#livinginrhythm

[rwrbficrecs]

June Faves

It’s that time of the month again!! Here’s a few fics I read in June ✨ It’s a bit of a short list for June because I got sucked into a new ship *cough tarlos cough* – but we’re only halfway through this month and I already know July’s post is probably going to be pretty long! Hope you enjoy these as much as I did ❤️

Fall Into You by lucy_in_the_sky I’m a sucker for fics where Henry’s a nurse – combine that with hurt/comfort and I’m there. Alex is a tad clumsy and of course it’s Henry that’s having to deal with patching him up. Also a big fan of Nora’s characterization in this fic! I truly loved this fic so much – definitely one I’ll be coming back to a lot in the future. 

i'd lie by greenandmoss Wow this fic was amazing – I can’t describe how much I loved it. I really felt for Henry in this fic – at times I wanted to shake him so bad, but also I understood where he was coming from. This fic was so beautifully written and was one of those fics that had me thinking about it long after I'd finished 😌

pride is not the word i’m looking for by @livinginrhythm This fic made me realize we’re severely lacking in Leo content. I loved reading something from Leo’s POV and getting more of insight into his character! This is a lovely must read

group therapy by @stutteringpeach This one is hilarious – but it also made me want to sink deep into the ground from second-hand embarrassment. That didn’t stop me from rereading it at least 5 times though 😅

Tell Me All Your Secrets by @everwitch-magiks I have to admit I was apprehensive about reading a fic where Henry dates Liam 😂 but I love everything Evie writes so I knew I was going to love this story regardless of my initial feelings on Henry/Liam. Knowing that it’s Henry/Alex end game was reassuring though, and the progression to that point was very satisfying! (The pining!!) I loved how New York Prite was featured in this fic and seeing Henry & Alex attend was so lovely. 

The Spirit of Giving by @cha-melodius They're neighbours in this fic (which I'm always down for 😂) and I loved how Alex's competitive side really comes out in this! Also fair warning this fic will make you crave some good Mexican food 🥲

and then i was a careless fool (and i fell in love with you) by newmoonrising A canon divergence fic where Henry is still a Prince and Alex is still the First son but make it a Soulmate AU (with a touch of bed sharing)! As someone who loves soulmate fics I don't know how I hadn't discovered this gem sooner ❤️

you took the time to memorize me (my fears, my hopes, my dreams) by @coffeecatsme Alex is a tour guide and I love how their relationship develops even though there’s so much physical distance between them. I didn’t know it was possible but this fic made me hate Mary even more 😩

That's What You Get For Waking Up in Vegas by bleedingballroomfloor Exes to Lovers !! Getting back together!! (at this point I’m just shouting the tags but really this fic was great and you need to read it – also it’s set in Las Vegas c’mon as if that’s not reason enough)

let me take you in by @livinginrhythm This was such a funny story and I love when Henry gets himself into situations that are completely avoidable, but they lead him to Alex so can he really complain? Another story I loved so much I reread it many many times!

Are You Screwing With Me? by @rmd-writes Didn’t know I needed a Grindr meet-cute AU until I read this and it was perfect. While you’re at it, there’s two other stories in this series for two other fandoms !!

(all of me changed like) midnight rain by @coffeecatsme This fic really makes you feel for Alex – it deals with his parents divorce and just wow 🥺

The Sky is Open by @cha-melodius I am often in awe at some of the AU’s authors come up with to dump Henry & Alex in and this was one of them. Unexpected and a very delightful read!

midnight train going anywhere by greenandmoss Loved this fic – Henry & Alex meet on a midnight train and I don’t know what else to say about this fic without spoiling it, so just go read it!  

✨WIP✨

Every Star That's Ever Fallen Knows the Way to Where We're Going by @dracowillhearaboutthis I love Henry & Alex as childhood friends, so following this WIP was a no brainer. Having Arthur alive is also a lovely bonus ❤️

Little Matters by @pridepages I’m loving reading along as this fic gets updated! Henry is the guardian of his niece and it’s such a beautiful story so far 🥺

[rmd-writes]

We found it! It’s Breathing In, Breathing Out by @livinginrhythm - there's no video call and it's Alex helping Henry use it, but I think that's the fic you're after

Hi! I'm so sorry to bother you but you and your followers have been very helpful with this in the past. I'm hoping for help finding a fic. It's a RWRB fic where Alex goes out to trivia with some friends and wins a vibrator and Henry helps him use it, I think maybe over video call? I have looked through all my bookmarks and can't find it. I really feel like it is by somebody in your circle of spectacular authors but it's possible I'm wrong. Thanks in advance and I hope you're well!

Hi anon! There's absolutely no need to apologise, I'm happy to try and help find a fic for you if I can!

I don't know this particular fic and asked a few friends and while it sounds familiar to at least one person, none of us can find it. The trivia game in particular has us stumped (and an ao3 search failed me). Can you remember when you read it or any other details?

What I can point you towards are these fics that partially meet your brief in that Alex & Henry use sex toys via video call:

good vibrations by @indomitable-love

the epilogue to A Sporting Chance by @clottedcreamfudge

and also The Red Side Goes Up by cmere where they test out using a butt plug for the first time

If anyone is familiar with the particular fic anon is referring to, please let us know! 💖

[in-my-head-i-do-everything-right]

Harry/Allie: I'm the one you never thought to look for. You're the only one I see.

i’m the only one you never thought to look for. you're the only one I see

She was seven and he was eight.

Allie always says that she doesn’t remember the story past that, that the only part she really, truly knows is the start. She says that Harry’s always been the one to color it in, all vivid and bright, until it lights up enough that she can’t help but think that what she’s telling is her own.

“How do you not remember?” he’ll ask over and over, almost incredulous, incredibly fond.

She’ll shrug, and he’ll roll his eyes and go on telling it to whoever’s there to listen.

She doesn’t remember pushing him out of the tree or chasing him across the playground. She doesn’t remember kissing him on a dare or stealing his baseball cap or telling him all of her secrets just for fun.

She was peculiar and intense, he’ll say, and he’ll look right at her as he says it, his look a mixture of admiration and something else, something she’s never quite been able to place.

Any other boy with a smile like that would tear her apart. Not him, though. No, never Harry.

-

He’s smiling at her from across the room.

She’s right next to the Christmas tree, keeps bumping into that ornament Harry made when he was five, the one that looks out of place amongst the silver and gold of everything else. She’s talking to his aunt, his Dad’s sister, the one who’s always going on and on about freedom.

There’s something about Bingham’s and freedom, something in the way they talk about it, like it gives a person the strength to live forever.

Harry always talks about freedom so reverently, in a way that’s so incredibly unlike him. He’s so serious about it. You’re not bound by anything, he’ll say. Don’t you want that, Pressman?

She wonders if there’s a difference in being bound by someone and being bound to someone. She wonders if he knows the answer. She wonders if the answer matters as much to him as it does to her.

Because sometimes she thinks that they’ve been holding onto each other for their entire lives, and sometimes she worries that she’ll never be able to let him go.

His aunt is still talking, going on and on about fast cars and danger and how there’s a sort of freedom in that too, but Allie’s not listening to any of it. Because Harry’s walking over and there’s confidence, so much confidence in his stride. She can’t remember a year she didn’t attend this Christmas party; she was here when Cassandra was sick, and was here when her Grandfather died, and she’ll probably come back here long after she’s out of West Ham. Still, she doesn’t have anywhere near that much confidence in her step. She probably never will.

Faintly, it’s registering that he’s saying something, something like, I’m going to have to steal Allie away for a moment. And then his hand is on the small of her back, and that’s constant and familiar and confident, and his aunt is laughing, and she’s still talking about freedom still going on and on even without a proper audience.

“So, where’s my thank you?”

She blinks up at him. They’re in the kitchen now, the holiday music suddenly faint. She doesn’t know if she misses it. She likes hearing him hum along to the classics. He could probably make a career out of that, out of Christmas music or just performing in general. She’d pay to watch him perform. She can’t be alone in that.

“What?” she asks.

He laughs. “For saving you from my aunt. You looked bored out of your mind.”

She’s smiling, playing with the edges of her dress but still staring up at him, always at him. “It happens every year. You’d think I’d know how to escape by now.”

“Well, you’ve got me to save you, Pressman.”

“Always?” she asks, purposefully not soft. Never soft. They’re not going to do that again. She’s not going to let them fall back into that.

“Always,” he echoes, and it’s soft anyways, almost defiantly soft. She can hear her heart beat loud in her chest, traitorous and booming and also familiar, just like everything else that comes along with him.

He grabs her a slice of that flourless chocolate cake his mom always has the caterers make. It’s because it’s Allie’s favorite, and it’s because the Bingham’s always seem to remember stuff like that. Harry probably knows her better than she knows herself, and he probably always has.

“What’d you get me for Christmas this year?” she asks. It’s a routine now, has been since they were little, back when she was pushing him out of trees and chasing him around playgrounds.

“I thought we were past presents, Pressman.”

“Well that’s good to hear because I didn’t get you anything.”

He grins over at her. “That’s a lie.”

Her face scrunches up, her fork scraping the plate, Harry pushing his last bite of cake towards her. “I guess you’ll never know.”

Karen slips into the kitchen at that moment, rolling her eyes when she sees the two of them. She smiles first at Harry, like there’s a secret in the air that Allie isn’t aware of, and she her gaze shifts to Allie, turns soft.

“I swear to God if you two ate all the cake…” she jokes, and Allie lets out a light laugh, turning to Harry like they have a secret, like they’re co-conspirators, partners in crime. Only he’s looking at her with something akin to admiration in his eyes, admiration mixed with something else, that look that she’s never quite been able to place.

“I think I’ll miss this, once I’m gone,” he’s saying, probably to her, but she’s too caught up in the sound of her heart to really be paying much attention. Here he goes again, on and on about freedom. Maybe one day she’ll remind him that it’s not possible to live forever, no matter how free you are. Maybe one day she’ll remind him that it’s okay to attach yourself to someone. Anyone.

Her.

A boy like him with a smile like that… Harry’s always been the only one with the power to tear her apart. It’s always ever only been him.

Yeah, only him.

send me song lyrics and a pairing and i’ll write you a drabble

[lost-n-stereo]

A/N: Prompt by @livinginrhythm Hallie + “Come and kiss me and let’s forget.”

She’s never been very good at keeping secrets.

Once when she was ten she told her parents about Cassandra having a boyfriend despite the rule that neither sister could date until high school. At thirteen she lost her best friend Samantha because she accidentally told another friend that her parents were getting a divorce, even though she’d been sworn to secrecy. It’s not that she means to tell other people’s secrets. It’s just that sometimes her mouth works faster than her brain and everything just sort of comes tumbling out before she can stop it.

It’s kind of funny, when she thinks about it, that now that she has a secret of her own it’s not that hard keeping her mouth shut about it.

There’s a knock on her door around midnight, the same knock that comes almost every night like clockwork. It’s actually a surprise that no one has caught on to them yet, since it’s a small town with a bunch of nosy teenagers with absolutely nothing to do. Grizz made a comment about them once, about how Harry is always just a little nicer to her than anyone else, but Allie’d just laughed, told him that it was probably only because he wanted something from her at the time.

She doesn’t let him in, because she doesn’t have to. The knock is just to let her know that he’s there because one time she’d been doing dishes at the sink, and he’d come up behind her without making a sound and almost ended up with a fork piercing his hand. After that they both decided that it’d be best if he made himself known upon showing up.

“Al?”

Tonight she’s reading in the living room, her knees up and under a blanket her mother knitted her when she was a baby. It’s hard sometimes, not knowing if she’ll ever see her family again, but she’s thankful for little things like this that make her feel closer to home.

“In here.”

She can feel him enter the room seconds later but she doesn’t look up from her book until she’s reached the end of the page. When she finally looks up he’s leaning against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room, watching her with this little smile on his face.

“What?”

The way he pushes away from the wall is criminally sexy and she grins as he takes the book from her hands but makes sure to put her bookmark in place before he closes it. “You’re cute when you’re ignoring me.”

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” she says with a laugh. “It was just a really good chapter.”

“Is that so?” He asks, leaning down so his lips are just barely touching hers. She nods, which makes their lips brush against each others. “I think you like it when I chase you.”

“Not really chasing me when you know exactly where I live, now is it?”

Harry chuckles, pulls down the blanket so he can run his hand down her bare leg until his fingers are encircling her ankle. “So much sass coming from the Pressman house tonight,” he says as he tugs her ankle so her legs are lying flat. Her breath hitches when he comes in even closer without kissing her, which seems impossible since he’s right there. “Don’t run,” he whispers before closing the distance and she sighs into his kiss, lets him slide his tongue against hers as she pulls him down on top of her.

It might be stupid, getting into a…she’s not sure what they have can be classified as a relationship. Sometimes Allie thinks he might be the only person that truly understands her, in a way that Will never could, in a way that even Cassandra never did. But when they are together she doesn’t feel the weight of the world on her shoulders. She doesn’t feel the ever growing pressure to somehow find them a way home, or to make it so everyone is safe and taken care of.

Harry makes her feel like she should, like a girl on the edge of adulthood that should be worrying about college applications and what she’s going to wear to the prom. He makes her feel beautiful and wanted, treasured even. For a few hours, lying in his arms, it’s like the rest of the world fades and she can forget, just for a little while about how shitty life is beyond the four walls of her bedroom.

“Your mind is somewhere else right now,” he says, dipping down to kiss her collarbone. The way he looks up at her from under his lashes is distracting. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Absolutely nothing,” she says with a laugh and he smiles, knows it’s a lie but doesn’t pressure her to talk about it. And that right there is why they work so well together. After sunrise and before sunset they both belong to the town in one way or another but in those few hours in between they only belong to each other. She wiggles around a bit, which makes him chuckle, and when she’s standing up she holds her hand out and waits for him to take it before walking towards the stairs.

Later, when they are lying on their backs in her bed with a little space in between them since its summer and too hot to cuddle, Harry moves his pinkie over the side of her bare thigh until she turns her head to look at him.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

The moon is bright through her window and it’s almost annoying how handsome he is in her bed, hair messed up from her fingers and a serious look on his face so she knows he’s not just saying things. She told him once that he says too many things he doesn’t mean and he’s been trying to prove her wrong ever since.

“I know,” she whispers, reaching over to smooth the crease between his brows. His lips find the inside of her wrist when she does it and it makes her smile how gentle he is with her. Maybe Grizz was right, maybe next time he makes a comment like that she’ll blurt out the truth and end the longest amount of time that she’s ever kept a secret.

But then Harry’s pulling her on top of him and kissing down her throat, making her forget once again about the outside world and what awaits them both in the morning.

[hallie-fics]

author spotlight - smc_27

When they’re grabbing her handcuffs behind her back, pulling her back towards the car, she turns her head and finds Harry’s eyes. He looks scared, and she almost calls him a coward, but knows he’s very well aware that he is one. He just is.She won’t look away from him. He needs to know, too, that he did this. He did this.Maybe the only thing that’s real between them is the fact that he could do something about it and doesn’t. Maybe that’s all there is.

Everything’s Blurry But You @livinginrhythm​

This author is easily one of my favorites for this fandom. Their dialogue and how they write the hallie dynamic is pretty much unparalleled. I always know that a story is going to be good when I see that they wrote it.

q & a

Favorite of your stories (and why)

So far (for this pairing) I really like Words Are Too Hard To Keep On Their Own. Those who know me from other fandoms know I’m an angst-fiend, but for this pairing I’m really drawn to the idea of an easiness between them. I really thought (and think) that AUs are sort of the only way to make that happen without making everyone out of character. I also just love Portland, so it was fun to think about them in that city. I also tend to be really into imagining what characters will be like once they’re through their ���asshole’ phase.

Easiest story to write

Definitely the NYE story (By The Coast When I Held your Hand). Not only because it’s short, but because I had a pretty clear idea of the beginning and the ending, and filling in the blanks was simple enough. I have a Very Bad Habit of writing incredibly long stories; even my ‘drabbles’ are thousands of words. This one, though, was done in a couple hours. (I have also started a followup to it, so you may see that eventually…)

Hardest story to write

A post-S1 WIP that was literally the second thing I started writing for this pairing! It’s 15k words currently and I’m really struggling to wrap it up. Probably because so much time has passed between when I started it, and now. I’m really hoping to finish it very soon and post it. 

Pre-writing process (if any)

Usually it goes like this: Get an inkling of an idea, or line of dialogue in my head, flail about it to friends. Say that I shouldn’t start a new thing when I have WIPs that could use attention. Start anyway. I’m not a big outliner (though I know that would likely be more productive!). I usually just sit down and start writing and see what happens. 

When I used to write multi-chapter stories, I would never post the first chapter until I was completely done writing the story. This was for a few reasons, the most important of which being that in the beginning, I found the pressure to update and suggestions from readers really threw me off and were sort of demotivating. 

I also read/edit everything twice before posting, and then read again once it’s posted and usually have to go back and fix little things I didn’t catch the first time. I’ve never really used a beta, or anything, though I definitely share WIPs with friends who read them and help encourage me!

Hopes for season 2

Honestly, I have a few different things I’d love to see happen, and I say them all with pretty much no hope they’ll be true to what happens on screen. 

One, I think it would be sooo interesting if S2 showed us an alternate universe in which everything is normal. They never went to New Ham, and are just typical high school students with typical high school drama. I want to see how Harry and Kelly break up, how Allie and Will interact, how/if Sam and Grizz get together. And ultimately, I still want Harry and Allie to hook up, and then to see what happens afterward in a world where nothing is as messed up as New Ham. 

Two, I want there to be a focus on getting Campbell the eff out of the way, by whatever means necessary. I of course want Allie to have a hand in that. I’m really interested to see how they handle her ‘arrest’. (This is, mostly, what prompted me to start my post-S1 fic, and I’ve explored that a lot.) 

Three, Harry Bingham redemption arc! Writers can feel free to slot this into any and all storylines/ideas for S2. 

Favorite line (or lines) that you’ve written for a hallie fic/ a section that you’re really proud of.

I really like this, from you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes: She feels the deep breaths he takes - three in a row, like some kind of coping mechanism. It’s what her mom always used to tell her to do, when she’d be mad at Cassandra for taking all the attention. Even now, she’s got to wonder why she was always the one who had to do something about it, and why Cassandra was never asked to change anything about herself. It’s not the time to think of that. It’s never the time to think of that.

I also love the whole bit in Everything’s Blurry But You when they’re outside alone on the terrace at the wedding and Harry tells her, “Trust me. I know what being in love with you looks like.”

What type of Hallie stories do you like to write/read? (canon divergence, modern au, soulmate au, etc)

Any and all, thank you. As long as it’s well-written, I can get into it.

How long have you been writing for?

I’ve been writing fanfic for over 10 years now.

How has your writing style evolved over time?

I used to write a lot of multi-chapter stories with long, winding plots. Now I stick mostly to oneshots or what ends up being two or three part stories with really long chapters. I also revisit old fic sometimes and cringe; I’ve gotten much more comfortable writing dialogue that feels believable. 

Do you ever worry about how your stories are received?

Who doesn’t!? 

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Just...doing it. Finding the time and then also being inspired/focused when the time is available. I also tend to write better late at night, but do require a regular sleep schedule and have a 9-5ish, so staying up super late isn’t the best idea for me!

Do you get writers block and if so how do you deal with it?

Of course - I think everyone does at some point or another. Honestly, I try to be gentle with myself and not force it. I can feel it in my writing when things aren’t flowing as well. The actual stories feel clunky and slow. I also find it helps to read other peoples’ work or watch really good shows/content to get inspired or take a break from trying to make words happen. Sometimes I’ll ask friends for prompts to help me get into a flow, which feels like less pressure than diving back into a WIP.

Favorite Hallie headcanon?

That they had all these little interactions pre-New Ham. We know they weren’t strangers, so I just love to think about the ways they’d interact before. Conversations they may have had, looks they shared, and if I’m being honest, all the times Harry would’ve flirted with Allie. I feel like he would’ve done it just to annoy Cassandra, and I am here for it.

This is definitely one of my favorite author spotlights. I love @livinginrhythm‘s hopes for season two, and I can’t wait for any more potential stories by them! Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions!

[jennyhoyt]

livinginrhythm replied to your post “fanfic reader/ writer what got you into reading? and writing? WHO got...”

thank you for clearing up this myth that has been perpetuated for like 10 years. (but also wow fanfic really out here just accessible to everyone...)

It’s really a dangerous world where any 13 year old could go on ask jeeves....and find things

[dopemixtape]

When your friend sends you a song because it gives her Lucy/Wyatt feels even though she doesn’t even go here yet!

I’mma wear you down, @livinginrhythm!

[jandjsalmon]

2021 Fic Reading Challenge Stats Dec & Year Round-up

Okay, folks. I’ve completed the stats for my year of fic reading. They ended up being pretty interesting, to me at least. Ha ha. In 2021, I read (or reread) over 18 million words, 4409 chapters, and 1130 different stories. There were 505 unique authors, and I explored 60 different fandoms with 99 unique ships. It was a year for falling in love with new pairings and reading a lot of old favourites too. I also completed the @fanfic-reading-challenge​ (and the 2022 round is starting in the next week or so - if you want to get in on the ground floor. It’s a lot of fun and there will be easy/hard/extreme sections this year if you’re up for it!)

I wanted to slide in first with December numbers (and a Matrix fic rec as well) before I hit the pie charts for the year - but the post is long - so I’m going to slip everything under a cut. 

Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for stories and pairings and who shared their favourites stories with me and who wrote some of my own favourites. I could not have gotten through this year without you and I’m SO grateful for you. 🥰

My December Stats:

I read 74 fics, 235 chapters, and 819,264 words this month. The pairing I read the most was (not surprisingly) Bughead with 38 fics. Many of those were all the wonderful holiday stories. I loved the @bugheadsecretsanta this year. You guys are all immensely talented.

In case you’re interested, one of the most exciting stories I started this month was called “The Dream Chronicles” by @trin303 -- a Neo/Trinity fic that is amazingly epic and I’m VERY excited to be subscribed now as it continues. If you like the Matrix then you should check it out. 

OKAY - now for the yearly stats!!

(What that little note next to the unique titles number means is that I reread 42 stories more than once this year... in fact, there were a couple I read more than a few times. I apologize in advance if you were one of the authors who got a review from me... and then you got another one... and possibly another one on the same story. Ha ha).

I thought this was fun... I read a lot of Bughead (that’s no secret) - but one of the other pairings that showed up with large numbers was a pairing I’d never read before this year. 2021 was my first year with Bucky Barnes and Darcy Lewis. 

The author stat was interesting. Most of the stories I read this year were written by a large variety of different authors. 77% of the authors wrote ten or fewer of the 1130 stories I read... but then that 23% was full of 11 authors who wrote many more than that so I wanted to single them out. The pie above shows that 23% and what percentage of that pie belonged to each author. So extra love to @thepointoftheneedle @livinginrhythm @winterlovesong1 @darknessaroundus @likemereckless @imreallyloveleee @sullypants @edgarsabandonedrocketship @leftennant @mynewblackdress & @like-romeoandjuliet-love

And lastly -- the list of stories I reread over and over again this year...

My Top Five Re-Reads in 2021

The Space Between  by @bugheadsextape (Bughead - LD Co-workers) - this was my quarantine reread. I read this more than any other fic this year. It’s one of my favourite fics in the fandom. I love it.

What Will Survive  by @thepointoftheneedle (Bughead - Historical AU) - this one only came out in November and I reread it more times than most others. I really really loved this one.

They Talked Enough Sense Until I Lost My Mind by  @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Pelle/Dani - Post Canon)

To be Alone with You by @darknessaroundus  (Bughead - Futuristic Dystopia)

Thy People Shall Be My People by WriterKimP (Ruth/Idgie - Missing Scene)

---

I shall be starting the 2022 fanfic reading challenge again - and I’m still keeping track of my words and fics read for the year. I may do some reporting a bit differently though. It’s a balancing act. Last year, I posted weekly - with a list of all the fics I read with links. Some people really liked it because it made them aware of new fics to read. Some people thought it was too much. But then this stats round-up didn’t really link all the stories - just the ones I loved the most and my favourites aren’t always everyone else’s. I’ll figure it out - but if any of you have suggestions, I’m all ears.

Have a wonderful 2022, my friends. Thanks for being here.

[cadetcama]

Hey! I need your The Society fic recs ASAP!

Oh Anon! You don’t know what you asked for! This got a little out of hand but no regrets! I mean, I’m sure I missed some but this is a good list! I’m bolding my absolute faves (which really just means I’ve reread it), but please know, I love all of these and will reread them (if I haven’t already...) 

General AUs: 

when i’m feeling alone, you remind me of home (baby, baby, merry christmas) - by @jjmaybank/wolfchester (updated w/ their tumblr) - Christmas and fake-dating! 

rein it in by @rae-of-fricking-sunshine - a SLOW BURN equestrian AU that makes me want to ride horses and also had several lines that made me lose my mind

we were meant to be but a twist of fate by screwthatloveshit -  childhood friends to lovers - harry has a lot of feelings for allie. it takes them a while to get it together. 

words are too hard to keep on their own by @livinginrhythm - Harry & Allie as coworkers

you’re one of the few things that i’m sure of by @livinginrhythm - quarantine/covid AU with established hallie 

 someday we’re gonna know too much to know it all by @livinginrhythm - only 2/11 chapters posted and its a childhood friends to lovers au that I wanna wear alike a sweater

remember it’s all pretend by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right - hollywood AU (and also childhood rivals to friends!) 

give me your worst excuses by @new-hams - fake dating!! need I say more? (also i’m a big fan of the song the title is based on)

when we’re underneath the lights my heart’s no longer broken (for a moment) by @brazilianchild - Harry and Allie are cast in Romeo and Juliet... if only the play didn’t have so many parallels to their real lives (SECRET RELATIONSHIP AU)

take my heart and we can hold it together by @livinginrhythm - Harry and Allie as adults, and neighbors

love is what you deserve by @brazilianchild - fake dating! Allie needs a date to a wedding and of course Harry’s willing to go

Season 1 AUs:

every perfect summer’s eating me alive by @screaminghalfpastmidnight​ - halllie as childhood friends, who fall apart to fall back together

the ones we leave behind by @dystopians​ - Harry and Allie get left behind on the day of the field trip. I’m legit checking every day to see if ch 4 is posted. I want to write fics about this fic

we’re all the things that we do for fun by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - Harry and Allie end up in New Ham alone... what could possibly go wrong?

someday I’ll need your spine to hide behind by restlessqueen (if someone knows their tumblr, let me know!) - A soulmate AU AND accidental bedsharing (what could be better?) 

you’re my best friend (so we’re dancing in this world alone) by @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - another hallie as friends before New Ham

there you are (I hear you calling) by @new-hams​ - Hallie wakes up back in West Ham, seemingly the only two who remember New Ham. A fic that I wish I could erase from my brain to reread for the first time all over again. I want to write fics about this fic too (its a thing for me, just go with it)

i’ll stop the world (and melt with you) - @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right​ - Groundhog Day meets New Ham - Allie’s living the same day over and over

Season 2 fics: 

you should see me in a crown by @livinginrhythm​ - After s1, Allie’s on house arrest. One of the first I read for this fandom, and the one that convinced me to watch the show... 

Swan Song by @dystopians​ - Season 2, Harry realizes he made a mistake, Allie wants a quiet life, and they figure out how to run New Ham 

also, if I mistaged anyone, or you know the tumblr of an author I didnt tag, please let me know!! 

[societybabylon]

if anyone is looking for the society fanfic (esp. harry x allie fic) to fill the hole created by the show’s cancelation, please check out @in-my-head-i-do-everything-right and @new-ham and @livinginrhythm!

there’s a lot of other talented writers in the fandom too—those were just the ones that I thought of off the top of my head.

[ncisjes]

Tagged by @benditlikepress 💕

here are the songs I’m listening to on repeat at the moment:

What’s Up? 4 Non Blondes

Wicked Game Chris Isaak

...Baby One More Time The Maria’s

With or Without You U2

Creep Radiohead

Time of the Season The Zombies

Amour Plastique Videoclub

Tieduprightnow Parcels

Vérité Claire Laffut

Can’t Stand Me Now The Libertines

Por Qué Me Fui A Enamorar de Ti? Mon Laferte

Waiting for You The Aces

Basta Ya The Marías

Tagging: @rareshbones @harmandmac @livinginrhythm

[rwrbficrecs]

Hi! Do you have any favourite one shots that you would recommend? Can be any topic or trope or AU or canonverse! It's just that I love reading one shots before bed and would love to have some more recs 😊 Thank you for all you do!

Hello! I also love reading one-shots / short fics before bed 🥰 Here’s a super random selection from my faves, hope you enjoy! (If you run out - feel free to request more! I have plenty more I can rec😂)

(baby) don't make me spell it out by @extasiswings Competent Guardians of Horny Little Miscreants by M0ssPiglet in sickness, and in health by softcinnamonroll Little Secrets Grow Up To Be Big Lies by @dracowillhearaboutthis Love and Hate at the Farmers' Market by @myheartalivewrites Make it Good by @livinginrhythm midnight kisses and missed countdowns by viciouslyqueer My Odds Are Stacked by @clottedcreamfudge One Number Away by @livinginrhythm Pitching a Tent by @omgcmere spread (me on your) sheets by @everwitch-magiks The Mystery of Alex Claremont-Diaz's Boyfriend by @sherryvalli Want you BRIMNESxt to me by @clottedcreamfudge You Are the Wave I Could Never Tame by bleedingballroomfloor

[the-villageidiot]

spell your url with some of your favourite songs and tag your mutuals:

Tagged by @gramjams because, and I quote:

Tonight, tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins

How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths

Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill

-

Vision Of Love - Mariah Carey

I Like That - Janelle Monae

Love Drought - Beyoncé

Linger - The Cranberries

Almeda- Solange

Good As Hell - Lizzo

Elastic Heart - Sia

I Like It - Cardi B

Droppin’ - Leikeli47

ICONIC - Logic

Oh! Darling - The Beatles

Talia - King Princess

Tagging: @crayonboxhearts @queenvibranium @missed-my-stop @livinginrhythm if I’m going down I’m taking everybody with a long sn with me!

[in-my-head-i-do-everything-right]

Hiiii. With the society being tragically cancelled (I am SO angry) i want to follow more hallie blogs that are keeping this ship alive!! Do you have any recs?

Thank you!!!

the society being cancelled is truly my villain origin story. i will never get over it. ever.

honestly, i'm not as active on here as i'd like so i'm not super familiar w a ton of hallie blogs. however. @livinginrhythm and @new-ham both post w some regularity Amazing hallie fics (the type that i will never stop recommending. one of them is almost finished posting this incredible hallie actor/director au and the other is in the middle of a time loop fic). and @jjmaybank also has some hallie content (their peaky blinders au-- 10/10).

@brazilianchild also writes hallie fics that i would die for (they wrote a school play au that made me cry). @hallie-prxssman also has some hallie content, though i’m not sure how active they are. and @hallie-fics has some great fic recs!

if anyone else has some more hallie blog recs, please let me know!

[lost-n-stereo]

Harry/Allie: Decision

“Let’s go to California! They have beaches and Disneyland and Hollywood.”

Harry rolls his eyes, watches Allie’s finger as it draws lines across the map that’s laid out in front of her. She’s on her stomach with her legs bent in the air, her toenails painted a bright pink she swears makes her skin look tanner. Allie looks up at him with the question in her eyes and he shakes his head.

“Southern California will be packed full of parents and snotty kids on summer vacation. What else is on the list?”

She bites down on her bottom lip in the adorable way that he loves and scrolls through her phone. Knowing her she probably Googled The best road trips to take during the summer because he knows his girl and she’s nothing if not always informed. And the way he sees it, he’s got a stupidly fast car and almost bottomless pockets. Once they decide on where to go, he’s going to take her there and make sure she has the time of her life.

“New Orleans?”

“Hmm…too hot.”

“Texas?”

“Too country and also too hot.”

Allie snorts. “You do realize every state in the country has air conditioning right?”

“I’d just like to go outside without my face melting off. I mean, look at it, Al. This is my money maker,” he says, waving a finger in front of his face. “We both know you wouldn’t love me as much if I didn’t have all this going on.”

“You’re an idiot,” she says without heat as she continues scrolling on her phone. “North, then.”

She starts a new internet search, lists off a hundred (or like ten) more places that he shoots down.

“Look, if you don’t want to go…”

Her face sort of falls and he sighs, gets down on the floor with her and kisses her head. “Of course I want to go. I’m sorry for being indecisive.” He turns the map so it’s in front of both of them. “Look, let’s close our eyes and both point to somewhere on the map. If we don’t choose the same place, we meet in the middle.”

“Really? Just like that?”

Harry shrugs. “Why not? I can stop being an asshole that can’t make up his mind and we get a story we can tell our kids someday.”

Allie doesn’t say anything about his little slip up about their future and neither does he. They are still kids themselves, not even 20 yet. Allie just graduated high school and this whole road trip is to celebrate her finally joining him in New York in the fall. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t entertained the idea that they could be long term, as in maybe for the rest of his life. But for now he wants to be nineteen, spending three months on the road with a girl he can’t get enough of.

“Okay, let’s do it.”

They close their eyes and Harry counts them down, telling her to drop her finger anywhere on the count of three. He aims for north, or what he assumes to be north, because he wasn’t really joking about not wanting to go somewhere hot. He was born and raised in Connecticut where the summers are relatively mild. There’s no way he wants to sweat through all of his shirts before noon every day.

“Is your finger down?” She asks and he snorts and tells her that it is. “Okay, open your eyes.”

Harry looks down at the map and laughs. “No way did we choose the same spot.”

Allie smiles, looks at where they are both near the Oregon and Washington area. “Well, not exactly the same but I’d say we found our place.”

So that’s how they end up on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

There’s almost 3000 miles between them and their destination. They take turns driving, because Allie is a good driver and he trusts her with his car. She gives him this sexy as hell look when he tells her that while they are driving through Colorado, slides her aviators back down her face and puts her foot on the gas. It’s fucking sexy and he makes sure to tell her that when they stop for the night.

It takes them five days to get there, because they stop almost constantly so Allie can see this or that along the way. He doesn’t mind. She gets this cute little smile on her face as she takes photos of roadside attractions and she’s created a hashtag for Instagram to chronicle their entire trip. She’s fucking cute, sue him for noticing.

When they finally cross the border into Oregon she’s practically jumping in her seat. Crater Lake isn’t much further and he can’t wait to get out of this car and stretch his legs and breath in some fresh air. They plan to camp and hike, and he thinks it’ll be fun to teach her how to fish if she’s willing to learn. His dad taught him the summer he turned twelve and it’s something they did a lot together before he died.

They are both stunned silent when they see the lake for the first time. It’s the deepest in the country, the bluest thing he’s ever seen in his entire life.

“It’s fucking beautiful,” Allie says, her hand reaching down to hold his between them. “I’m so glad this is where we ended up.”

Harry tears his eyes away from the lake to look at her, the way the wind is whipping her hair around as her eyes dance across the landscape.

“Yeah,” he says quietly, as if not to disturb the serene stillness of their surroundings. “Me too.”

[hallie-fics]

By The Coast When I Held Your Hand - smc_27

Most of the time, she can go through her days without thinking of New Ham. Most days, it feels like a dream. They’re going on 4 years removed from it now. Applying to UCLA was mostly an impulse and definitely just something to appease her parents. Getting in was surprising, but it also felt, truly, like exactly what she needed. She didn’t think fucking Harry Bingham would end up here, too.

She hasn’t even finished her first glass of champagne - and therefore isn’t nearly drunk enough - when he walks through the door.

(or, a random NYE fic.)

ao3 @livinginrhythm

first of all, i’m absolutely in love with the title of this fic. it’s just so good. so pretty!

i think this is one of the first post new ham fics (or at least one of the first that treats new ham as this thing of the past, as something that’s incredibly important but not a main plot point). i really enjoyed it, getting a snapshot into allie’s life post everything. 

this fic felt very natural in the manner in which things were revealed. allie’s relationship (or lack of) with harry is one very clear example. how they knew each other once upon a time forever ago. how they’ve gone through all of this before.

and the ending was so amazing. it was open and clean and left things up for grabs. it left you wanting more while simultaneously creating a pretty clear conclusion. 

just like the other hallie fics by this writer, the dialogue is absolutely perfect! it all felt so right. and allie’s internal narration was great!!!

would 10/10 recommend this fic to anyone! a pretty quick read and something that i think hold up really well!