#underrated gallavich authors

[callivich]

I’m sharing some underrated Gallavich authors whose work I’ve enjoyed! Check out their work and comment if you also enjoyed! 💖 I plan on doing one of these a week and if you feel inspired, feel free to share authors you feel are underrated too! You can use the banner if you want.

Let’s start off with Keith_Wilde

They’ve only written three fics but these three fics are brilliant! Great characterisations that really feel true to canon. All are set in later seasons and beautifully capture Ian and Mickey’s married relationship.

Know When to Fold 'Em Summary: Over a late-night summer card game, the Milkoviches discuss their new domesticity.

The Downside Summary: Eventually in the next season, we're going to have to deal with Terry coming after Mickey, and this is how I think it should go.

Good old-fashioned whump because it feels good to see Ian care for Mickey for a change. Title is from "The Luck You Got" by The High Strung, aka the Shameless theme song.

We Come Alive in the Evening Summary: Our boys have a year of marriage under their belt, and decide to celebrate with a little vacation to Virginia Beach.

[zutaralesbian]

Tagged by the lovely @callivich to answer these Gallavich questions! Thank you, they were fun 😊

1. What’s a fic you’ve read more than once?

You Can Bite Me by Shamelessquestions. I love the vampire trope so having arguably the most iconic author for the Gallavich fandom write something for it was a dream come true. And it did not disappoint.

2. What’s a gifset you always have to reblog?

I can’t really think of a specific gifset but pretty much anything that involves paralleling Gallavich’s first ever scene with one of them getting married or engaged is my shit. It’s the journey.

3. What’s a headcanon you can’t stop thinking about?

A headcanon that is my Truth and that I always stick to is that the first time Ian told Mickey he loved him was in 4x11 after Mickey came out.

4. What’s a fanart you love looking at?

This one ❤️

5. What’s an idea you’d love to create if you had the time/inspiration?

I have a thousand different fic ideas running through my head at all times 😭 But one that’s been lingering in my head lately in particular is a canon divergence where Mickey completes his time in prison after S6 but doesn’t try to contact Ian after he’s released. Years later, they run into each other in a different city when they’re both in their early thirties and married to other people. They decide to catch up and try being friends. However, they quickly realize that the romantic feelings never fully went away and things spiral into them having an affair with each other. It’d be a super messy fic but would capitalize on the aspect of them being magnetic soulmates who ultimately can’t stay away from each other no matter the circumstances.

6. What’s something you’ve discovered since entering this fandom? A new trope you love? A different analysis of the show? Something else?

Hmmm…tbh I can’t really think of anything in particular for this question

7. What’s an underrated trope or concept you’d like to see more of?

I’ve said this before, but Gallavich is one of those ships that I feel like can fit into a large pool of AU’s. That being said, I would personally like to read more enemies to lovers and/or rivals to lovers. I kinda get why it’s a little rare since in canon, Ian/Mickey definitely are a friends with benefits to lovers type trope. But I can’t help it…I love reading fics where two characters fucking hate each other before falling in love lol

8. What’s your favourite season? And has this changed after multiple rewatches of the show?

S4. And it’s pretty much been that way since the first time I watched the show. Mickey is my fave so I’m definitely biased considering it was arguably his best season.

9. What’s a plot hole you wish had been answered or resolved?

I would have liked to have gotten to know more about Mickey and Mandy’s mother. I guess in a way it is kind of fun that the fandom can have their own headcanons about her. I kind of have a headcanon that Mickey and Mandy have a different biological mother than the rest of the Milkovich siblings because they look alike but both look different from Terry.

10. What scene or moment do you feel isn’t discussed enough?

This is another hard one because I personally feel that the fandom does a pretty good job of discussing and analyzing all of Ian and Mickey’s important scenes. I guess maybe the “you’re just a warm mouth to me” scene in S2. It gets overshadowed as far as angsty scenes go considering everything Ian/Mickey go through in their relationship later. But I feel like it was their first big heartbreak with each other.

11. What line/dialogue/description from something else (a poem, a book, a tv show, a movie, or something else) do you feel describes Ian and Mickey’s relationship?

"When you meet the right person, you know it. You can't stop thinking about them. They are your best friend and your soulmate. You can't wait to spend the rest of your life with them. No one and nothing else can compare." (From How I Met Your Mother)

12. What do you think is next for Ian and Mickey post-finale?

I think they stay in their westside apartment for a little while but ultimately do decide to move out when their lease is up. They end up getting a decent place back in the south side, after both of them admit they miss it. Ian brings up the idea of them having kids from time to time but the idea still makes Mickey nervous. They compromise by deciding to try out being pet owners first and get a cat and a dog. (The cat being a stray they find on the streets and the dog adopted from a shelter). They run their security business for a while but eventually Mickey does encourage Ian to try something new, knowing his husband has a hero complex and might not be fully satisfied with a career that doesn’t involve him helping people. What that is, I’m not entirely sure. I’d like to see him go back into the medical field but I don’t know how feasible that is with him being a felon. But hey, it’s also the Shameless universe so anything is possible.

Tagging: @whaticameherefor @milkymickeyway @such-a-barbarian @auds-and-evens

I feel like most of my Shameless moots were tagged in the og post but if I happened to miss anyone feel free take this as a tag!

[lingy910y]

Gallavich Questionnaire

Thank you @energievie for tagging me to do this! I get too unhinged when talking about these two boys, so warning for very elaborate ramblings 🙏

1. What’s a fic you’ve read more than once?

This fic is the prime example of why you should write a fic even if you think nobody’s going to read it, because it’s my favorite gallavich fic even though most people don’t want to read about them getting a divorce. But I do, okay, because a normal break-up doesn’t cut it (especially since we already see those in canon, but post-canon is up to our interpretation) and it’s just more serious. I think they will work out their issues before it gets too far in canon but it just hurts so fucking good. The reason for their divorce is so realistic too, in fact it’s not one but a lot of problems piled on top of each other. They think it’s only going to hurt everyone involved including their children, which is arguably true in context, but they can’t resist each other and it’s this back and forth push. There’s parallels to canon, the writing is so good without being drawn out, and there’s so much nuance, emotion, and subtly hinting at something beneath the surface. The pining is just delicious because it’s not “I don’t know if you feel this way about me” or “I’m not allowed to be with you,” it’s “I want to be with you so badly but I’m trying to resist that because it’s going to hurt everyone.” Then the trying so hard not to care because “we’re over, but you’re in trouble and I’m trying to move on and I’m never going to love someone else like I love you” 😭😭😭 anyway I actually had to stop myself from rereading too often for comfort because it was too much LOL

the author said they were going to update it January of this year so I’ll be patiently waiting 😔

3. What's a headcanon you can't stop thinking about?

You know that post abt how when you're sleepy you imagine your favs sleepy? I keep imagining Ian wrapping their comforter around Mickey like a cocoon when he has a nightmare and cuddling him, it's cute

4. What's a fanart you love looking at?

The first image of this by @gallavichonly JUST GETS ME SO FERAL. THEIR FUCKING EXPRESSIONS.

5. What’s an idea you’d love to create if you had the time/inspiration?

I want to draw a character concept art sheet for their outfits/weapons/mechanics for kinda a zombie apocalypse AU. Designing that sounds fun but I need to research more

6. What’s something you’ve discovered since entering this fandom? A new trope you love? A different analysis of the show? Something else?

The jealousy trope, especially jealous Mickey. I guess in other fandoms, people write jealousy in a really possessive, cringy way. Not saying gallavich aren't possessive as fuck but at least they earned it, you know? There's too many ships where one of them is breathing down the other person's love interest's neck but they don't even know you exist, like calm down 😭 Meanwhile gallavich tease and try to get each other to admit it first, and Mickey is biting his tongue trying not to say anything and then "Fucking cheat on me, Ian?!", "Whatcha doin' here then?" AND THEIR EXPRESSIONS WHEN THEY EACH SAY "WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW" ARUGHHHHHH I'M SO GONE

7. What’s an underrated trope or concept you’d like to see more of?

Touched on this earlier but basically the more tragic/gritty ones—a huge argument, break-ups, unrequited love, falling out of love, hanahaki, amnesia, MCD...

10. What scene or moment do you feel isn’t discussed enough?

Eh I think we've dissected the shit out of every scene lmao, but probably their s4 reunion? The lap dance?

11. What line/dialogue/description from something else (a poem, a book, a tv show, a movie, or something else) do you feel describes Ian and Mickey’s relationship?

Obviously "I'll take care of you. / It's rotten work. / Not to me. Not if it's you."

12. What do you think is next for Ian and Mickey post-finale?

I want Ian to go back to being an EMT no matter what :( but their current security gig fits Mickey a lot. Ian also gets really into gardening, he'll be so good to the point where he'll be known in the neighborhood. And Mickey has a little hobby for drawing. They'll adopt a pitbull because Mickey was actually enthusiastic about that idea, which meets Ian halfway by still giving him something to take care of. Now for the elephant in the room: I think it's okay if Mickey never wants a kid, and there's a lot of issues ingrained in them that unless they go to therapy for a couple of years, hinder them from becoming perfect parents tbh. Now I'm not saying they'll be bad, but will their best be enough? Will they be content? Idk, I don't have any experience and I see them with more issues/flaws than the majority of the fandom? Honestly I just don't see that future for them (but I do enjoy kid AUs because who doesn't.) They'll stay on the West Side because I want them to get out but not stray too far from their family. I also can't think about them getting old or I'll sob, but I wrote a fic about how they'll retire and just live comfortably because it's what they deserve, and they'll take tons of vacations when they save up enough money.

oh my god that was way too much but in my defense i rarely get to rant abt them ok!! anyway now that I went through the whole spectrum of emotions, i'm tagging @michellemisfit, @lupeloto, @jademickian & @softmick 🚶‍♀️

[dreamylyfe-x]

1 and 9?

Going RiGHT for the questions I knew I’d most struggle with! It’s like you’re my great fear, made anon. 😏

Ok! This one is hard: 

1. A writer you like that doesn’t get nearly enough credit and why you like them?

Because I am poorly read in this fandom. Because I write, I don’t have the time I’d usually spend reading and I also tend to spend the time I have to read with the tried and true, widely recommended and widely discussed authors. Like right now I’m reading one WIP and it’s by @gallavichy 

But I also feel like MOST current writers I follow, while decently recced, are still kinda underrated. That’s probably a matter of this fandom being so old and a lot of writers having had a long time to become figures of myth and legend. 

But I’m going to go with something I don’t think I’ve ever seen talked about that I read when I was a Gallavich infant, because I liked it and found it so refreshing. I think it was the first time I read something sympathetic to Ian. I have since found many writers who can hit that note, but this is the one I found first: 

this low by emryses

It’s an overview of Ian’s history with men and I liked it because of its empathy and because it shared my POV on a few thing 😏

9. Fanfiction pet peeves?

I’m ALSO a bit of a baby about this one because I’m generally like “hey, we all have our own styles and skills and it’s fanfic” -- but this leads into a pet peeve that I actually haven’t encountered in THIS fandom, but encountered elsewhere: nitpicking other people’s work. By which I mean someone asked you what you thought of a story and you point out the n-dashes that should be m-dashes. Give people some grace. 

But also one of @whaticameherefor‘s peeves really spoke to me, which is the overuse of nicknames. That will pull me out a bit. And in that vein, can I just say that this is the second fandom where I’ve had to write a character who nicknames heavily and it’s HARD. Because Mickey doesn’t generally use a nickname twice. He’s one-and-done most of the time. I’ve noticed in particular that @milkymickeyway has a real talent for coming up with the nickname juste when writing him. It ain’t easy. 

[callivich]

I’m back with another underrated author rec!

verily_i_say has written five stories. While I think they were probably known at the time, since it’s been quite a few years I think there might be a lot of people out there who haven’t read their fics.

All their fics are set around s3 and do a great job of capturing the drama and heartbreak of this time. Their stories are a mix of canon divergent, character studies and missing scenes. I’d recommend all five as the writing really captures the characters well as they navigate such a difficult time. Especially the very interesting take on what the relationship between Svetlana and Mickey could have been like in a canon divergent world.

In general, I think it’s always really interesting to read work written as the show was airing and seeing how writers interpreted things without knowing what was coming next.

The Interrupters -

To her surprise, Mickey Milkovich is standing on their porch, looking significantly less filthy than the last time she saw him, pants down and bleeding in her kitchen. He seems vaguely nervous, shifting backwards and forwards slightly on the balls of his feet.

Even before he says anything, Fiona has the sudden notion that he’s trying to be polite, make a good impression. For some reason she’s reminded of the boys in middle school who came to pick her up before a date, terrified they might be interrogated by Frank. 

If he’s here for Debbie, she’s going to fucking kill him.

The Honeymooners -

He hears the keys in the door and a second later she walks in carrying a tray of food. She’s still wearing the white dress, her hair is down, make up smudged a little around the eyes. She smiles a little when she sees him, says good morning. Her accent is thicker than he remembers.

Here she is, the new Mrs Milkovich. Fuck.

War Wounds -

Mandy finds her brother in the hallway, smoking and leaning up against the discoloured, pockmarked wall. Mickey gestures his head back into the reception, the opening notes of La Bamba echoing and distorted out of ancient speakers. “So. You finally got that sister you always bitched about wanting.”

Mandy punches him. Hard.

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Remember, if you enjoyed a fic, please leave a comment! 💖

[callivich]

This week’s pick for underrated Gallavich author is aislingdoheanta / @saras-almanac

I haven’t had the chance to read all 19 of their fics yet but I really liked the ones I have read! aislingdoheanta has written some sweet/fluffy one shots, some emotional character studies and some very interesting AUs.

i should've cut you out right at the start - Mickey wonders at exactly how he ended up falling in love Ian Gallagher

The Pomegranate - Mickey the god of the Underworld and has fallen in love with Ian, the god of vegetation. Hades/Persephone myth fusion (AU)

Hand Holding - Ian, Mandy, and Mickey go to to movies together and Mandy gives Mickey a hard time about not holding Ian’s hand

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Remember, if you enjoyed a fic, please leave a comment! 💖

[callivich]

This week’s pick for underrated Gallavich author is LeeJean

I haven’t had a chance to read all 12 of their stories yet but the ones I have read are stunning! LeeJean really nails the characterisations and has a really great descriptive writing style. They have a great ability to write scenes that could have been canon or better.

———

Gallagher family dynamics (4356 words) by LeeJean Summary: Liam and Mickey share the house as Chicago begins to open up after the first wave of COVID-19.

‘It takes Mickey a while to realize how much time he spends alone with Liam in the Gallagher house. Liam’s doing his schoolwork from home. He calls it ‘distance learning’, and Mickey can’t believe the kid is actually still working so hard when he doesn’t have classes to attend.‘

Survival is a four letter word (3375 words) by LeeJean

Summary: Runs from Mickey’s childhood to season 9 episode 6.

“The thing about loving someone, making them your fucking family, was that you couldn’t turn that shit off at will. Mickey might have gotten one secret off his chest, but now something else burrowed it’s way under Mickey’s skin, making him itchy and tense and wistful. That something was Ian fucking Gallagher.”

All my meaningful firsts (2525 words) by LeeJean Summary: Set the night of Mickey and Ian’s sleepover in 3.06. Just two dudes, watching movies, eating snacks and drinking beer, getting each other off on the couch.

Does NOT get into the events of the following morning.

“Ian’s a good fucking kisser. Amazing, actually, and Mickey curses himself a little, because he’s been missing out on this, on kissing Ian for far too long. There’s something predatory about it, at least between the two of them.”

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Remember, if you enjoyed a fic, please leave a comment! 💖

[callivich]

My pick for underrated author this week is madmalina.

Although they’ve only written two WIPs, both fics are the types of stories that really grab you immediately. Both have an intriguing premise which instantly draws you in as a reader. Very well written stories that are quite different and I hope that one day we will see more from this writer.

Being Human (12785 words) by madmalina Chapters: 2/15 Rating: Mature Summary: M-9311’s world is small, and so is he. He only knows that, of course, because the only people he’s ever seen are so much taller than him, their hands several times the size of his. Even if he stands up, in fact, his head only just reaches their tummies.

A story of two boys from very different circumstances and with very different options in life. A story about what it means to be human, about being different, about love, friendship, and trust.

This will be a wild ride, tears will be shed, but it will be worth it in the end. Promise.

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Things of the Past (34102 words) by madmalina Chapters: 6/12 Rating: Mature Summary: Ian and Mickey are a thing of the past, although...they've never really been an actual thing.

Several years later, an injury sends Mickey to the hospital, which leads to a chance encounter that shakes up the lives they've both settled into. Is the past too heavy for them to overcome, or is there still a chance for them now?

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Remember, if you enjoyed a fic, please try and leave a comment 💖