#reviews will be on Fridays and recs will be on Saturdays!

[gallafics]

𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚌'𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚜

Category — Fics for when you want something everyone and their mama has read! (No Major Spoilers)

“The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Ian Gallagher” by @goodkwuestion (Ao3)

Complete. 36 chapters. 309.8k words. Explicit. Graphic depictions of violence. AU. Slow Burn. Explicit sexual content. Mutual pining. Violence. Gun violence. Abuse. Drug use. Sexual harassment.

Everything about this fic is pure perfection. The plot, the dialogue, the dynamic, the chemistry. Ian and Mickey’s desire for one another is palpable from their first meeting. This story is thrilling and entertaining—extremely binge worthy and the cinematic style of writing will definitely have you glued to your device doing just that! (Full review — coming soon!)

“Like Real People Do” by @gallavichy (Ao3)

Complete. 19 chapters. 213.7k words. Explicit. No Warnings Apply. AU. Online dating. Escorting. Sexual inexperience. Fluff. Slow burn. Smut.

This story is home to one of my favorite Gallavich AU plot lines. It has some light moments of angst, but overall, it's a very light, romantic story with a wonderful balance of romance and comedy. I love the fact that Ian and Mickey don't physically meet for pretty much the first half of this story. I find it's just a tad more special when they finally come together in person. (Full review — coming soon!)

“Ransom” by @beckyharvey29 (Ao3)

Complete. 40 chapters. 110.9k words. Explicit. Graphic depictions of violence. AU. Slow burn. Angst. Gun violence. Kidnapping. Implied sexual assault. Drug use. Enemies to lovers. Angst with happy ending. Protective Mickey.

This is an amazing story that I finished in just one day. It has a darker tone, but it's not triggering. At its core, it's really a story about two men falling in love under high stakes. I particularly love Mickey's characterization in this fic. This story will make you feel everything—I laughed, cried, cringed, felt the angsty moments intensely, and the romantic scenes were intense too. It's definitely a must read! (Full review - coming soon!)

“Restoration” by @palepinkgoat (Ao3)

Complete. 14 chapters. 112.7k words. Explicit. No warnings used. AU. Slow burn. Pining. Smut. Closeted Mickey. Internalized homophobia. Self-Harm. Thoughts of self-harm. Implied past abuse. Emotional sex. Dirty talk. Happy ending.

Like all of the fics on this list, Restoration holds a special place in my heart, however, this one specifically because it’s the very first gallavich fic I ever read when I joined the fandom. Mickey and Ian in this are written to perfection. Their journey to loving one another is top tier. Now, I am slightly biased since this fic popped my cherry in the gallafics world but ask anyone who has read it, I promise they’ll agree!! (Full review — coming soon!)

“Cooperative Gameplay” by @gallavichy (Ao3)

Complete. 18 chapters. 421k words. Explicit. No warnings apply. AU. YouTuber Mickey. Friends with benefits to lovers. Fandom culture. Emotional hurt/comfort. Fluff. Light angst. Slow burn.

I’m confident to say this fic is loved by the masses and I can say with certainty that it lives up to its expectations. Ian and Mickey are slightly ooc, however it works extremely well with the story and plot. Ian is still our loveable dope and Mickey is still our grumpy boy. But watching their mutual mining turn into more and the way it’s writing is just *chefs kiss*. It’s funny, it’s light hearted, there are moments of angst and it is absolutely binge worthy! (Full review—coming soon!)

[mediumgayitalian]

fic rec friday 10

hi!! welcome to fic rec friday. every week, i pick five fics i have bookmarked and rec them with a little review. check them out!

something borrowed by @rosyredlipstick

In the Solace Wedding Planning agenda, on the fifth page into their summer schedule, there are carefully scrawled out notes reading this: Bride and Groom - Hazel Levesque & Frank Zhang Best Man & Maid of Honor - Percy Jackson & Piper McLean Wedding Court - Annabeth Chase & Jason Grace Mellie & Gleeson Hedge Reyna Ramírez-Arellano & Leo Valdez Ring-bearer - Chuck Hedge Flower-boy - Nico di Angelo - Will plans wedding and now, apparently, Nico stars in one. Except...sometimes there's a bit more confusion on that last part. AKA the AU where Will plans weddings and thinks Hazel and Frank are going to have to cutest, gap-toothed ten year throwing flowers down the aisle, all while wondering why this 'Neeks' guy is always hanging around, and what business he has looking that good.

yes i am back on my rosyredlipstick (dude she's GOOD okay). however this one is my favourite i think. this is the kinda story you could use to explain to people what dramatic irony is bc LORD i wanted to SHAKE THEM 😭😭 will falling like deeply in love with nico and being intensely stressed about everything the whole time is so real and on brand. i love him and i love the fond exasperation that just bleeds from this fic its GREAT

2. Rental Love by @rosyredlipstick

*Read Terms & Conditions - Male/22/Long Island N.Y.C. Tired of showing up stag at holiday events? Want your family to stop thinking there’s something wrong with you? Just want some arm candy for a work event? Look no further. Your solution is here! I will attend holiday events with you as your paid date. Accepting all genders as applicants. Email solace.w@fastmail.com if interested. Interview & application will be set up there. - Nico di Angelo has been telling Hazel Levesque about his boyfriend for weeks. The bad part? Nico doesn’t have a boyfriend, the holidays are coming up, and not all of Jason’s ideas are horrible. They’re all a bit surprised about the last one.

THE LEVEL OF STUPID THAT THEY ARE...😭😭 kills me fr. like this whole fic is just a manifestation of truly one of the best tropes of all time…..like what if we took a hallmark movie and made it gay as all hell. iconique indeed

3. A Match in the Making by @coconutcranberries-blog

“You’re a morning person,” Nico muttered, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. He ran a hand through his black hair, which stuck up in disarray, the same way it did every morning. He was a mess, and Will Solace looked annoyingly put together, and Nico didn’t even care, really, he didn’t.

friendship is the core of romance!! it is!! every time!!! and it's such a core in this fic....which is fucking??? ten years old??? im just realising?? jesus christ??? anyways. "Nico had the sudden, warm feeling that Will Solace had never bought his act." i YELLED

4. Perception by scorchedtrees

In which everyone thinks Nico and Will are together.

i love this trope i love it SO BAD. both ways. when your love is so obvious that no one misses it.....love to see it truly. and will can have one second of beingn smooth and not a dweeby loser. as a treat

5. the world is brighter than the sun now that you're here by @finalizer

It was hard, Nico eventually concluded, to maintain one’s air of spooky otherworldly detachment with a blinding ray of sunshine trailing one step behind him every minute of every day.

grouchy nico my beloved truly. honestly hes such a bitch i love him like "Seriously, give the guy a perm and a few cats and he’d be that weird aunt that everybody avoided around the holiday season." why does he ALWAYS have something vile to say 😭😭 hes a mood fr

thank you for joining me this saturday friday!! happy reading!!

[lgbtqreads]

How much time do you spend reading? It's cool you know so many books

I’ve blogged professionally since 2013 and been publishing since 2014, so while I do read a lot (though not as much as I did before having kids), it also has a lot to do with being aware of books/authors and knowing how to do research. I haven’t read every single book I rec, but I read a ton of reviews, talk about books a lot with people who know them well, read bookish newsletters, and also just own more than I can ever read. But to answer your actual question, I read once a week (Jewish Sabbath, which is Friday night-Saturday night), but I can read 1-4 books in that time. I’m certainly not as well read in many genres as I’d like to be, though!

[matchbookarmy]

hey! hope you're okay 🫶🏻

Aww, thank you so much for sending this anon. I really do appreciate it, and it makes me feel all warm and mushy inside.

I am doing okay. I just had kind of an insanely busy time lately. I moved to a new city over the summer, which was actually a lot of work. (Also never move in the middle of July - it sucks!)

And then at work I decided to do something that is going to make my life easier/better in the future, but it's making my life extremely busy in the present. I've been working 11 hour days and then I come home and I'm just too exhausted to really do anything else.

But I haven't forgotten about this blog, or the 3 asks that I still have sitting in my inbox!

Also sometimes I just worry that I'm just repeating myself in these reviews, and that people will get bored with them. 😬

So actually, just really thank you for reaching out. It makes my day to think that people care about my little fic ramblings.

I know I keep saying this, but I really do want to have a regular posting schedule. So... maybe this will help me, I have adhd and having deadlines actually really helps me a ton.

So, if I post a new rec each week, what day should I post it on?

No need to reblog since I only need people who follow me to answer.

💜💜💜 to you anon. I appreciate you dearly.

[lola-andheruniverse]

📢 SIGNAL BOOST FOR WEEK 7 CARYL FANFIC REC PROJECT 📢

Lovelies, I have a few recs sitting on my inbox right now. I like to read or re-read every fic before recommending. I'm on break from school this week and I plan on spending my free time reading all of them. 🥰 And I had an idea.

What do you guys think to make week 7 entirely "your turn" recs?

You can send me recs for every day of the week and I'll do my best to read/review so I can share them with you all.

I already have 2 asks with recs for ZA AU Tuesday and another 2 for Your Turn Sunday.

So if you'd like to rec a One-Shot for tomorrow, or for Fix-It Wednesday, AU Thursday, No Plot Friday and WIP Saturday, please let me know! You can send me an anon ask or a message or even just comment on this post and I'll be sure to @/tag you when I post your rec.

If I get no recs, I'll just post one that I already selected, okay? No hard feelings! But I'll love to hear from you all. So..that's it! Let's see what happens on week 7! Caryl on!

[wild-karrde]

For #Fandom Friday!

I just started re-reading Dominoes by @meridiansdominoes for the 5th (6th? I lost track) time and words cannot express how much I love this fic.

Meridian just brings the brotherly relationship between the clones (ALL of them, but focused on the 501st and Domino squad) to life in such an authentic way. The emotions and character development are detailed and just get me every time. At 45 chapters (and still going!) it is detailed and yet ambitious in scope.

She also absolutely nails Ahsoka and Anakin characterizations as well, giving them ALL some incredible character arcs with soooo many feels, and changing my perspective on the entire clone wars series.

I love this fic SO much and just want to shout it from every rooftop. Angst, peril, warm fuzzies abound. The story lives rent-free in my brain. Literally so good.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11864643/chapters/26789934

YESSSSS!!! Dominoes has been on my to-read list FOREVER. I know how long it is and am desperately trying to find a Saturday to dedicate to it since it's a longer one, but this is one of the most frequently recommended fics I have seen in the fandom with absolutely RAVE reviews. From everything I've heard, you are spot on with the characterizations, and I am just prepared to be emotionally wrecked and then wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket. Thank you so much for the rec!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[scuttling-celebrates]

Send Your Stuff Sundays | 03/13 ✉📱

Sending out the call to creators far and wide... here's what we're looking for this week!

Tender Tuesdays - We're looking for family fluff this week, whether children, found family, parents, cousins, pets--whatever family means to you.

Rare Wednesdays - Calling all original characters! This week's post is all about OCs.

In My Feels Fridays - All about angst, specifically wounds. Was your favorite character wounded, or helping to patch up a loved one? (Or maybe an enemy?)

Spicy Saturdays - This week we're taking it outside the bedroom. Send in your favorite pieces with some unusual settings.

I plan to make up a formal submission/rec rules post soon, but for now, send in your work, or your favorite pieces, either in the inbox, DMs, or as a reply to this post. I will review when I can and get back to you! If for some reason your submission is not selected, we'll explain why and make sure to be clear in future rules posts. Thank you for following!

[tfatws-first-anniversary]

TFATWS ANNIVERSARY MASTERPOST

So I've came up with a few more ideas to make this celebration even more interesting. Thus you'll find below what will be posted each day of every week.

*Note: this event is Sambucky-positive but every other ship is accepted!

On Friday :

General post

Activities list

On Saturday :

Ask game relative to the new episode

On Sunday:

Sambucky/General Writing Prompt

On Monday:

Art (in response to a prompt)

On Tuesday:

Fics rec (in response to a prompt)

On Wednesday:

Character/Actor tribute

Week 1: Danny Ramirez (Joaquin) / Amy Aquino (Christina Raynor)

Week 2: Wyatt Russell (John Walker) / Erin Kellyman (Karli)

Week 3: Daniel Bruhl (Baron Zemo) / Emily Vancamp (Sharon Carter)

Week 4: Florence Katsumba (Ayo) / Adepero Oduye (Sarah Wilson)

Week 5: Sebastian Stan

Week 6: Anthony Mackie

On Thursday:

Theory/Meta

EVERY DAY:

Reblogging your live reaction/episode review (don't forget to tag this blog so we can see them!)

Well then. Let's get this party started!

[cetecean]

This post is a long post detailing everything for this blog.

First, I write fanfic. This list will expand if I'm given requests for fandoms I don't mind.

Things I will write:

- fluff

- angst

- nsfw smut

- male reader

- female reader

- gender neutral reader

(Honestly any type of reader)

- pretty much anything as long as its not too gorey or too… unhygienic?

Fandoms I will write for:

- Boyfriend Dungeon

- My OC’s

- general Monster Partner things, like sirens, werewolves, etc.

Theres probably more but I’m drawing a blank.

Second, I do art. Mostly patterns on Redbubble but sometimes other things too.

Thirdly, I have a Ko-fi! Link is in my description also. Through my ko-fi you can use the memberships to get access to exclusive content, a discord server, access to some unfinished things, a rewards package, and, for the cheapest option, I'll read your fics as a beta-reader if you want, or give recommendations and reviews for specific fics of your choosing.

Lastly, I also do dnd games most days of the week and I'm slowly working on a pdf for the Homebrew adventure I do. Homebrew monsters, items, etc, for that Homebrew or ones that are requested, are mostly exclusive to ko-fi donators.

For my tagging system!

- #written in ink (for writing)

- #drawn in ink (for art pieces)

- #studied in ink (for process or studying posts)

My schedule, is any wips get posted on a Monday, finished works on a Tuesday, general processes on a Friday, studying on a Saturday, Fic recs on a Sunday and reviews and misc things on a Wednesday.

- Last Updated: 18 January 2022

[studylustre]

friday - saturday log 📖

been doing a looot of studying this week!!

friday, 16.10.20

completed a 30 min les mills barre workout!! i haven’t done barre in so long gah it KILLED me but i loved every second of it eeee

reviewed 4 lessons of korean vocab, 3x each

stretched for >15 mins

reviewed a chapter of kana, twice

saturday, 17.10.20

woke up early, went to town and grabbed a matcha brownie from my fave cafe!! 

was hoping to make some strawberry daifuku (i’ve had the biggest craving for them, suddenly) but my dessert plans have been SABOTAGED - we’re out of adzuki beans. rip

made tonjiro 🍲

reviewed 2 chapters of korean grammar

reviewed 3 lessons of korean vocab, twice each

reviewed another chapter of kana, twice ✨

reviewed 3 lessons of japanese grammar 📝

started kind of?? learning french?? completed 2 mini lessons on basic grammar wooOOO and also on that note if y’all have any french resource recs (similar to howtostudykorean) pls pls pls send them my way!!

finished learning my first lesson of french vocab woOOO

[mediumgayitalian]

fic rec friday 11

hi!! welcome to fic rec friday (i know it's tuesday that's my bad 💀). every week, i pick five fics i have bookmarked and rec them with a little review. check them out!

and if you're warm, then you can't relate to me by remrose

They get stuck outside from a 3AM fire alarm. “I call it the ten-pound-quilt.” Will winked like it was a secret, coming to a stop in front of Nico. “I lent it to one of my siblings once and he said it was like being suffocated by a wet cement pancake. I love it."

will 'problem causer and embarrassed about it' solace so so real. this fic is also stellar bc nico is lowkey aware how much will likes him. that is how the dynamic should be i think.

2. Those walls I built didn't even put up a fight by @sazandorable

"Is it morally okay to stab a medic with their own scissors?" Nico asked Cecil. (Not that he usually cared about morally okay, as Octavian might demonstrate.) Nico's three days in the infirmary go by faster than he'd thought, and Will just won't stop flirting.

bruh this fic made me LAUGH. it wholly deserves the nearly quarter million hits it has jfc. i 100% clicked for the 'jason is a very embarrassing and very supportive ally' tag and it TOTALLY lived up and it was hilarious. he is. will's characterization was SO SO good and the whole fic just had me giggling!!

3. this is my kingdom come by remrose

Five times Nico and Will pretended they were dating. College AU.

the slow and unnoticeable slide from fake dating to real dating. fucking kills me every time. like oh yeah maybe i do love you. maybe you are everything to me. maybe i do want to spend the rest of my life with you. maybe loving you is this easy. GOD. god. insert seinfield gif her bc it fucking gets to me alright. it gets to me.

4. Days Gone By by @ghostystarr

Everyone was afraid of him, the boy who could talk to ghosts. Will just really wanted to know if his goldfish was haunting him every time he used the bathroom. AU Solangelo.

i am a sucker for childhood friends to lovers alright. and modern au with medium nico is art. so what if it is on the nose. it is amusing. and posting this ghosty ass fic on halloween the year solangelo came out is fucking camp idc this author ate up.

5. Patience and Patients by skyrat

Will Solace didn't mean to get a crush on the most exasperating demigod he'd ever met. But once he started watching Nico di Angelo he couldn't turn away. The lines between intentions and feelings got blurred. But how do you tell if the guy you like feels the same way when he's never around?

will having a crush on nico for a thousand years is literally my favourite trope like i love him actually. his pining ass will never get old! it will never get old. i will never get tired of reading it. also this is unrelated but i read this for the first time the day it was posting, which was the Day after i turned twelve lol time truly flies.

thank you for joining me this saturday tuesday sh don't worry about the actual date friday!! happy reading!!

[searchingwardrobes]

Posting Schedule

To all my readers:

I have had to focus one hundred percent the last couple of weeks on my fic for the CSRT. While I still have to do editing on it, it’s written, praise the Lord! Now I want to get a handle on my WIPs and even my book reviews, so I’m creating a posting schedule to keep me accountable. It’s flexible, of course, because life happens, but this is my plan:

Tomorrow (March 3rd) - final chapter of This Girl Ain’t Going Anywhere

Friday (March 6th) - final chapter of Priceless

Wednesdays starting March 4th - book reviews

Thursdays starting March 5th - Micah’s Stories from What Hindered Love 

Saturdays starting March 7th - If I Knew Then Updates

Tuesdays starting March 10th - The Convenient Groom updates

Fridays starting March 13th - Start of Time updates

I also want to get back in the habit of posting Self Promo Sundays (featuring fic from my pre-tumblr days) and CS Fic Rec Mondays. 

All of this may change, however, once I find out the posting schedule for CSRT. I’m also doing the CS Movie Marathon which means my Captain Swan is My Favorite Rom Com: 2nd Edition will be closing once I finish Priceless. 

I’d also like to know if any of you wish to be added or removed from the tag lists for any of the above. Additionally, if you see this post and want to be on a tag list, let me know. Be aware if you tell me “tag me for all your stuff” I will assume you also mean my book reviews and my What Hindered Love content. 

Much love to everyone! Apologies if I miss you in the tags:

@snowbellewells​ @kmomof4​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @xhookswenchx​ @let-it-raines​ @teamhook​ @winterbythesea​ @winterbaby89​ @welllpthisishappening​ @wellhellotragic​ @scientificapricot​ @sherlockianwhovian​ @snidgetsafan​ @singersdd​ @spartanguard​ @shireness-says​ @daxx04​ @delirious-latenight-laughs​ @distant-rose​ @cocohook38​ @courtorderedcake​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @reynoldsreads​ @freckles-and-books​ @followbatb​ @vvbooklady1256​ @tiganasummertree​ @thislassishooked​ @thisonesatellite​ @gingerchangeling​ @bethacaciakay​ @branlovestowrite​ @hollyethecurious​ @nikkiemms​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @jennjenn615​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​

[ohshcfanficrandr]

The votes are in and the unanimous winner is Read-Along Style! We got ourselves an OHSHC “Book” Club!

Listed below are word counts and descriptions of what you can expect to see on this blog during the week! 

0-15k Words 

I will call these the mid-week specials. Depending on how fast you read these fics could be done in one to two sittings. You can still expect a review of each one though they won’t be as lengthy. These will most likely be fics that were sitting in my Ask box waiting for reviews! As long as you keep sending I will keep posting my reviews!

16-100k Words

“Book Club” status. The fic link will be posted on Monday. This will give you a chance to read throughout the week and join us on Friday night to discuss. Expect to start your week with a post containing a link to the fic and a short description (word count, pairing, applicable tags/warnings).

101-500k

Same rules apply from the previous category but with a little twist. I will give you a two-week heads up with these stories. They are real and I already have some of them lined up to review! I will make sure to include with the description, the date in which the accompanying review will be posted.

Weekly Posting Expectation Breakdown:

Monday: Book Club Fic Link

Tuesday-Thursday: Mid-Week Special

Friday: Book Club Review

Saturday: Free Day

Sunday: Free Day

With this posting schedule, you can at least expect 1 larger fic rec and review each week alongside any mid-week specials. That means in a year you could potentially read through 104 total fics with reviews! How cool is that!?! 

Be on the lookout for random polls! I might be asking for your opinion on what kind of stories to review next! I might ask for your opinion on things like: pairing, genre, AU, WIP/Complete, rating, or word count. This is an interactive blog and I want to recommend things that interest you. The more we interact the better I understand your wants and needs!

I am so excited to adventure together through OHSHC Fics! Be on the lookout Monday for our first book club story!

[addictedforbooksquad]

ADDICTEDFORBOOKSQUAD BOOK EVENT #4:  B O O K S  &  S P O O K S

Let’s get your spooky on!

After a bit of a summer hiatus, we are back with our next event - and it’s spine-chilling xD

With Halloween fast approaching, we are here to celebrate all that is scary, creepy, villainous and supernatural. We really hope you will join us 🎃🎃🎃

See the frightenin’ details:

Timeline: 25.10 - 31.10

Who can participate: open to everyone

Rules: there are none!

Creations: edits, gifsets, fanarts, drabbles/fanfics, playlists, headcanons, book recs, reviews, anything you come up with that fits the theme!

Tag we’ll be tracking: #booksquadevent

Schedule and themes:

Day 1 (Oct 25th / Friday): we like them bad (favourite villain)

Day 2 (Oct 26th / Saturday): being bad never felt so good (favourite villain moment / villainous moment)

Day 3 (Oct 27th / Sunday): trick or treat (heists, cons, mysteries and enigmas or fluff, smut, victories and fun moments)

Day 4 (Oct 28th / Monday): please hold my hand (suspense, scary moments and scenes that kept you on the edge of your seat)

Day 5 (Oct 29th / Tuesday): upside down (alternative universe - villains as heroes or heroes as villains)

Day 6 (Oct 30th / Wednesday): it’s a magical world (all about magic, witches, werewolves, mythical creatures and any things supernatural)

Day 7 (Oct 31st / Thursday): everything is halloween and nothing hurts (a bit of a free for all, post whatever you want that is halloween related; a spooky book, a character that gives you the chills, your fav book character as their halloween costume, your fav book with a twist supernatural setting Pride and Prejudice and Zombies style, in other words - WHATEVER xD )

We cannot wait to see what you come up with! The above themes are to be used as a loose inspiration, please don’t sweat it ;) As long as your post is book related and remotely Halloween related, it’s all good! For example, with theme like “upside down”, you don’t need to make a hero into a total villain, it might be just something universally associated with “being bad”, like a criminal etc.

Please remember to use  #booksquadevent in the first 5 tags of your posts so that we find them, reblog them and give them some proper fangirling 😉

Please reblog to signal boost :)

[thecarmillacurator]

Carmilla Short-Fic Rec: Poultrygeist

Poultrygeist by tophsmash (Ao3) / @toph-smash here on Tumblr.

Word length: 13k

I was going to be reviewing my final full-lengh Fake-Dating AU for today, but as my post yesterday said, I’ve been traveling. I came back Halloween night and usually I write reviews on Friday for Saturday’s posting, but yesterday was crazy busy in rl, so I’m posting this as a peace offering for missing the deadline. (It was a mid-week short I had queued for closer to Thanksgiving.) Enjoy!

Here’s a quick read that’s (theoretically) a fake relationship short, set around a Thanksgiving week for which Carm is required to go to her very lavish home to make an appearance before her mother. (Really, it’s not terribly Thanksgiving-y or Holiday-y, and it’s less a fake relationship as a ‘they intended to fake a relationship’ but achieved lift off early because, well, they’re totally soft for each other.)

Okay, okay, okay. So maybe despite the tags, in reality it’s a simple, super gay-forward friends/roommates-to-lovers. Whatever.

It’s easy-read fluff. Shut up and eat your pears.

Read it HERE

[carnationbooks]

Fandom features: Author Wendy Qualls

To kick off a series of fandom-focused posts, we’re chatting with author Wendy Qualls (aka wendymarlowe on AO3) about fanfic, Johnlock, getting published, the intersection of fanfiction and original fiction, and a little dash of DragonCon! We so enjoyed learning a bit about Wendy’s fandom experience, and are so glad to share her insight with all of you! Don’t miss the amazing rec list she wrote for us after the jump (it’s so good). Thank you so much for talking with us, Wendy! 

Thanks so much for chatting with us! How can our readers find you?

I write fic as wendymarlowe (Marlowe being my middle name), but I write my original male/male romance under my real name, Wendy Qualls. (www.wendyqualls.com)

So what inspired you to start writing fic?

I write in the Sherlock fandom with brief forays into Harry Potter, but my first ever fandom was Dragon Age. I played Dragon Age: Origins and went through the love story with one of the characters and immediately thought "I want to experience exactly that again, but different" and I remembered something called fanfic my sister used to read so I looked some up. The one I found was awful, but then I found my way onto fanfiction.net and eventually onto AO3. The fics got better :-)

Now that you’re writing mostly in the Sherlock fandom, what about Johnlock is the most appealing to you?

Honestly? I love what fandom has done to the characters. The Sherlock and John on the show would both be horrible people to be in a relationship with, but the general fandom version sort of rounds the edges off a bit. Sherlock is abrasive but not cruel, John is competently BAMF without being violent and angry. The show has throwaway lines like how John “lost an entire Wednesday once” and I know Moftiss put it in there because they thought it was funny but SERIOUSLY? Drugging your flatmate is not okay! I’d much rather read (and write) about characters who are capable of healthy relationships :-)

What is your favorite thing you have written so far?

My most popular fic, and the one that was the most amazing to write, was Dear John (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2647979). Summary: "With Sherlock dead, John eventually (under duress) makes a profile on an online dating site. And falls into a long-distance relationship with an enigmatic partner who reminds him of Sherlock in all the right ways. (Hint: it turns out to be Sherlock.)" 

It was inspired by a friend trying a dating website and me realizing that sense of waiting for replies and not knowing when they're coming could be replicated by AO3's subscribe feature - I posted the fic in "real time." (As in, back and forth according to when the characters would have been writing each other). It had a pretty modest following at the beginning, but by the time John and Sherlock shared their first sexting right before Christmas it kind of blew up on Tumblr and the comments section started to be longer than the chapters :-P 

It was amazing to see a mini-fandom develop right there and see everyone debating what they thought John and Sherlock were up to that very minute. By the time the fic got to the big dramatic face-to-face meet, the comments/replies were coming in faster than I could read them! I'm told it's still fun to read now, all at once, but the shared waiting experience was something I wish I could replicate for another fic and I don't know that I ever could.

When I started submitting around to find a literary agent, the popularity of Dear John and my other AO3 fics was a strong point in my favor with the agent I ultimately signed with :-) There's a LOT of overlap between romance authors and fanfic authors, actually, even if not all of them are public about it.

Speaking of your work as a published author, do you have any words of wisdom for the fic authors out there who are hoping to get published one day?

Everyone—every published author ever—has a few manuscripts “under the bed” that just didn’t work. Often it’s because their writing needed to get stronger before publishing, sometimes it’s because they hit a crowded market exactly wrong or just never connected with the right editors/agents. Only around 10% of people who attempt to write their first novel make it to the end, and less than half of those get to the point they’re submitting it for professional consideration. 

The thing is, though, the only way to get better at writing is to write. I don’t care how many books and blogs you read about the craft (although those help too), you’re not going to get your book out there for money if you’re not willing to write something imperfect first.

Fanfic, I believe, is an amazing way to practice writing for low stakes. You get your pick of pre-developed characters and settings to choose from, there are no deadlines, and 99% of fanfic readers are supportive. AO3 says I’ve had 11,549 comments on my works - I think I’ve had only one or two readers who were critical. The rest are positive and make me excited to write for them. There is no doubt in my mind that fanfic has made me a better writer. Anyone who dreams of being published someday, my advice is this: write a book. Then write another. Write fanfic along the way and pick up people to cheer you on. The difference between published and unpublished is mostly luck, persistence, and confidence.

Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do to combat it?

I do absolutely get writer's block, in big part because of my depression. (Depression sucks, btw.) Writing fic has made me comfortable having multiple works in progress at once, though, so often if I'm stuck on my "real" book I can write fic instead. I can't turn out fic as fast as I could before I started actually being published and having deadlines, but it's still a totally different feel writing for no stakes versus "how are my agent and editor and readers going to judge this?" Positive comments on AO3 pretty much balance out the negative energy in bad book reviews :-P

While we discussed this interview, you mentioned you’ll be in attendance at DragonCon this weekend. What are you most excited to do at con?

The panels and the people! There are several friends I only see at DragonCon, and it’s always fun to reconnect. The panels, though, are the heart of the convention. Science vs. Movies (10 PM Sunday in the Hilton Crystal ballroom) is always a highlight - it’s a panel of real, actual science experts forced to watch terrible Hollywood scenes and then argue why the scene was actually 100% scientifically plausible :-P Sometimes they break down and cry. It’s awesome.

You’re on some panels, right? When can folks catch those?

Friday at 10 PM: "BritTrack After Dark - British Fanfic/Slashfic Panel!" in Hilton Galleria 5 and Saturday at 10 PM: "We Do the Weird Stuff!: NC17 Fanfic" in Marriott M301

And finally, do you have any fic recs to share with our followers?

(Ed. Note: Y’ALL! Wendy wrote us an amazing rec list which is under the cut - Click for some Sherlock-y goodness!)

Favorite crack-premise-but-serious-fic: The Midas Touch (E) by flawedregina (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2479868) John Watson has a medical condition that means everyone he sleeps with is instantly healed of all illness and injury. This causes complications when Sherlock breaks his arm, and even more complications when Sherlock falls in love with him. Yes, this is a story where John has a literal magic healing cock. It's a lot less cracky than you're probably imagining. I love this for the "literal magical healing cock" premise, but it's also a beautiful look at ethics, personality, and the dynamics of sex. John is caught between feeling like he ethically HAS to use his rare gift because it saves people's lives and feeling the very human need for privacy and having control over his own life. Sherlock is a brat because he's always a brat but he GETS it and supports John and seriously, it's wonderful. 32K.

Favorite crack-premise-but-serious-fic without all the smut: A Magnificent Instrument (T) by mycapeisplaid (https://archiveofourown.org/works/7452193) A series of vignettes set in an AU in which Sherlock plays the tuba instead of the violin. This does have some brilliant takes on the idea (my favorite is Sherlock playing "oompah oompah" elephant steps in time with Mycroft leaving the flat) but it's also got an amazing connection between Sherlock and John. 6K.

Favorite fantasy AU: Here There Be Dragons (E) by Leloi (https://archiveofourown.org/works/786378) When Lord John of the Umberland Watsons volunteered to his lord father to deal with a dragon, this was not what he had in mind. Instead of using his sword and shield to deal a deadly blow he found himself trussed up like a festival goose sans armor and small clothes, naked as his birth day. This is sweet and hot at the same time and thanks to a certain Tolkien movie, we don't have to imagine very hard to envision Sherlock as a dragon :-D 8K.

Favorite short, kinky smut: Performance Art (E) by thisprettywren (https://archiveofourown.org/works/208374) “I have to say, John, I really just. Well. I can’t see the appeal.” That wasn’t precisely true, of course. At the moment, the appeal lay in the way John was blushing and licking his lip, avoiding Sherlock’s gaze, thoroughly discomfited. This one is so sexy and so Sherlock in how he thinks and gah, just read it! 6K. Favorite AU: The Bang and the Clatter (M) by earlgreytea68 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/744242) Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU.   I learned a ton about baseball from this fic - it's very educational :-P It's also clear that earlgreytea is an AMAZING writer and a true baseball fan. 137K.

Favorite D/s verse: Shames and Praises (E) by s0mmerspr0ssen (https://archiveofourown.org/works/573019) Unable but desperate to find a dom who will put up with him, Sherlock swallows his pride and turns to Mycroft for help. Shortly after, John Watson steps into Sherlock's life.   Kinky as hell with a wonderful caring top!John. D/s done right. 52K.

Favorite Mystrade: The DI and the Spy (T) by chasingriver (https://archiveofourown.org/works/558609) Greg is an early-morning runner. Mycroft is an early riser who happens to live on Greg's running route. Hilarity ensues. Written for MystradeDoodles' prompt: "Greg is a runner. Rom-com." Exactly what it says on the package - a sweet rom-com story about how Mycroft and Lestrade get a crush on each other before even knowing who the other is. 44K.