#writer: apparentlynotreallyfinnish

[cellard0ors]

Tricks & Treats...but really just treats

Figured tonight would be a nice night to give out some treats!

So here's a highlight of some Rhink content I enjoy!

Fic recs

Highest Bidder by @apparentlynotreallyfinnish One of the first Rhink fics I ever read, but NOT the last one I've read by this author, I completely recommend ANYTHING by them. This story is a revolving POV story wherein a young Link puts himself up for sexual services because he needs money and an older Rhett takes interest. Their interactions are the perfect blend of sweet and saucy!

One Man Band by @lallyloo I was looking for Rhink fic when I first started getting into the idea and this popped up from other rec lists. An AU in which Rhett is a traveling musician and Link owns a bar. The writing is crisp and made me enjoy things I'm normally not a fan of (piercing, tatts, a sort of friends-with-benefits dynamic) showing how strong Lally is as a writer. Everything they do is gold. I'm rec'ing this story just because it's the first I saved, but I could rec many many others. All *chef's kiss*

Safety Valve by isra - Honestly, I don't know if this writer has a Tumblr. I found this story again via rec lists and I can tell you right now, my story wouldn't exist without this one. The way they write Link's pain and internal struggle with his sexuality and attraction to Rhett is very much how I approached when I decided to write them. It felt so authentic and genuine and it truly inspired me. Hands down a fave.

Don't Blame Me by @rhettjmc Another spin on the selling sexual favors, but now with a young Rhett and older Link. So sexy and the angst is just fantastically delicious. Another writer with a breadth of great work - but, first read, first rec'd.

It Was Always You by @malienessan So, I'm legit behind on this, which is BS on my part but listen, LISTEN. I have to carve out time to pay it the attention it deserves because it's written from Link's POV and he's young and in love with Rhett and it is some heart wrenching beautiful writing. I can rec it without worry that it'll disappoint, because it's just that good. Read.

Overall Rhink fics/blogs/content

@peachworthy posts the most amazing content and is a fantastic person. If you're not following, you should! Writes fantastic work, records gorgeous audio, clips content others aren't blessed to have access to - I mean, the name fits - she's a peach. Honestly a forever follow for me.

@link-sans-specs creates/captures some jaw droppingly beautiful Link pics. Like my icon for example! *Waggles eyebrows* Also another low key cool person all around.

@likestrawberrywhine Not only a fantastic writer (one of the best in the fandom tbh) but someone not afraid to voice their opinion when it comes to GMM no matter what. Sometimes I disagree with their take (I like Stevie tbh) but I can respect it, and them, and it's refreshing to see someone just put it all out there. The posts/tags alone on GME wete entertaining - I promise you, you will never be bored when it comes to this blog.

Forever Follows

@poiregourmande - followed when I was super into Shyan, but following forever because they're sweet and post awesome Watcher content!

@cheeziswin - one of the best people ever. Hands down. Meet through GF and she's now in World of Warcraft, which I also enjoy. Like one of my rec'd blogs above - never afraid to share her opinion whether you agree or not. Strong, bold, great artist and general Tumblr blogger.

@cirilee - A sweetheart who makes some of the most beautiful art you will ever see. Has posted a variety of different content and it's always interesting and fantastic. Absolute love.

[enterthetadpole]

The Rhink Fandom: Why I Took a Break and the Trail Back...

Hi everyone,

As some of you who follow my little Tumblr know, I wrote a lot in the Rhink fandom in the last couple of years largely due to my writing wife @whatsastory. However, I slowed down to a full stop completely in 2020. 

I won’t go into a huge amount of detail, but I will explain some of the back story as to what happened because I think that I owe a that to any of you all who read and enjoyed my Rhink solos and collaborations. 

In early 2020 a friend of mine, who for this I will refer to as Mindy (not anywhere close to her actual name) began to beta read for me for a couple of Rhink stories that were 100% offline. Mindy, just for full clarification is NOT any of the beta readers who have beta read for any of my published stories. 

I considered Mindy to be a very good friend, and in the beginning she was kind and constructive with her beta reading and overall view of my writing. In general I agree with my beta readers say regarding changes/adjustments to what I write. I am a HORRIBLE editor of my own work and I absolutely know that. In Mindy’s case though, her comments and critiques got a lot darker and more abrasive. They were still accurate, but there was a bitter and angry edge to them that called my actual talent and abilities into question in a very passive aggressive way. 

In hindsight, I realize that she had always been toxic. However, I have a tendency to already internalize my own faults as a writer and because of that I put a large amount of blame on myself. She may have planted the seed of my worth, but it was I who watered it and let it grow to a level that I would practically freeze up whenever trying to write for the Rhink fandom. I missed deadlines, cancelled collabs with incredibly kind and talented people, and all because I let someone else get into my head that I was a shitty writer in the fandom. 

For that I am sorry. I truly am. 

With the continued support and kind words from readers and writers alike, I kept on the edge of the fandom until I was able to fully excise Mindy from my life (which had been done months and months before) and out of my mind (which took unfortunately a whole lot longer to do.)

The awesomeness of people like @whatsastory, @outofnowhere82, @its-mike-kapufty, @thinkanddoodle-rhink, @sass-and-panache, @fanbabble, @your-borderline-babe ,@apparentlynotreallyfinnish and others in the Rhink fandom too numerous to name kept me within the inner circle until I was ready to return to writing. The posting of my RandL’s gift in the Creative House was just the icing on the cake that I needed for that extra boost of confidence. 

I have a long way to go to get back to where I was within writing in the fandom. The wounds are healing but the scars are there. I try not to be so “extra” with my metaphors, but I think that says it best for now. 

I will make a point of only posting updates here on tumblr and to my twitter (TadpoleNinja) when chapters have already been beta read and posted. I also promise to reach out next time to the same people and fandom that have been so kind to me. I have a shitty habit of dealing with overwhelming things on my own because I feel like I am bothering other people. I am aware more than ever that practice isn’t good. 

Thank you for coming to my Ted (Tad) Talk.

Yours in future Rhinkiness, 

Tad <3

[lallyloo]

Fic asks 1, 15 and 23

1. Favorite fic you wrote this year

I answered this here so I'll also add Love at the Lakehouse because it involves Damnyell. ❤ And Keeper Of the Forest too.

15. Something you learned this year

I learned that I'm a better writer when I write what I want to write. If someone gives me a prompt and it doesn't inspire me or I can't figure out how to write it I shouldn't write it. (This isn't in reference to anything I'm currently writing but it definitely applies to a few things I've written in the past)

23. Fics you wanted to write but didn’t

I answered that one here so I'll also add jealous Rhett, nanny Link..

Thanks @apparentlynotreallyfinnish! 😊❤

[malienessan]

Fic asks! 21, 24. Since all the good questions were asked, I'll add my own. Was there a fic you wished would have "done better" (gotten more kudos/comments)?

21: Most memorable comment/review? I remember being blown away by the first comments on my first fic, You are my person, cause people genuinely seemed to like it, and I was so damn nervous about it 😊

24: favorite fic you read this year? There are SO MANY amazing fics and writers in this fandom. But two fics I keep coming back to are Wild horses by @lallyloo and Playthings by @apparentlynotreallyfinnish (both of you know how I adore your fics 😍

And as for your own question: was there a fic you wished would have ”done better”? Yeah, my death fic. It hasn’t done bad at all, but I’m so STUPIDLY PROUD of it, that I managed to make it a cohesive story despite being eleven stories in one. But I get it, I might have wanted to avoid a fic with ten sad endings, too 🙈

Thank you @apparentlynotreallyfinnish! 💖

[rhettjmc]

Appa is an amazing writer! And so are YOU! 💖anon

@apparentlynotreallyfinnish 🥺🥺 and Thank you!

[jamiealways-gmm]

Five Faves!

I was tagged by @apparentlynotreallyfinnish​ and @summer-mclaughlin​ thank you both lovlies I’m sorry it took me nearly eighty years to get around to doing this <3

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

1. I’m just really happy with how this one turned out (and who doesn’t love floofy Link?)

2. I’m proud of this because it was the first time in a long time I’ve tried to do something realistic, look! there’s even a proper background! (it also makes the list because I’m deeply in love with trucker!Rhett but anyone who follows me probably knows that by now)

3. Probably the dumbest painting I’ve ever attempted is The Professor from Watcher but I really like how it turned out (and Shane Madej liked it on Twitter so that’s good enough for me)

4. I hadn’t worked with a limited palette for a while so this was a challenge but i like how he looks like a greek statue here

5. Ahem. Never mind the subject matter, I’m bloody proud of this one, it’s the most ‘finished’ painting I’ve ever done and I had to face my arch-nemesis ‘drawing hands’ as well

Because I’m a hundred years late doing this I’ve no idea who hasn’t been tagged so please! if you create anything at all and you read this then you’re tagged!

[mythical-ross]

I love reading little snippets of fic and some of the current WIP going around that are amazing (cannot wait for more BoF!). However on other fandoms there is always That One Fic™ or the Classic Fics Of The Fandom™ and really wanted to know if there are any for Rhink. The ones on the fanfic ep are bound to be classics for several other reasons, but what is the consensus of the fandom if there is any? Thanks :)

That’s a really good question!

Although, it’s a question I’m kinda reluctant to try to answer! I don’t really want to try and write a list of fics because I’m a) probably wrong, and b) afraid of offending anyone! I was also a little reluctant to post this question at all in case it turned into a list of recs that will almost certainly leave someone out and make the majority of writers feel shitty.

I tend to think of The Classics as the fics I read early on and keep coming back to, and because I didn’t really have fandom friends at the time I didn’t know if they were stories everyone had read or just the ones I stumbled upon. I tend to assume if I’ve read it, everyone has (because I’m terribly slow at reading fics...). Then there are the stories that I paid particular attention because one of my friends wrote it, and I just assume everyone loves it as must as I do :P

So anyway, here is an example from each of those two categories (because I’m definitely overthinking this)

Ross’s Very Limited List Of Fics She Considers Classics

One of the early fics I read when I joined the fandom was Overwater by FamousWolf. I pretty much consider this the perfect Rhink fic. I love it so much and I’ve reread it a million times. (While we’re on it, I also adore their fic Life After... it blew my fucking mind.)

Then a fic by a friend that I paid particular attention to was Let Me Be Your Light by @apparentlynotreallyfinnish. This is one I might be biased about because Appa was publishing it not long after I rejoined Tumblr and I didn’t follow a lot of people, but it felt like everyone was reading it (and with good reason, it’s fucking amazing).  

A part of me thinks this fandom is too small to have a consensus... like when I wrote SPN the obvious That One Fic was Twist And Shout, (holy shit have you seen the stats on that lately!?) but there’s definitely nothing like that in the Rhink fandom. We’re so incredibly lucky to have so many amazing writers. You can click on almost any Rhink fic on AO3 and not be disappointed! I’m sure some people don’t realise just how much terrible fanfic there is in the world! lol

(Please don’t reblog this with massive lists of recs... add your thoughts and your own “Very Limited List Of Fics You Consider Classics”)

💚💚💚💚

[bleakcreek]

If it’s almost the end of the year, and we think i can safely say that this has been an AMAZING year for fic in the rhink fandom! there have been so many incredible new authors, on top of authors that have been around for years who are still writing about our boys, and i wanted to give a little bit of recognition to some of my personal favorite fics written in 2019!

i am not in any way implying these are “the best” fics, just the ones that i’ve personally enjoyed. i’m mostly sticking to either completed mutli-chapter fics or longer one-shots, and i’m limiting myself to no more than one fic per author so i spread the love.

without further ado, my (personal) top rhink fics of 2019. (behind a cut, because this post is very long.)

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If You’re Wondering If I Want You To by @ssodangdark Rating: Teen Chapters: 5 Words: 10,234

Summary: “The year is 2006 — you just crafted the perfect away message, The Fray is playing on your clock radio, and you're trying to figure out what band t-shirt to wear to school today. Meanwhile, two teenage boys meet for the first time and navigate their feelings for one another through the songs on one of their iPods.”

this fic is everything you could want in a high school au. it’s sweet, and full of pining, and comes with it’s own built-in soundtrack. i can’t recommend this fic enough. this fic is so sweet, you might get a cavity reading it.

Honorable Mentions: most of em’s other fics are oneshots, so i wanted to feature a longer fic, but i also have to acknowledge her oneshots too! Three’s a Crowd (rhett/link/jessie) and Chris Springs are two of my favorite fics and i would highly recommend reading them.

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Don’t Hold Back by @likeaswitchinheat Rating: Explicit Chapters: 26 Words: 86,501

Summary: “Link has a lot of responsibilities resting on his gorgeous shoulders. It’s Rhett’s job to unburden him of all that. When Link is Rhett’s, he doesn’t have to think about a thing. Rhett will take care of him.”

laika is another ridiculously prolific author, and i’m actually ashamed that it took me until a few weeks ago to read this fic even though it’s been finished for months. this fic is basically half shameless filth and half feelings and angst, which is pretty much exactly what i look for in a fic. 

Honorable Mentions: i absolutely love all of laika’s oneshots, of which there are far too many to name, but i’ll put myself on blast for my particular tastes by giving special mention to Man Bites Dog and Selfie. 

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Candids by @captainsourwolf Rating: Explicit Chapters: 8 Words: 19,635

Summary: “Rhett is a photographer fresh out of SCAD. He lands his first gig soon after graduation, just a simple print ad for a high school advertising their new senior class wear. At the shoot he meets in-demand fashion model Link Neal. It's tense from the start. Rhett ends up being his photographer on most of his shoots, and at every single one Rhett starts a collection of candid shots that he keeps for himself, in a box of trinkets he finds comforting.”

i absolutely loved this fic. i loved the premise, and the slowburn and build up, and the tender longing between rhett and link in this fic. i’m such a slut for pining, which is why this ultimately won out over a couple of elizabeth’s other fics, which are also very good. 

Honorable Mentions: a very close second for this my favorite fic of elizabeth’s was None Like This, but i ultimately had to give it to Candids because i’m a sucker for that softness. Aftercare and hump a little also deserve to be mentioned, too, if you’re looking for oneshots. 

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Rhinestone Cowboy by @soho-x Rating: Explicit Chapters: 15 Words: 26,439

Summary: “If he was honest with himself, he could admit the glamour of being on tour for one of Country Music’s biggest acts had clouded his better judgement. He’d quickly dismissed all apprehensions regarding living in a conversion van for three months, instead focusing on the idea of working a stage during a live show, standing in the wings while country maverick Roy Walker played to crowds bigger than the population of the town Rhett grew up in. It was a dream come true for a small town boy like him.”

this fic hooked me right from the first chapter! i was absolutely in love with the premise of rhett and link as country music stars, and this fic did not disappoint. if you like tender slowburn and pining, you’ll absolutely love this fic. it killed me in the sweetest possible way.

Honorable Mentions: for how recently em jointed the fandom, she’s written a ton of fic! Stolen Moments, No Good Very Bad, #Dormlife, and Only For Your Very Space (unfinished) are some of my other favorites from her.

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Apartment 69 by @apparentlynotreallyfinnish Rating: Explicit Chapters: 18 Words: 86,501

Summary: “Link has it all figured out. He has a plan for his life. He has a nice girlfriend and a nice job and a nice routine. It really doesn't mean anything that sometimes he gets off on watching men fuck each other. He's just curious. But when a famous gay porn star moves next door to him, his perfect plans start to fall apart.”

appa is one of the most prolific writers in the fandom, so it was really hard to narrow it down to just one fic from her. i actually almost put another fic of hers on here instead, but apartment 69 was the first fic of hers that i read, so i felt like i had to give it the edge over incognito if only for that.

this fic had me on the edge of my seat with every update, and it should be a testament to how much i loved this fic that i was genuinely shocked by how long it was, because i could have sworn it was less than 10 chapters. that’s how quickly i tore through it all.

Honorable Mentions: while i didn’t officially include them, i also want to mention her fics Incognito, I Only Want You to See Me (unfinished), NSFW, Wingman, and Let Me Be Your Light, as well as her entire library of oneshots. she is INCREDIBLY prolific so you can easily spend weeks going through her ao3 page and never run out of things to read.

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remember that time in college I found your handcuffs? by @egocentrifuge Rating: Explicit Chapters: 3 Words: 10,435

Summary: “Rhett feels antsy, wants to leave this entire conversation about the fetish gear he found in their dorm behind, but he still wants to know despite his better judgement.

“Okay, the - dom? takes control of a scene. Why wouldn’t the dom just do whatever he wants?”

“Because it’s all about trust, man.” Link’s face is open and sincere in that way he only gets when he believes in something; Rhett can’t look away. “The sub trusts the dom to make it good for them, and so the dom does their best to. It can be a lot of pressure, but it’s - good, too, being able to make someone feel safe and taken care of, you know? For someone to be willing to be that vulnerable…”

Something in the way Link says it trickles warmly down Rhett’s spine, and he puts his beer down.

“Alright,” he says firmly. “Fine. I don’t understand it completely but that’s - that’s fine. As long as you’re both happy or whatever.” There are more questions Rhett wants to ask, but it’s - too much, for some reason. Not just knowing weird kinky details of Link’s sex life, but the way he’s talking about it.

It's twenty years before they discuss it again.”

eggsy has the market cornered on a very particular genre i like to call “porn that makes you cry.” this fic mostly gets the spot because a lot of eggsy’s other fics are much shorter and/or not on ao3, and for purposes of a fic rec, i really wanted to give something long enough to really sink your teeth into, but i an assure you that every single one of their fics should and would be on here if i didn’t limit myself to one fic per author.

eggsy packs an incredibly amount of feeling into a small amount of words, and strikes a perfect balance between hot, angsty, and loving. i cannot recommend eggsy’s work enough.

Honorable Mentions: what of eggsy’s fics isn’t an honorable mention? Reciprocation, You Know What They Say, Men Who Dress Like They Do in California, Reprobates, Unbuttoned, and literally everything on their tumblr (which has a lot of stuff that isn’t on their ao3).

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The Murmur of Yearning by @its-mike-kapufty Rating: Explicit Chapters: 35 Words: 108,811

Summary: “When burnt-out professor Link Neal is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that whisks him to the farthest reaches of the world, he isn't as ready as he thought he would be for the biting cold or the overwhelming darkness of Antarctica. Though at least he'd been given fair warning of those hazards.

The same couldn't be said of his new boss and research partner.”

mike has so many amazing fics that it by all rights should have been impossible to narrow it down to my one favorite, but honestly, this was a surprisingly easy choice. in spite of how much i love every single fic of mike’s, this one was so beautifully written and poignant, and i don’t think any other fic has ever made me cry the way this fic did. it hurts — in the best possible way.

i started reading this fic one evening after work, and was so captivated by it that i stayed up until 3 am, passed out midway through a chapter, then went home early from work the next day (sick! i was legitimately sick!) and laid in bed with a fever reading through the rest of this fic. the last written work i plowed through with that kind of speed and determination was harry potter and the deathly hallows...ten years ago. 

Honorable Mentions: truthfully i could just link to mike’s whole ao3 page here, but i have to at least give special mention to You Have (1) New Message for making me sob (and being the first fic of mike’s that i read), Feel Good for being delightfully fluffy and soft, Untethered for being so incredibly creative and exciting and having me on the edge of my seat for the entire month it was coming out, and And Sundowns Mend Rhett for making me feel things, as mike is wont to do. 

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The Traveler by @the-average-bear Rating: Mature Chapters: 13 Words: 52,712

Summary: “Rhett's on a journey.”

this fic is probably tied with The Murmur of Yearning for my favorite rhink fic of all time, but i had to give The Traveler the edge only because it’s not...quite an au, and while both fics gave me a lot of feelings, this fic focuses on the rhett and link we know and love. it explores what might have been and what could be — and it touches on my favorite genre of fiction, which is sci-fi. 

rhett finds himself accidentally traveling between timelines, exploring what his life could have been like under different circumstances. the build up to the rhink content is slow, and while there’s some smut, it’s pretty minimal, so this is a very different type of fic than a lot of the others here. but god, if you want to feel every feeling possible about these boys, if you want to cry, if you want to be overwhelmed by how much rhett loves link (and vice versa)...? 

please, please read this fic. 

Honorable Mentions: a lot of their other stuff is from pre-2019 so it’s kind of cheating to rec them on a post of the best fics of 2019, but seriously, please read any and all of their stuff. 

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More Honorable Mentions: i was going to do a lot more, but this list got really long and time consuming and i wasn’t able to do as many as i wanted. but some other authors i absolutely adored this year (in no particular order) are:

Rhincoln | @bloodbros

evenlypaced | @youdidinthedark

cockymclaughlin | @cockymclaughlin

pringlesaremydivision | @pringlesaremydivision

ohmyflavors | (not sure if they have a tumblr?)

LinksLipsSinkShips | @linkslipssinkships

missingparentheses | @missingparentheses

festivalofpudding | @festival-of-pudding

RileyRooin | @rileyrooin

crackers4jenn | @crackers4jenn

TheMouthKing | @themouthking

chronicallyilltrashcan | @chronicallyilltrashcan

[rhinkthreeways]

Memory (angsty version)

The door of the little room opened and a bespectacled man stepped in. Rhett had been lying on his bed, leafing through a book he couldn’t actually concentrate on. When he heard the door, his heart skipped a beat and his head snapped up to greet his favorite guest.

Link stepped in warily. He still did that, despite it being weeks since Rhett had gotten over the first hurdle and started to make new memories.

“Hey, buddy,” Link said, inching into the room. “How are you feeling today?”

Rhett threw the book on his nightstand and sat up. “I’m good. You?”

“Great, great. I, um… I bought you something.” Link was fiddling with a paper bag, looking nervous. Rhett tried to school his face into a welcoming smile. The hurt that so clearly plagued Link seeped through his smiling features. The smile was fake, a mask Link had trouble keeping on.  

The pain of the blue-eyed man was a constant in Rhett’s blank existence, a reed of hope he’d clung onto after the accident. Not that he remembered the accident. He remembered hardly anything from before he woke up. He’d been told he’d slept for three months. There had been a car accident, someone ran a red, came out of nowhere.

“What is it?” Rhett asked, nodding for Link to come closer. Link walked up to the bed and sat gingerly at the foot of it. He handed Rhett the bag and for the briefest of moments, there was a genuine smile on his face.

“You used to love these.”

Rhett smiled back, a warmth filling his chest. He hoped he still did. He wanted to make Link happy. Wanted to see more of that genuine smile, wanted to see the rare twinkle in his eyes. 

But most of all, Rhett wanted to remember.

So far, there were only flashes. The feel of his mother’s hand on his forehead when he was sick as a child. The sound of gravel crunching under the tire of his bike. A song by Merle that made him feel sad and happy at the same time, but he didn’t know why. And the sound of moving water, a river. How the sun felt on his drying skin, making it tight around his growing limbs. A warm touch on his thigh. Laughter that had to be Link. Rhett wasn’t actually sure; he couldn’t see a face in connection with the tingling laugh, but the way it made him feel was the same he felt every time Link walked into the room—warm and happy and at home.

Rhett worked hard on those little pieces of memories. He tried to see beyond the flashes. The doctors said there was a fifty-fifty chance. Either it would all come back or it wouldn’t. 

“This one year, on your birthday, we went to get those together,” Link said, pulling Rhett back to reality. “It was a good day.” Link’s voice was wistful and the pain was there—a constant undercurrent in everything he said to Rhett. It slashed at Rhett’s tender heart and made him imagine all sorts of strange things. Like pulling Link into his embrace and kissing his temple. Or snuggling with him under a heavy blanket, noses brushing together, whispering quietly. He wasn’t sure why he wanted those things. There was nothing that Link had said that suggested that they were anything more than friends.

Rhett opened the bag and pulled out a burger of sorts. “What is it?” he asked, turning it in his hands, hoping for a new flash.

“A McRib.”

There was a faint tickle at the back of Rhett’s mind, a taste of a memory or maybe the memory of a taste. He smiled at Link, but he was staring at the wall, lost in his memory. Rhett studied the profile of his supposed best friend and wished he could climb inside his head and see what he was seeing.

“It’s really good,” Rhett mumbled, mouth filled with beef and bun. Link jerked and turned to look at him, eyes wide and hopeful.

“You remember?”

“Oh,” Rhett paused to swallow hard. “No, sorry, I meant it tastes good… now.”

Link’s expression fell only for a moment, but he gathered himself quickly and gave Rhett a friendly pat on the back. “We’ll get there, buddy.”

Rhett took another bite, praying that Link was right.

They sat like that, a good couple of feet between them, and talked for a while. Well, it was mostly Link who talked. Rhett just listened. Link recounted random stories from their past. Some almost as old as they were, others so new they were still fresh in Link’s mind, barely corrupted by the telling and re-telling that morphed memories into legends. Rhett tried to soak up every word, hoping that if he got himself saturated enough, he would finally remember.

“Time for your physical therapy,” a nurse said from the doorway, interrupting a tale of a vacation gone wrong. Link jumped up and nodded to the older woman before turning towards Rhett, who rose much more slowly with the help of his walker.

“Okay, I’ll be back tomorrow,” Link said, coughing away the tremor that laced his voice. Rhett nodded and smiled, following Link to the door. At the last moment, Link turned, rushed around the walker and wrapped his arms around Rhett’s waist. Rhett let out a small huff as the smaller—but still substantial—body slammed against him. Carefully, he let go of his walking aid and wrapped his arms around Link’s slim figure. Link pressed his face into Rhett’s chest and shuddered.

Rhett’s chest tightened. Link hadn’t cried in front of him in weeks. They stood like that for a while, the nurse waiting patiently at a respectful distance. Rhett’s palm stroked calming circles into Link’s trembling back.

“I’m trying. I know I’ll be back to normal soon. I promise. I promise, bo,” Rhett murmured against the top of Link’s head. The man in his arms froze mid-sob and Rhett looked down, meeting a pair of crystalline-blue eyes. Link’s lips were pulled into a bewildered smile.

“What?” Rhett asked.

“You— you called me ‘bo’.”

Rhett’s mind rewound, stopping at the word that had slipped through the cracks of the barrier in his mind.  

“Bo,” he repeated.

“Bo,” Link encouraged, smiling still, smiling that genuine smile that made Rhett feel tingly and alive.

And that’s when… he started to remember.

[themouthking]

Please tell @apparentlynotreallyfinnish that she’s awesome and terrible.

👏👏👏

But for real, Appa you’re a great writer. I can’t wrap my mind around writing in another language, let alone pinning down complex emotions in said language, but you manage to do all that and also nail the musicality of our strange cobbled together English language. Thank you for destroying us every day this week. Part 3 whoops 4 is👌 *chef’s kiss*

[your-borderline-babe]

2019

On January 1st of this year I was curled up in a ball so racked with depression and anxiety I couldn’t leave my bed. I hadn’t left my house in months. My daughter suggested that I watch funny things to lift my mood. She recommended these Youtubers named Rhett and Link. I watched some reruns from 2018 and immediately got hooked. I submerged myself in their content and found myself smiling and laughing even when I wasn’t watching, just remembering what I had watched. Over the course of a month, I experienced something my antidepressants had not been able to achieve - improvement. Within four months I found a job I love and was back to work. I found this Tumblr site and felt like I had finally found kindred spirits. Appa  @apparentlynotreallyfinnish was the first person I really got close to. She is an amazing person and an amazing writer. God, I love her so much. By midyear I found my soulmate. I don’t talk about them much because even after 6 months I’m afraid if I look at it too closely it will disappear. With @its-mike-kapufty encouragement I began writing which I absolutely love doing now. I hope I can get half a good as many of you here. If I get brave enough, I’ll list my favorite fics and writers. I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. When I started writing, I found @criminalmind1927 to partner with. She is so supportive and such a lovely soul. I love you, Rachel. I saved the best for last, My dear sweet @enterthetadpole. Tad, baby, you are the yin to my yang, the jelly to my peanut butter, the crop to my dog collar. I want to shrink you down and carry you in my pocket.  Why the gods decided to smile upon me and grace my life with your presence I’ll never know. I’m just happy they did. Thank you to all in this Tumblr world for helping make my 2019 this best yet. I hope to return some of the happiness to you in 2020.

[35yrsmorerhink]

Wow can't believe that the mythical writers follow @apparentlynotreallyfinnish!

[stepsonsilco]

Yooooooooo if you wanna have a super sweet, kind, funny and suuuuuper talented writer as a friend on Tumblr, then you should definitely be following @apparentlynotreallyfinnish!!!!

She's super sweet, and is bound to put a smile on your face! Aaaaaand amaze you with her brilliant writing skills!!!!

[mythical-ross]

Five Favs

Thank you @apparentlynotreallyfinnish for tagging me! It took me way too long to get to this!

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. tag as many writers/artists/etc as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

McLaughlin & Woods

The fic inspired by a construction company by that name in my home town and one of the only (or maybe the only) rhink AUs I’ve written. Link hires a handsome contractor to do some work for him and innuendo insues! (If anyone has any suggestions of how I can tag that fic better, please let me know! I’ve no idea how anyone would ever find it)

Knotting

So look... I love Damnyell/Link and when I got to the knotting prompt during Kinktober, it seemed like the perfect excuse for a non-abo, non-bestiality knotting fic. Is it weird? Yes. Does it make sense? Kind of. But that’s why it’s one of my favs (and I may be biased, but I think it’s pretty sexy!). 

Fight 

Another Kinktober fic - one of the lesser spotted non-con rhink fics. If you hate it, I completely understand, but it’s probably the fic of my own that I reread the most. My only regret is that it’s so short! It also kind of makes me laugh that they’re fighting about literally nothing. I didn’t want to put in any specifics or anything that would date it, so it’s just a random, unknown agrument.

Confession

Every Halloween, Rhett and Link throw on a costume, go to a gay bar, and pretend to be a couple for the night. Last year, Link dressed as a priest and Rhett was very into it (and so was Ross). I enjoyed writing this fic soooo much. I definitely have a religion kink and it was really fun to indulge it a little. I was tempted to turn this into a series (and maybe I still will) documenting their halloweens throughout the years. 

Memories Of The Future

Before discovering Rhink, I hadn’t written fanfic in several years, and I definitely hadn’t written anything as long as this. I love the way R&L always talk about their younger selves seeing them now, and it got me thinking about time travel. Looking at it now, I have no idea where this weird version of time travel came from (Quantum Leap?) but I was really pleased with how it turned out! I know we’re meant to write for ourselves and not get hung up on stats and feedback, but I’ll be the first to admit, I can’t always do that. Memories was the first thing (possibly ever) I wrote just for myself. It’s great that some other people enjoed it too though :D

Please everyone do this. It feels really good! 

[apparentlynotreallyfinnish]

And it’s done! Chapter 14 is up. Thank you to everyone who read it, commented or left a kudos. As a newbie fic writer I really appreciate it all! 

Mick, can’t thank you enough. You know this, but I’ll still say it. I love you!

[karsata]

omg, this is so interesting!

just gonna tag my writer friends, guys you might find this useful @its-mike-kapufty @apparentlynotreallyfinnish @sass-and-panache

Depending on how you die, you experience a different afterlife. For example, if you’re stabbed, you become a grim reaper, if you die peacefully you become someone’s guardian angel, if you’re poisoned you become someone’s “imaginary” friend, if you die of suffocation you become a ghost… Now, you’re the first human who has ever died because of magic, what’s your afterlife like?