#definitely got recommended some fics that I’m excited to check out!

[noodles-and-tea]

Just some more thoughts on that jayvik dbh au

[notforpenance]

Hey! This is for the askgame, because I’m sure that I’d love any recommendation from you :)

💖 a fic you recently read, loved and why!

💗 a fic you’ve reread again and again and why!

my tastes can be a little all over the place, so i hope some of these interest you C: i wanted to do one carcar and one lestappen for each but then i found like five lestappen fics i wanted to say so you get a few more than one.

💖 a fic you recently read, loved and why!

You'll Just Have to Remind Me by @seaplease (t, carcar, memory loss) this fic is still in progress, but so far, I'm loving it. carlos has antiretrograde amnesia which means he wakes up every day thinking it is the same as the day before, and he keeps going to the convenience store every night where oscar works to buy dryer sheets. oscar begins to realize that there's something a little strange about the same guy buying dryer sheets every single night and engaging him in the exact same conversation each time. when i first started it i was a little confused as to how it could be carcar if carlos never remembers what has happened during his day but the dynamic is carried out so well and it feels really natural and lifelike. definitely recommend it, i'm excited to see more of this one.

blood chem by @sediciii (e, lestappen, vampire, roommates) i'm a sucker for vampire fics (pun intended). this one is probably my favorite i have ever read. it's a lestappen oneshot. max is a vampire, and charles is his all-too-willing-to-help roommate. max looks forward to charles coming back to the room so that he can feed, and charles looks forward to letting max feed for... other reasons. it's very sexy and a little soft, and i love the dynamic between the two of them

💗 a fic you’ve reread again and again and why!

purpose in you by @charlescoded (e, lestappen, arranged marriage, dune au) it's a lestappen dune au oneshot. if you know about dune, charles is a member of the benegesserit and max takes on like a feyd-rautha-type role, and they have an arranged marriage. it got posted right when i was watching the second dune movie for the first time, so it was perfect timing to hook me in. i wish there were more fics in dune au because i feel like that universe has a lot to offer. i cannot express enough how much i am absolutely obsessed with this piece. it is written at a level of writing quality i can only aspire to ever write in my lifetime. the whole piece is entirely enthralling. it is the second part of the series, but this is the one i always reread. the first part is breeding grounds

Ruckus by @tylersayscool (e, lestappen, dystopian battle royale) let me start by saying that everything I've read from this author is so good, i highly recommend checking her out if you haven't already. this one is my favorite, here's the description because i don't think i can do it justice. "The students are taken to a deserted island, fitted with explosive collars, and given random weapons. They are instructed to kill each other until only one survivor remains. If no one is killed within a set time period, the collars will detonate, killing everyone." this fic has such a chokehold on me that i literally was quoting sections in my journal and dissecting them in like essay length entries LOL. the writing is so high quality and the plot is so interesting and unique.

Open my mouth, on my knees (for you) by @lovelylotusf1 (e, carcar) a little less than a year ago i was scrolling through the second round of F1 Kinkmeme submissions looking for oneshots to read and i found this one. funfact: my one fic "you're too sweet for me" was originally supposed to be a lestappen fic and then i read this piece and i was like 'damn i wanna write carcar' and i switched it to that instead. this is a carcar oneshot. here's the description: "Oscar has to deal with the consequences of a drunken confession he sent to Carlos. He gets more than he bargained for." i keep coming back to it because it has such a special place in my heart.

okay i will stop rambling now! there are a few more i would've thrown in but this is already super long i feel like, so i hope some of these are fresh for you to enjoy C:

[diejager]

are there any aus from other creators u like? or ones u want to write about? or do u want suggestions to check some out? cus their are loads of cools ones

Oh, absolutely!

The first that comes to mind - for the AUs I’d want to write - is @sunshine-and-moonshine Alpha!141 x Delta!reader, it has so much potential and it’s really good despite it being short ideas.

There’s also @ohbo-ohno and @ceilidho’s works on Ghoap x reader, the whole puppy play and obsession is just so delicious! I, personally, don’t think I’d be able to write the same dynamic as well as them, but I love reading about it.

As you probably know, @konigsblog, or Orla, has salivating AUs and ideas that you should absolutely check if you haven’t, especially her König and Soap stuff, it’s so amazingly filthy. I am a slut for it.

You have @sweet-as-an-angel for the DARK CONTENT like Zombie!141 or Yandere fics (there’s a lot to read and you could spend your whole day on the blog) and @tacticalanklebiter3000 simply for how crazy and funny her stories are, I would definitely recommend her thoughts and quick drabbles about hybrid or werewolf AU.

@cobwebs-in-autumn has a lot of prompts that they haven’t expanded on - as in long ass stories - but are worth the read. I even got their permission to write on one of their prompt! (Stalker!reader x Soap is lingering on my mind and won’t leave)

@gremlingottoosilly has a lot of juicy stuff, especially her Monster!König or Your Ride Will be Here Shortly, it’s a poly!141 x fem!reader.

Ah, sweet, sweet @auspicioustidings has a lot of hidden works(check her AO3, that’s where you find her hidden treasures, I’m looking at you Mhairi👀) with Ghoap x reader or them separately.

@halcyone-of-the-sea writes long stories, but they’re worth the time, varying between 3k to 15k, she recently reached 8k followers so she has an event open that I’m excited to read! I, however, am in love with Ravishing Allure, a Nikto x fem!reader soulmate AU.

If you want some good Angst, I’d recommend @peachesofteal, especially Dead Disco, a beautiful piece of Angst with enough of Fluff to make sure your heart doesn’t shatter.

@ghouljams writes a lot of AUs, like, a lot, and they’re all increasingly written and explored. Some might be short and others medium length, but they are really good.

And on the topic of drabbles and short pieces, there’s @frogchiro and her AUs, her hybrids, God of War!Ghost, or her Colonel König.

@charliemwrites is someone I recently followed and she gave me some intense brain rot with her Woof woof Johnny, Charmed Slasher GHost, childhood friend Simon and Rabid reader.

Finally there’s @placeinthemiddleofnowhere’s Reign Down on Me, it’s a handler!Ghost x wolf hybrid!reader. You should go check her out on tumblr or AO3, I enjoyed reading it.

These are all that I have on the top of my mind at the moment, there are a lot more talented writers that I haven’t named or found, but here are my subjections! I’m open to other stuff, if you have other suggestions, the more the merrier in writing, no?

[cementcornfield]

hello! i am incredibly new here to the joe’marr community and am finding it kind of difficult? to navigate the tags and um blogs because wow there is a lot of stuff outside of joe’marr in particular? but i see you primarily show up as a content blog for bengals and joe’marr friendly! would you mind recommending some joe’marr blogs and ways to navigate the tag for the ship? and also maybe some favorite fics of yours if you have any!

but thank you really for all the content i have scrolled through your joe’marr tag pretty religiously this past few days and kind of bummed i didn’t start liking them when the season started! hopefully i can watch them next season!

Hello!! ahhh how exciting, welcome to the fandom <3 <3. i truly do love when i see people going through my tags, it’s like hello!! i see you!! i’m glad you are enjoying the same things i’m particularly unhinged about! 

but i’m sure as you noticed, my blog is kind of a mess in terms of tagging 😔 whoops. i am just not organized at all, it’s a travesty. and i really try to avoid going into any of the big tags in the fandom (the joey b tag in particular is often a horrible place lmao.) so i’m afraid i can’t really help you tag-wise (i will say that you should make sure to search through both joe’marr and joemarr without the apostrophe, because people use both, and i think the apostrophe might actually mess things up on this broken-ass website lol). 

but i can definitely recommend some blogs and some fic i enjoy! 

blogs that approach joe’marr in a similar way to me: 

chasedeys - now if you want organization, cleo is way more on top of things than me, and has some FANTASTIC long rambling thoughts on our boys <3 

saviorified - combination of hockey and joe’marr/bengals stuff. kia's got great bits of analysis AND tremendous adorable fantastic art that you should definitely look through! 

always-silly-season - my dear wonderful friend annie who is more of a bball poster this time of year BUT is also an OG joe'marr blog. unmatched takes (plus her bball ships are also compelling!!)

agender-adrastea - nik keeps a great archive of joe’marr stuff on their blog and is also one of my favorite fic authors in the fandom! 

realtapiocafan - newer to the fandom but already knows everything to have ever happened in the lore lol. does a great job researching and presenting all of it for the fandom, an essential follow for the joe’marr lore enjoyer! 

cazluvsu - a bills bro, but also a fellow joe’marr poster! including this video that i am Obsessed with (among other great stuff!)

k8023 - more of a general bengals blog who posts a lot of the latest news in the fandom as well as cute joe’marr posts! 

chasing-clovers - always good for some good joe’marr analysis and moments! 

chase2pole - has lots of good clips and other joe'marr content for our general fandom uses!  

glittersgloom - actually more of a ravens fan (and has a lot of great info about that fandom and their different ship dynamics if you’re interested in exploring those! good stuff there honestly!) but has also lately been writing for joe’marr (again among many other great nfl ships!) and i really really love her writing :')

some fic to check out!

(it’s crazy how MUCH there is these days! i’ve said before but when i joined the fandom there were 2 (two!!) fics and now we’re at 83??? hell yeah!! i love all the fic authors for contributing truly i do, thank you!!)

keep them bright eyes focused on the coastline (waiting for you) - by the aforementioned glittersgloom, absolutely breathtaking MASTERPIECE of a joe’marr fic. and it’s 30k!!!

you look good in my shirt - a classic by nik, dealing with how they got to the point of joe wearing ja’marr’s jersey to the saints game 

run pass option - a smutty lil one-shot that i feel like really nails their dynamic (set when joe hurt his calf 2 years ago) 

so scarlet it was maroon - set after the afc championship loss :( :( sad but very sweet. 

even when the sun don't shine - dives into the tension/angst at the start of this season with ja’marr’s contract but with a nice happy ending <3

I don't want you like a bestfriend - this one is just super fun and porny and a great time all around lol. features jealous joe and desperate ja'marr (and even a bit of treymarr lol) which i’m alllll about. 

there’s lot more to check out, like i said, 83 fics! but these are just some that have stuck with me!!

[mythmerth]

from my November readings, I’ve collected a few more merlin fic recs for the people…

For favorite long (80k+) fic, I would have to choose Gladiator by Clea2011. It’s 115k and has some really intense moments followed with a wonderful growing love story woven in to it. arthur as a gladiator goes kind of hard even if he’s fighting for his life. also the dragons are very present in this and I do love my dragon content!

For favorite mid length (…40k-80k) fic, id have to choose Public Image by an orphaned account. As someone who has had a Great Deal of text/online friendships and relationships, I absolutely adored the type of text based development these two had. they’re just both obsessed with each other but trying and failing to hide it, LOVE that shit

For favorite short fic (<40k), you may have noticed that for this month I have changed the bar of short fic to less than 40k instead of 30k and it’s because I REALLY enjoyed this 39k apocalypse fic and wanted to put it here :’D Land of Ghouls by rotrude was so intense and had me clutching my chest but was exactly what I was looking for with zombie apocalypse merthur; not something I’ll fully sob about, but keeps me on my toes.

Here’s a few more rapid fire fics from this month! I read more long ones than usual tehe

Sunny in Camelot by foxy_mulder is a really silly quick read, just ridiculous and plays heavy on the “what the hell does Merlin do” gag! I don’t typically read super short fics but I love these type

Somewhere between the Sand and the Stardust by Cithara was a great canon era long read; merthur PARENTS 💞

I FINISHED LOADED MARCH! Do or Die and At the End We Begin Again by Footloose had me absolutely floored. I apologize because you can’t read these as standalone fics and yes there’s a million words that come before them, but if you like wartime modern magic merthur where Arthur’s a military mastermind and Merlin is a tech genius (and yes I mean those 100% seriously they are so badass), read loaded march. It’s got the most scream worthy merthur devotion I’ve ever read and that’s saying something. Do or Die was masterful and so action packed. We begin again was a perfect and beautiful ending that made me tear up. you won’t regret getting into this series!! and I may make a full post about my thoughts on each installation at a later date, it’s really that good.

With my loaded march plug out of the way, my favorite reread this month… would have to be ever popular The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat! It’s not long and such a fun read, I love imagining Merlin getting Arthur all ready for another kingdom to come only for them to be solely invested in Merlin, like what an excellent concept. lighthearted and so fun, if you haven’t checked it out I definitely recommend it!

It’s December… end of the year… and while everyone’s getting into their Spotify wrapped, I’m gonna be doing my 💫 2024 Merlin fic reading wrapped 💫 which is exactly as unhinged as it sounds. If you’ve ever wondered what my gay donut profile photo is here, stay tuned for it cause yes it is Merlin related in a very diabolical way. I’m excited to get into this insanity and I hope it’ll be as silly for you as it is for me.

I’ll be back in 2025 for my December recs and you can find my 2024 fic stats here 🫡

and if you’re still looking for more recs then check out my other posts ~

<< last month next month >>

[tryingtimi]

Books of 2024 (in no particular order)

Hi, hello dears! Since I’m out here trying to bring back things, I’ll give a shot to this one too from last year. The “rules” were to list 9 books you’ve read and loved this year, and boy I’ve got recs to gush about. (somehow I could read 40+ books which is just insane)

No pressure tagging: @bloodlessheiratnight, @the-void-writes, @barbex, @indigowriting, @aalinaaaaaa, @approximately20blorbos, @wildswrites, @dyrewrites, @odysseywritings, @jadefyre, @goldfinchwrites, @sodaliteskull, @astarlightmonbebe, @tc-doherty, @forthesanityofstorytellers and anyone who’d like to join!

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole. ya fantasy, Jamaican-inspired, dragon riders, M/F and F/F focus

God I wanted to yap about this one for so long. This book literally got me back to reading, so naturally it became an instant fav and a life-changing book. And, honestly, gave me hope for some YA since I’m not the audience for those usually. The setting is as breathtaking as fresh within the genre, and the story is a very exciting one with all the dragon riding, the academy and the gods that would loan their power. Not to mention the characters which I surprisingly grown to love very much. (And man the romance part made me kick my feet and squel in excitement at some point). So yeah, give it a try please all. Like, now.

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui. non-fic, great audiobook, title says all

The read that rekindled my love for swimming and being in the water. A very interesting little book about incredible lives that were saved by or moved by swimming and the waters, while it also shows light on some beneficial aspects that not everyone might know. It’s a half memoir/biography too, but that part wasn’t as impactful I’d say. However the rest did make a strong impression on me so I’d recommend this to everyone who wants to know whats the swimming and water crazed people’s deal.

Jade City by Fonda Lee epic&urban fantasy, east-asian martial art movies and the godfather vibes, grimdark

And here we come with the big guns. I didn’t know this story is gonna be the second all time fav fantasy series on my list, nor that Fonda’s gonna become the tradpub female writer idol for me, but life’s just that unpredictable. Seriously, this book has me by the throat and I don’t want the grip to soften. All that you can imagine from the bleak, smoke filled gangster life to the flying-jumping double kicks of Michelle Yeoh, it’s in it. The story also very heavily leans onto the political intrigue, and lore aspect so keep that in mind. Oh and the best ever erotica (for my taste personally) is sprinkled around there casually too, so there’s that.

Penance by Eliza Clark litfic, fake-true crime, thriller

I was never a true crime girlie, but I was a litfic one. This book is kind of a satire about how true crime impacts people, especially teenage girls, and what's up with the obsession over it. It also explores where reality and fiction blurrs, and how that can impact lives. A brutal read, in my opinion, and I ate it up in two days smh. Also, I'm going to be real honest with y'all here; I was very confused at the beginning because I never read a fake investigated interview/essay before, so I completely believed it to be true (even tho I found it in the fiction genre). So yes, Eliza Clark is brilliant in that sense, will definitely check out her other books, and will never forget the true tragedy she based the crime in the book. Oh and when she brought up tumblr and tumblrinas in the book... ugh.

Cultish by Amanda Montell. non-fic, great audiobook, title says it all

2024 was the year of litfic and non-fic on my end, or at least I tried and am still trying to get back to them. This one was a very interesting book about cults and how cult leaders use language as a tool to create their communities. Or, well, not just them but everyone. I love learning about how and why we use language as we do, and I also love learning about anything cult related even tho they make my skin crawl. This book luckily did justice on both ends.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. litfic, fake-rockumentary, fleetwood mac/stevie nicks-inspired

Continuing my march on the "reading the books my favourite series and movies are based upon" journey. Daisy Jones is something that was great in book, but excellent on tv. The whole fiasco and the documentary part works better on screen I think, especially after they literally wrote, produced, sang and perfomed songs. Like what the hell. Still listening to the songs cuz some of them are peak 70s. However, the book and the series has the same vibe, so that's why I could enjoy both. (not to mention it inspired me too) What I would really highlight tho, it’s Simon’s story in the series because my god I love her so much. Sometimes even wish it would have been about her than Daisy, lol.

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. (ya) historical fantasy, very heavy war stuff, chinese mythology

It's not ya, okay? There are elements that match that, but overall, it's just not. What the book (and the whole series) actually is tho, is a raw portrayal and an essay about the horrors of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and what went down there, coated with a touch fantastical world and some magical/mythical elements. Loved the first book to pieces. This one might be the closest to ya, with all the academy time, the hint of enemies to whatevers, but only up until the half of the book. After that it blurrs and morphs. Still, the whole series is the most educational fantasy I've ever read, and will always keep the first book as a favourite. It's something everyone should read at least once, I think. But never ask me about the last installment.

The Red Palace by June Hur. ya historical fantasy, mystery, romance

Imagine a book that literally reads like a korean period drama. I mean, literally. Funny enough, I needed a second try to get to this book, but after that, oh man it checked all the boxes. It's easy to read, a fun little murder mystery in the palace, and a great experience if you're a kdrama junkie like me. I still think about this book from time to time, and will read all the other works from the author for sure. (fun fact: the royal family stuff are usually historically accurate because that's June Hur's whole sthick, which i love that for her)

We Will Devour The Night by Camilla Andrew. gaslamp fantasy, court intrigue, light vs dark, some impeccable erotica

We all know and love Cammie. And trust to bring an amazing next installement to the The Essence of the Equinox. I loved the book to pieces, because it contained everything I'd crave in a continuation. An interesting and gorgeous expanded world, escalating political intrigue and a ton of great character interactions. While, of course we still got to spend time with our best girl Laila, and best dick Darius.

[cecilysass]

Hello! You once told me that I could always ask you for fic recs so here I am! I’ve only seen up to S2E17 so idk if you have anything that doesn’t deal too heavily after that. Minor spoilers/references are okay, just nothing major. I’m also not a smut person generally. If you can’t think of anything that fits those criteria, feel free to ignore this! I hope you have a lovely day:)

Okay, I am SO EXCITED about this question, but also nervous, because I don’t want to accidentally include something that will spoil you. I am going to throw a few recs out, and maybe others will think of more?

Universal Invariants by syntax6 This is so, so good. It’s a classic. A novel-length casefile, plus an AU riff on season 1 and 2 through the abduction arc, so I think you are entirely good with spoilers. The big change from canon is that Scully is still with her boyfriend, Ethan. (If you don't know Ethan, he is a character that was originally in the Pilot but cut from the actual show.) There are... other changes from canon, but you’ll see. There's some smut, but it’s not the focus. And there's a sequel to this, too, which you will definitely eventually want to read, but you're going to have to finish season 5 first.

the progression (and regression) of first names by skuls Scully works through some early identity issues in relation to Mulder. This author (skuls) is always delightful, always recommended.

Center Mass by kateyes224 This fic provides a painful, in character explanation for what might have happened between them after the Pilot that could have resulted in so much subsequent slow burn. Hot and angsty, but not really smutty.

Early On by sunflowerseedsandscience This is also an AU season 1 with Ethan, but this one is more focused on Scully slowly feeling her attention stray from Ethan as her relationship with Mulder develops. It's a series with ten (short) parts. It's very engaging. There are some smutty parts.

Eight Things That Could Have Happened In Oregon by Stephen Greenwood No spoilers here, only things that didn't happen but might sound like spoilers. This is wistful, a little sad, beautiful, odd. The First Year by mldrgrl Their first New Year's Eve, not long after the Pilot. I love the hesitant vibe here.

Still Feeling My Father Ascend - cecily_sass This is my own fic, so I am being kind of a self promoter recommending it to you. But it’s a Beyond the Sea post ep, and I know my own work pretty well lol, so I know there’s no later spoilers, or only really minor things that won��t be meaningful until later. It was written for a prompt for an early season fic exchange.

And I'm not going to recommend it exactly, but I do want to mention that one of the first works of XF fanfic was actually written in 1993 and published online in 1994, so during season one. It's called The Sound of Windchimes by Sarah Stegall. It's got some serious CW (noncon) and some pretty wild content (I've read it), but if you're brave or curious and interested in fan history, you can check it out. Here's the fanlore page, which includes links.

***

Obviously I can come up with SO MANY MORE fics as you get further along. So just let me know. I would say most XF fic is probably written about seasons 5 / 6 / 7 for whatever reason, so once you're in that range, everyone can give you tons. Anyone have any other favorite early season fic they can recommend? It's sometimes tricky because sometimes early MSR has later details embedded in it...

[zannolin]

hey!! hope you’re doing well! i’m the person who wrote the narnia fic “first love, never die” and i just wanted to recommend a few fics that inspired me and made me INSANE. after ur comment i just. kept thinking “wow zannolin would probably love those fics i read last year….” so eventually i caved and here i am

number one for peter ptsd: “golden child, lion boy” by theandrogynousdragon . WHEN I TELL YOU I CRIED. you would love it, he’s so fucked up and full of anger and angst and suffering. the concepts in this fic made me ILL. oh god… i just reread it and i wanna read it again already i feel sick i feel crazy

next, a longer fic that’s still not too long with a similar past and present format to mine, with more caspeter and !!!!!!! really good sibling interactions and grief. “keep the faith” by adrianicsea . i’m gonna be ill. it’s super super good and beautiful and the sequel is excellent too and edmund-centric. also edmund is trans and that is explored and !! so good. it’s an angsty character-study disguised as a caspeter fic. the author has a few other posted narnia fics but i don’t think ive read all of them yet…. but i bet they are amazing. definitely recommend checking them out.

and finally we got “our battle cry shall be: ‘at least our leader means well’” by paperclipbitch . mainly caspian-centric, got some caspeter, and goes thru caspian’s life and angst and issues. also deals with the bitterness between caspian and peter and explores their characters. very good

there were some other recs but i checked ur bookmarks before sending this and you had already bookmarked all of them!!

also i saw you posted a narnia fic while i was in the car on a long trip and when i tell you i YELLED. i was like “i need to read this” and my mom was like “girl you have a project due TOMORROW !!” and i was like. i knowwwww :( so anyway !!!! i looked at the summary and i can already tell it’s gonna fuck me up….. i’m so excited. wait for an incomprehensible comment. idk when bc im busy asf rn but like. watch out. sleep with one eye open etc etc

hope you like this fics if you read them!!!!! hope ur having a great day :D

omg hi hello how does it feel to be the person singlehandedly responsible for dragging me down into caspeter hell?

i have actually read that last fic there i believe but these other two ooo i'm making such eyes at them i can't wait til i've got a min to do some reading *rubs my hands together evilly* and ahem yeah i went through like the entire caspeter tag. it was a thing.

i hope you have fun whenever you do get to read the susan fic (so sorry about everything in advance) but you'll be pleased to know i am currently 7k strong into a proper caspeter fic as well right now so that'll be coming someday soon! so YOU sleep with one eye open etc etc ;)

thank u for the recs and for writing the fic ever <3 i sure am having a great day rn and i hope you are as well!

[madsworld15]

WIP Wednesday: I’m Wonderstruck

New Britin Fic. 11.5k words. AU: Alternate Meeting

This is an excerpt of a fic I’m almost finished writing and working to get it uploaded to AO3.

Synopsis: Justin needs an internship to finish his graphic design degree from PIFA. His friend Lindsay recommends he apply at Vanguard because her best friend is the managing partner there. Upon their first interaction Justin is certain Mr. Kinney wants to fire him. But does he?

I haven’t done a WIP Wednesday in a while so I thought I’d give it a shot.

Justin had been hoping he wouldn’t have to speak to Mr. Kinney about returning to Vanguard. But, the universe just loved to mock him. Luckily, Justin knew he could count on Mr. Kinney making an appearance at Lindsay and Mel’s after work. Ever since Justin temporarily moved in, Mr. Kinney, he supposed he should probably start calling him Brian outside of work, dropped by daily to check on Justin under the guise of dropping off Gus or coming to play with his son.

Sure enough, a few moments later, Justin heard voices downstairs and the front door closing. Then, just as he was putting away his coursework, the door to the guest bedroom opened and a blur of limbs came rushing in. Soon enough, Justin was attacked by the thin, spindly arms and legs of Gus. At four years old the child was already a ball of energy and excitement.

“Justin! Mommy said that you were feeling better and that I could come hug you again!” Gus exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around Justin’s chest while the rest of his body rested in Justin’s lap.

“I am! It’s good to see you Goofy Gus. Mommy told me that you kept wanting to give me medicine when I was sleeping.” Justin laughed and smiled down at the rambunctious child he adored.

“Yeah, but mommy said that you needed your rest to feel better. And now you are! Can Gus give you medicine now?” Gus jumped off Justin’s lap and danced around the room.

Justin laughed, “Sure. Let’s go downstairs to see what you can give me.”

Gus shot like a rocket out of the room ahead of Justin, who was moving more slowly. His body was still getting used to being up and mobile for extended periods of time. After a week and a half of being bedridden, he still tired easily, but he was definitely on the mend and ready to get back to work. As soon as they arrived in the front room of the house, Justin’s gaze fell upon Brian.

The brunet stood up from the couch the minute Justin walked in. He smiled tentatively at Justin and gathered Gus into his arms, halting the boy from rushing past and into the kitchen. Gus wiggled and begged to be put down, insisting that he needed to get Justin some medicine. Justin moved to the chair near the entryway and sat down. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes momentarily.

“Justin, if you need to rest you can go back to your room. You don’t have to entertain Gus if it’s too much.” Lindsay chimed up, forcing Justin to open his eyes.

“Nah. I’m fine. I just forgot that my body is still recovering energy levels so the stairs almost took me out.” Justin laughed.

Gus finally got free and ran to the kitchen before his mommy or daddy could stop him. Justin let his eyes follow the smaller child until he was out of sight. Once he was gone completely, Justin sat up and gave his boss his full attention.

“So, I just got off the phone with Murph. I told him I would be ready to come back to work part-time on Thursday. He said company policy was it had to be ran by you first.” Justin locked his eyes on Brian’s daring him to object.

“No.” Brian smirked and quirked his eyebrow.

“Brian!” Lindsay exclaimed before Justin could process that he’d been denied.

“Excuse me? I figured it was just a formality. I’ve been awake since 8am, my cough is practically gone. I’m ready to come back.” Justin argued, determined to not lose this internship with the finish line in sight.

“No. You won’t be coming back. Your internship is finished.” Brian shrugged his shoulders and locked his gaze onto Justin’s, daring him to fight him further.

“Seriously? You’re going to deny me the one thing I need to graduate just as I was finishing my requirements?” Justin stood up and threw his hands in the air.

“Mr. Taylor.” Mr. Kinney’s words came out evenly, the picture of professionalism, “I called IFA and told them the situation with your pneumonia and asked them if a 3-month internship was equivalent to their written requirement of one semester. Your professor stated that it was enough to earn you credit. Congratulations you’re done.”

“So, I’m not fired. You’re just ending my internship early.” Justin sat back down, the fight leaving him immediately.

“For the sake of your health?” Brian paused and then shrugged, “Yes.”

“Okay well, then on Thursday I will come by the office and gather my personal effects from my workstation.” Justin looked from his former boss and Lindsay. “If that’s allowed.”

“It won’t be necessary. I can bring them by tomorrow when I drop off Gus.” Brian shrugged again and sat back against the cushions of the couch.

“Why bother? Why not just wait until I go back to my dorm and then give them to Lindsay. That way you won’t have to deal with me anymore. Which is clearly what you want.” Justin felt his frustration rising with all the mixed signals Brian kept giving him.

“Justin.” Lindsay said evenly. Clearly trying to warn him against making an idiot of himself.

“Did I say I never wanted to see you again?” Brian leaned forward once more. “All I said was that I ended your internship early so you could focus on recovering from pneumonia. I apologize for being kind.”

“You’re not sorry.” Justin snipped at Brian, his gaze daring the man to own up to his true intentions under everything he’d done for Justin over the past few weeks.

“This is why I don’t mix business with pleasure.” Brian stood up and gave Lindsay a glare before grabbing his coat and started to put it back on.

Justin was thoroughly confused at this point. “What?”

Brian came over and grabbed Justin’s cheek, tilting his head up, “I ended your internship out of kindness as well as selfishness.” Then he closed the gap between them, placing his lips on Justin’s in a bruising kiss.

When he pulled away, Justin couldn’t breathe. He’d hoped that Brian’s behavior toward him was leading to this, but he never imagined it would actually happen.

“Fuck you. Why couldn’t you just tell me you’re interested in me like a normal person?” Justin gasped as his breath returned.

Lindsay let out a spark of laughter at that comment. “He’s got you there, Brian.”

“Until 10 minutes ago I was your boss. I couldn’t exactly ask for more from you when it could be misconstrued in the workplace. The admins at Vanguard are the most gossipy bunch of heteros I’ve ever seen in my life. The rumors would’ve flown almost immediately because somehow my assistant always knows everything.” Brian stepped back from Justin, breaking any physical contact the two still had.

“Okay. So, what does this mean?” Justin needed clear cut details if he had any chance of keeping ahold of his sanity.

“It means I don’t do dates, but I’m down to fuck anytime.” Brian shrugged and smirked as Gus came rushing back into the room with a popsicle.

“Here’s your medicine Justin! Momma Mel said you probably need this for your sore throat.” Gus shoved the treat into Justin’s hand.

“Yeah, probably.” Justin said in a distracted tone.

“The art is mine.” Justin stated as Brian turned to go.

The older man paused, turned around, and glanced between Justin and Lindsay trying to make sense of what had just been said. Lindsay shrugged her shoulders and then silently urged Justin to continue with a nudge of her head.

“The art in your office. It’s mine.” Justin clarified, his heart pounding in his chest.

Brian abandoned his attempts at leaving and walked back over to Justin. His questioning gaze raked over Justin’s body before coming to rest on his lips. He slowly reached forward and placed his fingers in Justin’s blond locks.

“I didn’t know you paint. It’s a very calming piece. It’s why I bought it.”

“Yeah, I don’t paint often because school and life keep me busy. But, I made that one so I could get some extra money to sustain me during my internship when I couldn’t work any overnight shifts at the diner.” Justin’s voice was breathless as Brian’s touch electrified every nerve in his body.

“So, I did pay you for the internship after all.” Brian smirked. “I was starting to feel guilty that it was an unpaid internship considering all the stellar work you did for Vanguard.”

“I guess you did.” Justin ducked his head to hide his smile. Brian moved his hand to his chin and pulled his face back up.

“I’d ask you to my place, but I don’t want to move too fast.”

“Who’s making assumptions now? You think because I’m from the country club types that I’m not down to have a quick fuck?” Justin laughed and then pulled Brian down for another kiss.

“What are we waiting for then? I’ve been waiting to do this since your first day at Vanguard.” Brian growled under his breath once they broke from their kiss.

“Guess this means I can’t apply for the open position in the art department once I graduate in the spring.” Justin laughed and pulled back from Brian completely.

Brian didn’t respond instead he gave a vague shrug and pulled Justin’s hand to drag the blond with him out the door. Justin grabbed his coat from the hook by the door on their way out.

“Jesus, Mr. Kinney are you trying to kill me?” Justin groaned as he struggled to move toward Brian’s Jeep and put on his coat at the same time.

“Keep calling me Mr. Kinney and we won’t make it to my place.” Brian devoured Justin’s lips once again.

No pressure tagging: @winderlylandchime @lostcol @vulcanscully @acesaru

[laytonlover3]

Happy Halloween, all! I bring some exciting news for my fellow League of Legends fandomers:

As of today, the ezko ship (Ezreal x Ekko) has over 100 fanfics posted on AO3!

Ik this is a silly thing to get excited over, but I couldn’t be happier about the attention that my favorite ship is getting. I thought I’d take this chance to shoutout/recommend some of my favorite fics (I tried to pick just one favorite, but was tied between these 5):

First Fic I Ever Read with Ezko in It: The Years Nearly Forgotten by albawrites (Rated M for violence, but imo this one fic - not the rest of its series - could safely be rated T.)

This fic is part of a longer series called On the Way to Piltover which is a canon-compliant Twisted Fate x Graves story with a friends(?)-with-benefits to lovers arc. Ezko makes a notable, if short appearance, but their dynamic is adorable - this fic, accompanied by Michael Yichao’s “Out of Time” (the Riot-sponsored Pulsefire ezko short story) was what first got me interested in what has since become my OTP.

First Ezko-Centric Fic I Really Loved: Paradox Rebound: First Paradox by ArinieKat (rated M for sexual content)

If you read any ezko fanfic, you’re definitely familiar with ArinieKat because they’ve single-handedly written like 10% of all the ezko content on the site. This fic of theirs really stood out to me because of its beautiful angst - it follows Pulsefire Ezreal as he ends up in a timeline where he married Ekko, then died, leaving Pulsefire Ekko widowed until he shows up. A few months ago I outlined a Pulsefire ezko angst fic idea that I had on here, and a lot of the inspiration for it came from this particular fic. It’s funny, it’s emotional, and while Years Nearly Forgotten and Out of Time made me think “huh, that ship’s kinda cute”, it was reading this fic that truly got me hooked on ezko.

Favorite AU Ezko Fic/Favorite Fic with Artwork: Underneath Your Silver Screen by VeryNoodleMan aka @satans--waifu (rated E)

1960’s Hollywood AU Ezko? Let’s just say I’m obsessed. Not to mention the absolutely gorgeous movie-poster-style artwork on the author’s tumblr. Even though this fic is on indefinite hiatus, it’s definitely worth checking out the first few chapters: the research and worldbuilding that went into them is really impressive. Being able to read your favorite ship in an entirely new context is like rediscovering and falling in love with their dynamic all over again <3

Current Most-Kudosed Ezko Fic: Blondie and the Beat by Mechanical_Hanz (rated T)

As someone who typically filters by kudos, I’ve grown used to seeing this fic at the top, and with good reason: for a highschool AU where Ezreal, Ekko, Lux and Jinx struggle to pursue queer relationships in a homophobic society, this fic is surprisingly funny and upbeat. While updates have not been super consistent, it has been a cute fic to follow over the past year or so, and it’s done a great job of balancing ezko with lightcannon without shoving either ship into the background for too long (a complaint I have with lots of other fics tagged with both lc and ezko).

Favorite Ezko One-Shot: (Loosely) Holding You by Mechanical_Hanz (rated T)

If I’m ever looking to reread something short and sweet for ezko, this is my go-to fic. It’s set in the Arcane universe, where Ezreal and Ekko are… acquaintances? Friends? Until one day Ezreal ends up spending the night with Ekko (not sexually) and the two end up together. The banter is really on-point, and Ekko’s followers from LoR make cameos, so needless to say I’m a big fan.

So those are my recs! I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has made or supported ezko content over the past few years, and here’s to having 100 more fics written soon (maybe if Ezreal gets added to Arcane, lol)!

[thedroneranger]

The Drone Ranger's Be Kind Rewind ⏪ callsign-magnolia Edition!

A rec reblog series dedicated to the fics that we love so much, we've re-read them!

@callsign-magnolia's Rewind is here! We've got some creator's yet to be mentioned and a few classics!

While we continue to churn out amazing new content, let's be kind and rewind to look at some of the OG content we love! And don't forget to reblog when you re-read! Continue to show your comfort fics and favorite creators some love. It helps keep the fresh content coming :)

Let's keep this going throughout the summer, so if you're interested in participating in the Be Kind Rewind, message me. The more, the merrier!

If you want to know when a new Rewind drops, join the tag list, and check out previous Rewinds!

fics below the cut (listed in alphabetical order by title)

Flightless Bird, Bradley Bradshaw, @thatlovinfeelin This was the first story I ever read when I came into the fandom! I only caught the prologue but waited (impatiently) for more! It’s such a sweet story and it’s still a favorite of mine. 

Friends Don’t, Bob Floyd, @ereardon This one made me sob like a baby! I loved every second of this beautifully crafted story. It’s one of my favorite Bob stories!

Happy Little Accidents, Bob Floyd, @yanna-banana This is an accidental pregnancy story! Very unlike our Bobby! But Yanna did this story justice! She’s so talented and this also ties into her Happy Little Universe!

In Too Deep, Jake Seresin, @sunlightmurdock This story was definitely a different take on our usual Hangman! Jake falling in love with a single mom and caring for her kids! Excuse me while I go swoon!

Je te laisserai mot, Bradley Bradshaw, @jupitercomet This AU piqued my interest quickly. I had never read or seen Little Women but this story sucked me in and still hasn’t let go! It’s a favorite re-read of mine!

Professor Seresin, Jake Seresin, @topguncortez I read this religiously. Each chapter was only out seconds before I was practically absorbing it. It was written so well!

Slow Burn, Jake Seresin, @ereardon This was another first for me! I had never read a pregnancy fic and I was in awe at the depth this story held, and the plot twist! This story had me screaming in excitement!

Sub Rosa, Bradley Bradshaw, @sunlightmurdock I kept coming back to this one. It’s another re-read of mine. The way Bradley loves Lil’ Kazansky? Ruined all men for me and raised the bar so high!

Creator's Own

I was lost on which one of my stories to recommend, but I wanted to go with I Hope You Dance. It’s my first story I ever posted on here, and it’s the one I’m most proud of. It’s long but I just couldn’t fit Bradley and Magnolia’s love story into twenty chapters! It’s what inspired me to keep writing and now I have a growing masterlist that I love!

Tag list and friends: @petcr3 @desert-fern @Sagittarius-Lovewitch @mygyn @sweetwhispersofchaos @horseshoegirl @the-annoying-fan @dingochef @moon42flight @thecitysgraveyard @ereardon @roosterforme @cherrycola27 @galaxy-of-stories @taytaylala12 @malindacath @violyn20 @awildewit @potato-girl99981 @shanimallina87 @blue-aconite @djs8891 @linkpk88 @furiousladyking @daggerspare-standingby @princess76179 @jstarr86 @hecate-steps-on-me @darkheartcherry @soulmates8 @roosters-girl @dempy @roosterisdaddy36 @hangmanscoming @s-u-t @mavrellover91 @chicomonks @averyhotchner 

A kind reminder, this is a 18+ blog. While not all stories in the recommendation list are 18+, please respect boundaries and do not interact unless you are 18 years of age or older.

[aphroditestummyrolls]

🎉 end of year questions 🎉

Sorry I’m a little late to this! Tagged by @genyathefirebird ! Thank you so much for thinking of me 🥹 happy new year!

Tagging: @kezzzx, @jazzythursday, @maddielle and @non-un-topo only if you want to, no pressure!

What is your favourite thing you created?

That’s a tough one! I think this is the first year where I’ve been pretty consistently pretty happy with my writing— even if I have my days where I second guess myself. As far as completed fics, I think I’d have to pick Only Way Out (is through), and the ultimate favourite? Gotta be Time for a Spare Prayer! My beloved!

Which work are you proudest of?

Keep You Safe! My first completed fic in so so long. The story that got me into the grishaverse fandom, got me a little obsessed with Colm Fahey, and reminded me that not only do I love writing, but that I’m even kinda good at it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

This… feels like the same question, but I’m definitely proud of my tenacity to finish stories this year. I’m sorry I’m slow sometimes, but you WILL be getting new chapters of Spare Prayer and BHaD soon! The engagement series WILL continue! I’ve gotten pretty good at wiggling my way out of writers block, and keeping up the interest in my longer term projects. And that makes me feel so much more creatively liberated!

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

It’s less of a new trope I’d never written, and more of a return to an old trope that I love— ✨secret reveals✨ it’s something that never quite suited the old guard, in my opinion. But Jesper Fahey and his big secret from his da??? Wylan Van Eck and his big secret??? AH. So juicy. So fun.

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

Between Hope and Desperation is, for some reason, the story that my perfectionism is really latching onto. It’s making it so difficult to move forward. Every time I write, it feels SO wrong, unless I get it PERFECTLY right.

Yknow, perfection? That totally attainable goal? 😅

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Overcoming perfectionism! And just posting!

Which work brought you the most joy?

Ooooo. Probably Only Way Out. The regular posting schedule, the pleasant surprise of looking back on things I wasn’t sure I liked and finding that things I was stuck on the night before were just what the chapter needed in the light of day.

It was really invigorating, and I wish the feeling was more consistent.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

All of them! Really, just look over my AO3 and pick whatever suits you. My personal recommendations are Only Way Out (is through), and Keep You Safe. ❤️ and Time for a Spare Prayer, if you’re alright with WIPs.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

I’m still up to my eyeballs in BHaD, but while those chapters are long, there aren’t that many of them left! Spare Prayer is also a long term project, but the new and exciting thing is the new engagement series stories in the works— the proposal! A 5 +1 format! Stirring the pot and suffering under the judgement of the Council in equal measure! And of course, a very dramatic wedding 👀 I’m SO looking forward to it.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

Just post it. It’s never going to be exactly what you want it to be— just let the characters talk to you, write it all down, give it a reread and an edit, and post it.

[monstersinthecosmos]

I am sooo happy I sent that ask!! Your reply was everything I could have wished for and more. I didn’t know anything about the VC universe (I did see the movie adaptation as a kid, but all I could remember were the ~vibes), and now I might actually want to check out the books. I mean I can’t believe how much of it is canon LOL, traumatized kinky asexual vampires wtf? sign me up??? Which book(s) of the series would you recommend to me? :o

In the meantime, I will DEFINITELY be giving your VC fics a try, thank you so much for the pointers!!! I’m already weak just reading your reply, esp. that parallel of post-disaster Armand and Marius being kind of like an AU where Shiro *does* give up on Keith - that actually broke me. A lot of what I love about your fics is how you characterize Keith so realistically and in a way that’s meaningfully informed by his upbringing/subsequent abandonment issues and that’s a thrill to read because, well, it’s just good writing - but also because it makes so much sense, not just abstractly but in a very real and personal way. And while the ~relatability~ of it all makes for a super intense reading experience, it can also be weirdly and sometimes incredibly cathartic imo - which is one of the reasons why I think I keep revisiting your fics (sorry if tmi LOL 😭). But!! In the case of Sheith it more or less all works out in the end because, like you said, it’s such a wholesome ship and they love and prioritize each other so much that (as a reader) they’re kinda like a safe space, delectably complete with all the angst and hurt and fuckedupness of their circumstances/selves (you know, for flavor). However, thinking about a timeline where it does NOT all more or less work out, well that’s kinda super heartwrenching! But yummy? And I kinda can’t wait to get into it but I’m also genuinely scared for my heart LMAO. Anyway I’m sorry for rambling!!! With your permission I will definitely come back and scream about Sheith and vampires because I sorta already am lol.

Re: the teaser xmgdknfnrmsmgdk I can’t even gather enough brain cells to form coherent sentences, I’m just squealing and awaiting my resurrection I guess. Thank you sooo so so much! I got so excited I haven’t even been able to finish reading it 🫣😳😵😵😵

!!!!! Thank you again for such a thoughtful and delicious response! <3

Dgahskjdl g GOSH THANK YOU AGAIN

So this post got really long I’m so sorry asdghkads  TLDR: I recommend all of them but I also don’t LMAO and you can skip around and won’t be confused but it will spoil stuff. This is a LOADED QUESTION.

It’s wild like I was thinking about the fic i could stop dreaming and also just in general AGAIN IF WE CAN TALK ABOUT COMMON SHEITH TROPES/FANON like I’ve read many S8 fix-its where Keith is drifting around and he’s just like so cold and broken and empty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that’s how Armand feels to me! Even a fic like heart nailed open where Keith is just so fucking empty! Or SOURCE DECAY??????? Like I think there’s tons of Sheith AUs or S8 fics where Keith is like Depressed Guy Keith and !!!!!! God it fucks me up lol. Armand is kinda like if Depressed Guy Keith was also like a 500 year old fucking weirdo.

And like BECAUSE they’re vampires and they’re immortal they’re sort of always coming in and out of each other’s lives so like there’s always a hypothetical future where they can work it out. Like i could stop dreaming is about them working it out, right? And what it would take to heal that injury. And there’s a lot of stuff in canon where these characters commit absolute fucking atrocities to each other and still manage to work it out and I think it’s again just an exercise in empathy and asking if we can still deserve love when we’ve fucked up. The characters have CENTURIES to get over stuff (and some of them STILL DON’T LOL) but sometimes they do. Famously & without spoiling too much of IWTV, Armand does something pretty fucking atrocious to Louis and they still have a long relationship and still love each other very much!!!

But ON THE QUESTION OF WHICH BOOKS, jfc hold my beer

I think in Sheith you see people like almost universally dismiss S8; the only fics I ever see of it really are like just gratuitous whump or fix-its LOL which is valid. And VC has FIFTEEN FUCKING BOOKS and you could honestly ask ANY fan in VC which books “count” and which books are skippable and I think everyone has a different answer.

I also think you can read them out of order and there’s always a little bit of exposition to catch you up so you won’t be lost; the only downside is that you’ll get spoiled on the previous book. For example, if you jumped in and read Armand’s book first, it would make sense, but it would spoil what happened at the end of the book before it.

Also to get the movies & show out of the way because it’s faster than committing to fifteen books:

The 1994 movie is a pretty solid adaptation; you can tell they condensed some details for time or whatever but it’s pretty faithful. There’s also the show that came out last year which is …………….. not so faithful lol. The show also heavily focuses on Lestat & Louis which is the juggernaut ship of the fandom but they’re also like the missionary position of the fandom so who the fuck cares lol. (Loustat fans lurking in this extremely niche post I am so sorry, I'm kidding ilu LMAO it's just not my thing!) And tbh the show wrote Armand & Daniel’s characters SO POORLY it like absolutely killed any motivation I had to continue watching so as an Armand stan I can’t really recommend it but it’s kinda like silly and fun if you don’t take it too seriously. And tbh if this entire fact finding mission is to understand VC more, the show literally changes EVERYTHING; it changes the time period, it changes the lore, it changes the story, it changes the character ages, etc. Basically it just kept the names lol. It's a completely different canon so I think even show fics & book fics aren't compatible either.

There’s also a movie of Queen of the Damned from 2002 which is like SO BAD LMAO but also silly fun. It’s a really bad adaptation but I’d put it in between the movie and the show. Marius is in it and the characterization is really strange LMAO. Armand is an extra.

The thing about VC is that it’s very sort of like non-linear and nontraditional storytelling. Most of the books are narrated by Lestat but several of them are narrated by random other people, and a lot of times the same story is retold through other people’s POVs. Like you get the story about Marius & Armand in three different books and each version is a little different because everyone has a different perspective. And regarding reading out of order and having spoilers, I do think it often creates like a suspense vs surprise element because we circle back and revisit the same stories so many times; you might get a spoiler and read a book knowing that a certain thing is going to happen and there’s still the tension of waiting for it to happen haha. Like when I mentioned the cult raids Marius’s house—you learn about that in Book 2 so you read Armand’s book later going into detail about his life and you’re just SWEATING because you know it’s coming. AND THEN YOU READ ABOUT IT IN MARIUS'S BOOK AND YOU'RE JUST DEVASTATED ONCE MORE.

I will say that for me I always recommend just fucking read them lol. Just read all of them. LOL!! But they’re weird and like, you’re gonna hate some of them, but I don’t think you can take someone’s word for it on Tumblr, it must be experienced. But I do understand that it’s a lot of material to get through and so I can give a fair cheat guide I think.

Most fans agree that the first three books (“The Trilogy”!) are solid and worth reading. Those are Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and The Queen of the Damned. IWTV is like this gloomy gothic tome about Louis’s life that started this whole thing and was written as a conversation about grief because Anne Rice’s daughter had died. It absolutely reads like a book someone writes about their daughter dying and it’s REALLY beautiful but it’s also a bit dense at times. If you’re put off by the vibe IT GETS EASIER when Lestat shows up because he literally bursts into the series like Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way ready to like tell you how blonde he is and how he’s gonna fuck everyone’s lives up. The books are still very heavy on existential questions and angst and grief but the text gets a bit lighter and super absurd LOL.

The first three also establish the universe and lore, though, so I think it would give you a pretty solid foundation to understand that type of stuff.

After the trilogy the books just go off the rails like there’s a few about Lestat having stupid adventures and doing dumb shit, there’s a few that cross over with Anne Rice’s witch series (so add three more book so if you truly wanted to read all of them!), then Anne Rice went back to the church and stopped writing vampires so there’s a huge gap, and then she quit the church again and returned LMAO. There’s a final trilogy she wrote before she died that are like, not the heaviest reading and they’re just kinda like silly good times with lots of Easter eggs and fan service. I feel good about the final trilogy being how it ended, just really silly times about them trying to use iPhones and shit, completely wild.

As far as ARMAND CONTENT THOUGH.

Armand does feature heavily in the trilogy so that’s also a good Armand foundation. And it’s REALLY FUN because he shows up in IWTV as sort of a chill mentor to Louis, but then in TVL you get the story about how Lestat met him when he was still in the cult and he was a feral little monster!!! And I love the duality of how Lestat and Louis describe him!!! It’s framed as unreliable narration a lot of the time because like Lestat’s resentment & Louis’s respect for Armand absolutely color the way they describe him, but idk like 100 years go by in between the two meetings so you also see a lot of character growth and see how Armand is doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God. My heart.

Anne Rice also very often uses like texts inside texts so like, IWTV literally is an interview with a vampire where the bulk of the book is in quotes as dialogue LOL and then in other books you often meet a character who will talk for like 40 pages at a time to tell a story. So in TVL when Lestat meets Armand, Armand takes over for a chapter and tells the story of his life, and then later he meets Marius and Marius ALSO tells the story of his life.

QOTD is a modern story (modern in the 1980s when it was written haha) about how the whole vampire world has to deal with Lestat’s bullshit and they all come together for a common cause. This book features the little novelette about Armand & Daniel as one of the chapters!! It’s so good!! (The chapter is called The Devil's Minion and basically if you needed to understand Armand & Daniel you could just read that one chapter and that's basically it bc then it goes to shit!!! Not to spoil anything but also don't get your hopes up about like heaps and heaps of ship content because there isn't any lmfao fml)

It also features Marius and Armand reuniting with each other after 500 years!!!!!!!! HEARTBREAKING! It’s really good and very preposterous but the writing is so lush and takes itself so seriously you kinda forget that it’s preposterous.

Armand has a POV book later in the series, it’s called The Vampire Armand, it details his life as a human and some of his early years as a vampire with Marius. IT’S SORT OF LIKE A LONG EXTENDED VERSION OF HIS CHAPTER IN TVL.  

I do want to say that regarding the BDSM and whatnot that I mentioned; this book is quite controversial because there’s not good BDSM etiquette LOL and like part of the genius of this book is that it can be read as abuse, even when Armand isn’t setting out to tell you the story of how he was abused. I have a lot of thoughts about this because Anne Rice was also an erotica writer and her erotica books were all noncon BDSM; I WROTE ABOUT IT HERE I DON’T WANT TO GET INTO IT NOW but I think depending how people go into this book they either see the kink & sex stuff as explicit abuse OR you can read it as like, fantasy from a porn writer. As a Sheith fan I’m going to assume you’re not that sensitive lol. (But also por que no los dos, that's the flavor baby!)

Personally I think you could read this book as a standalone and like, it’ll be a little whacky without context, but I think I’ve given you a lot of context. It’s basically about his sad sad life, the religious trauma, and all the freaky sex he had. (Also just so you’re not disappointed, the sex isn’t graphic haha but he’ll be like “And then I went to the brothel and they licked honey off my nipples and I came home and Marius sucked my dick in the bathtub” but not like crazy sex scenes.)

Marius also has a POV book called Blood & Gold and it’s my favorite in the series!! IT’S MARIUS’S LONG EXTENDED VERSION OF HIS TVL CHAPTER. I think it’s the one that handles IMMORTALITY the best; the other books often focus on a short period of time or a specific incident and don’t often span someone’s ENTIRE life. IWTV spans Louis’s entire life but he’s only like 200 years old. Marius is 2,000!!!! He’s from the Roman Empire!! So like it’s really exciting to me to read about his whole life and all the eras he lived through!!!!!!!!!!!!

In his book you also get a few chapters about his time with Armand and it breaks my heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There’s also a third secret option which is the book Pandora which isn’t part of the main series; VC is like actually 13 books and 2 side books? LOL So Pandora is one of the side books. But she was the first vampire that Marius made and they were lovers for like 200 years. This book to me feels like Anne Rice had a lot of leftover historical research and wanted to park it somewhere so a lot of the text is her talking about history stuff but there’s really great Marius content here and Marius/Pandora is one of my fav ships.

A lot of the fandom are more into the original trilogy and the Lestat/Louis content but I’m all about Marius so I’m into the DARK TRIAD of The Vampire Armand/Blood & Gold/Pandora. This to me is the more interesting section of the series but it’s an unpopular opinion so don’t take my word for it.

Other than that I’d also say Memnoch the Devil is my absolute least favorite VC, I think it’s so weird and boring lol but there’s some absolutely incredible Armand stuff in it and the stuff Armand does in this will be spoiled immediately if you check out Pandora or TVA. All in all it’s like idk 10 fucking pages of Armand LOL so if you got an ebook you could probably word search him. BUT YKNOW WHAT? Again don’t take someone’s word for it from Tumblr because like I find this book very weird and boring because it’s the most religious and I was raised atheist; there are people who were raised religious and say this one is their favorite. So what the fuck do I know!

Marius & Armand & Daniel are all in the final trilogy as well if you make it that far. Daniel is sort of always shuffled to the side because Anne Rice didn't care about him so like every time Daniel shows up I like feast on the breadcrumbs LOL but I'm glad to get some context about how he's doing and what's going on with his life.

ANYWYA I’M NOT SURE IF THIS ANSWERS THE QUESTION OR MAKES IT MORE CONFUSING LOL but ! ?!

They’re very weird books, they’re also kinda outdated and racist, but very queer, beautiful prose, incredible characters. They were my first hyperfixation that I can never seem to shake even when I’ve done all the work to dismantle all the ways they’re problematic and imperfect, it’s just yknow sometimes something gets its claws in you LOL. And I go out and explore other fandoms and still always come back to Marius and Armand and Daniel lol. I say that to say I wouldn’t be offended if you didn’t like them LOL but don’t judge me if you give it a shot and you’re like “what the fuck is this”

I just think Armand is like the most incredible character of all time okay!

SORRY FOR THIS VERY LONG REPLY LOL love you, patience yields focus!

[moody4world]

Ur Best Friend

A/N?:Was listening to this song and this idea came to mind. something short and angsty. seems like y’all only fuck with me when i write something 💀 but i hope someone likes this as much as i do. Listen to the song while you read or before idk

I MISS URBAN FICS CAN WE GET BACK ON THAT WAVE PLEASE?!? somebody send me urb fic recommendations or something PLEAAASE

jack x reader/ reader x urban (just read it you’ll understand)

Another house party to celebrate your amazing boyfriend. All his friends and acquaintances were cheering with their glass of champagne raised to the ceiling as he gave his speech. Everyone’s attention was on him. Everyone’s except the two people he found most important at this celebration. Mine and his best friend’s. Urban’s eyes were on me while I couldn’t take mine off of him either.

It’s been like this for months already and guilt has been eating me alive every single day.

I know i’m in the wrong, we both do but for some reason it’s hard to stop. I hate that he’s not the one i’m with but Jack treats me like royalty and treats Urban like family, which is exactly why it feels so wrong to do what we’re doing.

He ends his speech and everyone cheers, snapping Urban and I out of our daze.

Jack’s hand was on my lower back as he leaned down to my ear “You good baby?” All I could do was nod and smile at him as convincing as I could.

The whole vibe of our relationship has been different than when we started. I know Jack felt it too but I also know he’s been putting in effort to fix things again. Did I want things to go back to how they were?

We ain't felt like us in a minute

Whole damn time I knew I shouldn't have did it

Might've got too excited, I'll admit it

Almost called your name when he was in it

Heavy breathing filled our room as Jack fell next to me after we both reached our climax. He knocked out almost right away but all I could think of is how I almost slipped up just a few minutes ago. His name was at the tip of my tongue. No, not Jack’s, Urban’s name. Thankfully I caught myself but I don’t know how much longer I could keep up this façade.

He ain't have the courage to step up and pull up (Skrrt)

Six speed, like (Skrrt, skrrt)

Puttin' so much work (Work)

Just to make it worth (Worth)

And he's almost perfect (Hmm)

And that's why it hurts (Ooh, ooh, ooh)

And he calls me family, that's what make it worse (Worse)

It's wrong but I make you feel right (I make you feel right)

You textin' my phone while right beside him

Wish it was anyone besides him

-Urb’s pov-

Weekly dates. That’s what Jack has been doing and movie nights whenever he had the chance to reignite the fire they once had. I knew because she would text me and tell me about it instead of watching the movie he picked out for them. When they were going to sleep she would text me goodnight and so on. Whenever he left for the studio I would drive by to come check on y/n. We wouldn’t do anything physical besides some light touching and hand holding but emotionally we were definitely crossing all the lines. I just couldn’t help myself knowing she felt so much more connected and happy in my company. I know we’re in the wrong. That’s my brother from another mother.

You was with your man last night

And you just realized what you felt that night wasn't wrong

Thought about me on your whole car ride, like

I hate that you ain't your best friend

I hate that you ain't your best friend

-How it all started-

“Alright alright we’re gonna be late if we don’t hurry up come on” Urban rushed.

“Hold on y/n is almost done.” Just as Jack was saying that I walked down the stairs. We were headed to some type of private Louisville award show. Jack was busy networking and left Urban and I to keep each other company while we were there and our conversations went really well. Maybe too well because after the award show Urban went club hopping with the rest of the guys but Jack and I went home yet all I could think about was Urban and how confused I felt with my emotions. I couldn’t possibly be crushing on my boyfriend’s best friend.

He made me feel like this in one night when it took me a month and more to feel this way with Jack.

Ever since that night I hated parting ways with Urban when the time to leave came. Seems like things are better when forbidden but I hate that he’s not his best friend.

The end

please lmk your thoughts on this, id appreciate it!

[magicshopaholic]

hey, do you read fic at all? i was wondering if you had any recs, i feel like i don't see you interact with fic a lot on here! i love your stories, so wondered what are your favorite authors too :]

Hello! The short answer to this is yes, but it comes with the caveat that I haven’t read much lately, primarily because I have no time but also because now that my characters are getting more and more fleshed out with every fic, reading other fanfic feels like my members are cheating on their OCs 😕 (I read this really good Namjoon fic where he met the reader at a party, and spent a whole week imagining Namjoon cheating on Kaya with that Y/N and it kind of killed me)

Having said that, I still do read fics when I can, definitely those that don’t interfere in my head with my OCs. I’m joining collabs and book clubs as much as I can so that I read more; but in the meantime I’d love to recommend some of my favourite fics and authors to you and any other readers:

(Please read the warnings on each fic before proceeding)

1. Poetry of the Stars by @jjiimin: This is the best fic I have read my entire life (barring one legendary series in the HP fandom - iykyk) and I honestly have nothing else to say about it. Riley has unfortunately deactivated her Tumblr account but I’m so glad I got to tell her how incredible her story was before she did so, so this is my number one. It’s 25K+ words iirc and was one of the first fics I read in the fandom and I just read it all in one go because I couldn’t stop.

(Also a favourite is Irresistible by the same author but I unfortunately don’t have a link to it)

2. @sahmfanficbts: There’s no fic mentioned here because I recommend Sam’s entire masterlist. She’s one of my all time favourite authors in the fandom and I have read and will read every single BTS fic she ever posts. Every fic is so immersive and every character is so deeply developed that they just stay with me and I find myself thinking about them at random times. Just beautiful, fantastic writing.

3. The Rich Man’s Crochet Club series by @kpopfanfictrash: Funny, quippy dialogue is my absolute favourite thing and this series has some of the best combination of humour and heart. Shanna’s works are pretty popular so you may have already checked this one out but I’m gonna recommend it anyway. (I remember coming on anon to gush about it because I was shy af, but I absolutely loved it, Shanna :))

4. Four Seven Eight by @jiminrings: This is the one I’ve read most recently and I’ve had it in my drafts since then so that I don’t forget to write a review because it deserves a great one. So here’s my apology to Hannah for taking so long to do it 🤓 but this is an amazing series, full of angst and hope and has my recommendation for sure.

5. For The Crown by @chimknj: I don’t read mxm fics, particularly mxm smut, but there was no way on earth I was going to pass on this one. Gina and I share an obsession with A Song of Ice and Fire (and I mean OBSESSION - we talk about it 24x7) and the premise of this fic was so compelling and so exciting to discuss that the only thing better than that was actually reading it. The way Gina has written this - I was transported to Westeros instantly. Everything is subtle and nuanced and I found myself connecting with every single character (also Kingsguard!Namjoon was not something I knew I needed). Idk if she’s planning on writing future parts but if she is… fuck, I’m so excited I can’t even talk about it.

6. A Silent Heart Still Beats by @akinnie75: This is another fic I have in my drafts because its review deserves my entire attention. It deals with some difficult topics but is so sad yet hopeful. The OC is such a beautiful character inside and out and this doesn’t usually happen to me with fics, but she actually changed my life and taught me how to rise above, be compassionate and forgive. I won’t give away anymore but this is just a gorgeous, gorgeous fic.

7. Just Practice by @lamourche: I can’t BELIEVE I’ve finally found this fic again!!! I read it once and then lost it (now I realise it’s because the author has seemingly removed their masterlist) but I’d commented on it from my main blog. It is one of my favourite fics of all time: it reads like a college indie movie or like a Sally Rooney novel. I was crying at the end but I couldn’t even put my finger on what it was which just meant that it was the entire vibe of the story rather than a specific scene. It breaks my heart that I’ll never get to read this again but the author has all my appreciation and gratitude for writing it.

These are some recs off the top of my head that have stayed with me and I’ll probably add to this if I think of more. A huge thank you to all these authors for their wonderful work - and thanks to you too, anon, for the question. It felt great to go back to old fics and give a shout out to such talented writers <3

[forabeatofadrum]

The first El WooWoo of the year! And as the banner says, I’m still reading instead of writing. So here we go. Buckle up, Klainers and ... Snovians (???? is there a name for Snowbaz shippers? This is just Simon. Snowbazzians?) (What would you call Baz fans? Bazzies?).

I am really enjoying these fic rec posts, more than I thought. It also motivates me to read more, which is a win-win. I do have some ideas for Ljubim te again, so I think I’ll start writing them soon. But maybe I will make a separate post for fics, aside from Wip Wednesday and Six Sentence Sunday? Fic Rec Friday?

ANYWAY, buckle up, it’s a long post, so the entire rec + tags will be under cut today!

Some non-fic recs first. Some? One, actually. I am rereading my Kickstarter books for Check, Please! in preparation for the delivery of the Year 4 Kickstarter. I... uh... asked the shipping costs for that campaign as a Christmas gift. But God yeah, I love this webcomic so much. Time to get back to the SMH (Samwell Meme’s Hockey Team).

Up to the fics!

@martsonmars wrote a fic about “consensual biting” between 6 years old: Love Bite. It’s adorable. I love how silly kids can be. And I am a bitch for fics where Lucy lives ���!

I am catching up on The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow by @confused-bi-queer. I last read chapter 5, and [Jason Mendoza voice] oh Simon and Baz, we’re really in it now. I am upsetti spaghetti.

I am still riding the angst train right into Is It Over Yet? by @jayne89. God I really wish Carmen was actually this good, instead of a plot device for Rachel’s.... uhm... questionable storylines. Really excited for more of this verse.

God, I am really going through it, huh? @thnxforknowingme wrote a 2022 fic in review where she mentioned True Colors, a character study of Quinn between season 2 and 3, and I like the premise. I really enjoyed it. Damn, skank!Quinn had so much potential, but RIB just had to do the wack baby storyline.

This isn’t Jenna’s only fic that I have read. I finally, finally read Miles To Go, and I know a fic this wonderful should have a long and coherent comment, but I am just speechless. So utterly speechless. I started it when it was originally posted, but I had just lost my grandmother and yeah it was the wrong time. Now, we got the message that it’s time for my uncle to collect her ashes. Weird way to go back to a fic, but that’s what happened, and this fic tugged at my heartstrings. I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Also, more Jenna stuff, but insert the Chris Fleming meme here. Was no one ever going to tell me that Jenna has written Hades fic, or was I just supposed to find out by browsing through her AO3 by myself? Aíma.... YOOOO. The relation between Zaggie and blood? Jenna, your mind!

More sad shit? More sad shit! @wellbelesbian really made me say FUCK THE MAGE with the latest chapter of blow on the tinder. Guys, this is such a good fic. Alex, I am so glad you’re continuing it!

Okay, okay, whooo, time out with the angst. @redheadgleek‘s Pierce My Soul is a fluffy gem and I am a bitch for costume crew!Kurt. Although he got promoted here and he designed the costumes, including Blaine’s. There are so many great gems in this fic, but I lost it at Brad Ellis being the piano man. And when the fic mirrored dialogue from the show.... my heart!

I definitely boarded the fluff train now. I saw @letraspal‘s art for @skeedelvee‘s Drunken Kisses. I am all 🥺🥺🥺🥺 about this fic. Simon “He Is Plotting” Snow is amazing. Mix it with Baz “Gay Yearning” Pitch and voila!

@facewithoutheart delves into Simon’s sad childhood, but in a fluffy way, in What I Wouldn’t Give. Simon gets his first plushie and we all cry. I am such a bitch for this concept and Christina helpfully linked to another one, namely to @lifewithoutmotivation​‘s Flamey. I am just overwhelmed on Simon’s behalf! This guy deserves all the gifts and birthday parties! (Also, congrats on the new URL!)

And we’re going to end this rec post with more holiday cheers from the holiday queers (really, did anyone watch The New Normal?) with @1908jmd​‘s Klaine Advent 2022 - With their favourite people. Jen did a true drabble challenge and all the snippets are about the people in Kurt and Blaine’s lives and look I just got very emo over it.

If you’ve already been tagged in a rec, consider that a tag for WIP Wednesday (or Six Sentence Sunday). Also tagging @quizasvivamos @crissmastrees-and-candyklaines @coffeegleek @esperantoauthor @otherworldsivelivedin @caramelcoffeeaddict @sillyunicorn @bazzybelle @dragoneggos @raenestee @tectonicduck @nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @thnxforknowingme @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @takitalks @justgleekout @cerriddwenluna @tea-brigade @ivelovedhimthroughworse @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @bookish-bogwitch @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @ionlydrinkhotwater @special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral @chen-chen-chen-again-chen​ @cutestkilla​ @artsyunderstudy​