#this is one of my fave passages from the books <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[userparamore]

The snow fell and the castle rose. Two walls ankle-high, the inner taller than the outer. Towers and turrets, keeps and stairs, a round kitchen, a square armory, the stables along the inside of the west wall. It was only a castle when she began, but before very long Sansa knew it was Winterfell. She found twigs and fallen branches beneath the snow and broke off the ends to make the trees for the godswood. For the gravestones in the lichyard she used bits of bark. Soon her gloves and her boots were crusty white, her hands were tingling, and her feet were soaked and cold, but she did not care. The castle was all that mattered. Some things were hard to remember, but most came back to her easily, as if she had been there only yesterday. The Library Tower, with the steep stonework stair twisting about its exterior. The gatehouse, two huge bulwarks, the arched gate between them, crenellations all along the top... And all the while the snow kept falling, piling up in drifts around her buildings as fast as she raised them.

6.5K CELEBRATION: 📼 + GAME OF THRONES ↳ for @elena-gilbert

[glassamphibians]

how did you read so many books??! that’s so cooll

do you have a favorite from this year? :)

most of my reading is done by listening to audiobooks while driving/doing chores/etc! I moved to receiving at work this year too which means I get to listen to books while I unpack books for like seven hours straight it rules. For physical books i literally just always have one on me and take it out whenever i can.

I read so many good books this year I Cannot narrow it down to just one so I'm doing ten under the read more <3

GLASS AMPHIBIANS 2024 FAVES BY GENRE KIND OF IF YOU SQUINT:

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark: This book is just so vibrant. I was immediately in love with steampunk Cairo and the protagonist, Fatma, is easily one of my favorite female characters of all time. You need to read everything Clark writes i am so serious.

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček: this Expertly conveys incomprehensible enormity and humbling smallness in a way that i have never read before!!! Possibly one of the most unique fantasy novels I've read AND each chapter has beautiful illustrations done by the author! huge for fans of Piranesi or Monument Valley.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez: also one of the most unique high fantasies i've ever read this was fucking insane. An experiment in perspective and world building that honestly made me a danger to other people driving do not handle large machinery while trying to follow this. This is a love story to its blade-dented bone.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler: Duh. Post apocalyptic novels full of spiteful, unrelenting optimism and compassion are the most important things in the world. genre ever. idk what else to say like its octavia butler of course its gonna be on here

A Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons: one of those horror novels that i desperately need to see made into a movie. For some reason I started this thinking there was no supernatural aspect and jesus christ was i wrong there's a Creature in here!!!! a very gross and scary and weird one!!! So action packed with a disgruntled, dislikable female protagonist I would literally follow to the ends of the earth she's so kick ass.

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister: a more literary horror novel that i can really only describe as damp. I seriously considered dunking my copy in a creek so its appearance would better match whats going on inside. This fucked up family dynamic and decaying, sodden mansion was so up my alley, and Chronister's prose was so easy to fall into.

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad: An actress returns to Palestine and ends up involved in a contentious production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Hammad's prose is unreal. She published a speech on Palestine and storytelling this year that goes perfectly with this book. The protagonist's relationship with Palestine is beautifully explored I could not put this book down.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: This is an extremely introspective, character driven novel about transfemininity and motherhood that I read in march and have thought about at least once a week since. Peters captures the messiness and complexities of queer identities so perfectly. She has new book coming out in 2025 that i am frothing at the mouth waiting for.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado: A memoir and a poem and a horror novel and a film criticism and a choose-your-own-adventure story and so much more. Machado plays with genres and tropes in order to articulate her time in an abusive lesbian relationship. Incredibly creative and addictive read, Machado is so talented. My mom had to stop me from trying to read this while waiting for a wedding to start.

The Women's House of Detention by Hugh Ryan: Researched with so much care and time, this follows the history of this prison and the lives of the people who were incarcerated there. Some are famous, like Angela Davis, but the vast majority of its inhabitants were forgotten. Ryan specifically follows queer individuals and looks at how the Women's House of Detention impacted the queer history and culture of Greenwhich Village. Must read for anybody interested in prison abolition.

there were a billion trillion more phenomenal reads this year i love u books i love u reading xoxoxoxo

[lockwood-ot3]

Author Spotlight: WaitingForMyHogwartsLetter / @waiting-for-my-hogwarts-letter

Sink or Swim, rated T: I don't normally go for AUs but the author pulls you in, stays true to the characters, while exploring them in a different setting and it is SO cute and warm and fun! Features lonely Mermaid! Lucy and Divers! George & Lockwood. Every time this updates I squeal happily <3

Just Before The Walls Come Down, rated T : amazing fic that explores the idea of love languages for our cot3 and focuses on the effect of touch. It's so soft and sweet, I think probably my favorite chapter is the one about George.

Someone Throw A Lifeline (I Don't Wanna Drown), rated G: I love the way the author writes storms and Lockwood's fear of them. This is a sharing one bed fic but it's so perfect, so kind, it's one of my faves by this author (and there are many good ones to chose from!)

From the author:

Tell us about what inspired one of your fics? Renegades was inspired by one of my other favourite book series: The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken! I wanted to combine the world that first got me writing with the world that got me back into writing (Lockwood did that!) and it was so fun putting it all together! Fun fact: it started as a Locklyle fic but I changed the tags to Cot3 fairly early on because George decided to drive the relationship subplots and he was very much falling in love <3

Fave headcanon about L&Co? Not character related but uhh secret passages in Portland Row. Lockwood has no idea, and George is the one that stumbles across them first. it’s endlessly funny to me.

If we like your fics, we should also read… (your recommendations): Karim Family Christmas by TheMalapert. fake dating?? sneaking around at christmas?? insight into George’s family life and a bunch of Karim OCs?? hands down one of my favourites Blinding Lights by @kennysbirthday pre-cot3 with lucy and george taking care of lockwood when he has a migraine, and it’s absolutely everything to me!! it’s so in character and so adorable :)) a matter of fact by cherriepixie27 I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time I read it it was just so brilliant

What’s next for you? finishing Sink or Swim!! I have so much planned and so many threads to weave in for this plot!! it has layers guys, prepare yourselves big bang fic that I’m not allowed to talk about yet ;) cot3 fencing au in the works!! Locklyle are rivals initially and George is refereeing them (they’re not fencing each other they’re just riling each other up and he’s forced to mediate); as per my style it’ll be one hell of a slowburn <3

[marietheran-archived]

LotR reread - book 1, chapter 3 - (nomen omen) Three is Company

"You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. Do you realise that this is the very path that goes through Mirkwood, and that if you let it, it might take you to the Lonely Mountain or even further and to worse places?"

That old pre-First-Age road, older than Hobbits and Men! (Do you realise, that it used to run from Moria to Doriath and the drowned Beleriand parts of it, at least, had been built before the Sun rose?)

The Elven hymn:

Oh stars that in the Sunless Year/ with shining hand by her were sown - "Sunless Year" as in the years before the sun? Or since it looks as if it refers to a shorter period (year) does it mean the Darkening? But there were no new stars made then...

We still remember, we who dwell/ in this far land beneath the trees/ Thy starlight on the Western Seas - beautiful lines *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Btw I know at least one Marian song that not only connects the Virgin Mary with the stars ("O douce Dame aux étoiles") but also calls Her "whiter than snow"?? and I'm not sure the imagery is that rare.

"Of the House of Finrod"!! Also you're all very welcome to my headcanon of Gildor as the unofficial adopted son of my favourite elf haha

"We are Exiles" - I'm always subtly tickled by the phrasing because it was sort of self-chosen exile, though I guess that's a thing? But right now there's certainly nothing to stop you from returning so it seems a bit outdated. I suppose the appellation is a proper name for Noldor in Middle-Earth at this point.

The Turin constellation! Rest in peace my problematic fave.

Back to the present... "They spoke of many things, old and new, and Frodo questioned Gildor much about happenings in the wide world outside the Shire. The tidings were mostly sad and ominous: of gathering darkness, the wars of Men, and the flight of the Elves." - similar passage to the one I quoted from the last chapter; also moved me terribly as a young teen and doesn't anymore :(((

"But I already know a little, and I can read more in your face and in the thought behind your questions." - Is Gildor reading his mind here or am I reading (pun not intended) too much into the phrasing?

"The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourself in, but you cannot forever fence it out" ✧*:･🦉

"Chance" again.

"May Elbereth protect you" ✏️ *notes under heading: Elvish customs - blessings

"The Wandering Companies shall know of your journey, and those that have power for good shall be on the watch. [Does Gildor have contact with Rangers?] I name you Elf-friend; and may the stars shine upon the end of your road!" ✏️ *files under same heading as above* (also I loooove the sound of it, and it does have meaning, because if you end up enslaved in the dark lord's fortress you cannot see the stars, I suppose)

Elves like to hear people speak Quenya, it seems (or at least Noldor, the Sindar might have other opinions, though the Noldo-Sinda divide seems to matter little in the Third Age)

[kcrabb88]

For the writing asks, honestly would love to know your answers for like, 20 of them XD, but very curious on 24 (Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards.) and 36 (How do you come up with fic titles? What's the one you're most proud of?)? :3

24. Thoughts on flashbacks/flashforwards.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I love both! And I use them really often in my fics (and in my original writing too). I think the key with both (unless it's something like an epilogue, which is a bit different) is tying them--especially with flashbacks--to a theme and/or event in the current storyline and doing it really clearly and with a structure in mind. That's usually how I try to do it, anyway. I also, as I've progressed in my writing, tend to make them their own separate scene rather than in the middle of another scene unless the flashback is on the shorter side or is made up of little snippets interspersed. With flash forwards (or time skips as I usually call them) I think they're not as scary as people make them out to be :D You just have to be precise. And I'm a big fan of like, time/date cards at the top of scenes that take place over a longer period or involve time skips. People worry a lot about being clever in the body of the story to indicate time has passed, and then it can be unclear to the reader. You already have to work with time passing, might as well be straightforward. But, yes, I'm a fan of both!

36. How do you come up with fic titles? What’s the one you’re most proud of?

I overwhelmingly use either lines from the book/movie/show I'm writing about, song lyrics, or a passage that gets repeated a lot in a fic and/or one from the fic I like a lot.

Tough to pick a fave, but one of my more recent ones I really like was Whispers From the Dead, which is the title of the sequel to my RoTS fix-it that most people know me for, Shoulder the Sky. It's from an Amazing Devil song called Unwanted Animal, and I remember listening to it and being like OH, so I had a good experience coming up with the title so I'm really fond of it!

[tappioca]

hi :) i'm a huge fan of anam cara like it's my favorite fic of all time, so first just wanna say thank you for writing it <3 i can't even verbalize how much this fic has affected my emotional state like if i hear someone *mention* leaving on a jet plane, then it is over for me ! i am thinking about that part right now and crying (not kidding) !! how did you learn to write the way you do? is it just natural talent? did you take classes or do you have a specific book genre/author you take inspiration from?

<3

hi, anon! :D kinda wish this was done through DMs ‘cause i don’t deal with compliments well especially this is anon too so this HAS to be published idk cultural stuff i think but let’s power through, babyyy!

first off, thank you for liking my silly lil’ fic! and that i am honored it’s your fave when there are a lot in the crop to choose from. 🙇🏻‍♀️ we have the muses (dua lipa’s “pretty please”, taylor swift, and that one passage in The Great Gatsby i’m tryna adopt the energy of) and ofc the entire institution of hor🆖y to thank why it exists. also special thanks to my beta reader for being so cool and keeping me grounded at many points.

lmaooo leaving on a jetplane’s a bit of a tear-jerker for me too, even before i got into RE. then i realized it oddly fit with the whole dynamic of ashleon in the fic, so if it’s any consolation—yep, i myself stare dramatically into space and imagine an ashleon music video when that song comes on.

as for writing…hmm. i suppose it’s a mishmash of everything i read. i was never privileged enough to take lessons (lessons would have turned me off, anyway); i just have a bit of an imagination, a penchant for explaining stuff, and, in anam cara’s case, i was severely horny for two sets of pixels 💀

i’d love to say i’m a voracious reader, but alas, not really 😭 i just happen to be a bit of a sponge when i read—i subconsciously note the vibes, the writing cadence, how hard a description can make me hallucinate. my writing influences include gabriel garcia marquez, luisa may alcott, andré aciman’s CMBYN, (and in the nonfiction category) standup comedy, memoirs, carrie fisher, cs lewis’ essays, a lil’ bit of david sedaris. garcia marquez would explain the hell-bent-ness on describing the environment. the rest would explain for the penchant for exposition.

(i’m yapping here but if there’s one thing i’d leave you, anon it’s this: there’s a saying that goes “every writer is a reader.” some people just read, but writing’s not up that much in their alley. but every writer must be a reader. so yeah. shoutout to my mom who bought us fairy tale books when we were kids and told us “one day, you’ll learn how to read, so you can enjoy these stories on your own” her daughter’s writing porn about fictional characters now but hey it’s whatever)

oh, this went off the rails a lil’ bit. sorry. anyway, chapter 15’s is a WIP now. and thank you for these kind words, anon. sometimes i feel like deleting that thing when i’m having one of them “brain go brrr” episodes but being told that my stuff gives enjoyment to some matters a lot 🥹 thanks for this, truly. happy holidays, anon! 🫶

[brasideios]

Thank you for the tag @aeide Great idea 🤍

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

So these are my current faves from the last century or so and limited to fiction. I left out the 19th C stuff - just know that I’m an English Literature nerd, and if it was written by the Bronte sisters, George Eliot or Jane Austen, I have read it at least ten times.

1. The Subterraneans by Jack Kerouac.

I have read all of his books, and I love Dharma Bums also, but the Subterraneans speaks to the theme that will always draw me in - hopeless love. The way Kerouac writes, the deep introspection and pawing over of his thoughts is really relatable to me, and the way he is always the destroyer of his own happiness… not to ignore that this book has issues (it’s deeply of it’s time, 1950’s US) but when it comes to emotional impact, I can’t think of a better example.

2. An Imaginary Life by David Malouf.

Malouf is a contemporary Australian author who often writes in a poetic way, and An Imaginary Life is perhaps his most poetical. Its the story of Ovid’s exile to the Black Sea. There are passages in this book about home, loss and memory that will never leave me. I like all of his work though, almost without exception.

3. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson

I have probably read this book fifty times. It’s funny and messed up and wild - and there isn’t another book like it. I read this when I just want to laugh and don’t want to engage my brain too much.

4. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Like Fear and Loathing, I’ve read this book many many times. It’s wonderful though sad. The way it’s structured, so that you seem to circle around and around the story, as the story grows darker and darker… it’s truly an amazing piece of work. The movie absolutely failed to capture it.

5. The Secret River by Kate Grenville.

Another contemporary Australian author, the Secret River is historical fiction based on the white settlement of New South Wales in the early 19th Century. It is beautifully written and tackles the ugly side of colonialism head on. There are scenes in this book that made me sob. She also wrote the Lieutenant which addresses some of the same issues and it’s also very good.

6. The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.

Another contemporary Australian author (though he lives in the US now) - as the title suggests, this is a book about Ned Kelly, the famous bushranger. It’s written in Ned Kelly’s voice, and it’s done so, so well. I can’t think of another work that is so bold in its use of voice.

7. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

I honestly struggled to decide which of his books to choose because I love his work for the way he puts words together, and he does it so incredibly well in everything he writes; however, All the Pretty Horses was the first of his I read, and it made me read all the others, so it seemed the right one to choose. No Country for Old Men and Suttree are other favourites of his.

8. Imperium by Robert Harris

The first in a trilogy - they’re all brilliant - retelling the life of Cicero. I love the way Harris writes - very clean, very light. I would give a leg to be half so good at writing to be honest.

9. The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden.

This follows the life of Xanthippus - Pericles’ father - during the 480s BCE. As with Harris, Iggulden’s writing is absolutely a benchmark for me. This is the first in a series and I haven’t checked in a while if the next one has been published. Note to self. He also wrote the Falcon of Sparta which was great, too.

10. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Millar.

I know there are issues with this retelling, and honestly I don’t care. The way it’s written is everything. The word craft is so beautiful; the feeling that permeates the whole story of impending doom; how every happy moment is in fact sad. It’s gorgeous. Its poetic. It speaks to that hopeless love trope I mentioned earlier. I also loved her Circe for the same reasons.

Tagging @sleeplessincarcosa @softest-punk @erzsebetrosztoczy @myriath @woodsman2b @mimbotomy @auroralykos @haythamk @theinkandthesea I want to read more from around the world so pls gimme all the recs ☺️ or ignore me - no pressure!

[televinita]

Library Triage! kinda?

I have soooo many library items checked out right now and I’m making progress on returning none of them; between working overtime and spending way more of my downtime than usual just incessantly watching the same clips on YouTube, I am not reading very much. But I can’t seem to let anything go. So this (even more than usual) is just me trying to make sense of everything so I don’t lose any items this time...

Part 1: DVDs

No Escape: I have watched this already (twice now in this checkout period, including the one with commentary!) so really I should be done with it, but I’m not. I want it close at hand. It’s too good.

The Hollow Crown: Complete Series: the gifs have been promising so we’re gonna have fun with this. Eventually. Right now my ability to handle it is taking one look at a still from any of them and immediately turning into a cartoon with eyes/heart ballooning out of my body, so I am not yet calm enough for that.

The Night Manager: I’m pretty sure this is actually the project I’m going to target next. I know what I gotta shield my eyes about but I also think I can manage the rest of it, and I’m finally interested in the larger story.

Thor 1-3 + The Avengers: for when I’m ready to continue my Loki journey.

(And yet, I’m still over here like, “I gotta go check out those other two movies I want to see. I gotta.”)

================

Part 2: Books

After Perfect -  Maan Gabriel: 2 months ago, I pulled several titles off my Goodreads TBR that I thought I might like to try soon. And then...Hiddleston Spiral. Library is already down to 1 copy of this small-press 2021 release (they started with 3 or 4), and I’m genuinely afraid it’s gonna get weeded entirely very soon. But still, I think I’m too far off course now to be in the right mood for this particular romance, which is rare (age-appropriate student/creative writing professor, except the professor is the younger one), so I want to save it.

Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (illustrated): I’ve decided not to reread this one yet, I’m just looking at the pictures, but even that I can’t commit to doing. I have been waiting more than a year for this release to get into my hands; I have to be ready to appreciate them. Block out an hour or so to observe/maybe reread select passages/jot notes on my faves.

The Hungry Place - Jessie Haas: a children’s pony book by an author I like that I really thought I would be more excited about/devour quickly, but instead I’m kind of blocked up about it. Like. There is some sadness here before the happy parts, IDK if I’m ready for it!

Just Gus - McCall Hoyle: speaking of children’s books, a cute one about a dog, companion novel to Stella. It really won’t take me more than 90 minutes to read. Why do I keep putting it off.  [edit: go me, I actually started this one in the brief interim between queuing this post and its appearance]

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry: still haven’t even opened it, but I WILL whether I fully read it or not.

(Meanwhile: those 20+ books I just bought and was kinda planning to read at least some of soon...) (p.s. I actually have my latest sale post written up! I just wanted to take photos)

+ 5 books I’ve technically read but don’t wanna give back because I love them and love paging through them

+ 3 Taylor Swift CDs -- Reputation for Getaway Car (I don’t think I’m ready to explore further yet, but I have as yet been too lazy to rip it); and Folklore and Lover to play in the car, the former’ cause I don’t own it and the latter ‘cause IDK where I put my copy and am frankly too lazy to look. :P

[lesbian-in-leather]

1, 9, 16, 20 for the writing asks :)

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

I absolutely care to the extent that I changed my default setting because Cambria Body makes me want to scream. There are also a lot of fonts that I literally cannot read because they make my eyes jump around the page and I can't follow the lines, so I usually use Times New Roman unless I need a font for like a Specific Purpose. Like, titles can be a Funky Font - (I am newly obsessed with this free downloadable one because it's SO NEAT), and sometimes I need like, a typewriter font or a handwriting font or something for a specific passage. But yeah apart from specific circumstances, I use Times New Roman

Also I typed it too many times and now font doesn't look like a word anymore

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

Honestly I don't even know. Do I?? Some places have Off Vibes and also I might have maybe seen a ghost backstage at the theatre I performed in a few weeks ago, but like. It was an ambiguous scenario. Hm. No okay yeah I think I believe in ghosts, but also I think they are wayyy rarer than people think. Also I don't believe in ghost-hunters all of them seem to be bullshit and I don't like liars

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

Okay sadly I don't think I've ever used anything too weird. I've def used my elbow, my forearm, and once - briefly - my hair. Also my phone. I'm very conscious about damaging books though so I don't tend to use anything too wacky - also I do collect bookmarks so I usually have one to hand (or at least the classic 'receipt from when I bought the book five minutes ago'). Also also I read a lot of pretty hardcover editions (my beloved <3) which tend to have the ribbons in the spines so that's always helpful

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you've always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

Bold of you to assume that's not the same thing

Okay right but like. Okay. Okay hear me out. This is mean actually and I don't want to choose. BUT, in the interest of I have to choose here's the thought process:

So eternal happiness implies eternal life for both me AND my love(s. I know it says 'one' but what if I want multiple girlfriends huh? what then) - but could I be eternally happy if my fave little WIP could never be finished - or, worse, could only be finished wrong? Also I don't even know which one my fave IS - does the curse block all of them?? Does it switch depending on which is my current fave so I can never work on anything?? I don't LiKe tHiS.

But what if I choose the WIP? Can I cheat and still have mortal-lifespan happiness with my MULTIPLE loves?? Is that how we win here??????

I think I'd have to choose the WIP because like. Despite what the curse says, just knowing I COULD have Made The Thing and knowing that now it'll never happen would inherently ruin my eternal happiness :( I'm sorry my love :((( but also I feel like my theoretical girlfriend would not only understand, but actively support this decision. We can still find a loophole it's fine. It's FINE

[magpiefngrl]

My Fave Reads of 2021

I reached 100 reads this year on Goodreads, hurray!

I read a lot, guys. 2021 felt like a veeeeeery long year for me and I found escape in books. I was not much into fanfic for most of the year, barely reading one short piece every month--that is until early December when I reached the 100-book milestone and promptly abandoned all books in favour of fanfic lol

(a fanfic rec post is coming too in a week or so)

My fave books of the year were (in order of reading):

1. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh (historical fantasy novella) Gorgeous writing, queer, utterly beautiful. This one hit all my buttons.

2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (horror) Gothic horror at its best--here with colonialism and eugenics.

3. Spectred Isle by KJ Charles (historical paranormal m/m romance) Possibly my fave KJC romance, and that is saying a lot. Love the folkloric magic (similar to Tesh's Silver in the Wood).

4. The Lover by Marguerite Duras (literary) A fragmented novel about memory and loneliness and family.

5. Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heaven Official’s Blessing) by MoXiang TongXiu Only one of my most beloved stories ever. At over 2200 pages, it has everything (except smut 😞😞). There's lots of humour in it, but when the knives come out, they hurt.

6. Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (fantasy novella) Astonishingly good, very feminist (in a non-lectury way).

7. Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (psychological horror) A chilling, subtle, masterfully written novella with strong lesbian subtext.

8. We’ve Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (gothic i guess) One of the most unique narrators I've read.

9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy) This is the novel that made me think "we're allowed to write like this???". Outstanding.

Runners-up:

Scum Villain's Self-Saving System by MXTX

Look, I get it. When I saw that title, I too put off reading the story. Huge mistake. First, the title makes SO MUCH SENSE when you read the novel. Second, this is a hilarious story. There's angst and misunderstandings, but such wit too. It's also very metafictional, very clever in subverting and discussing tropes. (Some people say that MXTX was in high school when she wrote this. How dare she be so talented.)

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles

The conclusion of the Will Darling series is fantastic. KJC managed to stick the landing. There's action and adventures and awful, entitled people but there's also real relationship and character growth from one of KJC's best pairings. A really really good romance series.

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow

A modern, dying girl finds herself in a Sleeping Beauty universe. An excellent, feminist novella with queer rep and a strong voice.

Stay tuned for more book awards lol

Book I'm most ambivalent towards: Dark Rise by CS Pacat. It’s two months since I’ve read it and my main lasting impressions are: “it ripped off LOTR pretty extensively” and “scenes between Will and James were to die for”, and it’s hard to reconcile the two.

Most bonkers book: The Back Passage by James Lear, a hilarious gay erotica. Our narrator and protagonist tries to solve a crime in one of those English mansions, Agatha-Christie-style, while also joyously fucking all the men he encounters. James Lear is the pen name of a literary author so the writing is actually pretty good.

New author crush: Tana French. In the Woods didn’t make my Top-9 list but I loved her prose so, so, so very much. The mood her novels are saturated in is stunning.

Most sultry atmosphere: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo.

Poetry book: The Carrying by Ada Limon.

Short story collection: Sofia Samatar’s Tender. Stupendous. Samatar is amazing at writing with negative space.

Book that hurt me the most: TGCF. The pain is incomparable to anything I've read before, and I tend to pick angsty books. I cried inconsolably for days. There's so much humour in TGCF, and then bang! Book 4 happens.

Best book boyfriend: Hua Cheng of course. Next question.

Overall OK but didn’t grab me: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow.

Most jaw-dropping plot twist: The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. Wow. This is how you plot murder.

Most delightful narrator: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. Several years later than everyone, I managed to get my hands on this (thanks, scribd!). Although YA isn't quite my cup of tea anymore, I had a lot of fun with the novel and enjoyed the voice of Monty, the disaster bi narrator. Great prose too.

Short story: Mr. Death by Alix E. Harrow in APEX Magazine. Available for free. Such depth and emotion in 5k.

Classic I Finally Got Around to Reading: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

****

Overall, this has been an interesting and mostly satisfying reading year. I DNFed 3 novels (which are 3 more than usual tbh) but I read some bangers too. I've also kept a little rec project going all year, which involved posting 3 book recs each month (tag is here if you want to see the previous 11 months).

I've got about 50 books already on my 2022 TBR so hoping there are some good ones in there. Looking forward to seeing what 2022 will bring!

past years

2015 2016 2019 first half of 2020 top 5 books of 2020

[beetlebethwrites]

Top 5 ROs from other IFs?

Okay so this is mad difficult, I hope you all know this is the meanest question. Even meaner than top 5 books. This is just my personal take, I love so many more than this and so many more IFs than this.

1. Ellis from @bodycountgame. Ellis is the loml, my one true love, my sun and stars etc etc etc. I think about them all of the time, it's genuinely a problem at this point, how will anyone ever actually match up to Ellis?

2. Alexis from @ttspinteractive and not just because I have behind the scenes info occasionally dripfed to me by thyme. Ellis is the RO I'd want to marry but Alexis is my ride or die bestie in this scenario.

3. Lea from @northern-passage because I love them so so much. There is something about knowing someone so thoroughly and intimately and then falling in love anyway that makes me just die. Plus Kit's writing is insanely good like the kind of good that makes me feel the snow and the fire and the pain of the settings. All their ROs are amazing (special mention to Merry) but Lea was my first fave.

4. Nash from @nyehilismwriting 's Project Hadea holds a place in my heart for that chaotic MC/partner (and ex?? best friend) to lovers niche that I am excited to see more of. Although also very very excited to see more of the other ROs in Project Hadea too and maybe fall in love with a bug who knows?

5. This is the hardest place to award because I love so many ROs so deeply so I'm going to award it to a few including P from @milaswriting 's Golden, A from @evertidings When Twilight Strikes, Vicky from @barbwritesstuff 's Blood Moon, Hollis from @larkin-if and Azalea from @speakergame.

There's loads more I'm sure but these are a good spread of my faves.

[writingonesdreams]

Learning from stories - book Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

Gotta say, the book I'm reading right now - Lions of Al-Rassan - is insane. The author is breaking all the rules like switching only in next chapters, having povs of only prominent reocurring characters, no long passages of info dumping...and it works! Love it.

What I learned:

The povs switch at any time, from paragraph to paragraph with no warning or way to mark the change can work. Suddenly you are in limited or a bit extended third POV of another character. But it's amazing, cause the POVs are interconnected and absolutely instrumental to understanding what's happening from the closest character at the scene with the most at stake and makes the most sense.

The first chapter starts with the main female MC though and her thoughtline is easy to attach to and come back to in the timeline. She is not at the centre of what's happening, she doesn't make the biggest things happen, but she is crucial and somehow binds everyone and everything together + her situation, strong personality and goals are very prominent.

The info dumping can be done so interestingly! It comes when something relevant to the story needs to be given context to be explained. The market was filled with people, but only the soldiers were unusual. Why were they extraordinary? Well there goes a few pages of explanation of recent civil wars and political climate and brewing conflict. The new king's changes to the palace were scandalous? Why? There goes a long explanation of his exile to enemy country and his acquired taste of their art and architecture and what effect and mood this makes for in his hometown. Wow. I love these so much. They are my fave parts of the book. Why are we so afraid of info dumping?

Sudden switches from head to head even to very unrelated people can be done much more effectively, when the reader quickly recognizes why this will be relevant. Maybe it's more of a taste thing, but I hate when we leave an interesting character for a completely new and unrelated one for who knows how long. Show me what connects them! Two sides of the same war? Living in the same divided city? A farmer attacked in the territory the MC protects? A companion, servant or a wife of the MC or the MC's king? Yes, yes, yes.

As long as the povs are moving the plot along, they are relevant and important, no matter how much total time they actually get.

Culture, politics, history - the whole worldbuilding - can be incredibly relevant and made interesting to the story if something about it is in conflict. Then all the info dumping and research turns significant to understanding why there is conflict, how that conflict could go, what chances the MC has etc.

How to make 3 MCs, each on different side of the conflict, all important and sympathetic? Give each a goal + a distinguishing feature + conflict/problems. Examples for characteristics: the provocative doctor, the snarky powerhungry soldier who loves poetry, the admired commander, the way too honest cheeky newbie etc.

Also layers. Incredibly effective. Show the character doing or saying contradictory things. Show them not saying what they think, show them imagining something they would never do, show them doing something they never imagined.

Inform the reader when the pov switches by orienting them in time and place. No grand signals of switching required, but give info about where we are, with whom and what's happening. Confusion about such things isn't mysterious, it's frustrating.

The book has so much jumping over scenes you would think are important to show and recountes them only in internal monologue or reflection of the characters. You know why this works? Because it's the feelings and thoughts that are important, not the scene itself. Writers tend to agonize over the scenes they think they need but don't want to write. The solution: don't write them. Skip them. Recount them. E.g. A giant battle between the MCs arranged for the fun of the court. We don't actually see it. But we see many important characters reflecting about it later and what conclusions it leads them it. It works amazingly.

You really don't have to show me all the stuff. Show me the fun stuff, the important stuff. Sometimes mentioning they will do or did something is enough, you don't have to show me how they travelled, how she helped the injured after the battle, how she established her new life, if there isn't any substance to the scenes and they just say what we would have known from one sentence anyway. The journey was hard. She is kind. She is successful and favoured in the court. Sure, thanks. Moving on.

How to make a a character in univers famous and impressive? Show how they are seen and perceived by minor characters. Seeing the adoration of the commander by the newbies and his army is more effective than the guy talking how awesome he is. The guy by whose name people stand up from their seats or whisper his deeds late at night like scary stories is gonna be intriguing way before he steps on the page.

Using different names of people, cities and religions that obviously parallel the real world can work consciously as a way to distant the reader from their own prejudice, expectations and personal connections and putting it in perspective in a new way. Great use of history for fantasy in a way that's alternative history while well-grounded and researched. Makes you feel like you are in a different world, but also like you are learning stuff and also like everything is new and weird, but also familiar and realistic. Historical fantasy at its best.

[cicelythereaper]

1, 25, 29 for the asks?

(in response to this post; THANK YOU for asking and sorry for taking so long to respond!)

wow, these questions do not pull their punches huh! okay i guess my answers would be:

1: what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

i'm so glad this question doesn't say THE three things or THE MOST IMPORTANT three things or i would be sitting here from now until doomsday. however if i just get to pick three things on a whim then:

unfortunate as it may be, i'd feel dishonest if i didn't say reading harry potter at age 6. it was unquestionably the thing that made me go "i want to do that, i want to tell stories like that". like i can pinpoint the point at which baby cicely said "i want to be a writer" and it was, like, the day after reading philosopher's stone for the first time.

visiting the llŷn peninsula at age... i wanna say 10? this did not necessarily set me on the path towards being a Welsh Nerd but it DID start me on the path towards being a Hill Enthusiast. i can literally remember the drive in as it got darker and darker, seeing those huge hills looming out of the distance and feeling like i was possessed by something bigger than myself. we'd been before but something about this particular drive (and also coldplay blasting on the car speakers as we went) feels formative to me

you know what? running across katherine by anya seaton in a holiday cottage in northern ireland in 2009. the book itself did not leave a deep imprint on my psyche but it did make me aware of the existence of julian of norwich and THAT is still shaping my psyche even now

25: fave season and why?

i'm always torn between spring and autumn, but spring, i think. i love autumn rain and spring rain equally (rain is an important factor to me in a season, i am a rain stan) but spring rain comes with that feeling of softness and clear air, and also in spring i get to track the passage of time by which flowers come out when, and that's important to me.

29: what do you do when you’re sad?

depends if i can muster the executive function to self-soothe effectively. if no, then the answer is basically "lie in bed, scroll on phone". if yes, then i might watch a favourite video, reread a beloved childhood book, take myself out to a cafe for a mildly fancy overpriced lunch item which i did not have to cook, or - a fun new technique which i've been working on for the past couple of years - tell a friend or family member and be comforted and hear another human voice. i know! radical!

and at all times repeat unto myself the mantra, "in two weeks we'll have different problems". that one hasn't failed me yet.

[prince-simon]

good day my liege💕 let’s give the people more ✨Content✨ if i remember correctly prince simon and wille’s mutual love for red white and royal blue is pscu canon so,

1) who are their favourite characters

2) favourite scenes

3) favourite quotes

4) if they dress up as henry and alex for halloween (and it will be obvious who’s who hahah) what do they wear

tiff hello my love 💗 you're gonna make me fall in love with you if you call me stuff like that lol

you remember correctly, it is indeed pscu canon so let's gooooo (i had to think about this really hard

1) simon: that's easy. alex is his favourite character, he just relates to him so much on so many levels. similarly to alex, it took him like one short panic to accept his sexuality and then it was just a question of how to let the nation know. as we all know, rwrb was what he needed to actually publicly come out

wille: well, for wille it's a little more complicated. i'm gonna start with saying who isn't his favourite character. henry. for the longest time, wille didn't realise why he couldn't stand henry in the beginning and why it took him so long to warm up to him. in the end he figured it out: they were too alike. wille could relate too much and it made him uncomfortable to delve into everything that that meant. (sidenote: he discovered rwrb after his sex scandal, which coincides with the time he really started to like henry bc at least he wasn't a coward and fought for who he loved - worst part is, he doesn't think he'd have done anything differently if he'd read the book before)

but to get to his favourite character. which i'm gonna split again bc i'm me lol. favourite side character is ellen claremont bc she is what he wishes his mom was: despite having to lead a country, she still cares about her family. and she's not perfect but she wants her kids to be happy and she actively supports them in all the important matters.

and then there's alex of course. wille absolutely adores how unapologetic he is, that he takes what he wants and he doesn't give up. (is anyone really surprised lol maybe wille has a type)

2) wille: his favourite scene is also the most painful for him (he does like to punish himself) - it's the confrontation with the queen when henry says the words he never could. "It's real," he says. "All of it." wille is BAWLING every single time he's read it and he's read it A LOT. the page is severely tear-stained, annotations smudged. that scene is also part of the reason why he didn't start anything with simon before he wasn't absolutely sure he had the support he needed - because he promised himself the next time he'd need to fight for someone, he wouldn't give up

"Stop it!" Henry bursts out. All the eyes in the room swivel to him, and he looks pale and shocked at the sound of his own voice, but he goes on. "You can’t—you can’t intimidate me into submission forever!"

this passage is scratched out from the first time he read it, holes in the pages from the pen pushing through the paper and then after a reread it's highlighted in bright marker, there's a small speech written out in the margins what he'd say to kristina and all in all, it's illegible but wille knows it by heart anyway

simon: simon's favourite scene is when alex storms the palace after henry ghosted him and he's demanding answers - he's a dramatic ass hoe so he knows he'd have done exactly the same thing (he maybe imagined himself storming drottningholm once or twice or fifty times before he even met wille to proclaim his love - this mostly always happened after going down a rabbit hole of fanfic about himself and a certain swedish prince)

3) wille: taken from his favourite scene, his favourite quote is: "Henry looks Philip square in the face and says, "I’ve been gay as a maypole since the day I came out of Mum, Philip." he really really wishes he had the guts to say that to kristina

simon: he's got two absolute faves (i mean he adores the whole book but i can't very well quote that here so) the first one is for the romantic in him, the one he now laughs about every time after meeting wille: "Alex," she says. "He likes you. He’s freaking out. You’re gonna have to decide how you feel about him and do something about it. He’s not in a position to do anything else."

and one for his dramatic chaos tendencies from his favourite scene: "Well," Alex says. "I do. And you can choose." "You know bloody well I can’t." "You can try," Alex tells him, feeling as if it should be the simplest fucking truth in the world. "What do you want?" "I want you—" "Then fucking have me."

4) after a lot of back and forth they decide to recreate the outfits from philip's wedding because they think that's hilarious. also simon says that "me in a boring suit is fucking scary" but at least there's some gold. they get slathered in cake and make wilma dress up as the cake and obviously our chaos queen is totally on board "if i'll have yall on top of me at some point during the night" simon comments that that's too scary even for him

----------

send me prince simon asks :)

[lov3nerdstuff]

Hi Kay!

I just wanted to take a moment and say how deeply moving (and overall comforting) I find your writing to be! I've gone through almost the entirety of your masterlist twice in the past month alone and have found myself returning more often to the pieces of literature/poems your reference sometimes. (Especially that one poem by Benedict Smith! I've read a few more by him because of you and they're just wonderfully lovely 💛 so I'm eternally thankful to you for including it.)

I may be wrong in assuming, but I believe you may have studied/are currently studying a degree involving literature. I hope this isn't too foreward of me but I was wandering if you have any other works of literature that you'd recommend? (I'd love to read anything you recommend from poems to plays 💛) I'm slightly embaressed to say but the works I've read are quite limited to a highschool level and since I'm currently studying Pharmacy, there are very few people who can recommend me such moving works. :)

I also feel like I should apologise for writing such a large ask, so please accept this apology as well hehe 💕🥺

Sincerely,

Bek 🌻

Hey there Bek 💚💕✨

First of all... I'm incredibly sorry for how long it took me to reply to this ask, I know you sent it weeks ago and I'm honestly just ashamed of myself for only replying now! I've been taking a bit of a Tumblr break again, or rather a break from literally everything, and I guess not having written anything in a while made me feel guilty whenever I opened Tumblr, so... All I can say for myself really is that I'm sorry you had to wait so long! Again, I never ever ignore anyone, I promise! It just sometimes takes a while for me to reply 😅🙈

Now, I'm so happy to hear that you've been enjoying my writing! 🥺🥰 Hearing that it's comforting and inspiring to you is honestly such a relief and indeed does make me happy more than I can say 💚 It's so cool that you're checking up on all the references I make aaahhh 🥺🥺🥺 I love it 😁 You're always more than welcome, love! I don't think I could stop including references to literature, culture, history and the science around it even if I tried 😅☺️

And yeah, I did study classics and newer literature as a minor for my undergrad degree 😄 But tbh I still work with literally a lot even now (I'm in grad school for media and cultural studies) even though it's technically not something I've been properly taught ☺️ I'm just a nerd who likes to learn on her own, and with media and culture you can pretty much delve into almost anything you want 😂😅🤷🏻‍♀️

Now, it's not forward at all to ask me for literature recommendations! 😁😃 I truly love recommending stuff!!! I have a few up my sleeve, even though you've probably heard of a few already, for obvious reasons: A lot of what I truly enjoyed reading was something Tom Hiddleston has worked on in one way or another! It's truly a magnificent guideline for picking new literature... Just look up the literary origins of his films/shows/plays and you will be in for quality literature most of the time! I don't think I've ever mentioned it on here, but me reading High-Rise (JG Ballard) because I heard Tom would be partaking in the film adaptation was actually what sparked my love and passion for literature!!! Yep, it's that good. Now on to the recommendations though 😁(This... got rather long):

Plays

Anything by Harold Pinter really, but for obvious reasons you'll find a lot of additionally fun stuff for Betrayal, which is lovely and truly funny if you're in on the kind of humour btw

Medea by Euripides (a classic, but I love it nonetheless... You can find translations in almost every language) ((and pls stay away from Seneca's Medea, because ugh... Euripides is far better AND the og story, as much as anyone can say that for Greek mythology)

La Bohème by Puccini (I know, this is technically an opera, but if you read the libretto it's honestly just like a play... And if you're up for it, the og story is in prose and written by Henri Murger... It's better than the opera, but oftentimes more difficult to find) ((this one is hilarious and basically explains an entire cultural subgroup in the 19th century)

Faust by Goethe (many people hate it, but I LOVE this one!!! It's also been translated into any and every language, and it's so interesting philosophically!!! It's also referenced SO freaking often literally everywhere, and the operas and ballets based on it are always my fave) ((there's technically Faust I and Faust II, but you're good to go just reading the first one)

Anything by Shakespeare, obviously... Though I do love me my Hamlet like every other literature enthusiast (Yes, I can do that one famous soliloquy in act 3 scene 1 by heart as well...)

Poetry

Again, anything Shakespeare for the win, but I LOVE the sonnets and keep a copy of them with me most of the time (Yes, I own multiple copies of the sonnets...) ((My faves are 116 and 91, but there's always so much truth to be found in there!!!))

A lot of the stuff William Blake wrote is amazing, though you have to pick carefully with him if certain religious motives aren't your thing... I love The Tyger, which is an individual poem, and the collection of works called Tyger, Tyger which does have many good ones and a few ones that are a little more on the mediocre side

Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas (I know this one by heart as well... It's beautiful, and there's a version of Hiddleston reading it on YouTube, which gives you even more goosebumps than the poem does anyway)

Invictus by William Ernest Henley (same for this one, also read by the one and only) ((I love to read this when I'm feeling down or powerless))

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot (This is another wow piece with many quotable lines and truths... I love it a lot and keep coming back to it! It's also a great example of how literary modernism tried to condense the complexity and passing of time and history into a single frame that had to be intrinsically poetical in nature... As in, this poem could've been a short story in any other period, but modernists loved to make everything a poem so here you go)

Der Zauberlehrling by Goethe (This one sucks in all English translations I’ve found, poetically speaking, but in German it’s such a fun piece! If you’ve ever seen the Disney ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ with Mickey Mouse or listened to the orchestral piece by Paul Dukas, then this poem proves very useful in truly understanding either! But again, the English translation should only be taken for informational value... The German one is also worded hilariously)

Prose

Short edited by Alan Ziegler (This is a collection of short prose forms that honestly is a must for me... I love this book to pieces and have had it for years now! It’s an international anthology, so you’ll find more and less famous authors from all around the world represented with short stories, prose poems, short essays and just curious and interesting snippets of writing! I draw a lot of inspiration from this book)

High-Rise by JG Ballard (As mentioned above, I owe this book part of my personality... I don’t think I would be the same person without having read it. It’s not necessarily full of wisdom, but if you’re interested in a different kind of portrayal of the human condition, then this is the read you need to take a look at)

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers (This is another piece that changed my perception of literature, even though this is a more ordinary and ‘fun’-value read... It’s one of my favourite books and it’s endlessly entertaining! So if the classics are a bit heavy for you, this one is perfect for casual readers as well! Its value really does lie more in the realisation of how fun literature can be, and the freedom you have as an author... So really, I could recommend everything by Moers, his style is amazing both in the German original and in the English translation. Yes, I’ve read both.)

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (This is comedic gold, stylistic gold and generally a bloody perfect book. Also a ‘fun’-value read, but it also does a magnificent job at showing you what you can do with literature, and how well-developed characters are supposed to be written)

The Penguin Book of the Undead (Penguin Classics) edited by Scott G. Bruce (This book is basically an education on fifteen hundred years of supernatural encounters and how culture wrote, used and perceived them. You get introductory texts for different periods and social groups, explaining how and why ghost stories were written and used, followed by passages of the prime source texts (eg. ancient necromancy shown on The Odyssey). Really, this book is just for cultural history nerds)

The Earthquake in Chile by Kleist (This isn’t necessarily one of my faves, but it has helped me understand what studying literature and culture can do for you. In case anyone remembers my insistence in Wicked Game that you gotta know what a pomegranate symbolises... this novella is such an instance where this knowledge would prove useful. Generally, it gives many opportunities to think about privilege and circumstance)

The Symposium by Plato (You’ll probably not want to read the entire collection of speeches tbh... But the concepts introduced mainly here and in some of Plato’s other work are well worth looking into! For example, the ‘double being’ introduces a concept that in modern fiction is called soulmates... Just sayin’)

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello Steph 😊 Do you have any BAMF Molly or just some good fics that feature Molly? I need some Molly love at the moment because I just read a fic where she "turns to the drak side" so to speak, and my heart 😭😭😭

Hey Nonny!

Ah I did a few comm. recs lists recently with Molly, but here are what I can offer you from memory, LOL. PLEASE add your fave Molly fics, guys! PLEASE NOTE these are fics I’ve read, and please check the sub-headings for a TONNE of stuff I haven’t read!! Big title so I can find it later LOL.

MOLLY PLAYS A ROLE

See also:

COMM RECS: Coming Out To Molly

COMM RECS: Molly with Women

COMM RECS: Molly and Greg Push John and Sherlock Together

COMM RECS: Molly as a Villain

Santa Knows by Itsallfine (T, 1,719 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas Party, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Matchmaking, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock) – Sherlock and John both get exactly what they want from the Yard's secret Santa exchange. Pure holiday fluff.

What John Doesn't Know (Won't Hurt Him) by blueink3 (NR [T], 4,392 w., 1 Ch, || S3 Fix It, Pining Sherlock, Snippets of Life, Hurt/Comfort, Scars, Fluff and Angst, Five and One, Hopeful Ending, POV Sherlock) – Five people who see Sherlock's scars before John Watson. But Sherlock's secrets were never something he could keep from his blogger for long.

Thirty Three Hours Without John Watson by Bookaholic, mybrotherharry (M, 6,232 w. || First Kiss / Time, Pining Idiots, BG Mystrade, Crackish) – Sherlock can SO TOTALLY survive without John Watson. It should be a piece of cake. AKA the time when Sherlock braved grocery store lines for milk, purchased and gave away a box of tampons and figured out what the X-Factor is. Greg and Mycroft didn’t sign up for this shit. Next time, they are going to the Bahamas.

Wonderful, Etcetera. by VictoryCandescence (T, 16,955 w., 3 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Alternate Timelines, Brotherhood, Homophobia, Suicidal Ideations, Mentions of Drug Use, Friendship, Different TRF, Sherlock’s Past, Victor Trevor is Past Boyfriend, Depression, Hallucination, Love Confessions, Christmas, First Kiss) – Sherlock thinks everyone would be better off if he had never existed, including and especially himself. When he finds himself in a world in which his wish has been granted, he begins to think perhaps even he could be wrong – but it takes an unlikely chaperone to make him not only observe, but understand.

Insanity in the Middle by DotyTakeThisDown (E, 28,010 w., 8 Ch. || Equestrian Sports AU || Alternate First Meeting, POV John, Pining John, Bottomlock, Clueless Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Passionate Kisses, Hand Holding, Caught Making Out, Bed Sharing, Spooning, Blow Job) – John is a world-class eventing rider with a gold medal and several four-star wins to his credit, but he's never won at Rolex. Sherlock is an up-and-coming rider taking the sport by storm.

Love or What You Will by miss_frankenstein (T, 31,987 w., 11 Ch. || College/Uni AU || Professor John, Ph.D Student Sherlock, Pining John, Poetry, Falling in Love / Slow Burn, Light Angst, Happy Ending) – John is an English professor who specializes in War and Post-War Literature and Sherlock is the brilliant yet impossible Ph.D. student assigned to be his TA because no one in the Chemistry Department is willing to put up with him. And - somewhere between Waugh and Plath, e-mails and takeaway, novels and villanelles - they fall in love.

The Wrong Wagon by DancingGrimm (E, 35,663 w., 20 Ch. || Alternating POV, Molly/  John [Molly pines for John], Public Sex, Casual Sex, Obliviousness, BAMF!John, Awkwardness, Angst & Humour, First Time, Virgin Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock) – Molly sees John in a new light and realises that she may have hitched her horse to the wrong wagon...or something like that. John pines for Sherlock and worries what he will think if he ever finds out. And Sherlock doesn't know what Molly's up to...but he knows he doesn't like it.

The Pieces That Fall to Earth by Itsallfine (M, 49,513 w., 84 Ch. || S4 Fix-It, Epistolary, Love Confessions, Slow Burn, Parentlock, Past Abuse, Coming Out, Internalized Homophobia, Questioning Sexuality, Mental Health Issues / Therapy, Angst, Happy Ending) – John and Sherlock have hit rock bottom, but with all their armor stripped away, they can finally speak honestly, seek healing, and find the truths that matter most. An epistolary post-s4 fix-it fic. Now complete. (This fic is rated T except for one very clearly marked and easily skippable chapter, which is rated M.) Part 1 of The Pieces that Fall to Earth

floating through a dark blue sky by Lediona (M, 58,966 w., 15 Ch. || Notting Hill AU || POV John, Celebrity Sherlock, First Date / Time / Kiss, Past Drug Addiction, Angst with a Happy Ending) – Of course, I’d seen his films and always thought he was, well, brilliant -- but, you know, a million miles from the world I live in. Or, when John is the owner of a travel book shop and the famous Sherlock Holmes stops in one day.

This Thing All Things Devours by cypress_tree (E, 63,844 w., 15 Ch. || In Time AU || Science Fiction, Dystopian Universe, First Meetings, Action / Adventure, Romance) – In 2169, time is money—literally. Humans are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, when the numbers on their arm start counting down from one year. When that time is up, they die. The only way to get more time is to earn it, borrow it, or steal it.John Watson lives day-to-day in the crowded slums of Zone 13. He never imagined living any differently—until he meets the practically-immortal Sherlock, and helps him on a case to track a local time-thief...

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

The Stars Move Still by BeautifulFiction (E, 96,022 w., 5 Ch. || Magical Realism, Demons, Slash to Pre-Slash, AU, Happy Ending, Souls) – "What could I want so desperately that would make me sell my soul? What could possibly compel me to surrender the part of myself that makes me who I am: the source of my magic, my self-control, everything?”

Definitions by siennna (T, 101,528 w., 12 of ? Ch. || Dev. Rel., Pining, Fluff and Romance, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Fluff, Cuddles, Girl’s Night, Texting, Virgin Sherlock, Drunk Sherlock, Background Mollstrade, Hair Petting, Laying on Lap) – Sherlock’s journey in defining his flat mate and stumbling through the muddled world of emotion. {{This feels complete; the chapter count is listed as ? but I feel like it is done}}

between each beat are words unsaid by darcylindbergh, hudders-and-hiddles (T, 107,998 w., 215 Ch. || Epistolary, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending) – On their wedding night, John and Sherlock gift each other with the things they each said when the other could not hear, the things they each put down where the other could not see: a collection of writings that illustrate the way their love for one another has grown over the years. Part 1 of between each beat

The Burning Heart by May_Shepard (M, 119,150 w., 21 Ch. || Canon Divergence, Post-TRF, John’s Sexuality, S3 Rewrite, Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV John Watson, John’s Gay) – When Sherlock dies, John Watson feels like his life is over too. He’s completely shut down, until Mark Morstan, a new nurse at John’s medical clinic, catches his attention, and helps him uncover the long buried truth of his attraction to men. Although he’s certain he’ll never get over Sherlock, John plans to move on, and build a new life with Mark, unaware that Sherlock is not quite as dead as he appears, and that Mark is hiding secrets of his own.

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Facial Shaving, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship's surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there's more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin' the eye, he has to choose... is it a pirate's life for him?

The Horse and his Doctor by khorazir (T, 129,003 w., 13 Ch. || Horse / Vet AU || Magical Realism, Horses, Vet John, Horse Sherlock, Implied Alcoholism) – Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

Performance In a Leading Role by Mad_Lori (E, 156,714 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Hollywood / Actor AU, Secret Relationship, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Romance, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Pining) – Sherlock Holmes is an Oscar winner in the midst of a career slump. John Watson is an Everyman actor trapped in the rom-com ghetto. When they are cast as a gay couple in a new independent drama, will they surprise each other? Will their on-screen romance make its way into the real world? Part 1 of Performance in a Leading Role

Mise en Place by azriona (M, 161,004 w., 28 Ch. || Restaurant (Kitchen Nightmares) AU || Sherlock is Gordon Ramsay / Celebrity Sherlock, Restauranteur John, Harry Plays Prominent Role, Alternating POV, Mutual Pining, Cranky Sherlock, Bed Sharing, Slow Burn) – John Watson had no intentions of taking over the family business, but when he returns from Afghanistan, battered and bruised, and discovers that his sister Harry has run their restaurant into the ground, he doesn't have much choice. There's only one thing that can save the Empire from closing for good – the celebrity star of the BBC series Restaurant Reconstructed, Chef Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Mise en Place