#feel free to add your own recs

[hells-plaid-angel]

Dean Winchester: Reading Recommendations

Because I headcannon Dean as a reader, here is a list of books that I think he would like. Some are directly referenced in the show, others are odes to America and a life on the road complete with horror, satire or complicated family issues. And, of course, some books manage to meet at the twist of the mobius strip where toxic masculinity and homoeroticism collide.

Books of Blood - Clive Barker 

Imajica - Clive Barker 

The Complete Poems - Hart Crane 

Hard Rain Falling - Don Carpenter 

Our Share of Night - Mariana Enriquez 

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller 

Iliad - Homer 

Jesus’ Son - Denis Johnson 

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

My Heart Is a Chainsaw - Stephen Graham Jones 

On the Road - Jack Kerouac 

Christine - Stephen King 

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

Survivor - Chuck Palahniuk 

The Moviegoer - Walker Percy

The Devil All the Time - Donald Ray Pollock

A Season in Hell - Arthur Rimbaud

Crush - Richard Siken

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

Cat’s Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut 

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Time is a Mother - Ocean Vuong

Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman 

Butcher’s Crossing - John Williams 

[smallmightsupremacy]

Might i be bold and ask you for your fave bkdk fics?

Anon. Anon. I'm so sorry that I've taken forever to reply to this ask, but I hope you understand that this is one of the hardest tasks I've ever had to do I think for starters I'd recommend the 'big 3' bkdk fics. They're all popular for a reason, and if you're looking for something long and angsty, you can count on those to deliver. (Though, I will be honest here and tell you that I never finished twyutd, but from what I hear it's a super good fic!!)

As for specific recommendations, I'll try to condense my list of favorite fics wayyy down and then go on to name some authors that I love so this post doesn't go on forever So, after scrolling in a hot sweat through my bookmarks, here's the final list:

promises kept by gabstar The Night We Met by majjale

glowing skins and pleading fingers by mimisyum

All We Ever Knew by dynamics

warm hands by flowercafe

all that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing by maxisnotokay

Do Not Disturb by surveycorpsjean

headliner by passengerside

As for bkdk authors, here are a few of them whose works I adore and go back to read day after day: ladyofsnails

sapphicflower

Etherealbeing

panpanicatmha

red_sneakers

comradekiwi

Happy reading anon <3

[loregirlsam]

post-cage/post lucifer possession fic recs

Life's A Walking Shadow by Lise

AU. When Sam gets out of the Cage decades have passed.

The Long Calendar by foolscapper

One time per month, every month on Earth, Sam visits Dean for a day from the Cage. Part 1 of The Calendar Verse.

The Gate is Straight, Deep and Wide by ratherastory

Part 1 of the Fusion 'verse. Sam walks out of hell and finds his way home.

From a prompt at the First Time comment-fic meme: The first time Sam gets that Dean does unreservedly trust him again, coupled with the first time Dean gets that Sam really does want nothing more than he wants to be with Dean.

Post-Miracle by angelszn (artbabe)

Sam gets his soul back, but he comes back wrong. Dean doesn't let him go.

Convalescence by impravidus

Post-Cage!Sam seen through the eyes of others.

Winchester Season by Lennelle

It's dangerous to hunt with the Devil in your head.

The Epilogue in a Very Long Autobiography by foolscapper (*endverse post lucifer possession)

“There is a tall man in the camp today.” Hurt!Sam. Outsider POV. Part 1 of The Author's Notes Verse.

The Author's Notes by foolscapper (*endverse post lucifer possession)

A sequel to The Epilogue in a Very Long Biography. “Five months since he got Sam back, he sets an alarm to wake up in the early morning hours.” Warnings: Suicide and thoughts of suicide, violence, blood, angst, serious subject matters like depression. Hurt!Sam, Protective!Dean. Part 2 of The Author's Notes Verse

[msdanvers]

Do you have any favorite really long supercorp one shots?

hi i’m sorry this took a while!! so first of all you should absolutely immediately read they don't love you like i love you by @searidings (M, idiots to lovers). yes, also if you have read it before. do it again

and this ask made me realize i read a lot of multichapter fics BUT here are some great one shots that are at least 15k words!!

we are what we pretend to be by @c--and--b (T, fake dating, idiots to lovers, do i need to say more)

lena luthor vs. the outdoors, by @jazzfordshire (E, mutual pining, sharing a bed)

don't let her stick it to your heart by @searidings (G, enemies AND lovers, uni professors AU)

an animal within an animal, by @mooosicaldreamz (E, sexiest fic you will read this year)

let all your damage damage me by @searidings (M, soft & sad & horny). gonna stop myself here and tell you to just read all of faye searidings’ masterpieces because they are ALL great ok. thank you

shaken by @unnecessary-database (mutual pining, friends/idiots to lovers, absolutely amazing, got distracted and reread the entire thing instead of replying to this ask)

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Ready to rec some awesome fics that I read this month!! Feel free to add on with some of your own Bagginshield recs. 😁

April 2024 Rec List

G Rated:

A Dwarven Beauty by bebel_bee (Complete, 4K, 1ch.)- You have to love cultural differences where it comes to the dwarven and hobbit concepts of beauty. Bilbo is getting a bunch of odd comments on his looks that he thinks are derogatory. This is such a fun, quick read with fun misunderstandings and a lovely getting together scene.

Green-Handed by lotus0kid (Complete, 41K, 20ch.)- This was a really fun magical hobbits fic. Under certain conditions, hobbits go "green-handed" which means they can grow anything through touch and that's how Bilbo finds himself one morning. The ending of this fic just gets me with how absolutely enamored Thorin is with Bilbo and his gift.

Ive found Frodo...and he found you? by Lucigoo89 (Complete, 2K, 1ch.)- I need to preface this by saying my house had an entire den of fifteen skunks living under it that we tried to relocate...I absolutely despise skunks. But I gave this a chance for Lucigoo and it was as predicted, completely adorable. Little skunk Frodo wanders off and when Bilbo goes after him, he finds him in a den of badgers, one of whom he knows rather intimately.

T Rated:

Burning Crowns by Morg47 (Complete, 9K, 2ch.)- I read the first chapter when this was just a one-shot craving more and the author didn't disappoint! Infamous thief Bilbo helps the rightful king of Erebor in his assassination attempt of Smaug. I love seeing a confident BAMF Bilbo, and apparently Thorin does too.

Frozen Heart by snowmissus (soul_of_blaze) (WIP, 14K, 5ch.)- This is such a unique AU with a compelling set up. Bilbo has been tasked by Yavanna to try to help Erebor out of its frozen state, and by extension its king. Very fairytale-esque with some great characterizations and interactions, I can't wait for more!

Imbalance by northerntrash (Complete, 10K, 1ch.)- This story genuinely shocked me! In this Hades/Persephone AU, it is Bilbo who is Lord of the Underworld and Thorin who is a plant life god. As cracky as that sounds, it actually legitimately works in this AU as Bilbo and Thorin rely on each other to make themselves better.

There and Not Back Again (or, The Saving of Erebor) by femmbingley (WIP, 178K, 52ch.)- There’s so much to say about this fic. Post-BOTFA dwarven politics where Bilbo has assumed the duties of the consort which makes things more difficult for Dain. I really love the characterizations and I just can’t get enough of this fic!

to feel you like a knife by queerofthedagger (Complete, 23K, 2ch.)- Thorin's POV absolutely shook me at the beginning as he describes seeing his three loved one laid up in cots. After Bilbo saves Thorin's life, he wakes up to find his memories prior to Laketown are gone. It was so well paced and absolutely delicious in angst with a happy ending.

M Rated:

Backs to the Wall by Conkers (WIP, 124K, 24ch.)- I held off on this fic for a long time, not because I was worried I wasn’t going to enjoy it, but because I knew how much it would have me foaming at the mouth. Missing the deadline, the Company splits up at Laketown with Thorin, Dwalin, Nori, and Bilbo remaining to earn some coin. I’m beside myself with the gentle, sweet moments of pre-Bagginshield that have me screaming.

E Rated:

The Burden of Choice by Fantasyinallforms (Complete, 56K, 12ch.)- I went absolutely feral over this fic! Bilbo and Thorin are arranged to marry each other, neither knowing who the other is, and they escape in the night and begin to travel together. There were just so many emotions throughout this fic, it was so well written!

The Riven Crown by BeautifulFiction (Complete, 254K, 31ch.)- It was time for another read of this wonderful story. Bilbo stays in Erebor to see them through the winter only to find himself in a courtship with the king and a plot to see Thorin off the throne. This is just the ultimate Bilbo remains in Erebor fic and definitely worth the read if you haven't already.

Theft by Erinye (Complete, 124K, 40ch.)- Another epic that I had to reread this month. For his part in the alliance, Thorin demands Bilbo be returned to the mountain to be tried for his crimes in stealing the Arkenstone. Although the deaths of Fili and Kili break my heart in this fic, the rediscovery of Bilbo and Thorin's relationship through sex and comfort makes this a great read.

[lalalenii]

Hörspielempfehlungen für Halloween

Falls ihr heute schlecht schlafen wollt, hier ein paar Empfehlungen

Frankenstein, oder der moderne Prometheus (Gothic, WDR, 1999) GRËUL (Fantasy, Horror, WDR, 2024) Der Prinzessin von Ivar Leon Menger (Thriller, LauscherLounge, 2006) Plan B von Ivar Leon Menger (Thriller, LauscherLounge, 2009) Das Lufer Haus von Kai Schwind (Found Footage, Thriller, Lauscher Lounge, 2011) Mia Insomina (Spannung, Mystery, ARD 2023) Blindband (Thriller, WDR, 2000)

[gatoraid]

Recs for Kinky BL Manga

I made a short rec list for a friend who wanted to read BDSM themed BL that's not dom/sub universe, and I thought I could share it on Tumblr as well. These stories depict the characters (mostly) knowingly and consensually engaging with different kinks, but bad BDSM etiquette, dubcon etc can still occur. I've provided links whenever an official English translation is available. Please support the artists by reading from official sources if possible.

Kinbaku / Shibari

Suji: May I Tie Up the Yakuza This story tarts out pretty horny, as the MC, a professional rope artis, just wants to find a hot top he can tie up while they have sex. Although there's plenty of spiciness, this manga is also actually really touching. I just loved the ”pitiful yakuza with a tragic past and a kind, loving rope artist” couple dynamic. Overall a very healing story, and it takes shibari seriously and treats it with respect. Tapon: Entwined In Red Two classmates, a "normal" nice guy who is secretly turned on by ropes, and a seductive son of a yakuza who is forced to sell his body, get entwined in this story that is also ultimately about healing. Shibari is present more as an aesthetic; the couple engages in much lighter bondage in the actual sex scenes. You can read a more thorough write-up on this manga on Renta's blog: Healing From Trauma’s Scars: tapon’s “Entwined in Red”

Masochistic Main Character

akabeko: 蝶と花の関係性 / Chou to hana no kankeisei This workplace romance between a newbie worker who wants to be bossed around and humiliated and his senpai who's willing to indulge his whims is one of my all-time faves when it comes to kink themed BL. I especially love how their relationship also allows the seme character to take back his agency after being sexually abused when he was younger. Akabeko is a master at spicy scenes and this manga is no exception.

Yuitsu: REVERSE A police officer who gets turned on by dangerous situations is caught up in a fuck buddy situation with a dangerous guy who later turns out to be associated with the yakuza. Basically it's porn with some crime drama, the plot wasn't especially deep or memorable but still a hot, entertaining read like a lot of Yuitsu’s stories.

Humor & Comedy

Harada: 変愛 / Hen ai Can't make a kink-themed list without mentioning Harada. Hen ai consists of episodic stories about an idiot couple who do all kinds of scenes together including student/teacher cosplay, bondage, shaving etc. The seme character claims to be into "normal" sex at first but always get super carried away once the uke character eggs him on. I just love how they are also very affectionate with each other in their own silly way. The titular tankoubon only has one story about this couple but you can also find them in Harada's short story compilations Positive and Yajirushi.

Azuma Kaya: 桜田先輩改造計画 / Sakurada-senpai kaizou keikaku Yes, this is the same Azuma Kaya best known from The Scene of My Rumspringa. This story is much less serious, featuring a total S&M queen seme who tries to punish his idiot senpai at work but senpai gets waaay too into it. This was such a fun read, and I loved the constant flipping of the character dynamics, like how the seme character is an experienced dom but becomes a trembling mess when it comes to some stuff he's much less experienced with.

Serious & Melancholic

Ido Gihou: 夜はともだち / Yoru wa tomodachi A thoughtful, at times even sad story about a more vanilla guy who gets into a somewhat strange relationship with a guy who is a pretty hardcore masochist. The loneliness of trying to understand one another is the first thing that comes to mind from this manga for me, rather than the spicy scenes. This is probably one of the first BL manga where I encountered these themes handled in a more realistic/serious way, so in that way it could probably be called a classic?

Matsumoto Miecohouse: The Beautiful Greenness A recluse author MC with lousy eating habits and a cheerful greengrocer who wants to cook him healthy, delicious meals - and tease and degrade him in bed - make an unlikely pair in this 3 volume manga. Parts of the story are very uncomfortable to read, like the main character's homophobic remarks and the way he judges other people. But it's only through being forced to give up control and to face his own ”ugly” desires during sex that he can start to accept both himself and others more. Matsumoto Miecohouse always has unique, interesting stories even if their art might not look like much at first sight, so I definitely recommend checking this and their other stories out!

[kdramacrybaby]

If you like...

Dramas with a handsome (and rich / slightly traumatized in some way) male lead, falling head over heels in love with a pretty, hardworking female lead (who don't need no man to make her happy, but secretly likes it when he's nice to her). He tries to woo her, but she's stubborn and doesn't fall for him right away, so he has to work hard to earn her affections (and he likes that).

= typical rom-com with all the cliché fluff you could ever want with your favorite couples

You will probably like:

A Business Proposal

King the Land

Sh**ting Stars

Strong Woman Do Bong-soon

[honestlydarkprincess]

Hello, I was wondering if you had any au fic recs?

hello hello! i do! now i haven't read fic reading beans for a very long time so i haven't actually read these, instead i'm gonna give you a list of aus that are on my tbr list!

wood you be mine? by @monsterrae1 (lumberjack!buck)

you had to kill me (it killed you just the same) by @monsterrae1 (assassin!buck)

to you i'm just a man (to me you're all i am) by @eddiebabygirldiaz (first son!buck)

i'll heal you eventually (but faster if you're next to me) by @loserdiaz (school nurse!eddie/gym teacher!buck)

made my way to a life i would choose by @loserdiaz (dispatch!buddie)

traded by @princessfbi (hockey player!buck/bartender!eddie)

she made herself stronger (by fighting with the wind) by @princessfbi (bookstore au — madney and teen buddie)

and so many more i could go on for a while but i'll stick to these few recs!

[destielfanfic]

from the inbox, #10

I love to see new asks about post season 15 destiel fics but my answers are mostly the same, unfortunately. The usual disclaimer applies - our blog transitioned to archive in January 2018, during season 13, and our new fic recs drastically decreased.

Hello, could you recommend any plot-driven fics set post-15x20 that are a bit longer and also explore the relationship between Dean and Castiel? I'm mostly looking for something that is canon compliant (Dean dies and goes to heaven in 15x20)

I’ve answered similar asks on our previous from the inbox posts, so definitely check out those. But for the sake of convenience, here are some links - post 15x20 rec lists Happiness isn’t in the Having and Good things Do Happen . These are mostly short fics, but you can always check out the authors and see if they have longer fics. 

This is random, but do you know any fics where Dean starts dating cas because he feels bad? Something like dean dates castiel as a pity date? I've really been wanting to read something like that :p 

This is very random indeed! Especially if that is meant in a post 15x20 setting. I must admit I’m drawing a blank here. 

hi! not sure if this is the right place to ask this (if it’s not im rly sorry!) but can u rec me some destiel fics where like . dean thought they were dating all along and cas didn’t? sorry if it didn’t make a lot of sense! thanks  

And this is an opposite of the previous ask!

OK, guys, since there is huge interest in post finale destiel fics, I’m opening floor for follower recs/ self recs on this post. Please add in reblogs or notes destiel fics that fit these criteria: 

A - longer, plot driven post 15x20 fics that explore Dean and Cas relationship

B - fics where Dean takes Cas on a pity date after Cas confessed his love in 15x18; canon verse fics are preferred but if you have some AUs, feel free to add

C - fics where Dan thought they were dating while Cas had no idea

＊＊＊＊

We have some fic suggestions from our followers！

A - canon verse fics dealing with 15x20

The Blood Curse by Labgeek2002 [M, 32,700 word count]

Castiel has been rescued from the Empty, but the spell used to retrieve him tears a hole in the dimensional wall that acts as barrier protecting Earth from the pull of everlasting darkness. As the Empty feeds off of Castiel's grace to sustain itself, driving him closer to death with every passing minute, Dean becomes desperate to save him. The only way to repair the damage is for Dean, Sam, and Cas to travel back in time to obtain a witch's stone that's in the possession of John Winchester, circa 2002. A twenty-three year old Dean Winchester will serve as their guide as they navigate the tumultuous father-son relationship that transcends time itself before the Empty draws its final curtain.

Beyond This Illusion by tiaevans87 [NC-17, 161,400 word count]

“Are you serious, Dean? Your djinn-dream started with you dying?” Sam asks incredulously from the passenger seat on the way back to the bunker. “Well, technically it started with us going on a hunt,” Dean points out. He licks his lips, jaw clenching. “I mean, there was Heaven, too, and that was pretty cool.” Sam stares at him. “Unbelievable,” he breathes, scrunching his face up in distaste. When Dean glares at him, he holds his hands up defensively and chuckles weakly. “Sorry, man, but that just sounds pretty lame.” He leans back and folds his arms. “It just…I dunno. Kinda sounds like something Chuck would cook up. Just you and me. No one else. I mean, really?” He scoffs, slumping. *~*~* In which some people come back, Cas learns to be human (the right way, this time), Dean Winchester finally realizes that good things do happen, and they all get their version of the post-credits, apple-pie life they deserved. AKA: Screw Chuck's narrative.

B - Dean takes Cas on a pity date

On Labor by a_good_soldier [NC-17, 24,600 word count]

Cas is back from the Empty, and Dean knows how to be grateful.

because he wears cowboy boots by mmtion [NC-17, 65,300 word count]

When Cas comes back from the Empty, Dean has to rethink everything about their relationship, and Dean’s new, post-Chuck duty. He wants Cas to be happy and get what he wants. So, if he wants Dean, then he has him. Dean’s new responsibility is to be the best boyfriend Cas will ever want or need. If that means moving out of the bunker, and not driving the Impala, and letting Cas fuck him, then that’s what he has to do. It’s an easy deal. It should be an easy life. So how come Dean still can’t quite make sense of it?

[valdomarx]

Favourite DW audios ft. the Master

The extended Doctor Who canon can be a bit of a maze, but if you love the master and want to listen to some of the audio stories about them then I have recs for you!

Masterful. A silly story with all of the masters (pre-dhawan) meeting each other and, as you can imagine, not getting on well. Featuring such delights as simm!master and jacobi!master bickering in a car, crispy!master finding love at last, missy as the ultimate agent of chaos, and simm!master trying to persuade other versions of himself to join him in an orgy.

Master Thief / Lesser Evils. Two stories featuring delgado! and ainley! masters, read as audiobooks as both actors have sadly passed away (RIP). These are technically part of the (rather complicated) Timelord Victorious event, but they work as stand alones. A quick glimpse into the mentalities of the earlier versions of the Master.

War Master: All of it. The whole series. A gem from beginning to end. No I will not shut up about this until everyone has listened to it. Legendary actor Derek Jacobi having the time of his life as the most terrifyingly competent version of the Master, causing strife and pain everywhere he goes because he likes it. You say Be Gay, Do Crime, but who is out there living that philosophy like the war master???

(If you force me to choose a favourite from War Master, both Only the Good and Anti-Genesis are tremendous boxsets. My fellow thoschei folks will want to check out Rage of the Time Lords and Hearts of Darkness as well.)

Mastermind: Really fun story showing how the master psychologically manipulates people. The crispy!master is locked in a cell in the UNIT vault, and two guards are charged with making sure he doesn't escape. Big Hannibal Lecter vibes.

Master: Thoschei chaps, are you ready to get fucked up? However messed up you imagine childhood on Gallifrey might be, it's so much worse than that. This is also a tremendous ghostly spooky dinner party story which is full of tension and believably teases the potential of redemption for the master... and shows why that redemption will never stick.

The Lumiat: Talking of redemption - have you ever wondered what the master would be like if they were an unbearably chipper goodie-goodie lady? Poor Missy has to put up with hands down the most sickeningly wholesome regeneration of herself. Highly entertaining.

And You Will Obey Me: Another entry in the "wow crispy!master sure is manipulative and awful huh" series. This story has him going up against the fifth doctor which I find fun. (cut to me holding up an idiot in a cricket jumper: I Just Think He's Neat.)

The Same Face: This is mostly on the list because i love jo grant. But it's also a nice little story audiobook about regeneration, other rogue timelords, and delgado!master doing his mischevious thing. A quick short trip that's worth a listen.

This is just a small selection of my favourites from a massive amount of canon, so there's a handy masterpost here if you want a list of every audio that the master has appeared in to date. And sacha dhawan will be getting his own series (two of them!) soon which i cannot wait for!

[acrosstobear]

Hi Amanda!! First of all I wish you a happy new year, I hope 2023 treats you well. I was wondering if you had any blog recs so I can look through some old Callum, Mick or Marcus content? I haven’t been on here for long, my dash is dead because of the winter break and I want to explore but idk where to start.

hello buddy!!!!! thank you for the kind wishes, right back at ya 💙 and oooooo as for old content, here are your best bets:

best all around old content goldmine for all things prema: @damsindistress (we’re talking back to 2016 and even older, it’s truly incredible the old prema content!!!!)

best source for Callum/Mick through 2020-now: @schulott (J has a queue as well that brings back old Mick and Callum throughout the year, it’s awesome)

for Callum content specifically, with some Marcus and Mick thrown in there: @callumilott-archive and @callumilott (start with the archive, goes back to at least 2018 if i remember correctly?)

for the best/highest quality Marcus and old Mick content: @oscar-piastri (all the old prema gifs are done by Cassy!!!!!)

a lot of the old Mick content is pretty scattered, but you can probably go through my own Mick tag for 2020-now (and let me know if there’s a specific era/time frame you’re looking for, i can find posts etc!!)

for more current Callum, you’ll want to follow @guanyu-ilott and @tyresdeg and @josefnewgayden and i post during the season obviously

and then for more current Mick, you’ll want to follow @princemick and @schumaclerc and @userhamilton and myself!!!!!! there’s probably more missing cause i’m doing this on mobile while trying to keep food down lmao but i’ll add to this if i think it’s necessary

hopefully this is what you were looking for!!!!!! i loveeeee going for a long scroll through @damsindistress cause it’s just crazy all the content they used to post. enjoy buddy and let me know if there’s anything else 💙

[ship-it-sideways]

Hello!! The first thing I would like to say is YOUR DRAWINGS ARE JUST MAGICAL!!!!! Everything is so incredibly tender and soft and it feels like a warm summer evening. Thank you so so much for what you do!!

The second is. Well. A list of your favorite fanfiction?

HIIII that's such a lovely comment thank you !!! Wow...... a warm summer evening......

I'm not sure ! I am very bad at saving good fic and a lot of fic I have saved is gen, but let's see >¦D

Oooh ! All of Glossyblue's fanfiction !! Sooo funny, very feel good and lovely to read when I want a pick me up

THE INCANDESCENCE OF A DYING LIGHT the exact opposite of above because it makes me sob !!! but this is the BESTTT mumscarian fic without being a mumscarian fic LOL. I need to read HTBaHB

And one of my favourite authors ! If you haven't been reading anything from bee_4 what are you doing with your life !!! ( •̀ A •́)

[to-many-towered-camelot]

So...you're into arthuriana...

What's one work you'd recommend as a good starting place?

Not going chronologically like I did 😂

Hmmm but a little more seriously, it does depend on a few things, like how much you know about the most common story beats, how much exposure to medieval lit you’ve had already, and also just what you’re keen on in Arthuriana 🙂

[Edit - TL;DR: In general, Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. For medieval lit, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (or, if you’re like “who ?? is Gawain ??” then the Alliterative Morte Arthure]

If you’re brand squeaky new to Arthuriana, the best advice I’ve seen is to actually start with a movie (I’d say start with one of the older ones, as more modern ones are all about subverting the existing narratives, which isn’t as helpful for this purpose). Doing this is just about getting familiar with common tropes, characters, adventures etc because tbh there’s no official cannon to learn and if you tried to mush together all the different traditions to make a coherent narrative….you couldn’t, some things directly contradict each other.

I’d also really recommend the Myths and Legends podcast’s King Arthur series for this same intro approach! This series goes into more depth and breadth than any one movie can. This intro approach can also help you figure out what interests you - and then you can use that interest (e.g., a character, topic, trope, or event) as a pathway through Arthuriana, jumping from text to text, if that’s a method that sounds good to you (the Camelot Project can help you find texts related to your interest). Or you can go by country, or by chronology, or by tradition or text type, or do a survey of the most famous texts and then double back for the more obscure. There are lots of different ways of doing things 🙂. 

For written material, as long as you’re okay not starting with medieval lit, I’d actually recommend Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. It provides a great sweep of those main story beats but isn’t as long as, say, Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur (this is a 15th century Middle English text that is very famous and often people’s first go-to – but it’s very long and more than a bit intimidating). Once you move on from Tennyson, you’ll notice that his attitudes towards certain characters and events don’t match up to other texts – never fear! That’s Arthuriana in a nutshell, where every author has a different favourite character and does something slightly – or majorly – different with the stories. Tennyson is Victorian-era and his vision of Arthuriana has really shaped modern popular understanding.

If you’re interested in starting with medieval lit, I would recommend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (author unknown, called the ‘Gawain Poet’ or the ‘Pearl Poet’ after one of their other stories). This is a late-14th century Middle English poem and it has a very self-contained narrative, so you don’t need to be familiar with other stories to still enjoy it. Plus it’s a gorgeous piece of literature by itself. That being said, if this is your first exposure to medieval lit, it might not be aaaas enjoyable as it could be? I do think it’s fine as-is, but a lot of the narrative tension relies on notions of honour and virtue that are very much of the time and place. But if you feel like you have a handle on those ideas already, or if you find a version with a solid introduction, I’d say definitely go for it!

Or else, I think ???? it was Ellian (@/ pendraegon) who once suggested starting with Chrétien de Troyes’ Yvain, the Knight of the Lion for a more intro-level exploration of honour and chivalry. Unlike the others I’ve mentioned above, he is a French author and was writing in the late 12th century. He is one of the first Arthurian romance writers (romance here meaning something different than our modern understanding) and is the originator of the Lancelot / Guinevere love affair. Chrétien’s other stories are good as well but less suitable for an intro, except maaaaaybe Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart if you’re a big Lancelot fan (or I guess Perceval if you’re keen on the Grail Quest, but that one – while it is the origin of the Grail – is unfinished. Queue a bunch of continuations that were written by other people to finish this story, who added the “holy” part to the Holy Grail).

Or if you want an intro that is more about Arthur, I’d recommend the Alliterative Morte Arthure which is a Middle English poem from ~1400. It – like its buddy the Green Knight above – is written in alliterative verse. This one covers the latter part of Arthur’s life – so not his birth or the sword in the stone, but rather his fight with Rome, his betrayal by Mordred, etc. This one is inspired more by the chronicle tradition (while the Green Knight is more inspired by the romance tradition). This means that it has more in common with Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain (c. 1136, written in Latin) than it does with Chretien. But it's way less dry and boring than the chronicles lol, especially Simon Armitage’s translation.

There are shorter stories that would be good little tasters that I could recommend, but they’re not as easy to find in your library or second-hand bookstore. You should check out Lou / Jack’s (@/ gringolet) intro post and Ellian’s (@ / pendraegon) post as well. They have links to PDFs of shorter stories and also links to good translations of the medieval lit I’ve suggested above. These posts touch on traditions from places that aren't England or France, which I high-key recommend diving into when you feel ready. They also give a bit of an intro to genre and form, if you’re keen on that 😊

I'll also send you to a post of mine that pulls together free audio versions of some Arthurian stories / texts both medieval and modern.

Finally, if you've set yourself the (big! and fun!) project of getting into Arthuriana, I’d recommend digging up a copy of Alan Lupack’s The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend, either from your library or for cheap somewhere if that’s an option for you. There’s a bazillion different traditions and even more stories that can all be labelled as "Arthuriana", so knowing how what you’re reading ties into the bigger picture can be really helpful (just search the text you're reading in the index of Lupack’s book, you’ll likely need to use its untranslated name).

I hope there's something in this post that interests you and helps you get started. Let me know if you have questions about any of this - and enjoy! 🏰 🗡️ 🐉

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Ready to rec some awesome fics that I read this month!! Feel free to add on with some of your own Bagginshield recs. 😁

March 2024 Rec List

G Rated:

A Home, A Pack, A Place of Love by Lucigoo89 (WIP, 4K, 2ch.)- You can't keep me away from puppy fics! Deciding to run away from home, Corgi Bilbo takes puppy Frodo and escapes into the streets which might not be that friendly to the small animals. The love between Frodo and Bilbo is already so adorable and we haven't even met any company members yet!

To Court a King by Porphyrios (Complete, 19K, 1ch.)- This fic has been recced a lot recently and it's totally worth it! Bilbo and Thorin have decided to court, only some are worried about the worthiness of such a match. I have reread this fic twice just this month alone.

T Rated:

Desperate Magic by BeautifulFiction (Complete, 5K, 1ch.)- This is one of those fics that is worth revisting again and again. On the brink of death, Bilbo sees it in himself to tend to Thorin's hair. It's such a unique kind of Everybody Lives fic, and I just get overwhelmed by the love in this story.

Frozen Heart by snowmissus (soul_of_blaze) (WIP, 7K, 3ch.)- When Danny first promoted this fic on tumblr I was 100% invested. Erebor is trapped in a forever winter and Bilbo is brought to see if he can help. I can't wait to see what all is in store for this fic because the setup is spectacular.

Golden Hearts Bleed Faster by LordOfTheRazzles (WIP, 3K, 1ch.)- I've been waiting for Razzy to release this fic. Bilbo Baggins is the Prince of the Shire and in need of a new bodyguard, Thorin. Bilbo is just so sassy and you can tell this is going to lead to some good antics between the duo.

There and Not Back Again (or, The Saving of Erebor) by femmbingley (WIP, 164K, 49ch.)- There's so much to say about this fic. Post-BOTFA dwarven politics where Bilbo has assumed the duties of the consort which makes things more difficult for Dain. I really love the characterizations and I just can't get enough of this fic!

M Rated:

A heart of stone and Fire in his soul by Lucigoo89 (Complete, 3K, 1ch.)- This fic is chock full of beautiful metaphors. Bilbo's introspection on his thoughts of Thorin during their first standoff with Azog. Honestly, this is one of my favorite Goo fics.

E Rated:

Kurdu 'abadaz by LordOfTheRazzles (WIP, 34K, 6ch.)- This is unlike any Post-BOTFA fic I've ever read. The magic of the Arkenstone brings Thorin back to life for a purpose: help the trapped souls of Erebor. There's such a touching scene between Thorin and his amad that has me in pieces over this fic!

Sleep Alone; Start All Over by vicious_summer (WIP, 56K, 3ch.)- I'm still thoroughly enjoying this fic so far. After an accident, Bilbo is the one who ends up losing about seven years worth of memories including the fact that he’s married to the King Under the Mountain. I’m just always so impressed with vicious_summer’s writing style as it has a more Book!Bilbo vibe.

[milkteamoon]

As I know you are also a season 3 jmart enjoyer I humbly ask for your fic recs of that dynamic. There are frankly not enough and not every one of them are tagged properly for me to find. (Is just adore them~)

FELLOW S3 ENJOYER! I hear your plight, I am shaking your hand!!! S3 jmart is definitely one of those things that I find particularly difficult to find as the general fan focus seems to be on: s3 jontim (valid) and s4 jmart (also valid), but I do have a few I can give you that I particularly enjoy, and hope you will do the same!

Beholding the GDPR by shinyopals: a series of email exchanges regarding the Magnus Institute and its newest data security policies. This fic is fucking hilarious and I laughed out loud several times when I first read it.

Patchwork by masokissme: Jon dealing with the repercussions of being kidnapped by the circus. This one made me go OUGHHH and fall to my knees dramatically when I first read it but it's so very very good.

A Deeply Annoying Child by ajkal2: a leitner, a kid, and some complicated relationships. Jmart isn't really the focus of this one but it's such a good s3 fic I can't help but include it.

His Serenities, Which Were So Few by the_ragnarok: Jon has difficulties after Jude Perry, so Martin gives him a hand. This one is very sweet and really captures the almost-there of s3 feelings.

What Survives of Us by wildehack: okay listen. Listen. I know you're going to open this and say "this isn't s3, this is post canon!" but TRUST ME ON THIS ONE! Trust me when I say this is the best s3-not-s3 jmart out there. I have a lot of emotions about this fic and it's great. Definitely read it.