d already gotten to the… dating part of dating.”

“Wait,” Soonyoung seems to realize something, “are you seeing other women right now? We cannot win this bet unless you commit!”

Mingyu observes Jihoon in the mirror. He has a dazed look in his eye, as if he’s thinking hard about something. “You actually like her.” He turns to Jihoon. “You’re genuinely upset that she didn’t come to the studio.”

Jihoon wasn’t really frowning before, but he is now. “No. I’m not.”

“Wonwoo hyung said that he thought you were seeing other women again.” Mingyu turns back to the mirror. “I said that couldn’t be possible, because you don’t like to lose.”

“Can we just work out?” His tone is harsh, but his friends hear a small plea in there too. They exchange looks over Jihoon’s head and shrug.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Soonyoung nudges him towards the free weights.

It isn’t until after their gym session on their way home that Soonyoung and Mingyu begin grilling him.

“Are you seeing other women right now?” Mingyu asks.

“Well…” Jihoon adjusts his bag on his shoulder. “Yeah.”

Soonyoung and Mingyu’s jaws drop.

“Dude. The bet.” Soonyoung gives him a push. “What if she finds out?”

Jihoon watches his feet move beneath him. “She already knows.”

“She knows? And she still goes out with you?” Mingyu demands. “Are you guys just friends?”

Soonyoung groans in frustration. “Seriously, Jihoon, bets are serious business. We went all in on this bet. You can’t just let Seokmin win a bet like this.”

“What happened, hyung?”

The question seems to release something in Jihoon. He throws his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know. I really don’t. She just… holds herself at a distance from me. I can’t seem to…” He makes grabbing motions in the air. “Get anything out of her.” He shakes his head. “Maybe we should just give up here. I don’t know if I can win this bet.”

“Yah!” Soonyoung throws an arm around his shoulders. He squeezes his arm. “I am not losing to Seokmin and Seungkwan on a bet that I know that we can win. You are the best at this.”

“She’s just as good at keeping me at a distance. And apparently she’s also had men castrated before.”

Mingyu and Soonyoung blink in surprise at the sudden information.

“Okay, well, we’re not going to let that happen to you,” Mingyu states.

Soonyoung agrees. “But you’re going to have to start pulling out al your moves. You—”

Jihoon shakes his head. “Listen to me. I have been at this since February. The girl won’t even let me kiss her.”

Mingyu scoffs. “You haven’t even kissed her yet? You guys are just friends.”

Soonyoung holds a hand up in Mingyu’s face. “You are not being encouraging.” He readjusts his grip around Jihoon. “Look. We’ll help you then. Lee Jihoon doesn’t tap out like this.”

“You said she canceled on you.” Mingyu tips his chin in Jihoon’s direction. “Why?”

“She said she was sick and found someone else to walk her home.”

Soonyoung’s eyes widen. He releases his grip on Jihoon to get a better look at his face. “That’s it?”

Jihoon scowls. “Did I not tell you that I haven’t even kissed her yet? I eat lunch with her every day and then I walk her home.”

“Are we in the 1700s? What the fuck?” Mingyu demands.

“I can’t work out what makes her tick. She tells me stuff about herself, but nothing I can use. All I’ve learned is that she’s one of the smartest people I know, reads a lot, paints, and can give me actual feedback on my music.”

“Oh, come on, that can’t be all you’ve learned.”

Jihoon sighs, racking his brain for more information. There are obviously little things he’s noticed, like that she drinks a shit ton of water; that when she thinks something’s amusing, she lets out a little breath of laughter; or that she presses down on her fingers with her thumbs when she’s nervous. But he can’t share these things. They aren’t useful.

“I’ve learned she hasn’t really dated anyone since Byunggu. That she doesn’t even count that guy as a boyfriend so Jungkook is the last man she dated.”

“Byunggu… why do I know that name?” Soonyoung looks to Mingyu.

“Because he’s the guy who’s either been threatened, murdered or castrated,” Jihoon grumbles.

Soonyoung waves him off. “No.” He reaches behind Jihoon to hit Mingyu’s arm. “Isn’t he that guy who debuted last year?”

Mingyu’s brow furrows.

“He stopped coming to parties because he was filming some show or something, remember?” He pushes Mingyu, as if that will jog his memory. “He was one of your girls’ friends. Remember? She wouldn’t stop talking about him? That’s why you dumped her?”

“Oh! Yeah!” Mingyu pulls his phone out and looks something up. When he turns the phone to Jihoon, Jihoon squints at an article about this man who is currently doing small roles in various dramas. He doesn’t recognize the face. But until this point, he’d never seen any photos of this elusive ex. A debut would explain why he disappeared into thin air.

“What am I supposed to do with this information?” Jihoon pushes the phone away. “She clams up as soon as he comes up.”

“Okay, okay. Forget trying to replicate the men of the past.” Soonyoung says. “Just… be you.”

Jihoon stares at him in disbelief. “She doesn’t like me.”

“She must, because she’s spent a lot of time with you, hyung.” Mingyu sips from his water bottle. “Noona only gives certain people her time, if you haven’t noticed. Her girls, Hansol, Seungkwan, Wonwoo hyung these days.” He shrugs. “If you’re spending so much time with her, she likes you at least a little bit.”

Jihoon bites his tongue, annoyed that they’re right. “I’m only going to give this another month. If I can’t get this girl into my bed, then there’s no way she’s going to say ‘I love you’ first.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” Jihyo asks.

The two roommates are having a night in, watching a movie but talking the entire time with take out on the table.

She came home looking preoccupied, so Jihyo forced her to put on her pajamas, pick what sort of take out they would eat, and to bundle up on the couch. Then she forced her roommate to tell her what was wrong.

“I don’t know. Do you think it’s a sign that two different women have told me I should be careful?” She pouts. “I don’t want to feel like I need to tread carefully.”

“I don’t know what Jihoon was like with those other girls, but he likes you. I know what a guy looks like when all he wants is to get you into his bed. That look on Jihoon’s face when he sees you is pure adoration.”

She carefully breaks apart a cookie before popping a piece into her mouth. “If anything, Jihoon’s just a friend.”

“A friend who adores you. Who you also seem to like.” Jihyo nudges her with the back of her hand. “You can’t go around thinking every boy is going to hurt you like Byunggu.”

“I don’t think that. Why would I think that if I don’t even give them a chance to try?”

Jihyo snorts, both amused and frustrated. “Jihoon is putting in the effort with you. You didn’t even give him your number for like a month and a half. And he still made it work.”

“I did that to keep him away from me.” She rolls her eyes, a slight smile on her face. “So, thanks for helping him out with that.”

“You still hang out with him.”

“You know, he’s seeing other girls now.”

Jihyo pauses. “Really?”

“He tells me about them. He had a date yesterday. He has one tonight.” She shakes her head. “I think it’s just better for me if we stay friends.” She notices Jihyo on her phone. “What are you doing now?”

“Asking Cheollie if Jihoon’s home.” Jihyo turns her phone her way, grinning. Seungcheol had sent a picture of Jihoon next to him on the couch. The two seem to be playing video games. “Give the man a chance. You don’t know what kind of boyfriend he can be if you don’t.”

[h-grangerstudies]

ALRIGHT IM HERE TO GIVE YOU SONG RECS

OK FIRST UP

i’ll be right there

this song is so cute idk i found it on a whim and i fell in love with it

mine

this is probably my absolute favorite rn it’s SO vibey and it just makes me so happy

silly love

can you sense a trend here LOL this one is just so CUTE and HEKDJSK i’m so bad at describing songs you just have to feel the music

summer is for falling in love

i think i found this song on tiktok and it’s SO CUTE there’s a korean version as well which is JUST AS GOOD! again the VIBES ARE IMMACULATE

warm

this makes me happy and sad at the same time ??? it’s like a warm hug OMG WARM I DIDNT EVEN REALIZE

winter blossom

i think dept. is slowly becoming one of my fav artists. this song is SO pretty

only

this song live is just *chef’s kiss* but it’s such a good song to sing along to i LOVE it

OK I THINK THATS IT FOR NOW i’ll probably have more later

muah ily and i hope you enjoy some of the songs <3

IVE SUCCESSFULLY ADDED THEM ALL TO A PLAYLIST AND IM GOING TO LISTEN TO IT AND START A LIL ROMANCE YA BOOK AND BE HAPPY AND THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS EXPERIENCE

okay so, i start the first song, right? and i’m sitting on my sister’s bed because we’re chilling. and i’m getting so hyped and im listening to it and eagerly shaking my phone and i turned to her and she starts SINGING THE SONG??? apparently she knows it already, but atm i was so surprised lol

i love the album covers so much! esp dept’s, so so so pretty!!! AND ONLY BY LEE HI?! YOOOOOO i love your taste in music. o also love that music video, it incites yearning lvl 10,000. i love how your describe songs and that we’re exchanging music !! yes thank you so much, i’ll listen to them well!!

[theres-a-goldensky]

23 More The Untamed Fic Recs

I figured I’d put together another fic rec list since I’ve collected another good amount of recs and people seemed to find use in my last one. 

As ever, feel free to reblog and check out my other rec lists for the following fandoms:

The Untamed list part one and part two - various pairings, mostly Wangxian

Various BL series - Until We Meet Again, 2gether, 2Moons, TharnType, Love By Chance, HIStory3: Trapped, My Engineer 

IT chapter 2 list one and two - Reddie

Good Omens - Aziraphale/Crowley

Or just head over to my bookmarks on AO3.

(All recs are complete) (I’ve noted pairings, length, and rating, but not any warnings or additional tags.)

** denotes personal favorite

WEI WUXIAN / LAN WANGJI - CANON-BASED (BOOK AND SHOW)

1. ** You, Asleep and Dreaming by etymologyplayground - ~9600 words, mature - Wei Wuxian returns from his travels. He and Lan Zhan begin sleeping in the same bed together. It’s platonic -- until it’s not. Oh, the lovely pining in this one. 

"Sure, sure," Wei Wuxian says. "I thought I'd stay here for a while. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes," Lan Wangji says at once. "Stay as long as you wish."

Wei Wuxian pauses and smiles at him. "Mark your words," he says, his voice warm. "You say that now, but next thing you know I'll have borrowed my way into your life like a woodworm. You'll be begging me to leave and I'll say, No, no, Lan Zhan, I'm here to stay!"

Lan Wangji feels his eyes narrow in pleasure. "I could live with that," he decides.

Wei Wuxian's smile widens. "You're my favorite," he says cheerfully, as if Lan Wangji hasn't been longing to hear him say such a thing since they were teenagers. "You're my favorite person, Lan Zhan. This humble guest will endeavor not to annoy you too much, okay?"

2. Then There’s No One There by etymologyplayground - ~12,700 words, teen - This is a missing scene of what Lan Zhan went through over the three days while Wei Wuxian was unconscious after his fight with Wen Ruohan. 

He looks back down at Wei Wuxian, whose dark head has lolled into the crook of Lan Wangji's elbow. His eyes have rolled up into his head, the black edges of his irises only barely visible when Lan Wangji thumbs his eyelids gently. He says Wei Ying again, maybe. He used a lot of his spiritual power in the battle, but he begins passing what remains into Wei Wuxian's chest. He is dimly aware of a growing swell of cheers —  we've won! Death to Wen Ruohan! Death to the Wen dogs! —  but more pressing is the too-light, too-still weight of Wei Wuxian in his arms. His throat is bruised dark where Wen Ruohan had gripped it.

3. 爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie - ~69,000 words, explicit - This is a casefic with Wei Ying, Lan Zhan, and the juniors and also a first time fic. They run into a demon that is summoned by wishing. The plot was interesting enough that I wasn’t even that focused on the romance as much as I usually would be.

“That’s great!” Sizhui says loudly. “We’re short on teachers, in fact, so there’ll be plenty for you to do here.”

“Short on teachers?” The Gusu Lan have so many qualified cultivators scrambling to receive the honor to teach the next generation. “How is that possible?”

Sizhui and Jingyi exchange glances. “Wei qianbei, you haven’t heard, have you?”

“Heard about what?”

“There’s an ongoing conference taking place here in the Cloud Recesses.” Jingyi hefts his bundle of books against his chest more securely. The lid of his inkwell rattles as a kettle does over fire. Wei Wuxian does not remember having nearly this many books when he studied at the Cloud Recesses, so it’s a good thing he finished schooling here when he did. “Nearly all the sect leaders have gathered to discuss a curse that’s befallen Yueyang.”

4. ** I hope that you will come and meet me by feyburner - ~28,000 words, mature - This story is so beautiful. Wei Ying returns to Cloud Recesses and returns to Lan Zhan after his travels. The scenes are punctuated by unsent letters from Wei Ying to Lan Zhan. There are so many feelings and so much pining and the final confession is lovely. 

The night air was cool and wet, alive with the chirrup of peeping frogs and the hollow rustle of the bamboo grove. White pebbles and shells crunched beneath Wei Wuxian’s feet when he stepped out into the courtyard. “Lan Zhan, it’s cold out,” he complained. “Why are we—?”

Oh.

Wei Wuxian’s breath caught in his throat.

Oh, Lan Zhan.

There was a lotus pond in the center of the courtyard.

5. The long road home by dea_liberty - ~9,000 words, mature - A sweet epilogue to the show where Lan Zhan becomes comfortable in his role as Chief Cultivator and misses Wei Ying and misses Wei Ying and misses Wei Ying and finds Wei Ying.

“Where’s Wei Wuxian?” Jiang Wanyin says, when Lan Wangji walks back into Cloud Recesses. He’s there for the ceremony, there to watch Lan Wangji become Chief Cultivator. It’s supposed to be a celebration, but Lan Wangji doesn’t feel like celebrating. It’s fortunate that they’re all used to his face betraying nothing or he would have a much harder time hiding his pain.

Lan Wangji doesn’t let his steps falter, thinks of the lifeless, waiting papermen, Wei Ying’s promise – “they’ll always be able to find me” – and keeps walking. “Gone,” he says, and ignores the look on Jiang Wanyin’s face – on all their faces. Relief and pity, happiness and sorrow, confusion and guilt. He ignores everything except putting one foot in front of the other, ignores it all except for everything he things he still needs to do to make the cultivation world safe again – to make the world safe for people like Wei Ying. Free, he thinks. Wei Ying is free.

6. Wearing Down Every Bone by CSHfic, VSfic - 31,000 words, explicit - Groundhog day fic! Wei Ying is forced to live the same day over and over again on a particularly difficult night hunt. 

The silence that follows is deafening. Lan Zhan is by his side in a moment, gripping him at the elbow and wrist to hold him steady.

“Wei Ying,” Lan Zhan says. The urgency in his voice is unlike him; he almost cracks under the weight of it.

“It’s fine,” he says.

“You looked…” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Wuxian nods.

Afraid. He didn’t know how to explain it, that the turmoil Sun Daiyu’s spirit felt had been too much, spilling out and over him. She’d been ready to kill him. Her hand was at his throat. He can feel the pinpricks where her nails dug in, the blood trickling down to stain his collar. His robes are torn at the breast where she’d clawed him, leaving bloody tracks on his chest. The wounds aren’t deep, but he feels shaken in a way he can’t describe.

7. ** at night your body is a symphony by vespertineflora - 7,000 words, explicit - After getting together with Wei Ying, Lan Zhan dedicates himself to learning how to make Wei Ying fall apart. This puts Lan Zhan’s diligence and thirst for knowledge to very, very good use.

So, being as both of them were doing such things for the first time, their first evening together had been enthusiastic, but clumsy, to say the least. They’d fooled and fumbled, both overcome with nerves and excitement, and Wei Wuxian had... given Lan Wangji more than a bit of subtle (and not-so-subtle) direction along the way. It’d been a wonderful night that Wei Wuxian would never forget, but not a poet or artist the world over would have sought it as a muse.

Now, just half a month later (and Wei Wuxian couldn't stress this time period enough), Lan Wangji had seemingly unlocked whatever secret code was required to reduce Wei Wuxian to a quivering mess in just a few sparse minutes, playing him as expertly as he played his guqin. If Wei Wuxian hadn’t known better, he’d have swore that Lan Wangji had been lying to him at first, hiding a lengthy history of sexual conquests behind some fake fumbling, just so he could tell Wei Wuxian he was his first and only... but Lan Wangji wasn’t good enough at lying to conceal that from Wei Wuxian’s discovery, and Wei Wuxian was certain that Lan Wangji’s graceless first attempt at love-making had been entirely sincere.

WEI WUXIAN / LAN WANGJI - CANON DIVERGENCE 

8. This is a Love Song by brooklinegirl - 20,000 words, explicit - This is the story of Wei Ying and Lan Zhan with just a little twist: they kiss when they’re teenagers. Their story is so romantic, even on the show, that this almost feels like canon anyway, but it tweaks things just enough to make it interesting. And then when Wei Ying comes back, it’s very sweet and sexy and adorable.

"We'll be leaving soon, Lan Zhan," he said, from his vantage point of lounging against the desk in the library where Lan Zhan was studying and resolutely ignoring Wei Wuxian. "Are you going to miss us?" Wei Wuxian twisted around so he could prop both elbows on the desk, bringing his chin down to rest on his hands as he gazed up at Lan Zhan. "Are you going to miss me?"

Lan Zhan turned the page in the book he was reading.

"You are so going to miss me." Wei Wuxian slouched forward, bringing himself closer. "You'll be bored, Lan Zhan." He let his elbow nudge up against Lan Zhan's sleeve.

9. And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami - also: Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing/Lan Xichen, 139,000 words, mature - I have some issues with fics where a character goes back to the future to change how things turned out. I can’t stop thinking about the alternate universe that the person left behind where they’re all missing him/her. But I had to firmly tell myself that once Wei Ying leaves that the old timeline gets erased from existence and no one is sad. And then I really enjoyed this story about Wei Ying zipping back to the start of his life and righting all the world’s wrongs. Very cathartic (even if imagining a fully adult Wei Ying in the body of a toddler was...weird), and it made me especially happy to see Lan Xichen, Wen Qing, and Jiang Cheng no longer alone. Their relationship is romantic but non-sexual, and I enjoyed seeing it develop. This story is also a boost in my ‘keep Jiang Yanli alive’ campaign. 

"It is after curfew. Rest begins at nine in the evening. Delay is not permitted," he hears.

He can't help but smile as he turns, drinking in the sight of Lan Zhan standing before him. Lan Zhan. Finally.

His cheeks ache with it as he sees Lan Zhan's expression shift - he almost can't believe he found Lan Zhan unreadable, once. He watches the thoughts cross Lan Zhan's face, one after another. He disapproves of the violation of the curfew. He's disappointed that one of the guest disciples is already breaking the rules. He thinks Wei Wuxian is really pretty. He's horrified that he thinks Wei Wuxian is really pretty.

Wei Wuxian laughs. He doesn't mean to laugh at him, but - now? Already? Did Lan Zhan really start to fall for him the moment they met?

WEI WUXIAN / LAN WANGJI - MODERN UNIVERSE AND/OR OTHER AU 

10. ** And they were roommates... by harriet_vane - ~41,300 words, mature - This is a modern AU where Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are lesbians in college. Wei Ying has a falling out with her family and ends up living with Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan’s obvious, deep feelings for Wei Ying and the way she just wants to take care of her are clear as day, even though Wei Ying can’t see it. Being fair, though, she has a lot on her mind through this whole thing.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Wei Ying lies immediately. “I’m just, you know… Dramatic! Ha ha, that’s it, remember when you were stuck with me in that group project and I blew up that whole can of paint? I’m just being silly.” She wipes at her eyes again but before she can wipe her nose on her sleeve Lan Zhan is holding out an immaculate tissue.

“Are you okay, Wei Ying?” Lan Zhan asks again, voice grave.

It’s a little surprising that she remembers Wei Ying’s name. “Yes,” Wei Ying says, and then bursts into tears. It feels like she’s going to die, honestly. “No. I had—a—a—” She’s hiccupping too hard with tears to finish the sentence, so she pivots to something easier to talk about. “Dumb family drama. You don’t care. But I’m, um—My brother isn’t speaking to me right now, so I don’t know where I’m supposed to live this semester.”

11. The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane - 71,000 words, explicit - Wei Ying and Lan Zhan fall into a marriage of convenience so that Wei Ying can adopt A-Yuan. Then Wei Ying makes the mistake of falling in love with him. 

“A-Yuan! Come here!” Wei Ying whispers.

“He is fine,” says Lan Zhan, not turning to look at him. Yuan looks up at Lan Zhan, and then at the pen he’s been given, and then at Wei Ying, and shrugs.

Wei Ying feels, like, a bunch of things at once. First of all, he tried flirting at least a dozen times, and never got so much as a raised eyebrow from Lan Zhan, but apparently a four-year-old can just help himself to his lap. That doesn’t seem fair; Wei Ying is also very cute. Second, he’s surprisingly grateful to Lan Zhan for being cool about this, and not a dick like he had expected. Third, he’s irritated that Yuan seems perfectly content over there.

It’s too many feelings to feel all at once, and he realizes belatedly he’s missed several minutes of notes because he’s been staring into space.

12. my dreams are playing softer now by fleurdeliser - ~8200 words, teen - At a social function, Lan Zhan watches Wei Ying talk with Mianmian and gets hammered. Or, well, he has one drink. Same thing when it comes to Lan Zhan. Some modern drunk Lan Zhan hijinx. 

By the time he reaches Wangji's side, he's starting to sway just slightly on his feet. He's grateful, for once, for his brother's forbidding aura. In a crowded banquet hall, there's no one within fifteen feet of them.

"For god's sake, Wangji," he snaps and wraps an arm around his brother's waist as he slumps into his side. He doesn't have time for this. He has many, many more people he needs to speak with before the night is over and he has an unofficial meeting in a side room in twenty minutes. Before he thinks about it over-much, he starts moving across the banquet hall again.

"He doesn't...he'll never…" his brother mutters and Lan Xichen grits his teeth.

13. how to fall in love with a catfish: a guide by wei wuxian (disaster rat) by bwyn, Yuisaki - 54,700 words, teen - Wei Ying finds a catfish on Tindr. I mean, who uses Chinese movie star Lan Zhan’s pictures in their profile if they want to be believed? Unfortunately, Wei Ying, in his pursuit to unmask his catfish, totally falls for him.

It’s like someone asked, “Hey, out of curiosity, what do you think the guy of your dreams would look like if he was a lifeless mannequin and you wanted to admire him from afar for the rest of your miserable days?” and plucked the image out of his head and into his phone. People can’t look like that. That’s just not fair.

And Wei Wuxian is a connoisseur of all media, so he knows this stoic, unsmiling face. He’s seen this face in varying degrees of stoic and unsmiling in half a dozen movies since its debut several years ago, instantly becoming teen heartthrob material and only skyrocketing in popularity since. Heartthrob, action star, nuanced drama lead, you name it, this man has done it in six movies or less.

14. A Keen Rabbit Lover by ericacea - ~34,000 words, mature - This is a modern AU where Wei Ying and Lan Zhan are lesbians. Wei Ying...let’s say...makes a very wide intuitive leap that leads to some confusion and then some sex. This story is surprisingly sweet for being centered around the accidental gifting of a sex toy.

Right now, Lan Zhan’s heart is swirling with horror, with hope, with fear, with longing, and of course with confusion. She closes her eyes and allows it all to wash over her for a single second, then opens her eyes and forces herself to work through the power of internal screaming. Is this some sort of awful joke? propels her to sort the packaging into piles of trash and recycling, her hands automatically pushing the instructions and gift label safely to the side. Is Wei Ying making fun of me because she thinks I’m repressed? spurs her to finish packing and labeling the final boxes of kitchenware. She gets some good mileage out of Will this ruin our friendship if I respond wrong somehow?, using that one to repack her entire library of books alphabetically by author (thoroughly unnecessary), triple check all the kitchen cabinets to make sure they’re empty, and search the corners of every room for rogue dust bunnies. Then, when she’s nearly done, Is she flirting with me because she likes me? throbs through her entire body.

15. Lifelong Confidant by saved - 42,000 words, explicit - Modern AU where Wei Ying and Lan Zhan fell into an accidental marriage while also being in love with each other, because of course they do. Wei Ying’s a mess and runs away from the situation, and years later, they meet again. Just roll with the plot for the sweetness and pining and the cuteness of Lan Sizhui and Jingyi, ok? Thnx.

“Lan Xichen, ah, Lan Xichen,” Wei Ying says. He sketches a little wave with one hand and smiles. “Hello.”

“Wei Ying,” Lan Xichen says. He reaches forward to place the cup of tea on the coffee table. “I apologize for bothering you in this way.”

“Ah, Lan Xichen, always so formal,” Wei Ying says. He skitters further into the room and, with nothing else to do, jams his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “What can I do for you?”

Lan Xichen’s lips thin. Wen Qing is looking back and forth between the two of them like she’s watching a tennis match, her face increasingly baffled with each turn.

“Lan Wangji was in a car accident,” Lan Xichen says directly.

16. the moon lives in the lining of your skin by sarahyyy - 9,100 words, mature - Modern college AU where they’re roommates and forced to share a bed! That old chestnut, done very well here.

“Lan Zhaaaaan,” he whines, and throws in his best I’m your roommate and I might die if you don’t help me out smile. It’s a charmer. He’s practised it in front of a mirror enough times to know that.

Even then, even in the face of Wei Wuxian’s (self-proclaimed) stunner of a smile, Lan Wangji doesn’t say anything.

Wei Wuxian lets out a deflated sigh. “Okay, fine, I’ll go ask if I can sleep with Wen Ning tonight,” he tells Lan Wangji. He really should’ve started with that, but Wen Ning’s roommate is, tragically, Wen Chao, and honestly, ew, no?

He turns to leave, but Lan Wangji grasps at his wrist before he’s able to go. “Till Monday,” Lan Wangji says, voice clipped.

“Till Monday,” Wei Wuxian promises, and then shamelessly slides himself into Lan Wangji’s covers. “Lan Zhan, you’re so good to me. I knew you wouldn’t leave me to suffer.”

17. please forgive my most passionate disruptions by pumpkinpaix (scribogenesis) - ~65,000 words, explicit - Modern Cloud Recesses AU where Wei Ying is taking graduate classes in Cloud Recesses and also working at a strip club to make extra money. Again, just roll with the set up to enjoy the story. Lan Zhan is forced to go to the club as a chaperone and sees Wei Ying dancing before he realizes they go to the same school. Some internalized homophobia on Lan Zhan’s part, mind the tags. There is a happy ending. 

And because lady luck has long since abandoned him for the night, someone jostles against his back and Lan Wangji looks up unwillingly at the stage for the second time.

The man is right in front of him, grinning down cheshire-like and wicked. His eyes are bright with mischief, cheeks sparkling with body glitter that glimmers with the shifting lights. Lan Wangji is going to look away, he is, but then the man lets out a ringing laugh that exposes the long line of his throat, and Lan Wangji finds himself unable.

He dances like a swordsman, Lan Wangji finds himself noting through a haze of self-recriminating horror and appreciative lust. He tries to focus on the steps, the patterns of his steps. Here—something reminiscent of a parry, there—a strike.

OTHER PAIRINGS OR GEN (MAY HAVE WWX / LWJ BACKGROUND)

18. Child Surprise by Ariaste - 4,200 words, teen - This is the story about how first Wei Ying and then Lan Zhan got A-Yuan. 

“Ow, popo! Ow!” He huffs a sigh. “Fine. Just--let’s just make it the law of surprise, shall we? That’s nice and simple, eh? Leave it up to destiny what will bring us back in balance. Let it drop something of yours into my lap, something small, and we’ll call the debt paid.”

The three of them hesitate, then nod. “The law of surprise,” Wen Qing says. “No going back on it, though, or I’ll have your hide, Wei Wuxian.”

19. Joy In the Midst of These Things series by Glitterbombshell - ~37,000 words, teen -  Wei Ying gets left in charge of the baby Lans one day and ends up being an excellent teacher. It’s adorable seeing the little ones following him around like ducklings.

“Nice, very nice. Good, clean linework there,” he says, and “Ah, do you see where you made this character thicker than the others? Most of the power will be channeled there...good, strong gust, but it won’t last as long as you think,” he says, and “Very nice, come look at this one everyone! See how even the strokes are?”

It takes all of ten minutes for the children to completely forget any nervousness or trepidation, and soon he is fielding question after question. He plants himself on the floor right there in the middle of the library and one by one, the children gather closer to him. Their questions are simple, naturally, but it quickly becomes obvious that their instruction thus far has been entirely on the how, and not the why of talisman construction. Copying the form is all well and good, and really for a wind talisman, form is all you need. Still...the children are curious! They’re interested! He gives each question due consideration and a thorough answer, and soon the little ones are poring back over their work, searching for flaws or redoing lines after Wei Wuxian has explained something.

20. ** Daylight Can Be So Violent series by vespertineflora - Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao - ~21,000 words, explicit - This story so far has two parts. Both can be read on their own. It’s a little sad, because we know what Lan Xichen doesn’t know about the man he is falling in love with. But I’m willing to put that aside because we’re all here for the sex. And Jin Guangyao, master manipulator who grew up in a brothel, shows Lan Xichen a very, very good time. 

It felt... it felt good. There was a slow, steady ripple of pleasure at having his rim stretched, and at the pressure of the fingers moving inside, and it wasn’t hard for Lan Xichen to understand why someone would enjoy the sensation. It wasn’t the intense feeling of having Jin Guangyao’s mouth on his cock, but it was certainly a welcome feeling.

He was forced to eat the words almost immediately after thinking them.

The angle of Jin Guangyao’s fingers had been adjusting slightly as they moved and as they pressed more firmly against the front wall inside, Lan Xichen’s entire body seemed to go rigged at the sudden deep satisfaction of whatever Jin Guangyao had found. And of course, his reaction to the touch was painfully obvious with the way he’d tensed up and his breath had stuttered.

Jin Guangyao bit playfully at his lip, then decided to show no mercy.

21. half cloak & half dagger by Fahye - Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao - ~13,000 words, explicit - This is the second part to a previously recced Wei Ying/Lan Zhan story called seldom all they seem, but this time we see the relationship of the other Twin Jade. Jin Guangyao just really, really wants to get dicked down by Lan Xichen, and he puts his scheming to work in order to make that happen.

Lan Xichen now looks amused, even if it's a mere flash of silver among the sky-blue intensity of his fondness. "And who am I, in your eyes?"

You are an impossibly good man who could be seduced into fucking me but would never, if allowed to act of your own accord, offer me anything less than the full right of recognition as your partner, because you know how much my mother's situation has hurt me.

And I am someone who is capable of smiling politely at your wedding. I am someone who will bow to your no doubt beautiful and appropriate wife, and fantasise about poisoning her.

And if I have been allowed to lay hands on you, even once, then I will not be able to stop at fantasy.

He does not say that.

22. No More Masks by KouriArashi - Lan Xichen/Meng Yao (Xue Yang/Meng Yao)- ~62,500 words, mature - This is an alternate canon fic where Jin Guangshan doesn’t legitimize Meng Yao, and instead he schemes his way into Cloud Recesses. He remains his vindictive, manipulative self until Lan Xichen’s kindness begins to thaw him. Xue Yang is still a sociopath, though, and very angry with Meng Yao turns away from him. 

Whether or not that survival was guaranteed was another matter. Four more Wen soldiers ran down the path behind him. Lan Xichen turned and cut down two, but tried to turn too quickly on his injured leg and staggered.

“Zewu-Jun!” Meng Yao ran forward without even thinking, dispatching the man closest to Lan Xichen with a quickly thrown knife, executing a turn to cut the throat of the other, and then catching Lan Xichen before he could fall.

“Meng-gonzi,” Lan Xichen said, blinking in surprise. “How did you - ”

“Later, there will be time for that later,” Meng Yao said, helping Lan Xichen lean against a tree. He could hear more soldiers behind them. They would never make it with the wagon. It was clear that Lan Xichen could barely walk.

23. this storm that should not be by TheDameJudiWench - ~6,600 words, gen audiences - Wei Ying gets into trouble while on a night hunt with the juniors, and Lan Sizhui heads to Lotus Pier for help. This story has background Wei Ying/Lan Zhan, but it’s mainly full of Yunmeng Bro feelings.

“What do I do?”Sizhui asks, putting away his sword and returning to Wei Wuxian’s side. He’s never felt like this before — like something within him is unraveling.

Wei Wuxian clutches his flute. With his other hand, he grips Sizhui’s sleeve. "Go to Lotus Pier. It’s not far. Jiang Cheng will make quick work of this tree."

Sizhui's attention flickers back to the tree. The stubborn question in his heart must show on his face, because Wei Wuxian says, "There’s no use going at it. It's more than the two of us can move. We'll need Jiang Cheng to carve it up. He'll enjoy it, don't worry."

THE UNTAMED FIC REC LIST PART THREE

Find this useful? You can buy me a ko-fi.

[muwur]

If requests are open.. Suga x reader -3rd year student- where friends to pining where reader is a exchange student mid year -parent’s job- and reader is new to the school, can barely communicate Japanese and is too shy to meet new people.. reader is welcomed as a co-manager for vb club and all the other boys adopt her has their sister. She tutors them in their English lesson too.. also how would Suga help her open up from her shyness..

request: sugawara x fem! reader who is a shy exchange student!

another beginning.

✩ one-shot ✩ for sugawara bb

❧ fem reader

✎ 4.9k words

a/n: FINALLY GOT THIS BBY DONE, ty for being patient requester <3 i hope its ok, lmk if u would like smth different!

also curious but do yall listen to music when you write or read? i dnt always but when i DO i listen to some boppy music so i can shake mah ass (unles im depresso AHAHA) LMAO rec me some pls--

send me asks--

current listen: juicy by doja cat, gasolina by daddy yankee, 11 PM by maluma

A pencil dangled between two of your fingers, gently swinging back and forth as you tapped the eraser’s tip against your chin in thought. Looking over Hinata’s shoulder at the worksheet laying on the table, you extended your hand and made a neat scrawl on the page. “That’s good translating, Hinata! However,” you dragged your pencil across the surface, marking a line and arrow to point at a space near the beginning of his sentence, “keep in mind that although gerunds look like verbs, they act as nouns. So, this word should go here.”

Yachi, who was seated to your right, nodded in agreement. “I looked through his notes doodles, and it looked like they were going over gerunds in class!”

With narrowed eyes, Hinata scanned the page, muttering the sentence underneath his breath. Suddenly, his hazel eyes lit up in understanding and his lips morphed into a round “O.” “Ohhhh, that make a lot more sense! Thanks, (y/n), you’re a big help, especially in English! Also, look, guys!”

He rummaged through his cluttered backpack and fished out a slightly wrinkled sheet of paper with a red “14/50” marked on the top right corner. Holding it up proudly, he declared, “I got a better score than last time! By nine points!”

“That’s still an F,” Tsukishima pointed out, eyes glued to the pages of the book he was reading. Yamaguchi and Kageyama tried to stifle their snickers.

“Y-You’re not even looking!” Hinata defended. The ginger was met with a shrug. “I don’t need to see the score to know you failed.”

Before any fighting could break out, however, the door swung open, revealing the remaining third-years. Bags of snacks in their arms, the four of them stepped in. “We’re back! Your parent/guardian let us in, (y/n),” Sugawara announced, setting his bag down on the table. The rest followed suit and set the goodies down. Rummaging through one of the bags, Daichi pulled out a meat bun.

“Hinata, here’s your meat bun,” he said, handing the snack to the excited first-year, who had long-forgotten Tsukishima’s snide remark about his lack of intellectual aptitude. Kiyoko offered Kageyama his milk, the slight brush of their hands being enough to stir Noya and Tanaka into an envious craze. Asahi tried to settle them down, nervously reminding them that they needed to act respectful in your home, especially after your family had agreed to let you all study there. You stifled a giggle as Sugawara and Daichi joined in, scolding their underclassmen for their poor behavior and threatening them with a time-out.

With an exasperated sigh, Sugawara took a seat next to you on the mat. “Ah, I can’t help but worry about how Ennoshita’s going to handle both of them on his own.”

Giving a sidelong glance to the second-year, who was now forcing Noya and Tanaka to complete timed practice problems, your lips formed a small smile. “Looks like he does a pretty good job at it, though.”

Sugawara let out an amused huff. “Guess I’m worried over nothing. Oh, also,” he dug into the plastic bag in front of him, taking out your favorite snack and offering it to you. “Here you go.”

(can u tell from my stories yet that fav snacks aka actions are my love language--)

“Oh, thank you, Suga, I didn’t even ask for this…” you flashed him a grateful smile and took the package from his hands, suppressing the blush that threatened to overcome your cheeks as your fingertips brushed. He gave a sheepish smile and glanced to the side in response, giving the back of his neck an anxious rub.

“Ah, it’s the least I could do to thank you for letting us all come over to study. It’s really helpful. I appreciate it, (y/n).”

“It’s not much, really. I’m more than glad to help you all (read: Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka, and Noya) out with English and offer my place. Having everyone together makes it easier. They need to pass these exams so you all get to play.”

Your offer to help the team with their studies may have seemed a simple gesture as both their friend and co-manager. On the inside, however, you really were more than happy to have everyone over for whatever reason. It left you with a feeling of awe. The last thing you would’ve expected 3 months ago was to be sitting in your new home in Japan, surrounded by a group of people who accepted you despite your poor Japanese and late appearance to Karasuno. Just 4 months ago, after you learned about your parent/guardian’s job transfer to Japan, you were left feeling an array of mixed feelings:

Anxiety – a whole new country? With a language you could barely even speak or understand? How was that going to work? Could you even make friends at school? God knows how long it took you to make the friends you have now.

Disappointment – you were looking forward to graduating high school with the friends you’ve made throughout the past few years. Having to say goodbye would be difficult, and you’d miss them.

Yet, you felt a sliver of hopefulness – new experiences were waiting for you. You had the opportunity to lead a new life in a foreign place. It filled you both with fear and exhilaration.

On the night before your first day at Karasuno, you could barely sleep after spending hours religiously practicing how to introduce yourself in Japanese. Having to introduce yourself to the class and speaking with your new classmates was inevitable, after all. And so the next day, you found yourself standing in front of the classroom, trying to suppress the nervous shudder that threatened to rack your body and ignore the prickles of sweat on your palms. Despite how much you mentally recited your introduction that morning, your current situation left your mind blank, unable to conjure any words. Fueled by the awkward silence, the numerous gazes focused on you, and the growing pit of anxiety in your stomach, what came out was a quiet, jumbled form of what you intended to say.

“Hello, (y/n) (l/n). I’m (insert your original country name here). I can’t Japanese, but I hope friends. Everyone, nice to meet,” you bowed, both in respect and so that you could hide your face, which was red from embarrassment. You knew you messed up, but you pretended otherwise, hoping that nobody would point out your mistake.

You straightened up after a few moments of silence, registering the confused looks of your new classmates and feeling another stab of shame. In response to your introduction, the teacher raised her eyebrows and blinked in confusion. Then her eyes warmed, and she offered you a smile as she spoke up. “Class, this is (l/n) (y/n). She recently moved here from (insert OG country here). She’s still learning Japanese; however, her English is perfect, so I’m sure you can all learn something from each other. Please make her feel welcome. Your seat is over there, (l/n).”

Shoulders sagging, you made your way to your desk, avoiding eye contact despite the pairs of eyes that followed you to your seat. Focusing on the lecture was a struggle. Not only could you barely understand anything the teacher was saying; worries about how the rest of the day would go also flooded your mind. This was only the morning; how could you navigate your way through the halls? Ask for directions? Would you meet people? Where would you eat lunch? How could you survive?

The remainder of the classes went by gruesomely slow. Too embarrassed from your slip this morning and too shy to meet new people despite wanting to make a friend, you successfully dodged conversation with any of your classmates. You were relieved that finally lunch came by, yet that presented another problem. You weren’t sure where to go, but you were sure that you were going to eat by yourself.

After a few minutes of walking around the hallways, you settled for eating lunch in the classroom. At least it meant you didn’t have to rush to class after the bell rang. Taking a seat, you pulled out your boxed lunch and set it out in front of you. Painfully aware of how alone you must have looked, you pretended to look really interested in your meal (am i the only one or--). You poked it, broke it into pieces, then brought each sliver to your mouth and chewed slowly. If only your family had switched your phone plans earlier, then you could at least spend time scrolling the internet or lament to your friends back home about how your day was going.

Still “engrossed” in your meal, you failed to notice a figure standing in front of your desk. Only after you saw a hand situate itself on the edge of your desk did you look up.

You met the chestnut eyes of a boy. He bore a warm smile that made a small crinkle in his eyes and beauty mark. Strands of grey hair draped naturally in front of his eyes and framed the sides of his face. Despite your unease, his soft features helped to calm your racing heart and mind. He seemed a friendly person; after all, he was able to approach you.

“Hey, you’re (l/n), right? I’m Sugawara Koushi, but you can call me Suga. I’m in your class,” he introduced in pretty darn good English.

‘Man, that means he heard me this morning…’ you thought miserably. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel some relief. Perhaps you hadn’t given others or yourself much of a chance before jumping to the conclusion that you were incapable of meeting new people.

Clearing your throat, you shyly extended a hand to him in greeting. “Yes, I’m (y/n) (l/n). Call me (y/n). It’s nice to meet you, Suga,” you replied hesitantly, finally using the correct words in Japanese that you had been practicing the previous night.

Shaking your hand, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. “Your Japanese sounds pretty good! You just moved, so you’re still learning, right? How about I help you improve that while you help me with English?”

You were about to nod eagerly in appreciation when you both overheard some snickering across the room. Two boys and a girl sat together, whispering quite loudly and sneaking oh-so-inconspicuous glances over at your desk. Taking notice that they were caught staring, they presumed to loudly munch on their meals and talk about the weather.

Suga only shot them annoyed glare and shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Sorry, those are my… Friends.” The strain in his voice after saying that last word made you question if they really were on friendly terms.

After that day, you found yourself spending every lunch period with Suga and his other third-year friends Daichi, Asahi, and Shimizu. You initially felt unsure of how to talk to them, but after Sugawara’s efforts to include you in his circle and some reassuring words about being yourself and not letting a small, temporary language barrier hold you back from making friends, you earned a bit of confidence. While you spoke a hybrid of English and Japanese with them, you eventually managed to pick up a lot of Japanese from talking everyday, and after these few months of constant exposure, you were able to hold decent conversations. Additionally, the extra help you sought from the teaching staff allowed you to be able to keep up in class, and your instructors were understanding enough to give you some leniency on your assignments during this adjustment period.

Hanging around your new friends often, it was only a matter of time before you were introduced to the rest of Karasuno’s boys’ volleyball team. It occurred one lunch period three weeks after you first arrived, when Asahi suggested that you join some club activities. You were discouraged, however, considering that it was already halfway through the year, you didn’t know enough Japanese yet to converse with just anyone, and you were a tad shy, which made joining clubs a bit difficult. At that moment, your new friends all made eye contact with each other, then looked at you.

“Why not join our volleyball club?” Suga asked. “Shimizu could always use the help. She’s our only student manager.”

Shimizu nodded in agreement, her blue gaze soft. “Your help would be really appreciated. There’s a lot to this job, so having someone to split the work with would be relieving. You can also help me look for someone to take my place when we graduate.”

Later that day you found yourself in the gym being blocked by Sugawara, who was protecting you from two crazed boys whose collars were held back by Daichi. A ginger-haired boy looked at you with curiosity, excitedly introducing himself as Hinata and pointing out the names of the other members on the court (“This is ‘Bakageyama’ and that guy’s ‘Four-eyed Jerk Face’—").

Upon their release (which was granted only after they promised to behave), Tanaka and Noya dashed over to you, tears in their eyes as they held your hands and expressed their gratitude for your presence. “Oh, (y/n), you kind soul, helping Shimizu with the managerial work. Better yet, now we have two cute girls to support us, this is amazing!”

And that’s how you found yourself sitting with your new friends in your living room and feeling grateful for their vibrant personalities, kindness, and acceptance. You couldn’t have asked for a better batch of friends to end your year with. Though, you were most grateful to Sugawara. If not for him, the last several months of your highschool experience may have gone by miserably, with nothing special to note and no new friends to celebrate with. His gentle, understanding nature had done nothing but support you and make you feel welcome. He helped introduce you to a new, comfortable life you had trouble imagining before your arrival to Japan. He dispelled your doubts and fears, instilling in you a newfound confidence in your abilities. It certainly helped that the team was just as supportive and patient with you.

You could recount the events of the past few months that brought warmth to your heart. These people were growing on you, making you feel like you could be yourself more each day. Daichi provided you a sense of security and leadership. Asahi was empathetic, quick to detect your feelings of uneasiness and asking you if you were okay. Shimizu made sure to make you feel welcome as a friend and fellow manager, even inviting you to a café over the weekend to brainstorm ideas on recruiting a replacement (who you both later discovered to be Yachi) and try out some desserts. Tanaka and Noya tried to teach you all the Japanese curse words they knew, initially lying to you about their meanings so they could see the rest of the team’s reactions when you would blurt things out in the middle of practice (Let’s just say that Daichi, Suga, Ennoshita, and Tsukki knew whose fault this was, and Asahi was real shook hearing a string of curse words from your mouth while you sat there, no ill intent emanating from you whatsoever). Ennoshita gave you a comforting, easygoing presence. Tsukki was… Tsukki (LOL). But he could carry on a conversation, often genuinely interested whenever you talked about the culture back in (other country). And you knew he was soft. Hinata was a burst of energy, and you found his bickering with Tsukishima and Kageyama silly and quite precious. You often stayed with Yachi to toss balls to Kageyama late at night, much to his appreciation. Yachi and Yamaguchi were some of the biggest sweethearts on the team, and all you could think about was needing to protect them.

There was definitely something different in your interactions with Sugawara, though. You found yourself closest to him out of everyone. It may have been because he was the first you talked to, or maybe it was because he was one of the most easygoing people you’ve ever met. That, and you found yourself wanting to get closer to him. You wanted to know more about him.

Sugawara chuckled in response. “I suppose you’re right. We wouldn’t have made it this far without everyone,” he said softly, a tinge of fondness showing in his brown eyes. He proceeded to take out his schoolwork and pen, resting his chin in his palm as he read the words across the page of his assignment. Occasionally, you glanced over at him, admiring the way his eyebrows knit together in concentration, and how his hair brushed his cheeks whenever his head shifted in its position. How the grey tips of lashes kissed his bottom eyelids with each flutter of his chocolate hues. You even took a mental note that his lips, currently pursed in thought, were rather smooth and full in appearance.

A rogue thought about how those lips would feel against your own flitted across your mind. It brought a small pang to your chest, and you had to mentally slap yourself back into reality. You noticed these new feelings were starting to become more prevalent the longer you hung around Sugawara. You consulted your friends back home about it, and in their excitement, they insisted you had a crush on this guy (and demanded photos). Heart palpitations, heat-flooded cheeks, covert glances, and a desire for closeness in all aspects possible? All symptoms of infatuation, your personal love doctors concluded. You recalled when these signs first appeared about a month ago, after he offered to walk you home when practice had gone late into the night. Initially you declined, not wanting him to go out of his way when it was already dark outside. However, after seeing the soft look in his eyes as he declared he wanted to ensure you got home safely and that he didn’t mind the walk, your heart couldn’t help but give in and agree.

It was a tranquil night, accompanied only by the sound of crickets chirping and a cool, whispy breeze. About 15 minutes after having left campus, you were both seated on an aged bench at a small park, snacking on recent convenience store purchases to satisfy your growling stomachs. A comfortable silence settled in the air. The nightly surroundings were illuminated by the gentle glow of several nearby lampposts and stars that burned lightyears away.

Your gaze followed the tracks of a small bug crawling across the sidewalk in front of your feet. It skittered soundlessly against the pavement, eventually disappearing in the security of a bush. A gentle sigh took hold of your attention, and your eyes flickered over to your friend, who was peering up at the star-dusted evening sky.

“Do you know what you’re doing after graduation?” he asked, a hint of wonder in his voice.

You shook your head. “No clue, to be honest. You?”

He pursed his lips and took a sidelong glance at you before focusing back upwards. “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher…”

“Seems fitting. Your Japanese lessons have been really helpful,” you pointed out, smiling.

The tips of his lips curved upwards as well. “Really? I’m glad. You’ve improved a lot, too. You’re a quick learner.”

“Heh, well I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Another comfortable silence fell upon you two before he spoke again. “I was thinking about how to keep in touch with everyone after we left, and how it’s a shame we’re leaving so soon after you arrived. I would’ve liked to know you better, too, but there’s only a few months left...”

His genuine words left a rosy tinge on your cheeks. As you were thinking of a response, you looked down, noticing how close your hand lay next to his. Heartrate quickening, you stammered, “Y-Yeah, I wish we had more time, too.. T-To hang around each other, I mean. But graduation doesn’t have to mean goodbye, right?”

“That’s true... You always know just what to say, you know that, (y/n)?” he turned his gaze on you and held out an extended pinky. “Promise to talk to me after graduating, then?”

You rolled your eyes playfully and huffed in amusement. Taking your own pinky and intertwining it with his, you nodded. “So long as you keep your end of the promise, too.”

“Of course.”

Sugawara’s voice brought you out of your momentary flashback. “(Y/n)? Can I ask you a question?”

Blinking your previous thoughts away and calming the warmth on your cheeks, you responded, “What’s up?”

He slid his assignment closer to you, pointing at a section he was having trouble with. “Here. I’m not sure if I’m doing this correctly..”

You leaned in, scooching towards him and closing in on the gap between you. Focused on the homework, you failed to notice how the brush of your shoulders made Sugawara’s body stiffen slightly. With your proximity, your scent easily wafted to his nose, and he could observe the closer details of your appearance. The hair tucked behind your ear exposed your cheekbone, looking soft to the touch. Your determined hues scanned the page, and he could visualize your thinking through your small, occasional self-nods. You looked cute and comfortable in the casual hoodie you wore, bringing him a strange, mixed sense of bashfulness and ease. His mind wandered, trying to envision how you would look if you wore any of his jackets, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of your sweet voice and scribbles against paper.

“It sounds great, Suga! I just made a note there on how you can fix it; otherwise, it should be okay,” you gave him a reassuring smile as you slid his work back to him. You, however, didn’t shift back to your original position and instead stayed seated mere inches from the boy. Not that he minded, but…

“O-Oh, alright, thanks!”

It made concentrating during the rest of the study session a little difficult.

Occasionally you did get up, helping mostly the first and second years with some of their English assignments. His eyes would secretly (but c’mon, everyone but Hinata and Kageyama could tell) follow your figure, admiring the way you looked as you interacted happily with the others and did whatever you could to assist them. Yet you always returned to the same spot, near Suga. Close enough that everyone else on the team took notice (if they haven’t already), relayed the information via mental telephone, and secretly agreed to depart a bit earlier than they had anticipated.

“Oh, you guys are leaving already?” you asked everyone as they were packing up their belongings.

They all nodded in response, offering up their reasons for leaving earlier than the original time you set, which ranged from, “My parents wanted me home for dinner” to “My sister’s wasted and locked out of the house, nobody’s home—” (u good der Saeko)

Standing at your doorway, you waved to your friends, sending them off with a “I’ll see you at school!” as they waved back and filed out of your home. Looking over to Suga, who was still standing beside you, you wondered, “Oh, you’re staying?”

“Oh, yeah! I was surprised to see everyone leave so soon, but I was planning to head home in another hour. B-But I can go now if you need me to..!” he answered a bit shakily, waving around his hands in small, bashful gestures.

You shook your head and you waved your hand dismissively. “It’s okay, you’re more than welcome to stay for however long you need to.”

Settled back in the common area, you both tried to resume your schoolwork, but to no avail. Groaning, you leaned back, using your arms to support you from behind. “I’m tired of workingggggg.”

He sighed in agreement, resting an elbow on the table and propping up his head in a closed fist. “Same. Do you want to do something else?”

“Hmm..” you pondered aloud. “Do you want to see my room?”

Shrugging and responding with a “why not?”, you both stood up, leaving the common area to go to your room. You opened the door and stepped inside, Suga closely trailing behind you.

“Welcome to my room. Make yourself cozy,” you insisted as you sat on your bed and pat the spot next to you. He took your offer, taking a seat beside you and looking around your bedroom in curiosity.

“Something about this place really seems like you, (y/n).”

You raised an eyebrow at his comment. “Is it the messy pile of clothes in that basket or the neat desk I cleaned up this morning?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose you could say those are part of it. I just meant there’s a lot to you that you should feel comfortable sharing with others. People are complex and there’s so many sides to a person we discover along the way. I remember how timid you were in our first weeks of knowing each other, and now you’re getting along great with everyone and work hard to improve everyday. You were able to overcome a stressful repeat of entering highschool, but this time in another country, and adapted just fine! Your kindness and determination is admirable.”

Twiddling with your fingers, you felt a sheepish grin form on your face. “Aha, you’re too kind, Suga. You know I couldn’t have made these friends or adjust so well without your help. I was too worried about talking to anyone until you came up to me, so… Thank you.”

You risked a glance towards the boy, finding his chocolate gaze already set on you. If none of your interactions in the past month had set your heart ablaze, then certainly this moment would take the cake. Sugawara’s eyes flickered downwards briefly in a moment of hesitance, then locked again onto yours with a hint of an undetectable emotion lurking behind those irises.  Neither of you could bring up any words to say. The only sounds present were the soft hums of your breathing and the low creak of your bed as you found yourselves shifting your weight in order to inch closer to one another.

His mind flooded with a cacophony of emotions, from crippling nervousness to an allure for risk-taking. He could barely come to terms with the current situation and what might happen. Maybe he was overthinking it. Surely being this close face-to-face with someone who you just happen to like doesn’t automatically mean they like you back and want to kiss you just as much. Perhaps you were just leaning in to rest your head on his shoulder; after all, you did seem tired from the events of today. Or, you were scooting close for a better look at his face so you could point out, “hey, you got a little something on your face.” Perhaps a crumb from the cracker he had earlier?

But when he took note of the way your eyes fluttered shut, eyelashes caressing the tops of your dusted cheeks, his doubts began to waver. Maybe this was the chance he’s been seeking out lately. Once Daichi deciphered Sugawara’s affections for you, eventually the whole team found out and began to silently root for him. Thankfully, despite their blatant attempts to help him out, you hadn’t noticed a thing. It made him wonder whether you were oblivious, or just didn’t like him, or both. However, in this moment, when it appeared as though maybe you returned his feelings, he felt he should—as Tanaka would say—shoot his shot.

A sudden knock on the door sent you both jumping 5 feet away from each other. Frazzled and wide-eyed, you choked out a weak, “H-Hello?” in response to the interruption. The door opened, revealing your parent/guardian, who peeked inside.

“Dinner’s ready. Would you like to stay and have it with us?” they were asking Suga.

Heart still racing from the fear that gripped it, he blinked in surprise. He piped out a polite no thank you, reasoning that he didn’t want to intrude.

“Nonsense, we’re happy to have you. Come soon.”

They closed the door and left, leaving you two in an awkward silence that was soon interrupted by the sound of your cough. “We should, uh, get going…”

Standing up, you reached for the door with Suga in tow. The tension in the air remained between the two of you throughout dinner. Nevertheless, Sugawara was able to leave a good impression on your family by being a good conversationalist, even earning a few laughs from your parent/guardian. It made your heart swell at how natural it was for him to be able to get along with others.

After dinner ended and he packed his things, you stepped outside with him to send him off, closing the door behind you. He was about to salute you with a “thanks for having me over” when you gave him a peck on the cheek so sudden that he didn’t have time to react before you were already making your way back into your house.

“Thanks for coming, Suga! I’ll see you at school! Let me know when you get home!” you exclaimed animatedly, shutting the door quickly to hide your embarrassment from your sudden actions. You leaned your back against it, instantly regretting what you did with tightly shut eyes. ‘Oh gawd how am I gonna face him at school tomorrow dhefjkg.’

But on the other side of the door, Suga stood dumbfounded, hovering a hand over the area your lips had touch. Though highly embarrassed, he felt a rush of elation pass over him like a humongous wave that never stopped crashing against the shores.

He was starting to really think it was a good idea to introduce himself to the cute new girl in class. Nice one, Suga.

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, here is part two of our mpreg Louis fic rec list. The first part of this rec list was done a while ago and can be found here. Happy reading!

1) Always Coming Back To You | Explicit | 4749 words

Harry's been missing Louis for eight days, and eight days without his Omega feels like decades in his pre-rut state.

Louis happens to come back to him earlier than planned.

2) Through The Storm | Mature | 6497 words

Note: This fic has no smut, but it is MPreg Louis so we included it.

Harry and Louis' marriage has hit a rough patch. A much needed week vacation in Jamaica just may be the second chance their relationship needs. What could possibly go wrong?

The answer?

Everything.

3) You Can Show Me Your Heart | Explicit | 6935 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Everyone knows about the unsinkable Titanic, which tragically did just that in April of 1912. However, not many people know the story of the Carpathia - the ship that raced to rescue and aid the survivors of the Titanic when the distress call came through. This is the story of the events leading up to the luxury liner crashing into an iceberg on that fateful spring night. More than that, this is the story of how two of Carpathia’s passengers - Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson - met, fell in love and helped over 700 people in the cold Atlantic water.

4) Cooking with Styles | Explicit | 9119 words

Anyone can cook— or so they say.

5) Something To Prove | Explicit | 9425 words

Louis is the first and only omega to work at Red Valley Medical Center. Despite being more than qualified, he still faces prejudice for his career choice everyday. From patients refusing his treatment to condescending alpha doctors intervening with his work, practicing medicine in Boston is more challenging than Louis had ever thought it would be.

6) We Will Get Through This | Explicit | 11219 words

Because of quarantine, Louis has to stay home with his roommate, Harry, who he's never really hung out with before. He's a sweet alpha who seems to really care and that annoys the hell out of Louis. But as he gets to know the alpha, he realizes it might not be dislike that he's feeling.

7) Easily | Explicit | 13588 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

Years later, Harry and Louis are as strong as ever and more than ready to take the next step in the story of their lives. It gets a little weird, a little confusing, but at the end of the day, it is as easy as can be.

8) Baby Honey | Explicit | 14744 words

Note: The pairing in this fic is Alex/Louis.

When the next great war strikes, all alphas have to ship out. Alex leaves a little more behind than some of the others.

9) The Post-War BP | Explicit | 17732 words

The eight year war has left the country's birthrate severely stunted with a lack of virile alphas left to bring it back up. To ensure the survival of the country, the government opens The Breeding Program where young omegas can apply to carry an alpha's child in exchange for benefits.  Louis' family is struggling and the BP is one of the only ways to secure a roof over their heads.  Harry was drafted at the age of eighteen and spent six years of his life defending a country he doesn't recognize when he returns home.  The government made the bed but it's Harry that has to lie in it.

10) Souls; Plural, Parallel | Teen & Up | 19679 words

Note: This fic has no smut, but it is MPreg Louis so we included it.

Soulmates are rare, the sort of rare that means everyone has a story about a friend's sister's coworker or a brother's roommate's cousin. But the fact of the matter is that most people never meet theirs. It's unfortunate then, that Louis finds out the hard way that he met his soulmate in a club, and the guy never texted him back.

11) Be Mine, Dear | Not Rated | 20104 words

It really wasn’t fair. He was the oldest of all of them. He’s the one who dreamed about being bonded his whole life, while Liam laughed at the idea, until he met Sophia. Niall had always been indifferent, but when he met Heather six months ago, everything changed for him. He quickly went from being the only omega around two alpha’s, to the odd omega out. And it really wasn’t fair, because Liam and Niall both still protected him just as much as the did before, just as much they do their new mates now, but he was still bitter about it, so he’d pity himself as much as he wanted.

12) Oops, Baby, I Love You (In That Order) | Explicit | 25344 words

The minute Louis Tomlinson decides he don’t need no man to start a family, Harry Styles literally falls into his arms.

13) I’m Having Your Baby (It's None of Your Business) | Mature | 26383 words

A bet can cost you a lot. Harry learns this in the weirdest of ways.

Louis just wanted a baby, and he got so much more.

14) The Things I'd Do To Wake Up Next To You | Mature | 36109 words

AU. Harry wakes up to a pregnant Louis Tomlinson and a wedding band on his finger.

15) If I Stay | Mature | 37226 words

Harry and Louis agree to a temporary arrangement that Harry can't seem to walk away from no matter how many times he tries.

16) You Put the Sun in Sunday | Mature | 42319 words

Louis is a love-brainwashed-teenager of hope drenched in dreams, clad in oversized clothes damaged with holes, and standing waist-high in novels. Harry is a selfish closeted football captain with a head too big for his heart, and a bad habit of not thinking before he opens his mouth. No one ever said love was easy, Louis learned the hard way.

17) Flash Forward (We’re Taking On The World Together) | Explicit | 44273 words

In which Omega Louis and Alpha Harry are absolutely perfect for each other and say I love you too much.

18) Every Story Has Its Scars, Ours Is A Brand New Start | Mature |  62859 words

Life as a devoted husband and an amazing father turned out to be a little different than Louis had expected. Everyone tells him it doesn't have to be that way; that he's worth more and that he's so much stronger than any one person trying to keep him down. It's all just words though until he meets the one person who makes him truly believe it.

19) Such Good Luck | Explicit | 66205 words

An Edwardian AU where Harry is a young aristocratic lord and Louis is a working class dairy farmer. Secrets are a necessary part of their relationship, but Louis has one that could topple their whole world.

20) Things I Can't | Not Rated | 67495 words

Louis has a plan for his life. He’s going to be the first in his family to finish college. He’s going to be a doctor - the best damn doctor in the country. And he’s going to work his ass off to make sure his younger siblings never have to wonder whether they have the means to pursue their dreams.

He doesn’t have space in his plan for a relationship with an effortlessly alluring musician, and certainly not for the child that unexpectedly results from that union. Louis is at a crossroads he never thought to plan for, and now he must make a decision: between what he wants now, and what he wants most.

21) I’m Still Learning To Love | General Audiences | 74695 words

Note: This fic has no smut, but it is MPreg Louis so we included it.

An AU where Harry has almost everything in the world except for the will to move on.

22) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

23) Fucking Animals | Explicit | 116688 words

Louis is the frontman of an equal rights-movement, author of a book about beta-omega marriage and the struggles of being born and boxed into a personality you don’t necessarily feel you fit. The notion that an omega must want to be with an alpha or else he or she’s just settling for less, is bullshit.

But, fucking hell.

24) Be My Omega | Mature | 138372 words

It all started when the alpha laid eyes on the short curvy omega and he knew at that moment that his life would never be the same, in a good way of course.

25) Cold Little Heart | Teen & Up | 194600 words

Louis is a soft omega with an abusive past and an alpha child. A few months after getting a divorce, Louis meets Harry, an ex-military alpha wolf that offers him something -odd.

In exchange for teaching him how to cook, Harry will babysit his son, Abraham. Louis really could use the help.

26) Love Me Until The End | Mature | 207130 words

AU where Louis, an Omega, is the head nurse of the hospital in charge of running the nursing staff. Harry, an Alpha, is a highly respected surgeon working at the same hospital. They also happen to fall in love.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a commonplace book

9pm, saturday, april 24, 2021

4:30pm, saturday, may 1, 2021

just been that kind of month!

reading sneaking up on the end of the truth, and i don’t remember how much i’ve gushed about it here already but this is extremely high-qual Pratchett. the fact that a bunch of the dwarves in the print shop have book history/print history in-jokes in their names? *chef’s kiss* the meditation on how someone born to privilege can work on themselves, confront their upbringing and try to transcend it? a fairly trope-busting take on the hired big-villain-little-villain-pair (not all of it works, but giving mr. tulip an unexpected interest in objets d’art and a swearing habit that *isn’t actually swearing* were both good)? the really all too relevant meditation on the importance of a free press and the relationship between press and law enforcement and the attractiveness of fake-news to a gullible public, but a public who still deserves to have the chance to read the truth? little excerpt here, Vetinari and William towards the end:

“So... we have what the people are interested in, and human interest stories, which is what humans are interested in, and the public interest, which no one is interested in.”

“Except the public, sir,” said William, trying to keep up.

“Which isn’t the same as people and humans?”

“I think it’s more complicated that that, sir.” 

yeah.

because this ilcb post is covering two weeks, i’ll also mention here that i just checked out ross gay’s ‘the book of delights’, the book of essays where tumblr found that story about walking through an airport carrying a tomato plant and being showered with love. i’ve been dealing with a lot of tomato-plant-based love and bartering this week, including exchanging some of my own seedlings for some seeds from a kindly stranger, so i was feeling that essay and wanted to read the rest. updates to come as i actually read more of the book, but the tomato essay also contains the line “translation is an act of love,” so i think i’m going to be glad i read this.

listening I cycled through a lot of different music this week, trying to keep myself at least a little entertained while also able to focus. someone in the jh workroom was listening to studio ghibli soundtracks on thudnesday or whenever i popped up in there for the first time, and those worked nicely for a bit. i listened to some throwback playlists from 2015ish, and rediscovered some of the gillian welch and jesca hoop a friend gave me that summer, which leads me to this moody, sweet, ethereal rec:

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and then yesterday for some less brain-draining work, i opted to bop a bit more and dug this classic back up. 1901, by phoenix:

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watching housemate M and i shared a cider and watched the first two episodes of emily in paris last weekend. it is not a good show, but i can see the hate-watch-ability. there keep being moments where i think ‘oh, now if they really wanted to, they could have something there’ but then, they never do. it’s so obvious that emily is supposed to be charming in her earnestness, her ‘maybe i’m ignorant, but my confidence and my work ethic make it okay! appealing even! also i have completely replaced any humility i ever had with these eyebrows!’ and that if she were a real person, she would have learned that lesson so intimately that she would be...insufferable.  but mainly it was fun, for me, because M has lived and worked in paris, and between her absolute scorn for so much of the portrayal of paris, and the rare suggestion of tipsiness, she was more fun to watch than the show XD

this week marked week two of ‘libre mercredi’ aka on wednesdays we watch free! and @hematiterings and @pep-squad-lizzie watch me experience this epoch-defining sports anime. no hot takes yet, i’m just...i’m deeply entertained and also super concerned about where we’re headed. i like rei the best so far, perhaps because of his strong lwj vibes, or his glasses.

playing dnd campaign 1 on monday, dnd campaign 2 tonight. comparing the experience i’m having in both is so interesting-- in 1, i’ve been playing about a year and have a strong bond with character, the other players, even the quest-- but feel a little like the dm’s job and distraction level make sessions longer/more diffuse and directionless than i’d currently like. in campaign 2, i know basically only the dm and one of the other players, and we’ve met so sporadically, with such a mix of people present, that i feel like my character hasn’t meshed with the rest of the party--talking to dm 2 about my character (and heck, at this point, about my campaign 1 character too) is the only way i get to develop them or explore concepts at all. luckily, dm 2’s incredible and asks the best questions and cares so much and how obvious is it that there’s more developing vis a vis my investment in her apart from the game and the contrast with dm1 and how sessions run is really, really interesting.

making more superglue adventures-- repairing a broken ceramic soap dispenser, jury’s still out on whether it’ll ever hold soap again, but i got the pieces all back together. progress shots when and if we decide to decorate it and help smooth over the evidence of breakage! today i also picked up a nice hd computer monitor for the price of three things of oatmilk, and if i can figure out how to incorporate that into my desk space (wall mounting may be necessary), that’ll be a huge level up (and hopefully something i’ll be able to use post-lockdown as well, though at this rate i’ll have plenty of time to experiment with it). pic is of the aforementioned tomato seedling, getting a tour of downtown.

working on last week and the first bit of this week were about my ‘state of the lit’ paper, a truly ineffable little assignment wherein you’re supposed to sum up ‘some things you noticed’ in your fields reading in preparation for your oral field exam. i threw a lot of spaghetti at the wall, had a meeting with my supervisor to talk it over, and just from the questions he was asking could tell that i’ll need to make some changes. that’s okay, i tell myself. i had to write it rough first, before writing it smart.