#fanfic is a lonely game

[andthekitchensinkao3]

Friday afternoon at work, thinking about 60 going deviant after Hank shoots the wrong Connor and completely loses it.

[andthekitchensinkao3]

🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

this is a PSA for fic writers who haven't updated in a while :

there are fics out there I'm subscribed to that have gone double digit months without updating.

rest assured the moment those babies catapult an AO3 email my way i'm dropping from the face of the earth to sink my teeth into them

i'll wait, and so will your readers

[drarry-reccage]

before a fall by @eleadore (65k, E)

tags: slow burn, eighth year, everyone is allergic to apologies and that's how we like it

The stubborn chill of winter finally gives way to spring. The days get longer, packed to the brim with activity, but everything becomes indistinct next to Draco Malfoy, blurry and not quite there while he stands in stark relief, the long, long line of his neck and his proud back. The fragile curve of his skull. Harry likes to cradle it when they kiss, take the impact of the hard stone against his knuckles when he shoves Draco up against the wall.  "Stop that," Draco says, while Harry's palming the fine hair at the back of his head, kneading at the divot where it meets his neck. His eyes are closed, but Harry likes to look at him. "Stop doing that."  "What?"  "Holding me," Draco says nonsensically, and jerks his head back to prove his point. Harry keeps his crushed hand just there, between his head and the wall, and Draco's eyes snap open. Then narrow. "Stop it, Potter."  Another jerk. Harry's knuckles are going to bruise.  Draco bites when Harry kisses him and then, quite abruptly, softens and moulds into him like a lover, hands under his shirt and tracing over the sensitive skin of his back, scratching just so, gentle. After, when they've ended up on the floor catching their breath, he will reach over to take Harry's hand and examine the bruises, curious. He'll press on them and when Harry winces, look rather pleased.  He remains capricious, even in this—especially in this. The more Harry learns of him the less he knows. 

(rec by @garagepaperback)

[simonsrosebud]

Neil watched him up through his eyelashes, keeping his head still and his hands on the counter behind him. His freckles were even more prominent like that, less than a foot from Andrew’s face. Tan splatters across even tanner skin- scattered on his nose and cheeks, one that sat half on his upper lip and another on his eyelid that Andrew had to look away from.

stuff is going to start moving faster in this next chapter don’t worry, i’m quite excited about it😈😈

[ghostinthegallery]

10: Do you read your own fics for fun? & 21: Do you have an abandoned WIP?

10) Yup! And I will until there are enough fics of all the space robots in situations to keep me satisfied (this is unlikely, I have a mighty occasionallu specific appetites 😅)

11) Not really but I do have way more ideas than I know what to do with. I have only so much time guys!!! Stop dropping plot bunnies at my door!

[dont-offend-the-bees]

Yesss more of your writing is always a gift!! ❤️Can I be cheeky and do two/you can choose: ☠️☕️

💛💛💛 darling!! 💛💛💛 I am gonna go for Lonely Bones bc that's what my brain is latching onto rn (plus I've had lots of Domestic AU requests so I'll defo be posting some later!), but lbr since you're practically my domestic co-writer you're gonna get lots of sneak peeks of that anyway xD ☠️ Even Charles was beginning to show the strain through his erstwhile bulletproof veneer of optimism. Edwin kept catching him staring with a haunted look; as if he half expected Edwin to vanish in a puff of smoke before his very eyes. There was a marked increase in the frequency of grounding hands on Edwin’s arm, chest, shoulders — holding Edwin down lest he flutter away on the breeze. 

[noxsoulmate]

💞⚾ Noxy’s Tarlos Baseball Fic ⚾💞

💞⚾ now complete ⚾💞

Ship: Tarlos | Fandom: 911 Lone Star | Author: noxsoulmate | Read on ao3

Chapter: 2/2 | Word Count: 10940 | Complete: 16330 | Rating: Explicit | Warnings/Tags: baseball, valentine's day, different first meeting, meet-cute, running into each other, coffee shops, farmers market, night clubs, hook-up, baseball player TK, baseball player Carlos, rivals, Red vs Blue (but not the episode), banter, sexual innuendos, flirting, teasing, basically Tarlos uses the baseball game as foreplay, and they don't hide it, implied sexual content, but TK has a dirty mind so the rating is explicit, making out, strangers to lovers, love at first sight | Art made by me

Summary:

The moment he spots him, he freezes. For just a tiny second, he wonders if all his thoughts of Carlos have summoned him. And then he takes in the man as a whole, attire and all – and his mind goes blank. Because Carlos is wearing a jersey as well. And it’s blue. Carlos is wearing the blue jersey… of APD.

~*~

Meet cutes are only meant for rom coms, right? So why is it that TK has a total of four of them with the same stranger in just one day? Besides, Valentine’s weekend is certainly not the right time for him to have his head in cloud nine – not when the annual Baseball game between Fire and Police is on the line. Apparently, Police hasn't lost in years thanks to their pitcher. But now Fire has TK on their team – a paramedic who had a chance to play in the major leagues...

💞⚾ Chapter 1 ⚾💞

💞⚾ Read Chapter 2 on ao3 ⚾💞

Sneak peek under the cut:

“TK, can you tone down that grin a little bit?”

“Why?” TK asks, his grin turning cheeky instead. “Isn’t this supposed to be a fun day anyway?”

“Ah, hell na?” he hears Judd as he comes up right next to them. “This ain’t no fun. This is serious business.”

“Besides,” Paul throws in, baseball bat across his shoulders as if he’s stretching his arms. “We all know that grin isn’t because of the game ahead of us. It’s about that mystery man you disappeared with last night. Don’t deny it.”

“Not denying it at all,” TK replies, smile stretching even wider. “So I had a great night – wasn’t that exactly why you took me out?”

“Yeah, we just didn’t expect it to go that well,” Marjan says, pointing at what he guesses is his sunny smile. 

Even though Marjan’s not on the team, she’s still dressed in the red-and-black combo of the fire department and sitting on the bench with them. She’s their unofficial social media expert, meaning she’ll film the game and then put some great highlights of it online later. Hopefully she’ll be able to post about a win for Fire.

According to Judd – and the rest of the team – they really need this win because their losing streak is a disgrace to their department. TK didn’t pay it much mind before but now that he’s seeing the stands fill with a large crowd, he starts to understand that it’s not just about Police versus Fire. It’s about community. He was skeptical when Judd said the annual match between Fire and Police is a highlight in Travis County, rallying crowds of hundreds, but now he’s a witness. Hell, there’s even a news van and people with homemade signs. Fire definitely needs to bring home the trophy this year.

“Yes, TK,” Nancy thankfully pulls TK out of his thoughts before he can overthink this. He’ll simply play his best game, no need to worry. “Tell us how it went? We didn’t see much of the guy but from what we saw, he was hot as fuck.”

“Oh, he definitely is,” TK agrees, his smile instantly back and all the worries in the world gone.

“Anyone else worried we’ll have to see that grin for a whole while longer?” Paul asks the group, who all agree.

TK rolls his eyes. “So what, I met a dude that might just be the absolute jackpot. Aren’t you happy for me?”

“TK,” Judd starts in his slow southern drawl, one of his big hands landing on his shoulder. “From what I hear, you just met the guy and what? Had one good night with him? You’re running around like you’re on cloud nine. Brother, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for you, I just think you should be careful too. Do we need to check him out?”

While TK’s truly touched by Judd’s genuine desire to protect him, he still gives him an impish grin. “Well, for one, how long did it take you to know that Grace might be the one and definitely worth chasing?”

“Ahh, but I knew her from months on the phone.”

TK gives him a mock-shocked look. “So you’re saying, if you had just met her at the honky tonk without your history, you wouldn’t have thought her worth your time?”

Judd looks almost comically shocked and pained before he lifts his hands in surrender and quickly amends, “Touché.”

“And besides,” TK starts, finally feeling ready to drop the bomb. “Last night wasn’t the first I saw of him…”

💞⚾ Continue on ao3 ⚾💞

Written for the @tarlosweeklyprompts Valentine's Fic Exchange and my giftee @sugdenlovesdingle. The prompt was: TK and Carlos meeting via the police vs fire baseball game when they’re on opposing teams (bonus points for a grey’s anatomy-like thing where they hook up the night before without knowing who the other is and then seeing them at the game).

The biggest, biggest thanks goes out to the amazing @lightningboltreader and @bonheur-cafe. These two spent the past few weeks explaining an American game that seems to have no rules to a European who had zero knowledge about it - and they did it in a way that said European was able to write a fic about it. I bow to you two! They also helped plot out every step of the game - Char, Dalawa, this fic truly wouldn't exist without your help, and for once, that's not just a phrase 😂

Noxy’s Tagging List: @chaotictarlos, @detective-giggles, @sgirl18,  @sapphire11, @bubblesandroses8, @firstprince-history-huh, @beautifulhigh, @rangergurlgleek1211, @shadesofdeviant, @otter-love-asl, @ramblingdisaster73, @first-kanaphan, @xtltokio, @lightningboltreader, @buckybarnesalways, @meditating-honey-badger, @mangacat201, @tarlossource

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

Fan Art Celebration!

Thank you for the tags, @thisbuildinghasfeelings and @lemonlyman-dotcom!

Share one(1) piece of fan art that you love and helped keep you excited about the show. It can be anything, art, doodles, cross stitch, metas, gifs, funny posts. Anything!!

Just ONE?? I get decision paralysis on much easier questions. 🙈 This has been such a long hiatus. And there are far too many phenomenal pieces to choose from.

But the past couple of months have been really rough, so I'm going go with a fic that has been an incredibly bright spot for me, exactly when I needed it:

these fatal fantasies by @strandnreyes

What a lovely, vivid au. Such a good read. And such an amazing story to get lost in week after week.

I would be very surprised if I were not one of the last people to get to this game, so if you see this, please consider yourself tagged! I give you the daunting (but fun!) task of choosing one piece of fan art to share. 😊

[andthekitchensinkao3]

[taralaurel]

Thank you @decafdino, @sanjuwrites, & @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut for the tags!

"Nothing stays the same, Carlos."

There's no deadline. No ultimatum. Carlos feels like he's always holding his breath around his boyfriend, waiting for the pendulum to start swinging over them.

He is so busy keeping his head on a swivel, looking for it, that he's caught off guard when his own mother clicks on the countdown.

"It's just a dinner, Carlitos."

She hands over his order of tacos al pastor across the table with that little sigh that almost always precedes Andrea Reyes getting her way. Still, Carlos clings to the little dignity he has, shaking his head.

"Mamá, I'm not going on another date with some daughter of some friend of Tía Lucy's or a second cousin of the woman who sits behind you in church."

"Those were all wonderful women, mijo," Andrea tuts, "pay them respect."

"I did," Carlos nods, "by showing up and smiling through my teeth."

"Ay mijo," she slaps at his hand when he reaches for her quesabirria, "be nice."

Carlos chuckles, licking the contraband melted cheese off his finger.

"I have a feeling you're really going to like this one, Carlitos," Andrea pats his other - innocent - hand.

"You said that about the others," Carlos rolls his eyes.

"The others were while you were in high school," Andrea laughs, "and those were more out of respect to your tía, and abuela, and the church choir director."

"And the mother across the street," Carlos points his taco at her before taking a bite.

"Well, they had just moved in," Andrea waves a hand, "and we wanted to be good neighbors."

"You realize that sounds like you were selling me off, right?" Carlos smirks.

He doesn't say "pimping him out" because he doesn't actually want his mother to choke to death right there in front of him.

"It wasn't just about finding you a relationship, mijo," Andrea leans forward, "it was about finding you any relationship."

"Wow," Carlos deadpans, "gee, thanks."

"I mean," his mother throws her head back, "as in friends, Carlos. If the date went well, then," she shrugs, smiling, "but we also just wanted you to meet people your own age. You were so closed off. Such a nice, friendly boy. But so shy." She sighs, rubbing her son's wrist. "And to appease your tía and abuela and the rest."

Andrea laughs, and Carlos is a little surprised to find that he is joining her.

"So," Carlos rolls his neck, bracing himself for the inevitable, "who is this one?"

"Well, telling wouldn't make it much of a blind date, now would it?"

"¡Ay, ya, Mamá!" Carlos exclaims, goodnaturedly.

"Just go on this last one," Andrea smiles, knowing full well she's already won, "por favor, hazlo por mí."

"¿Uno más?" Carlos quirks an eyebrow. "And that's it?"

"Sí, sí," she nods, sliding her hand from his wrist to his own, gripping it tight.

Carlos agrees. Because of course he does. Because he can never disappoint his mother.

He's terrified he's gone and done just that to TK.

This from one of my current WIPs titled "Mother Knows (Best)", and is being written for one of the @tarlosweeklyprompts 2023 Pride prompts where Andrea and Gwyn set their boys up on a date, not realizing TK and Carlos are already together.

The day is over so I tag...whoever else wants to participate 😂

[possum-quesadilla]

🎁

Hello Bunny! Thank you for the ask!!

Hmm. I have quite a few! Here’s some Time’s Arrow sneak-peeks I’ve shared with my besties on discord!

THE siblings ever. I am insane about them.

Another song lyric I snuck in that I’m proud of

A strange creature noise, which I love writing him doing

Aaaand Beej about to lean on bad habits again!

And I know you probably don’t read Lonely Remnants, but here’s some Barbara and Lydia interactions from the chapter I’m working on for that one! (Spoilers for CorpseJuice’s latest chapter under cut)

I LOVE writing for Larry. I love his stupid accent. It’s so fun

Also, some older snippets from TDWH, because why not? I love my queer cowboys.

[rosedavid]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Tagged by @rmd-writes @jesuisici33 @wandering-night19 and @stereopticons! thank you all!! Here’s another snippet from my Lou II fic! Hopefully, I’ll be posting this one soon. 

Ever since TK got a harness and leash for Lou II, he’s been taking him everywhere. A while back, he took Lou to the pet shop, and according to TK, everyone was obsessed with him, wanting to take pictures like he was a celebrity. TK’s also been taking him on short walks around the neighborhood and, one day, even to the fire station. Carlos has never seen Lou II on his leash outside of the apartment before, but he figured the day would come, eventually. 

So that’s what brings them to now, with TK stepping out onto the grass, holding a squirming Lou II in his hand.

“Look how excited he is to spend time with his daddies!” TK coos.

Yeah, that’s a thing now. Carlos has complained to TK before, but his annoyance amuses TK to the point that it only makes him say it more. 

Tagging: @apothecarose @treluna4 @chelle-68 @lightningboltreader and anyone else who wants to!

[firstprince-history-huh]

Fic Rec Friday! (Part 1)

This week's theme is: a fic that lives in your mind rent free.

The rules are simple: tag the fic that lives in your mind rent free and describe why it's so good / how it has a hold on you. Then tag some fellow associates to see what everyone else is reading. Spread the love!

Tagged by: @welcometololaland @thisbuildinghasfeelings @heartstringsduet @wtfuckevenknows @alrightbuckaroo @lightningboltreader @just-inside-her

And because I have no self control, I will obviously be talking about more than one fic.

So without further ado,

911 Lone Star

The entire Game, Set, Match series. Or Love Game Universe as I call it. @welcometololaland is the brilliant genius behind this. I love tennis & Tarlos. So ofc I was going to love this series. And when Love Game came out, at that time lot of things were going on with tennis IRL in terms of happenings regarding my fav tennis players. Do I was even more invested in this fic. And I loved spotting the IRL tennis easter eggs!

The entire Seven Ways (Back to You) series by @welcometololaland

I am a sucker for Push fics. 3x04 was & still is one of my fav Tarlos episodes of all time. And the sheer amount of fics & codas I've read about it is like so long. But the way Lola has written them healing after the break up & them getting back together is so beautiful & brilliant!

The Ring-In again by @welcometololaland

This is one of the first fics by Lola that I remember reading. This fic was Tarlos in Hawaii at a *interesting* wedding wedding. Some truly memorable OCs & everyone's favorite chaos child & the establishment of THE POKE AGENDA! Honestly this fic had it all!

Do You Even Lift, Bro? The Tarlos Gym AU by @rmd-writes . This was a stroke of brilliant genius. Smut with feelings being a Rae specialty! All the IRL thirst traps being used here made this fic more 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Missing Moments series by @paperstorm

An absolutely amazing series fitting Tarlos moments in between canon & making it so much better. A brilliant insight into our favorite boys in canon. This series is an excellent character study & so beautiful & extremely well-written!

Magnetic North by @paperstorm

A sheer brilliant piece of masterclass in writing about addiction, love & so much more. Prior to reading this fic I wasn't familiar with ice hockey at all. This fic made me want to watch it. The evolution of Tarlos as individuals & their relationship was so beautifully depicted. The trope of prickly catus/ feral cat being loved & then being able to open up his heart & love & trust again was so well-written in this!

Through the Looking Glass by @liminalmemories21

The sheer brilliance of this fic & marvelous. Through this fic I began to admire art more & take an even more active interest in it. And the Tarlos of this all is so beautifully depicted!

Out Of The Woods series by @liminalmemories21

I love missing conversation fics. These fics show the truly admirable talent of fic writers finding the gaps in canon & making it better. Just as this fic was. Also, I always love more Enzo & Jonah fics! And it is because of this series that I can totally picture Stanley Tucci as the perfect candidate to play the role of Enzo!

Tout L'univers by @kiras-sunshine

An extremely beautiful depiction of Tarlos in the time between season 1 & season 2. The evolution of their relationship in between seasons os so wonderfully depicted!

In Sickness And In Health, In Speeding And In No Speeding by @goodways

Someone in fandom was talking about how TK would definitely be a speed demon & there being chances of him getting a speeding ticket. And then I came across this fic! The sheer coincidence of timing was something that I will not forget! And the hilarity of this fic is something that always keeps it in my mind!

[soft-serve-soymilk]

Actually I’ve come to the conclusion that Cynthia would like Kingdom Hearts for the exact same reason she likes Graces f (the homoerotic tension,,,,,,)

[dont-offend-the-bees]

for the wip ask game, 'light'!

Thank you 😘🥰! From Lonely Bones c3:

Frowning, Charles squatted down beside him, bringing their faces closer together. His knee rested lightly on Edwin’s abdomen as it bent; with the illusion of awareness afforded to him, Edwin could almost feel the pressure of it.

[noxsoulmate]

💞⚾ Noxy’s Tarlos Baseball Fic ⚾💞

Ship: Tarlos | Fandom: 911 Lone Star | Author: noxsoulmate | Read on ao3

Chapter: 1/2 | Word Count: 5390 | Rating: Explicit | Warnings/Tags: baseball, valentine's day, different first meeting, meet-cute, running into each other, coffee shops, farmers market, night clubs, hook-up, baseball player TK, baseball player Carlos, rivals, Red vs Blue (but not the episode), banter, sexual innuendos, flirting, teasing, basically Tarlos uses the baseball game as foreplay, and they don't hide it, implied sexual content, but TK has a dirty mind so the rating is explicit, making out, strangers to lovers, love at first sight | Art made by me

Summary:

The moment he spots him, he freezes. For just a tiny second, he wonders if all his thoughts of Carlos have summoned him. And then he takes in the man as a whole, attire and all – and his mind goes blank. Because Carlos is wearing a jersey as well. And it’s blue. Carlos is wearing the blue jersey… of APD.

~*~

Meet cutes are only meant for rom coms, right? So why is it that TK has a total of four of them with the same stranger in just one day? Besides, Valentine’s weekend is certainly not the right time for him to have his head in cloud nine – not when the annual Baseball game between Fire and Police is on the line. Apparently, Police hasn't lost in years thanks to their pitcher. But now Fire has TK on their team – a paramedic who had a chance to play in the major leagues...

This fic is finished, chapter two will be posted tomorrow.

The biggest, biggest thanks goes out to the amazing @lightningboltreader and @bonheur-cafe. These two spent the past few weeks explaining an American game that seems to have no rules to a European who had zero knowledge about it - and they did it in a way that said European was able to write a fic about it. I bow to you two! They also helped plot out every step of the game - Char, Dalawa, this fic truly wouldn't exist without your help, and for once, that's not just a phrase 😂

💞⚾ Read Chapter 1 on ao3 ⚾💞

Sneak peek under the cut:

TK knows better than to check his phone while walking. He actually has been dispatched to scenarios in which walking while looking at the phone had ended in tragedy in one way or another. So clearly, he should know better.

But that doesn’t stop him from answering Nancy’s text while he’s in the middle of the supermarket, walking along the cereal aisle. The moment he hits send, he’s reminded just why it is so bad to not look where you’re going.

The only thing he really registers is that he smacks into something solid, losing the grip on the few groceries wedged into his arm – because who needs a shopping cart or basket, right? Apparently, he does because right away, everything tumbles to the floor; the oranges roll away and for a split second, his heart stops when he fears the jar of honey will break, but it lands on the jug of milk first so the fall is softened, thankfully. The only thing he can catch is his phone – thank God – and with his heart pounding, an apology on his lips, he looks up.

Only to lose his breath again.

He’s staring into the warmest, softest brown eyes he has ever seen and while that should be a completely boring color for eyes, it certainly isn’t on this man. Those eyes are eyes he could stare into for days and still not get tired. And that isn’t even acknowledging the rest of this perfect face.

“I’m really sorry, are you alright?”

It takes TK a second to realize that the man just spoke – holy hell, what a voice – and he has to shake himself to get his head back online.

“No no, that was all my fault, I’m the one who’s sorry,” TK hastens to apologize before quickly kneeling down to pick up his stuff. The handsome stranger follows, crouching down to help with the oranges while TK starts rambling. “I was checking my phone. I know that’s something you shouldn’t do but my partner just messaged me and she sometimes gets impatient when it takes me too long to reply and I don’t want her to worry. She’s worried about me enough already and–” He looks up to see the man holding out another orange to him, a soft grin on his face. “Aaand I should stop talking. I’m sorry,” he adds one last time as he takes the last orange and stands back up.

Once again, the handsome man follows and for a second they stand and look at each other, frozen in the moment. Until TK remembers his manners.

“Are you okay? I ran right into you.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Also, all of my groceries are safely in a cart,” he adds with a little grin, definitely teasing TK, who huffs out a laugh.

“I only have a few things, no need to bother with a cart.”

“If you say so.”

TK wants to reply – wants to stay and spend hours talking and teasing with this man – but right then, his phone pings with a new message. His eyes fall to the screen.

“Well, uhm, sorry again for crashing into you,” he says with a little smile. “I need to get going.”

“Careful though. No need to run into someone else.”

For a wild second, TK wonders if the man means this in a flirty way. For an even wilder second, he wonders if he should just take a leap of faith and ask for the man’s number – but then he remembers that he’s living in Texas now – has been for over a year, in fact – and that in this place, he can’t just hit on random strangers even when his gaydar tries to convince him it would be okay. The risk of hitting on someone who will take it the wrong way is just too high. So, accepting defeat and the fact that he can’t just ask a random stranger for his number because it would sound weird and crazy and be potentially risky, TK simply smiles and nods.

“I’ll try my best.”

The whole long way down the cereal aisle, TK forces himself not to look back, not even once, not even when his senses try to convince him that someone’s staring at his back the entire time.

💞⚾ Continue on ao3 ⚾💞

Written for the @tarlosweeklyprompts Valentine's Fic Exchange and my giftee @sugdenlovesdingle. The prompt was: TK and Carlos meeting via the police vs fire baseball game when they’re on opposing teams (bonus points for a grey’s anatomy-like thing where they hook up the night before without knowing who the other is and then seeing them at the game).

Dear SugdenLovesDingle, I'm really sorry you get your gift this late, Corona stole a whole month from me... I really hope the story will make up for the wait 💖 I loved your prompt so, so much! I've always wanted to write a coda for Red vs Blue - but this is even better. I'm a sucker for alternative first meetings, so this was just brilliant! I hope you like the little twist I put on your bonus points prompt - I just couldn't decide on the meet cute I wanted for them, so... I gave them all 😂

Bingo square used:

@mfbingo O3: Meet Cute

Noxy’s Tagging List: @chaotictarlos, @detective-giggles, @sgirl18,  @sapphire11, @bubblesandroses8, @firstprince-history-huh, @beautifulhigh, @rangergurlgleek1211, @shadesofdeviant, @otter-love-asl, @ramblingdisaster73, @first-kanaphan, @xtltokio, @lightningboltreader, @buckybarnesalways, @meditating-honey-badger, @mangacat201, @tarlossource