#eliot angst is my favorite

[leveragedlibrarians]

Ok I was going to put this in the tags but it was too long so uh

Look. Everyone is going to point to nate and say that obviously he's the normal one but you're WRONG. The series premiere he tells us he used to run game on criminals to get stolen merch back. We all saw what happened between s1 and s2. Not to mention his father, his childhood, and the fact he was going to be a priest. Nate Ford may be an unseasoned piece of plain white bread of a man, but he has never ever been 'normal.'

Sophie lives for the drama. The glamor. The chase. Her 'normal' would probably be retiring to a little island off the coast of Sicily in a mansion full of art she stole and every now and again going off to some charity event as whatever fake identity she feels like pulling out of the closet.

Parker never had a normal to start with, not that she'd ever want one. She was born to commit crimes. Not just raised to (Archie my nemesis) but she /chose/ crimes. The earliest memory we see is of her stealing. She loves it, she lives it. She'll be in a retirement home stealing tapioca pudding for the kicks.

Hardison would never even consider a 'normal' life, okay? He'd be insulted at the prospect. He's /gifted/. Hacking is an art and he is an artist. He is the greatest hacker in the world and takes so so so much pride in that. I don't think Hardison could stop hacking if you paid him.

But Eliot? I think not only is Eliot the only one capable of normalcy, but I think part of him craves it. It's important to note that of all of them, he didn't initially seek out his role of being a hitter. The rest of them chose their roles, but Eliot didn't sign up for his. He joined the army. He didn't do it for the violence either, he did it because he wanted to be like his dad. Then he was just too good at his job, and kept getting pulled down darker and darker roads by his commanding officers.

I fully believe Eliot had a totally different life planned out. He was going to join the army, marry Amy, have 2.5 kids and settle down, maybe inherit his dad's shop. In s4 he tells Nate that he used to be someone completely different "before all of this started." He wasn't born a killer or a hitter. He was a kid who joined the army and "had god in his heart" and, importantly, Eliot still keeps looking for the person he used to be. We never see the rest of them lamenting the 'good ole days,' we never hear hardison talk about before he learned to hack except that he played the violin before /choosing/ to hack instead. Of all of them, I think that if Eliot could go back in time and change it all he absolutely would.

Over and over we see Eliot bonding with every kid and middle class character in the series. He throws himself into his grifting roles- miner, chef, singer- because I think on some level he /wants/ that. He wants to be the chef who owns the lil restaurant down the street, the guy you could grab a beer with. He wants to settle down, maybe get married, and leave the violence behind (except maybe to play hockey or box). I'm not saying he doesn't like his life with them at all- I think that after all he's been through already that Leverage is probably the happiest ending he could get- but I am saying that the middle part, between the army and when we meet him s1, is probably something that makes Eliot genuinely hate himself. He didn't want to be a killer. He doesn't like it. He tries desperately to save Nate from what he couldn't save himself from. If he liked killing, liked any part of the wetwork he used to do, he wouldn't have quit. Wouldn't have tried so desperately to get away from it. He never wanted to be a killer, he was just so Good at it.

Eliot was the normal kid next door who got pulled into a life that he hated by people far far more powerful and dangerous than him, and I think that he regrets that every day.

Sophie: Who would live a normal life outside of this job?

Eliot: Me. It would be me.

Me: *thinking about it*

[greenbergsays]

Ked's right, I do have book recs that you can find under this tag and also some on my writing blog here. I also have a page here where you can see what's on my bookshelf, but you can't filter it because Tumblr doesn't allow Java anymore >__>

I wouldn't call that page a rec list, though, it's just an inventory of what I own or what's on my list to own. Some of those books are objectively terrible and I will freely admit that, but there was something about them compelling enough that I read them more than once.

I didn't mean for the below to turn into me just reccing you authors but it kind of turned into that, so here are authors I would recommend:

Onley James - I love her so much that I support her Patreon. All of her stuff is good (and loosely connected) but my favorites are, of course, the Necessary Evils series. It has two spin-off series which I also very much enjoy: Jericho's Boys & The Watch. All three series surround the psychopaths in love trope, however Jericho's Boys and the first book in the Watch series do not feature it as a main trope because neither of the main characters fit the bill. Most of them do feature some level of kink, though.

Kiki Clark - Her main series is werewolves (but no Omegaverse) and it's called the Kincaid Pack. The first book is my favorite, but I own them all. It's finished and she's starting a new series in that 'verse, the prequel to which I think is The Mobster's Mate, which is so up my alley it's like someone was spying on me. She also has a MC/kink series called Leather & Chrome that's good, but it's not my favorite kink series. (Kiki also have other contemporary books that I love, I just don't want this to get too long)

SPEAKING of kink. Robin (RJ) Moray - She has a series called His Boy Next Door that gay-awakening, age gap, and BDSM-related. It has a spin-off series about two other characters called A Collar For His Brat, both are excellent. The only thing is in HBND, the main character's name is Channon and that took some getting used to. Robin also has other books which I highly recommend--including a space Omegaverse story called Changed: Mated to the Alien Alpha, which is very good--she is probably my Top 3 favorite authors and the fact that more of her stuff isn't available in paperback is a source of constant misery for me.

Eliot Grayson -- The only person I can think of off the top of my head that writes well-written first person POV. The Mismatched Mates series is her main title iirc. It's a soul-bonding / "mate or die" situation at first and segues eventually into "mating for convenience." Some stories are related and some aren't.

Stella Starling -- if you like high fluff and low angst, this is the author for you. All of her stuff is contemporary and very cute. My favorite series is the Semper Fi one but I like & own them all.

Sam Burns (and Sam Burns w/ W.M. Fawkes) - They do anything fantasy/magic-related. Werewolves, urban fantasy, there's a series about the Greek Gods, etc. I haven't read ALL of their works, but the stuff I have read, I like. My favorites / the ones I own: Wolves of Kismet (Omegaverse), the Star-Marked Warrior series (sci-fi/aliens), & Wolf Moon Rising (Omegaverse).

Ella Frank (and Ella Frank w/ Brooke Blaine) - Contemporary writer(s) that specialize in writing multiple books for the same couple. There's a lot of gay/bi-awakening. The Temptation series is a fantastic audiobook journey that I cannot recommend enough, that narrator was amazing. I also really liked the first three Fallen Angel books are about the same couple and I love them, the fourth FA book is about a different couple and I DNFed it. Couldn't say why, it just didn't hold my interest.

...I have more, but I should probably work at some point this morning. So if you want more / want a specific rec for a specific trope or genre, lemme know!

[vampiritea]

I'm rewatching Leverage right now so some random questions for you:

What's your favorite season of Leverage?

What's your favorite episode that's not on said season?

What's your favorite character that's not in more than two episodes?

What's your favorite character/person that one of them has pretended to be?

Who's someone who was on Leverage that hasn't been on Leverage Redemption that you would like to see again?

idk how I became a leverage blog when I only consider myself a casual fan lol

So anyway I've enlisted my sister @werewolfsmile to also answer these questions. You get double answers!! 🥳

v = vampiritea w = werewolfsmile

What's your favorite season of Leverage?

v: bestie I don't even remember where each season begins and ends, how am I supposed to answer this? w: 3 - for all the Eliot angst (honestly 3,4,5 are the best but. 3) v: I'm gonna go with s5

What's your favorite episode that's not on said season?

v: um, idk, the Gone Fishin' Job? w: the Rundown Job s5. ot3 feels to the extreme!

Who's your favorite character that's not in more than two episodes?

v: the Sheriff deputy in the Bank Shot Job. my man is underrated 😌 w: -prolonged deep thought- it would have to be Quinn and Mikel

Who's your favorite character/person that one of them has pretended to be?

v: I actually have an answer for this!!!!! oh but it's not in Leverage, it's in Redemption. I love when Harry pretends to be Eliot in The Walk in the Woods Job (ty w for the episode title) w: I think I have to go with Roy Chappell. Just so fun to see Eliot get sucked into baseball.

Who's someone who was on Leverage that hasn't been on Leverage Redemption that you would like to see again?

v: um. I do not know. w: Quinn, Mikel, Tara, Shelley, Sterling (v: if I let her continue I think she'll end up listing every side character so we're stopping here.) v: Tara could be fun to bring back

Hope you enjoy your rewatch!! ✨

[comicaurora]

I've recently finished Leverage and Leverage redemption and am in the process of casually rewatching it. (Thanks for introducing me to FMAB and ATLA too btw) I just want to ask you a few questions about it, like: What are your favorite things about each character? What are your favorite things about each relationship. What are your favorite things about the group? How do you feel about the sequel? How do feel about the romance in the show? What are your favorite running jokes? Thank you

hoohoohoo, it's like an essay prompt but about something I actually like

What are your favorite things about each character?

Nate: to be honest, kind of a hard sell - definitely the protagonist I like the least, intentionally so. That said, when they're dealing with a really hateful bad guy it's always fun to see Nate turn all his asshole powers against them and get really smug about it

Sophie: extremely insightful! fun to see it weaponized, extra fun to see her very gently use it to try and help the rest of the team live their best lives, especially Parker

Parker: oh how easily Parker could have been an Obliviously Sexy Unhinged Harley Quinn type, and instead we got the first thoughtfully written explicitly neurodivergent female character I've ever seen. Never infantilized despite it being a frequent plot point that the others help her through her difficulty in social settings and with processing loss. Full-fledged character in her own right, grows and becomes more comfortable without ever having her neurodivergence "fixed". she's a great character and I find her writing refreshingly free of red flags or "oof" moments. love that she's good with kids and teaches them Crime in the first ten minutes of hanging out

Hardison: literally the only normal person in this group and I say this as a compliment. everyone else is at least kind of a james-bond-style superspy with borderline preternatural abilities but hardison is the only character I trust to order a coffee without making a scene. unconditionally the emotional heart of the group and the only character able to openly admit that he likes the other characters, which is vital in a group of Edgy Loner Crime-Boys.

Eliot: joke answer, the hair. real answer, I love any character who turns themself into a weapon and stoically accepts that they'll never be anything else again. "Incredibly simple, but in the same way that a sword is simple." Adds a beautiful substrate of angst to all of his funny or lighthearted moments, as underlying it is a character who concluded long ago that he's irredeemable, and because he thus considers himself entirely disposable and even irrelevant is now determined to spend the rest of his life making the world a better place. Also, one of the only Edgy Badass Lancer types who is incredibly overt about how much he likes and cares about his teammates and never even jokes about "bah I'm better off on my own I was just passing through etc etc."

Harry: just an absolute wet noodle of a man. Love that he's taken Hardison's role of "only normal human being"

Breanna: absolutely love how bad she is at the social grifting side of things, because that is 100% accurate to every tech person I know

What are your favorite things about each relationship?

There's a lot of relationships and I'm not about to highlight all 10 OG pairings plus the 9 new pairings added by Harry and Breanna, so instead I'll just highlight my absolute favorite underrated one, which is Parker and Eliot. They have this odd synergy where they're both by far the most physically dangerous people in the group and also the most scarred by a country mile, and they have this kind of unspoken camraderie about it that only gets overtly highlighted in Season 4 Episode 1, "The Long Way Down Job." Everyone else in the group is a person, they seem to think; people they want to protect. But the two of them are tools and weapons, and that means they can do the things that people can't. Also within this synergy there's a good foiling dynamic where Eliot has basically seen it all and come to terms with everything under the sun, while Parker is comparatively extremely hyperfocused and rather sheltered and is constantly grappling with new situations. Underrated dynamic.

What are your favorite things about the group?

They just hang out sometimes! It feels like they keep existing when the camera's off them. Valuable screentime is spent on them just chilling and chatting, getting dinner together and bringing up more wacky offscreen hijinks. A story that's relentlessly All Action And Disrupted Status Quo All The Time starts tuning you out after a while, but it's the slow, peaceful moments that make us invested in their success and in them being able to help the innocent-victims-of-the-week.

How do you feel about the sequel?

Loved the first season, tentatively optimistic about the rest of it - I've been burned before so I'm taking it slow.

How do you feel about the romance in the show?

Parker and Hardison's thing is cute and compelling! Big fan of how it doesn't override the other dynamics and isn't treated as intrinsically more important than the rest of the gang's relationships. Nate and Sophie's thing feels a little more plot-mandated and tbh Nate is kind of an unlikable fuckhead so I'm not sure why Sophie was so hung up, but it wasn't too disruptive and it was always very funny seeing them play a dysfunctional couple on a grift

What are your favorite running jokes?

"Dammit Hardison." Parker pushing people off of things. Someone asking Eliot if he knows about some niche thing or random bad guy and then it flashes back to him getting waterboarded in Area 51 or whatever and it cuts back to him mildly going "yea". Wil Wheaton is in this show and everybody hates him. "It's a very distinctive [thing]." Harry, walking befuddled sunshine man, being like "yes I know all the inner workings of this specific niche evil lawyer thing, I was a bad guy remember?" to this group of expert crime boys and somehow surprising them every time

[make-me-imagine]

Eliot Spencer Masterlist

I wanted to shorten my Leverage Masterlist so I thought I would put all of my Eliot stuff in a separate post since he is the majority of what I have written.

If you notice any missing or incorrect links, please let me know!

-----

Camera Rolls/Mood Boards:

Camera Roll while dating Eliot

Camera Roll while on vacation with Eliot

Headcanons

‘Childhood headcanons’ (general)

‘Friendship headcanons’ (platonic)

‘Dating Eliot Spencer’ (fluff)

Spending Christmas with the team (Eliot x Reader Relationship; fluff)

Eliot x Reader who is small but a good fighter (general)

Eliot teaching you how to cook (cute)

Eliot comforting you after a nightmare (comfort/cute)

Taking care of each other when you’re hurt (comfort/whump)

Flirting (cute/funny)

Oneshots/Fics

Ship Drabble (Reade Insert) - ‘Sick Day’ (comforting)

“I saw you over here all alone..” (platonic/angst/comforting)

“Ready”  (fluff)

“Is that blood?””It was an accident”  (humor/fluff)

“Please don’t hurt me like this” (angst)

‘Need’ - (NSFW 18+ only please)

‘Being Hardisons sister & he finds our your dating Eliot’ (humor)

‘Scary Stories’ (humor)

‘Stuck in a snowstorm’ + ‘Christmas Baking’ + ‘Christmas Morning’. (fluff/romantic)

Question/Confession (fluff)

Comfort and Carving (Halloween; cute/comfort)

Gif Drabble; ‘Hurt’(comfort/gen)

’Pumpkin Spice’ (cute/gen/halloween)

Ship Drabble: ’Asleep’ (cute/fluff)

’Always Will Be’ (jealousy fic/angst/fluff)

'Not So Unrequited Love’ (mild angst/fluff)

’Stress Relief’ (fun/cute/snowball fight)

’My First Valentine’ (fluff/cute/drabble)

'What You Want the Most' (fluff/light romance/Valentines Day)

Eliot surprises the reader with their favorite dish for their birthday

Gif Imagines

‘Kissing him and leaving him speechless’

‘Eliot reminding you that you are beautiful’ 

‘Playing with your hair while you draw’

‘Eliot getting worried about you’

“Eliot struggling to say ‘I love you’‘

‘Giving you his jacket because you’re cold’

‘Eliot trying to write you a love letter’

“Saying ‘I love you’ when he thinks your asleep’ 

‘Having a nightmare, and asking to sleep with Eliot’

‘Eliot walking in on you dancing and singing’

‘Eliot asking your father Sterling if he can marry you’

‘He gets upset when you get hurt saving him’

‘Eliot seeing you in a dress for the fist time’

‘Eliot teasing you’

‘Being Hardisons best-friend and dating Eliot’

‘Eliot being an overprotective brother’

[lochnesswriter]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks to @mayalaen for tagging me! (way too long ago lol)

First, my AO3

How many works do you have on AO3?

65

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

218,144

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Leverage, White Collar, 9-1-1 Lone Star, 9-1-1, MCU, Political Animals, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG1, Supernatural

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ice Cream and Therapy, First Dance, An Unexpected Party, Tales of Batman: Interlude I and The First Time

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, but sometimes I get miserably behind and then have to catch up all at once. But I cherish every one and I do enjoy interacting with readers

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Um, I'm not much for angst, but I guess Stay With Me. It's SPN/Leverage, and deals with Dean's demon deal

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Never Sees It Coming (Stargate Atlantis)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really, which I appreciate.

9. Do you write smut?

Not at all. I write a lot of spankings though, so different kink

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I love writing crossovers, and most of my fics have at least two fandoms involved. That said, the craziest one is absolutely Curse You, Steve the Seal, which is a crack drabble crossing Hawaii Five-0 with Phineas and Ferb (last time I ever ask for a fanfic prompt from someone who doesn't actually read/write fanfics.) But a close second would be Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Sore Butt, which I just finished. Leverage/White Collar/9-1-1/9-1-1 Lone Star, and an AU of two of my preexisting AUs. That was a wild ride.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Don't think so, though that would be cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not fanfic, no. I do have one series posted with a co-creator, but I am still waiting for said co-creator to actually co-create something instead of just throwing more prompts at me lol

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Not sure? I have ships I like, ships I don't like, but I don't know. Favorite to watch is probably Tarlos and Malec (helps that they're canon lol). Favorites to write would be Eliot/Quinn/Neal and John/Evan/Cam ( I love the polyamory lol)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Um. All the ones that I'm spending thought on, I probably will manage to finish? Otherwise I probably don't care about them enough at the moment to notice if I don't?

16. What are your writing strengths?

I love dialogue. It's so fun to just see what the hell the characters are gonna say/do next

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description and action. I can't actually picture anything in my head, so I find myself baffled that people might actually care about what the setting looks like/what's going on

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I won't do it, because I don't speak another language well enough and I don't trust Google translate, but if need be I'll probably pull a "she said in this language." When people do put other languages in dialogue I get frustrated that I can't read it, but I also understand that that's what it's like for the characters, too, so fair enough

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural and Leverage (so many crossovers you guys)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I don't even know, I love all of them. At the moment, though, I've got a fondness for both Goodnight Moon and the follow-up Goodnight Nobody. They're Bucky-TJ fics that are just kinda cute and feelsy.

tagging (with no pressure or obligation): @actualalligator @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @trivalentlinks @friendly-chaos @snowviolettwhite and anybody else who wants to play! Please tag me so I can see your stuff 💜

[nellie-elizabeth]

for the write ask meme: 4, 11, 19?

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Honestly I don't know! They have to come to me organically. I've had ideas arise out of dreams, or I've read fics in one fandom that utilized a certain trope, and I've found myself musing how I'd apply that trope elsewhere... some of my best stuff just came to be spur of the moment and I wrote it down in a flurry of activity. Other ideas for AUs just came because I really liked a movie and wanted to write an AU...

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Impossible to say my favorites, I have a real fondness for a lot of the stuff I've written! I'll pick three I'm proud of that I hope more people will check out...

When Quentin Met Eliot which is I think my most polished, well-realized romance novel.

Regrets, of the Absence Thereof, my favorite one-shot and maybe my favorite smut I've ever written.

fought my way back and the series that continues it - the hardest I've ever worked on a writing project ever. (in collaboration with @portraitofemmy!)

19. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

I tend to be a very light tagger and only put in major warnings, with more details added in to the author's notes of specific fics/chapters. So, my most-used tags, unsurprisingly, is the utilitarian and oft-relevant: "angst".

Thanks for asking!!

[tazzy-ace]

Twenty questions for fic writers

Tagged by @dual-domination Thanks!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

13. Not a lot by many folks standards but it still surprises me when I realize it's that many. In my brain I feel likes it's only been a handful of fics

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

74,551

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly DMBJ, aka Grave Robber's Chronicles, with some Guardian mixed in

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Easy to be with you at 66 kudos, this one is actually my first fic I posted for a Taiwanese drama that I really love. Means a lot that it received so much love from that little fandom

Not a Hissy Kitten at 63 kudos, a very fun Liu Sang focused fic. Loved the vibes with this one

Sanctuary of Company at 28 kudos, soft Gen fic for Detective L. Very sweet and comforting

That Mystery Date at 28 kudos, aka my first contribution to the rarepair hell of weilanxie. Couldn't be happier jsksjs

A New feeling of Safety at 26 kudos, the Shen Wei goes on a tomb adventure with Wu Xie fic. Lots of fun

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Definitely. Sometimes my brain goes offline for a while and I don't respond for a month+ jskjd but I like responding to comments

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't think any of the fics I've posted really have angst-y endings. At least rn. One of my wips has an angst filled ending for the ending but I haven't gotten there. But it's meant to be part of a longer series that would eventually have some comfort when it's all over

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A tough choice. I think I'm torn between the found family comfort in Safe with Family or the just pure domestic fluff of My Shelter.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope. I've been lucky.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yup. It usually ends up pretty emotion focused and intimate. Sex scenes as a character study type deal jsksjs

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Oh yeah. Most of my published fics are at this point. The craziest would have to be one that no longer sees the light of day from back during my Wattpad days. A crossover of Supernatural and ... wait for it, drumroll ... Taming of the Shrew jsksjs. Aka what I got up to writing in a composition note book during high school in English class

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sorta? Me and Hyde have cowritten in the same shared universe before, building off each other's works for a 2luo universe. It's super fun. We'll probably end up doing some proper co-writing eventually

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Of all time, hands down Leverage ot3 of Parker x Eliot x Hardison. Adore them so so much

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have doubts about finishing my Kunlun x Wu Xie fic set while Wu Xie is in college. My brain favors the shorter standalone fics that link together/are in a connected universe over writing longer form stuff so my goal with that fic of long chapters and 3 fics in the series to tell the story that's in my brain definitely feels like a daunting task.

16. What are your writing strengths?

The vibes? Jsksj but for real, yeah just feeling my way with characters and trusting how I know them to carry me through the story as I'm writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Attention span? I follow the passion and vibes when I'm writing so that it stays a fun and less stressful thing, so sometimes things get left on the back burner for a while. Haven't admitted defeat totally for any fics yet, but yeah. It's a challenge.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Hmmm mixed feelings in fics in general. It can be an interesting device to use in stories. I don't think I'd ever do it in my fics. I'd probably just add after dialogue if it's in another language that the character perspective closest to knows, or just add narration that another character says something in another language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ooo another fic that no longer sees the light of day from my time on Wattpad. A major crossover fic with kids of various marvel characters and also Sherlock. Fun little thing. Jsksj I guess crossovers have always been in my blood.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Parts of me I have been Neglecting Its subject matter means a ton to me and the fic I find myself going back to the most. Shen Wei discovering how to accept and love himself while realizing his love for others isn't as limited as he was always lead to believe.

Not sure who all has been tagged in this so apologies for anyone that's already done this but I'll go ahead and tag @theflagscene @fixaidea @meluci-fer

[myalchod]

6, 20, and 25 🎉

jsyk I hate you for that middle one. 😝 Affectionately, as always.

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time? Short answer: yes. Long answer: yes, but I'm not going to name names because I'll leave someone out and then feel horrible about it. But I absolutely have comfort fics that I'll go back and reread, and I adore the fact that they exist. 💙

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? Titles suck. You're getting a couple, though, because I'm feeling indecisive, and because I've got several different habits in titling that I feel like I should hit separately. I went to poetry for the Musketeers AU series I wrote, specifically T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets, and of those my favourite title was probably Currents of Action, which seemed to fit for an epistolary fic intended to bridge the five-year gap between two arcs. Occasionally I'll go for titles that owe nothing to either poetry or song lyrics, and of those I think the one I like best might be from back in my Battlestar Galactica reboot days, for the Common People challenge -- which I think was also the first 5+1 fic I wrote, in hindsight. Five Ways to Lose Your Faith (and One To Find It) absolutely got jossed as the show went on, but I'll always have a soft spot for it. Also: Leonard Cohen. Just that. That's the answer.

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing? Lmfaoooooooooooooo well. Sort of? I'm far more likely to end up screaming with laughter because I know how much it should upset me but I'm too busy delighting in how much it will upset other people instead. I think the closest I've gotten to this recently, as far as stuff that's already posted, was the moment Luna conjured an illusion of Farah in what stays and what fades away, because that was entirely unplanned and I was absolutely the screaming cat GIF once I realised what I'd just written. (And then I cackled, but that's another story.) Honourable mention to can't rest here for the ongoing resistance of Those Two Idiots to my attempts to smoosh their stupid faces together despite their insistence on wallowing in their angst instead, but that's an entirely different sort of upset.

[ ask me another | all answers ]

[my-beloved-lakes]

Fic writer 20 questions

@ghostlyarchaeologist thanks for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

five.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

20,909

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Pretty much only leverage, although I have one OFMD fic on ao3 and I started working on a librarians fic a while ago but never finished it. Also a Sirens (UK) fic that I posted on my side blog and totally forgot about until now.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I only have five posted so there’s not much point ranking them.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes. Just kinda depends on the mood I’m in.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This isn’t one I posted on ao3, but the short ficlet I did for @leveragetober ‘s prompt 24: Blood was probably the angstiest ending I've written.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably the ficlet I did for @leveragetober ‘s prompt 5: birthday.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

None so far :)

9. Do you write smut?

Nope! 

10. Do you write crossovers?

I wrote one white collar/leverage crossover for @leveragetober ‘s prompt list. There’s a few other crossover ideas that I would like to write.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge. 

13. Have you ever co written a fic before?

No, but I might like to try it.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Hmm, probably Parker x Hardison. But it’s rude of you to make me choose!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I was working on this one where Eliot had to fake his death and then disappear for a while, but for whatever reason he was only able to involve Nate in the planning and wasn’t able to say goodbye to anyone else. Anyways lots of angst was going to ensue, but there were so many plot holes that I couldn't figure out, so it never got finished. 

16. What are your writing strengths?

Coming up with new plot ideas.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing said plot ideas :(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I usually try to avoid it. i just don't want to mess it up.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Sirens (UK).  well technically Tolkien, but we don’t talk about that. I was like seven. It doesn't count! I wrote it on some scrap paper and I'm pretty sure I burned it several years ago so that no one could ever find it.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Excuse me, those are like my children! Can a mother choose a favorite child?... It’s The Here to Stay Job.

tagging: @just-fandomthings and @katbratsupernaturalwhore

[6thofapril1917]

3, 4 and 5 for the ask meme!

3. Who is your favorite character? Why?

ohhhhhh this is a really hard one. i’d say it’s a toss-up between bill and augustin?? bill won me over with his beautiful hair, great accent, gayboy swag, and his willingness to just Tell It Like He Sees It much to jock’s chagrin. augustin became my other fav the SECOND he pulled out that bitchy-ass eliot line. scream

4. Do you have a favorite episode? What about it makes it your favorite?

EPISODE FIVE BABY!!!! it’s got everything. eoin angst. the free french. and of course That Scene (you know the one). 10/10 no notes

5. Is there a specific scene that is your favorite on the show?

oh god oh fuck uhhhhh. it’s gotta be a tie between paddy going to find eoin’s body in the desert and paddyaugustin homoerotic russian roulette/sand wrestling

[lizabethstucker]

The Year's Best Science Fiction, 12th Annual Collection

3.5 out of 5

A collection of twenty-three of 1994's best science fiction stories as selected by editor Gardner Dozois.

The book begins with Dozois' extensive summary of the year in science fiction and his concerns for the future of science fiction as a genre. Reading his 1994 observations in 2024, thirty years later, is both jarring and sad when you consider how many of the magazines mentioned no longer exist. I know most genre fiction (mystery, science fiction, fantasy in particular) go through moments where writers, critics, and anthologists are worried/predicting its destruction. I can remember hearing that worry in the late 1960s (science fiction), the 1970s (fantasy), and pretty much every decade for mystery. It never really happened, although there were always growing pains as the tropes changed. I've stopped worrying about it.

There's a fair mix of humor and angst, tragedy and farce within these pages, which I personally appreciate as it keeps the reading experience from becoming monotonous.

Contents

"Forgiveness Day" by Ursula K. Le Guin, 4 out of 5. "The Remoras" by Robert Reed, 4.5 out of 5. "Nekropolis" by Maureen F. McHugh, 3 out of 5. "Margin of Error" by Nancy Kress, 4.5 out of 5. "Cilia-of-Gold" by Stephen Baxter, 2.5 out of 5. "Going After Old Man Alabama" by William Sanders, 3.5 out of 5. "Melodies of the Heart" by Michael F. Flynn, 5 out of 5. "The Hole in the Hole" by Terry Bisson, 3.5 out of 5. "Paris in June" by Pat Cadigan, 2 out of 5. "Flowering Mandrake" by George Turner, 3 out of 5. "None So Blind" by Joe Haldeman, 3 out of 5. "Cocoon" by Greg Egan, 4 out of 5. "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" by Mike Resnick, 4.5 out of 5. "Dead Space for the Unexpected" by Geoff Ryman, 3 out of 5. "Cri de Coeur" by Michael Bishop, 3 out of 5. "The Sawing Boys" by Howard Waldrop, 2 out of 5. "The Matter of Seggri" by Ursula K. Le Guin, 4 out of 5. "Ylem" by Eliot Fintushel, 3 out of 5. "Asylum" by Katharine Kerr, 4.5 out of 5. "Red Elvis" by Walter Jon Williams, 3 out of 5. "California Dreamer" by Mary Rosenblum, 3 out of 5. "Split Light" by Lisa Goldenstein, 3 out of 5. "Les Fleurs du Mal" by Brian Stableford, 3 out of 5.

Some of my favorites include: "Margin of Error" which had a particularly satisfying revenge; "Melodies of the Heart" almost killed me emotionally; and "Asylum" which is frighteningly close to what we are facing in 2024.

A few of the stories disappointed me greatly, having such wonderful plots, terrific flow, and interesting characters, only to crash and burn the endings. No matter how great a story might be, if you can't stick the ending, it's all for nothing. Despite that, I'm still glad that I picked up this collection at the Friends of the Library store.

[ao3feed-reesefinch]

my least favorite detective

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8zwN2t4

by MartenHood

"a slight change" a little place to put my stupid police fics and stuff.

Enjoy reading!

Words: 3685, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: True Detective, Batman (Movies - Nolan), Blitz (2011), The Mentalist, The Chicago Code (TV 2011), Hannibal (TV), Minority Report (2002), The Untouchables (1987), Deja Vu (2006), Person of Interest (TV)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M, F/M

Characters: Rustin "Rust" Cohle, Raymond "Ray" Velcoro, Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon, Tom Brant, Barry Weiss, Patrick Jane, Teresa Lisbon, Caleb Evers, Jarek Wysocki, Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham, Giuseppe Petri | George Stone, Eliot Ness, Harold Finch, John Reese, Doug Carlin, Carroll Oerstadt

Relationships: Rustin "Rust" Cohle/Raymond "Ray" Velcoro, Harvey Dent/Jim Gordon, Tom Brant/Barry Weiss, Patrick Jane/Teresa Lisbon, Caleb Evers/Jarek Wysocki, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, John Anderton & Danny Witwer, Eliot Ness/Giuseppe Petri | George Stone, Doug Carlin/Carroll Oerstadt, Harold Finch/John Reese

Additional Tags: Angst, Some Humor, Drinking, Love/Hate, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, References to Drugs, References to Depression, Ray and Rust really need a hug, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Men showing their vulnerable side, the author ignored the entire plot of the two seasons just to ship them, One Shot Collection, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Bottom Original Percival Graves, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Female Original Percival Graves - Freeform, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Ray Velcoro, Wet Dream, Idiots in Love, Enemies to Lovers, First Kiss, Accidental Kissing, Sharing a Bed, Roommates, Alternate Universe - Neighbors

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/8zwN2t4

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

I'll start with the ones I have already accrued this year, it's already may so strap in. im organizing by fandom but other than that it's in no order. also I'm including ships as blorbos and the characters on their own, it's my list and i do what i want

Leverage

the single best crime show ever made. please watch it. my children. and no, i am not leaving anyone out

OT3 (Parker x Hardison x Eliot) (i will go down with this ship forever and it is canon in my heart. and according to John Rogers. and the actors. and my eyeballs)

Parker (chaos gremlin. also autism)

Hardison (my lil dude also chaos bisexual with adhd)

Eliot (my lil grump)

Sophie (the ot3 needed a parent and she does not disappoint)

Our Mr. Wilson (lil guy)

Breanna (funky nerd. i love her. and her ace space sticker makes me so happy)

Sterling (garbage man derogatory. i hate this insurance cop turned actual international cop with a passion. him being written so well will haunt me to my grave)

Chaos (funky lil weirdo. also can't go wrong with Wil Wheaton)

Merlin

the cavernous rot has been growing in my brain since I was 7 years old. and it has not stopped growing in the 15 years since. the day these blorbos go dormant is the day i die.

Merthur (obviously I'm not stupid i have eyes. i knew these fucks were gay before i knew i was gay. and before i knew what gay was)

Merlin (love the "baby gorl to tired grump" arc. also he is the peak of twink-for-title-character)

Arthur (pathetic damp kitten. i want to feed him decency through a little dropper. and maybe slap him round the head a bit. because he is dumb and also stupid)

Gwen (best character in this series. not favorite because i don't pick those but objectively best person and best written character)

Gwaine (obligatory bisexual with ADHD)

Lancelot (sad boy hours and also the only man with a braincell in the whole show. if you want this show to hurt more, watch it with the reading that Lance is in love with Merlin)

The Knights™ (they are like little puppies)

Morgana (tragically)

Aithusa (deserved better)

Gaius (i may have stolen my personality from him as a child. the world will never know)

Six of Crows

specifically the books and season 2 of the Netflix adaptation. nothing against it, but i never got into the rest of the grishaverse. just these goofs

Kaz Brekker (my child (derogatory) i picked up this series because i heard about him and i was right to do so. grumpy lil storm cloud with his dramatic ass crow cane. i want that cane so bad)

Inej (i relate to her growth and love her badassery)

Kanej (Kaz x Inej) (only straights in this series i support. grump for grump supremacy. they both need someone to put them in their place and this works perfectly. also the Angst™ hits different with these two)

Jesper (obligatory bisexual with adhd. dramatic bitch i love him)

Wylan (my child (affectionate) small kitten that deserves the world and got nothing. nothing and Jesper)

Wesper (Wylan x Jesper) (because obviously. also the fanfic of them that was the adaptation was adorable if entirely separate. if you only look at the show their romcom ass storyline is the perfect foil for whatever kanej have going on. they watered my crops for months.)

Kesper (Kaz and Jesper) (not my main ship for either of them and they aren't necessarily romantic or sexual but there is something queer here. i don't know what, but something. found family. queerplatonic. exes turned besties. something)

Nina (i love her so much. also give her a girlfriend yesterday. i honestly don't care which girlfriend, just any girlfriend)

Ted Lasso

This is my newest set of children but i love them so much. this show has knocked me off my feet

Roy Kent (grump of the year. i am stealing several of his lines both as vocal stims and as personal catchphrases)

Jamie Tartt (it's the growth for me. and he is baby girl. also obligatory chaos bisexual with adhd)

Keeley Jones (the smartest one on the show i swear to God. i will die on that hill. they all need therapy and Keeley is the closest a lot of them get for a long time. until Sharon)

RoyJamieKeeley (i will go down with this ship in my clown makeup after that korrasami ass ending) (also the ship names in this fandom are absolute shit. where's the creativity? the flavor?)

Ted (obviously but i do love him so much. he reminds me a lot of the friend that got me into this show)

Beard (i haven't related to a character so much in a long time. he's quiet and he's in the background but he's still important and he's always on top of everything because he's an observer. but he's a mess himself. i wish we had gotten more of him)

Nate (joker arc and all)

Rebecca (girlboss)

Higgens (i love how everyone is so intense in one way or another and higgens is just a dude™)

Sam Obisanya (i just got him but if anything happens to him i will kill everyone)

Dani Rojas (i love this goofy ADHD little fucker. i love how bouncy and small he is and i love how he says his own name like a little pokemon)

Trent Crimm (sarcastic, bitter, gay, old man trying to be better? that's several of my boxes. and his hair is perfect)

tedependant (Ted x trent, also know as the singular acceptable ship name in this whole fandom. it's like the straights beat us to all of them except this one) (I'm not even to the point where there is a lot to go on, but this ship is adorable. they are a perfect sunshine/raincloud couple especially with Trent's season 3 arc which i have been told about before getting to)

Phoebe (she gets RoyJamie together by asking a kid question or saying something innocent that clicks it into place for them, fight me)

Puppet History

i did not expect to get so hype about this series when i got into it but here we are

the professor (need i say more)

Descendants

my friend has a recurring hyperfixation with these movies and the fandom and i got dragged into it this time around. and honestly, no regrets. Kenny Ortega can do no wrong

Uma (i love her)

Harry Hook (obligatory chaos bisexual with adhd. "i never learned to count because I'm number one" ass bitch)

Ben (begrudgingly because he is a little flat, but harry can fix that)

Benry (Ben x Harry) (see above)

Malvie (Evie x Mal. Mal is my least favorite character that i actually like but this ship. it just makes sense)

Umal (Uma x Mal. also just makes sense)

Jay (best himbo boy)

Carlos (my lil guy)

Dude (i am stealing him from Carlos)

Gil (Himbo²)

Gay (gil x jay, they have the single best ship name in the series. top 10 ship names of all time in my book. also they have so much chemistry in like two minutes of screentime together and for what? studios need to allow Kenny Ortega to let booboo Stewart kiss a man)

Doug (Doug is transfem and helps Evie realize she is a lesbian. fight me on this. i will win)

Hades (hear me out: is he a bad dad? yes. is he kinda shitty? yes. but that deadbeat dad duet kicked ass and if you engage with the other stuff like the wedding short, he has growth. and he's played by Cheyenne Jackson. and his lair is a vibe)

IT Crowd

after watching this as a kid and not thinking about this show for a little under a decade, the hyperfixation slapped me hard in the face literally the night before it was taken off of Netflix. i will die mad about it

Roy (fuckin dork. "have you tried turning it off and on again" has lived rent free in my mind even when the rest of the show wasn't. that and "0118-999-88199-9119-725...3" also, fight me, obligatory chaos bisexual with adhd)

Moss (one of the first examples of a heavily autistic coded character i remember relating to as a child. i love him)

Roy x Moss (i refuse to acknowledge their ship name because it uses Roy's last name. that was mentioned literally once and Ross is right there) (this ao3 tag is how i survived the month of march. and part of April. there are less than 300 in the tag and like 80 of them are one person in the last two years. thank you to that person)

Richmond (the best character. wish there was more of them)

Douglas (Matt Berry strikes again. like 15 years ago but still)

New Girl

one of my red flag sitcoms. when this pops up in my Netflix history it is always because i am depressed. but it is actually a good show and they moved it to Hulu, so it's fine probably

Nick Miller (the similarities i have with this man are upsetting. for everyone else. I'm fine. probably)

Schmidt (baby girl. derogatory)

Winston (my best lil weirdo)

Jess (i may be Nick, but i have a friend that is Jess. to defend my case, it is the same friend who got me into both descendants and Ted lasso in the span of one month. the only difference between us and the characters is that we have no romantic chemistry and are both aro)

Cece (obligatory chaos bisexual with adhd. but she is the rare femme variety. and also somehow the braincell of the group. i love her

Schmece (hell of a ship name for a hell of a ship)

Dracula Daily

i read the book as a kid, so last year i thought I'd get the memes if i just followed the tag but i got lost so fast. so this year i made the mistake of actually following dracula daily and re: dracula and now i can't get it out of my head

Johnathan Harker (baby girl)

Mina (boss ass bitch)

(i am slightly behind due to my other hyperfixations, but i know more of these guys will join the list as the year goes on)

Renfield

i watched this with my friends because of dracula, and i love it so much. i know this movie is fairly recent but it needs more fics immediately. go watch it. it about two pathetic men breaking up and one of them having his bisexual awakening with Awkwafina, the girlboss. and Ben Schwartz and Nicolas cage are there

Renfield (say it with me: it's about the growth)

Rebecca Quincy (girlboss)

Nicolas Cage (Dracula)

Tedward "Teddy" Lobo (yes that is his canonical name. he is played by Ben Schwartz and i love this goofy little fuck. i also hate him. it is a Blorbo specific love-hate thing)

The Therapist from the support group (have i forgotten his name? yes. does that matter? no. he has taken up a small corner of my brain and he is just a funky lil dude)

More to come as i inevitably continue to juggle several hyperfixations at a time, gaining them quicker than i lose them. wish me luck

i have decided to start keeping an ongoing list of Official Blorbos™️ of 2023 because i am collecting them left and right and there is so much coming out this summer.

Criteria:

a blorbo here is defined as a character who has wormed their way into one of the fandom cavities in my brain and are living there rent free for two weeks or longer weather or not i have actively engaged with their canon that day. this is can on their own as a character i'r as part of a ship that has started spreading brain spores

of 2023 means that the blorbage has to be active. i have many Blorbos already, all of whom i love. but this list is for blorbos who's dens are free of cobwebs and whose fields are watered since the start of the year

there probably will be multiple Blorbos per media, they are all my children and i will not pick favorites. and if i say favorite, ignore me i am excited

[yourneighborhoodbibliophile]

May Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

I read four books this month. ✨

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood — ★ 5/5 stars ★

2. Winter’s Orbit, Everina Maxwell — ★ 4/5 stars ★

3. The Darkness Outside Us, Eliot Schrefer — ★ 4.5/5 stars ★

4. The Charm Offensive, Alice Cochrun — ★ 4/5 stars ★

Happy Pride! Today is also the one year anniversary of this blog! In honor of the occasion, I updated the web version, so it’s acceptable — or at the very least, tolerable — for those of you who use tumblr web. <3

We also reached 500+ followers this month! Welcome to those of you who are new. My asks are always open, so don’t hesitate to leave me an ask or comment. <3

Keep reading for my unsolicited opinion on what I read this month.

2. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit had galactic politics, mystery, and, of course, romance. It had all of my favorite tropes: queer arranged marriage, gruding allies to lovers, only one bed, and forced proximity. Kiem and Taam’s relationship was full of angst and misunderstanding, but contained surprising depth. Although the mystery was not as complex as their relationship, it provided the perfect backdrop for these grudging allies to fall in love.

3. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

I picked up The Darkness Outside Us for the slow burn enemies to lovers romance — which it delivered! — but I stayed for the spectacular science-fiction thriller. The mystery of their existence forces Ambrose and Kodiak to depend on one another in a brilliant depiction of human fragility, vulnerability, and intimacy. The Darkness Outside Us argues for the need for vulnerability and intimacy (in whatever form it should take, whether it be platonic, romantic, and/or sexual) in order to prevent insanity. It also argues that we should accept the inevitability of death as we must die in order for future generations to live. Ultimately, it is not a romance, thriller, or mystery, but a poignant portrayal of life, death, and the depth of human connection.

4. The Charm Offensive by Alice Cochrun

The Charm Offensive portrayed love after heartbreak, vulnerability, and intimacy. Dev and Charlie’s relationship felt incredibly real, despite the fact that it was set against the backdrop of a heavily-faked reality TV show. I appreciated the sensitive depiction of depression, anxiety, and OCD. I also appreciated the demisexual representation. Altogether, it was a wonderfully wholesome read.

[starrlikesbooks]

Gah I think Tumblr ate my ask! If you're seeing this a second time I'm really sorry lol. I'm one of those burned out former gifted kids who used to be passionate about reading before the burned out part came into play. Recently I've decided to get back into reading. I'm immensely pleased to see that there's a lot more options for queer book lovers these days, but I'm kind of daunted by the fact that most books seem to be trilogies or longer. Do you have any standalone recs? If it helps, I like fantasy, angst, and time travel. Some whump too is nice. If it's queer that's a hundred times better (especially if it's transmasc and/or polyam). Extra extra wow factor if the characters are Chinese or Southeast Asian. Thank you for your time and all the good work you do!

Ah thanks for letting me help with this! I hope I can find a book you like 😊

Some queer stand alone scifi:

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone is a time travel novella of sapphic robots(?) falling in love against enemy lines. Definitely a bit abstract and poetic, so maybe not the simplest read, but if you're in the mood for something atmospheric and dramatic, you might like this book.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson is sapphic and doesn't involve time travel, but it is about hopping to other realities for a corporation.

The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis is another one to do with alternate realities, though it blends genres a bit too. The main character is questioning, and most likely bi (like her alternate selves).

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer is a scifi mystery in space. Definitely some whump in this! And not time travel, but a bit of a time.... element.

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson is about three kids who wake up on a space ship god knows where. There's a big meta element and time loop element as well.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is an adult scifi, and not queer. It's about cloning and murder, and is very short. This is hands down one of my favorite books, so if you have any interest in either of those things, I definitely recommend.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold is also not queer, but has a big time element to it, and is a very layered, twisty end of the world story. If you can currently take things that involve plagues, then you might like this story.

Some queer fantasy:

Burn by Patrick Ness is an alternate universe story where dragons live alongside(ish) humans, and it's also a prophecy story. Of the three main characters, one is gay.

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson is also an alternate universe story, this one queer friendly historical. There's some whump in this, and magical powers being used to help a magician-con man.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth is a great stand alone if you like chosen one stories, and their deconstruction. This one isn't queer.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is a portal fantasy stand alone with a queer MC and is very layered and atmospheric. I wouldn't call this angsty, but it's definitely bittersweet.

Unfortunately, all the Asian-led SFF I would love to rec is part of a series :( But if you do find yourself wanting duologies in the future, Iron Widow,