#z reads a storm of swords

[jaqobis]

no listen i've been laughing about this all day. mans is so OVER IT

[livingasaghost]

okay @permanentreverie did this in honor of book lovers day (aug 9) so here i am being obnoxious and sorting my favorite books based on genres bc i'm procrastinating editing

put it under read more because i'm annoying and this is longer than i thought it'd be ahjflksd

classics:

les miserables by victor hugo

1984 by george orwell

a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare

hamlet by william shakespeare

the crucible by arthur miller

the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald

contemporary romances:

red white and royal blue by casey mcquiston

with you forever by chloe liese

everything for you by chloe liese

beach read by emily henry

happy place by emily henry

a very merry bromance by lyssa kay adams

crazy stupid bromance by lyssa kay adams

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood

not in love by ali hazelwood

let's talk about love by claire kann

roomies by christina lauren

the hating game by sally thorne

fantasy:

tower of dawn by sarah j maas

kingdom of ash by sarah j maas

a court of mist and fury by sarah j maas

a court of silver flames by sarah j maas

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

a storm of swords by george r.r. martin

a feast for crows by george r.r. martin

wizard's first rule by terry goodkind

temple of the winds by terry goodkind

prince's gambit by c.s. pacat

kings rising by c.s. pacat

a discovery of witches by deborah harkness

jade legacy by fonda lee

the dragon republic by r.f. kuang

babel by r.f. kuang

every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire

the magician's nephew by c.s. lewis

priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

strange the dreamer by laini taylor

sci-fi:

the host by stephenie meyer

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir

graphic novels / comics:

monstress by marjorie liu & sana takeda

check please by ngozi ukazu

the boy the mole the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy

heartstopper by alice oseman

lore olympus by rachel smythe

fence by c.s. pacat & johanna the mad

heart of gold by eliot baum & viv tanner

the prince & the dressmaker by jen wang

historical fiction:

cloud cuckoo land by anthony doerr

the book thief by markus zusak

literary fiction:

evenings & weekends by oisín mckenna

henry henry by allen bratton

a little life by hanya yanagihara

piranesi by suzanna clarke

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the invisible life of addie larue by v.e. schwab

real life by brandon taylor

s by doug dorst

horror:

house of leaves by mark z danielewski

imaginary friend by stephen chbosky

night film by marisha pessl

don't let the forest in by c.g. drews

middle grade:

magyk by angie sage

a kind of spark by elle mcnicoll

sir callie and the champions of helston by esme symes-smith

holes by louis sachar

the mighty heart of sunny st james by ashley herring blake

new adult:

loveless by alice oseman

obsidian by jennifer l armentrout

masters of death by olivie blake

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

angelfall by susan ee

the sunshine court by nora sakavic

the king's men by nora sakavic

vicious by v.e. schwab

queenie by candice carty-williams

hell bent by leigh bardugo

nonfiction:

into the wild by john krakauer

it was vulgar and it was beautiful by jack lowery

the last lecture by randy pausch

what i want to talk about by pete wharmby

furiously happy by jenny lawson

ace by angela chen

blood sweat and chrome by kyle buchanan

refusing compulsory sexuality by sherronda j brown

the great divorce by c.s. lewis

the cancer journals by audre lorde

the dark interval by rilke

inverse cowgirl by alicia roth weigel

translated works:

the memory police by yōko ogawa

vita nostra by marina dyachenko

the strange library by haruki murakami

young adult:

the mask falling by samantha shannon

check & mate by ali hazelwood

i was born for this by alice oseman

the hunger games by suzanne collins

just listen by sarah dessen

ignite me by tahereh mafi

the unexpected everything by morgan matson

save the date by morgan matson

tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee

neverworld wake by marisha pessl

the spirit bares its teeth by andrew joseph white

compound fracture by andrew joseph white

the wicked king by holly black

short story collections:

the tangleroot palace by marjorie liu

what is not your is not yours by helen oyeyemi

the late americans by brandon taylor

filthy animals by brandon taylor

seven empty houses by samanta schweblin

[aylinaliens]

what historical bl aus can you recommend to read 👀 and why you never published yours 😩

historical bl aus you say *cracks knuckles* you got it. here is a list of the ones i can remember off the top of my head but i know there are a ton more i’m just not remembering right now.

and as to why i haven’t published mine: i don’t even know 😩 i currently have an aepete historical au sitting in my drafts where prince pete runs away from his bethroment and into the arms of a notorious outlaw. it was a big crossover with a bunch of other thai bl characters…maybe i should pick this back up djsjdjs but i also have like 5 more half-finished ones too not to mention all the modern royalty x body guard au’s in my drafts…

Off On A Hero’s Journey (SeanWhite — Complete, 32k): medieval au where sean is a knight and white is a prince 🥰

Thinking in Figure 8 (TeamWin — Complete, 15k): tangled au!! TANGLED AU!!!

Of Serpents and Swords (WinTeam — Complete, 20k): knight team has to slay a dragon but he ends up falling in love with him instead. lowkey a shrek au but it’s *chefs kiss*

When The Storm Comes (InKorn, WinTeam, DeanPharm — Complete, 24k): historical mermaid au?? yeah 🥺

Merely Dreams (Kuroadachi — Complete, 26k): historical/reincarnation au. the amount of research and work that went into this fic is a outstanding, but r was so good

Love Me Through the Centuries (AePete, TinCan — Incomplete, 64k): this absolute time travel arranged marriage banger has not been updated since 2020 😭 i still highly rec it though!

Heavy is the Head (AePete, WinTeam, DeanPharm — Incomplete, 12k): prince pete meets a knight in training but hides his identity. uwma + lbc au. this was last updated in may of 2022 so

Lost in Diplomacy (Wangxian + a handful of minor pairings — Complete, 90k): arranged marriage, angst w/ a happy ending, and slowburn. this monster of a fic made me go through every emotion out there.

The early bird gets the worm, the early fox gets the bird. But the dragon wakes the earliest of them all (Wangxian — Complete, 52k): let’s see we got dragonji, foxxian, omegaverse, mistaken identity and slowburn 👀

Mountains We Met (Wangxian — Complete, 79k): handmaiden wangxian au. go read it !!!!

Storms & Tempests (SaifahZon — Complete, 21k): regency saifahzon is exactly what you would expect it to be

Half Agony, Half Hope (Wangxian — Complete, 105k): persuasion!au 🥹 there are two additional one shots included in this series it was a m a z i n g

and there you have it! that is just a fraction of fics that i can recommend, i have a whole spreadsheet arranged by pairing/genre/trope so if anyone ever need recs let me know. or i can just share the spreadsheet if that’s easier. maybe i’m just the weird one for doing that instead of just bookmarking them 😅

[mosshead-lover]

How Zoro strikes back from jealousy - Part ll

Zoro x Reader

Warnings: NSFW, Smut, Rouge, Explicit!

Summary: You will enjoy this better if you read this post first.

AN: So, @asgleo16, you asked me for smut detailing the night. Here it is! Hope it meets your expectations *Puppy face*

As much, as you were surprised by what Zoro did, going way out of his comfort zone. This had to stop. You made a list of things mentally, things that you had to discuss with him.

While you were lost in your thoughts, Zoro storms into the room. He sets down the bottle of sake that he got from the kitchen, almost breaking it from the force he set it down. You turn around, startled by the loud thud, Zoro is already behind you. He pulls you closer to him without a warning and plants a hungry kiss on your lips. You try to push him away, but the strong arms around your waist won't budge. When he parts from your lips for a short while to catch a breath, you speak up.

"Zoro, we need to ta.."

He shuts you up with another kiss. He pulls you closer in response to you trying to push him away. He lets you go after a while, only to pin you to the wall.

His grip on your wrists made it impossible for you to wriggle out. He shifts to hold up both your wrists in his right hand while the other reaches for your left boob underneath your shirt. He squeezes it and begins sucking on your neck. You tilt your head away in reflex, to make room for him. which you immediately regret.

’You should be trying to get him to talk for heaven's sake!’

He takes his hand out of your shirt and rips your clothing apart impatiently. He then takes one of your melons out of its bra cup and begins sucking on it. Occasionally making circles around the nipples with the tip of his tongue or, biting, gauging the erectness.

The intensity of his movements is higher than usual. He explores the rest of your torso, leaving bite marks or redness behind. He lets go of your hands and turns you around to undo your bra.

How could he kiss to shut me up now, you think.

"So back in the kitchen...AAAHH!"

You had let out a scream of pleasure and pain when smacked your ass, multiple times to shut you up(or not). He then brings his torso against yours, grinding his clothed manhood against your firm ass.

"Humm."

You give in let out a sweet moan. He holds you by your hair this time and pulls you back.

"Not so soon, Princess."

He says and, let's go. He feverishly kisses your bareback, biting lightly in between.

"Save that voice,"

He continues, breathing heavily.

"We have a long night ahead."

You could feel his lips curling into a mischievous smile against your back. He carries you to the bed, throws you like a sack and gets out of his clothes as you lay there half-naked.

He jumps on you, slides off your skirt and panties. He turns you around, holds your hips upwards and slaps your wet pussy a few times before letting his finger travel inside your folds. Every slap only made you wetter and more sensitive. You beath heavily and bite your lips as not able to see him or what he was doing to you made it even more intense.

He would play eat you up and finger you and slap you. Every time he paused, your cunt twitched, begging for more. That was the sight Zoro enjoyed the most. Heck, he holds a goddamn sword in his mouth and fights. He could go on for hours without a hint of pain his jaw. No wonder your were addicted.

Finally, after he felt you were lubricated enough, he inserts his wood into you. Shallow thrusts at first followed by a deep one when you least expected it. He groans at how your tight walls felt against his sex. He thumps faster and harder. The sound of your bodies slapping against each other was in sync with your heavy breathing and moans. He stops to turn you around. He had to see your face. You rest on your back, throwing your hands up, wrapping your legs around his waist. He rubs his sex against your clitoris a few times before going in again, he tries out a few deep trusts in different ways and measures your reactions. He goes all out after finding the perfect depth and phase to hit your spot.

”Z..Zoro”

You manage to call him out, in your shakey voice.

"ZORO!"

You are louder now. You feel as though you are about to explode.

"Yeah! That's right. Say my name, again and again, baby girl."

He responds amidst the panting. His grip around your waist gets tighter as he slowly reaches the peak.

"AAAHH!"

You felt as if you were being crushed, your legs get tighter around his waist in an attempt to close down.

It was painful but, would get more painful if he stopped. He went on, groaning sexily.

Your hue wasn't clear anymore. Your mind didn't classify it as pain or pleasure. Your body was reacting to his and his, to yours. You finally give in, covering his gun in your clear sticky fluid as he fills you with his semen. You were not two worldly entities anymore. You let out a deep sigh, savouring the climax. Zoro shifts next to you, still panting. You let your bodies cool down, staring the ceiling in silence, heart filled with nothing but love.

[bokettochild]

I just finished reading The Ties that Bind, and I love it! I have a small suggestion, one that you could completely ignore if you would like. Will Fable, Legend’s Zelda, meet Sky? Or Sky and the rest of the chain? I feel like that would be fun. But this is just an idea that I had, I’m not pressuring you do to anything.

I'm sorry it took so long to get to your ask, Anon! I've been thinking about this for a while, and the truth is that, while I would LOVE to have Sky meet all of his daughters at some point, I don't know if it will happen in the main plot of the story itself.

Currently in the story, they are in Legend's Hyrule, so there is a good chance of it happening, I just don't know if it will.

Considering this came along with various fic requests, I did end up writing something where they 'meet' but.. I'm terribly sorry, it's entirely crack, and I took way too many liberties with it.

I hope it will do to hold you over until Fable can make an actual appearance in the story!

“So, we finally get to meet your sister?” Hyrule asked, following as Legend led their group down the halls of Hyrule castle.

“Yes.”

“Yes!” Wind pumped his fists. “The only Zelda we haven’t met! I wonder what she’s like?”

“Kickass.” Legend smirked, stopping before one of the opulent doors and turning to face them. “I’d watch yourselves.”

There were a lot of things the Chain was expecting to see when they walked through the doors, but Warriors wasn’t expecting to see a young woman who looked quite ridiculously like Legend, if not for the haircut, spinning around to see look at them before having a wide smile break over her face.

“Z?”

“Link!” And the princess was running, running forwards with feather soft, tinkling laughter into the arms of...Wild? “Oh, Link! I haven’t seen you in ages! Why, look at you! Growing your hair out I see.” Another giggle drifted into the air as the girl brushed a hand through the Champion’s messy bangs.

Wild flushed slightly, much to the shock of all present, but especially to Legend, who stared between the two with his mouth hanging open.

“Everyone’s missed you so terribly, especially after you disappeared so suddenly! The Master was absolutely furious.” Fable added with a nervous laugh, smacking Wild’s arm lightly. “Thank goodness I can tell him all is well and you didn’t get killed or something, we thought he’d oust Robin for good when we couldn’t find you!”

Wild winced, nodding slightly. “I’m on another quest, but maybe I can send a letter? The mail system is working pretty well, for some reason.”

“Not out of Hyrule unfortunately.” Fable pouted, seemingly taking no interest in noticing the rest of them for the moment, instead continuing to stand in Wild’s personal space, neither having quite let go from their unexpected and rather startling hug. “Without you, the Master has closed all contact with Hyrule; I don’t think he wanted anything else to happen, especially since Mother would have been furious if someone else had gone missing.”

“Wait,” Warriors turned to see Wind staring at the- couple? Duo? “Zelly?”

“Tune!” Fable squeaked, pulling away from Wild and darting over to hug the second smallest hero. “My goodness you’ve grown! Are the two of you on an adventure together then? Wonderful!” Ocean blue eyes trailed up to look at the rest of their gang and Fable brightened even more. “Why, all of you are here!”

“All of us?” He couldn’t keep confusion from his tone as he spoke, quirking a brow.

“Well, nearly all,” Fable frowned, setting Wind down to gently stroke her chin. “And here I hoped to see Young Link again.”

Warriors was going to lose his mind. “Young Link?” His eyes turned to Time, who smiled with a light flush, raising one hand in a nearly shy wave.

“Hey, Zelly.”

The princess gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth as she stared upwards to meet Time’s gaze. “Young Link? My. Goodness! Look- Oh my! You’re all grown up, aren’t you? I declare, you get even more terrifying than half of the others!”

“Legend,” Sky was grinning as bright and warm as the princess, eyes sparkling in the same manner and erasing any doubt that he was the young woman’s ancestor. “You didn’t tell us your sister was The Princess Zelda!”

Legend stared up at his ancestor in disbelief before shaking off Sky’s hands and throwing up his own. “That’s it,” The vet spun on his heel and turned towards the door. “I’m gonna go bang my head against the wall for an hour, toodles.”

“Well,” Fable turned to Sky with a bright grin. “It is wonderful to see you again, Link. Good heavens, how on earth do all of you handle being ‘Link’, it was bad enough having you all switch out, but now you’re all together at once! How do you handle it?”

“I go by Sky,” The Skyloftian replied with a fond smile. “He’s Wild, Wind, and Time. We use our hero titles.”

“Oh! That is clever! Sheik and I both have different names, so I suppose had it easy, I’m surprised no one thought of that before, what with how you all switched out so often- oh!” And the princess was spinning around to look up at Twi. “We’ve missed you too of course, but I must ask, since you’re all apparently time-traveling or some nonsense, could you give a message to your Zelda for me? I haven’t seen her in ever so long, and I do miss being able to talk over things with her.”

“I’ll pass it along.”

“You too.” She turned to Time, brows furrowing lightly. “Sheif is so terrible about writing to me, and I’ve missed being able to ask for advice with my fighting skills.”

“Understood.” Time grinned, earning a mirror expression from the princess.

How the heck was everyone taking this all in stride? Was Legend’s sister...dating Wild or some shit? How did she know Wind and Time? How did she know Sky? How did she know any of them?

“So,” Twilight cocked a hip and stared down at the princess with a warm smile. “They let you stay around, even after switching out all of us?”

“Yep! I am, apparently, quite the favorite. As is L- I mean Wild.” She sent a warm smile towards said hero, who flushed with pleasure. Ew.

“Should’a known it, he's a good kid.”

“He says you mentored him, so I suppose that can be attributed, in part, to you!”

“Aw, thanks, Zelly.”

Warriors would like a drink now please.

“Wait,” Four stared at the princess, eyes slitted and brows furrowed in a way that revealed he was clearly having a headache as well. “You’re- good grief- you know all of us, don’t you?”

Warriors really needs a drink. Seriously? Four too?

“And who are you?” Fable cocked her head.

Four flushed, ducking his head. “Hero of the Four Sword.”

Like a switch had been flipped, recognition sparked in Fable’s gaze. “Oh! That- that makes sense! I had forgotten, I suppose, how you all- well-” She waved her hand vaguely, and while none of the others seemed to understand it (thank Hylia he wasn’t the only one), Four apparently did. “You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Heavens no!” Fable drew back, looking mildly offended. “Link- my Link- or rather, my brother- Good heavens, what on earth do you all call him?”

“Idiot. Pain in the ass. Veteran.” Warriors listed off, making sure his displeasure with being left out of the conversation was made very clear.

“Legend.” Hyrule answered, shooting a glare Warriors’ way.

“Legend, my, that fits,” Fable shook her head with another tinkling laugh. “Does the same thing, albeit in a different manner and without the use of the Four Sword.”

“Heard that!” Legend shouted from just outside the room. “Stop telling them things!”

“Then come in here and make me, you sissy!”

The vet stormed back in, cheeks red and brow looking considerably more bruised than it had been ten minutes previous. “Not a sissy.”

“Yet you only appear on occasion, and never fight?” The princess snarked, hands on her hips.

“Do I look like I have the time to be fighting?” Legend returned, mirroring her pose with enough attitude to match the blue flames of the princess’s gaze.

“Well, if you have time to play dress up-”

“Necessary for a mission, miss ‘I fight duels in my regalia’.”

“I win duels in my regalia, thank you very much.”

“Heck yeah you do.” And was that- pride in the vet’s voice? “You scare the shit out of all of them.”

“I always was the better of the two of us at doing that, you just spend your time talking to cuckos and wearing my clothes.” The princess smirked.

Legend didn’t even have the decency to flush, crossing his arms with a smirk of his own. “You have to admit, I look better in it than you do.”

“Yes.” Fable beamed. “Yes, you do, and I hate it.” Her smile said the opposite but the conversation seemed to be over at that, the princess turning to continue conversing with the other heroes only to spin around again and clap her hands. “Oh! You're off exploring and adventuring, so you drop a message for me! Tell Peach and Daisy that I’m awful sorry I missed tea last time, we’ve been trying for weeks to get around to it, but with L- Wild having disappeared, the Master simply won’t give me the free time and Mother’s been just as strict.”

Legend pouted. “Only if they’re the only ones home, if I have to see that insufferable plumber’s face again I think I might just punch him.”

“Please do.” Fable spat. “He used that stupid hat of his to mind control me and make me kick the crap out of my team.”

“He mind controlled my sister?” Legend hissed.

“Yes, that dumb hat of his is sentient now, and he can force us to do things.”

“I hate that thing.” Wild scowled.

“Same.” Several others echoed.

Sky looked between them all. “Are we talking about Mario? Because if so, Legend, I will totally join you in punching him in the face, that guy is a pain!”

“Oh, him!” Hyrule scowled. “I don’t like him; he grates on my nerves like nobody's business.”

“He’s worse than Tingle.” Wind added, face screwed up in distain.

“Seconded.” Twilight and Time called out together.

“Third, Fourth, Fifth and sixthed.” Four added.

“Just because your name is ‘Four’ doesn’t mean you get four votes.” Warriors groaned, staring at his companions in irritation. “And who the heck are you all talking about? How do all of you know him? Is he immortal?”

“Hylia, I hope not.” Nine voices groaned at once.

“Neighboring kingdom.” Legend replied. “The Mushroom kingdom’s own hero is an idiot plumber by the name of Mario. His twin isn’t bad, but he’s a piece of work. I’ve had to deal with outbreaks of monsters from their kingdom on multiple occasions because he can’t keep them contained. Add in there that their princess is captured every other Tuesday because the guy can’t up and beat her kidnapper for good, and the kingdoms a mess.” Legend paused, frowning. “Wait, I just agreed to go there, didn’t I?”

“Yep.” Fable chirped. “But don’t worry, Bowser is hanging out with his kids this weekend, so he shouldn’t be causing problems while you’re all here.”

Warriors groaned, this time, loud enough that all of them heard him. “Bowser? Are you on a familiar enough standing with some villain that he tells you his weekend plans?”

“Yes.” The twin siblings answered, Fable bright and cherry while Legend deadpanned.

“We even play sports with him on occasion.” Fable added.

“And who,” Warriors tacked on, absolutely done and uncaring for the fact that apparently Legend and Fable played golf or something with their neighboring kingdoms greatest threat. “The heck! Is Mario?”

Nine pairs of eyes stared back at him for a moment, blinking in confusion.

“You know,” Twilight stated slowly. “Has anyone actually ever seen Wars at an event?”

“Come to think of it,” Fable tapped her chin. “You are the only one I’ve never seen before.”

“The only one?” Can Warriors please get a drink?

“I’ve met all of the others, be it in racing, sports, fighting matches, any number of things, but I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you, much less heard of you. Who are you?”

“That,” Legend smirked. “Is the Hero of Warriors. And I don’t know if I should laugh or feel bad that he was never popular enough to get selected for the games.”

“You weren’t either.” Wind hissed.

“Mom said I was on bed rest from being struck by lightning.” Legend waved him off. “I’ve had my time in the Mushroom kingdom, and if they ever do invite me back, I’d burn that Smash invite so fast the Master would think it never arrived.”

That’s it. He’s done. “Legend, I’m stealing your thunder-”

“Please do.”

“I’m going to go bang my head against the wall until the world makes sense again, or until I black out, Bye.” And with that, Warriors left.

(This entire fic was inspired by @tortilla-of-courage, her blog had a stint of asks about the boys knowing each other from Mario Kart and whatnot and it set my brain spinning. I blame her that this was the only thing I could think of when trying to write Sky meeting Fable. Thank's Tortilla!)

[ghostinthelibrarywrites]

this is the road to ruin (Part 1/?)

Pairing: Geralt/Jaskier

Rating: M

Summary: Working the night shift at the E-Z-Go, Jaskier is used to an assortment of strange characters. But Geralt, with his beat up old van, the swords in his passenger seat, and his occasional unexplained stab wound, may be the strangest. Jaskier can’t decide if he’s a LARPer or a hitman. Either way, he wants to know more.

(Title is from “Alone Together” by Fall Out Boy. Thanks to @storm-and-starlight for the help with titling this! It’s been titled Gas Station AU for too long)

(Masterpost) (Next)

The van that pulls up outside the E-Z-Go gas station at 3:23 AM has seen better days. Its brown paint job is peeling and battered. The front bumper has a dent in it and the passenger side mirror is missing. The license plate, which reads R04CH, is askew. Jaskier leans his elbows against the counter and watches it, trying to decide what kind of person would drive such a van. He amuses himself during his graveyard shifts at the E-Z-Go by coming up with complicated backstories for the people who stop for gas based on their cars.

Perhaps a young, free-spirited traveler who bought the shitty van for a handful of crowns and now wanders the Continent, searching for inspiration. Or maybe a cubicle worker who got tired of it all and decided to buy a lemon and hit the road, seeking to recapture their squandered youth. Or maybe…

A gorgeous man with long white hair pulled back into a ponytail and broad shoulders that strain against the black jacket he’s wearing. 

Jaskier tries not to stare at the man while he fills up his tank. He really does. But it’s 3:23 AM, he’s seen a grand total of four people since his shift started at midnight, and just from the back of him, he can tell that this may be the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. He wills the credit card scanner to break or something, anything to force the man to come inside and let Jaskier get a closer look.

As the man turns and starts towards the E-Z-Go, Jaskier quickly pats his hair to make sure it’s not sticking up too much and checks his breath. As the door flies open, Jaskier puts on his most winning smile and says, “Hello! How are you doing on this beautiful evening?”

It’s February in Redania, so the evening is nowhere close to beautiful, but no matter.

The man is wearing sunglasses, even though it’s the dead of night. When he turns to look at Jaskier, Jaskier sees that his face is indeed as beautiful as the rest of him. “Coffee,” is all he says.

Jaskier clears his throat, suddenly struck speechless, and points.

The man grunts in acknowledgement and goes to fill up the largest coffee cup size they have. Jaskier doesn’t watch too closely. He doesn’t notice the hug of the black pants the man is wearing and the way they emphasize muscular thighs and a truly lovely ass. He doesn’t notice the breadth of his shoulders or the bulge of his biceps.

Maybe he should call the Countess tomorrow. He hasn’t seen her in a while.

When the man returns, Jaskier drags his eyes back to his face. There’s a smudge of something dark around the man’s eyes peeking out from under his sunglasses, like smeared eye makeup, and Jaskier desperately wants to know what those eyes look like. He notices a silver medallion hanging around the man’s neck, that of a snarling wolf’s head. “Nice necklace,” he says.

The man only grunts in reply and takes a sip of coffee. “Hm. Coffee’s not bad.”

His voice is low and grumbly and Jaskier wants to hear more of it. “Thanks, I made it myself. Coffee’s usually burnt at places like this, right? The trick is—”

The man slides a handful of crowns to him. “Keep the change.”

And then he turns and walks away, giving Jaskier one last view of that glorious ass before he’s gone. Jaskier can’t even be mad when he realizes the man tipped him twice what he owed for the coffee.

***

Jaskier meets a lot of interesting people at the E-Z-Go.  It’s located right off of Highway 89, exactly halfway between Novigrad and Vizima, and is a frequent stop for travelers. Jaskier gets all types— exhausted families coming back from weekends in the Kestrel Mountains, long distance truckers that sometimes like to linger and chat while they drink their coffee, fellow night shift workers on their way to work and needing one last caffeine boost. A few of the night shift workers are regulars, but for the most part, he doesn’t get a lot of repeat customers, so he’s not expecting to see the white-haired traveler again..

It’s two weeks after the first time the gorgeous man visited the E-Z-Go that Jaskier sees him again. It’s snowing and the roads are even emptier than usual at this time of night. Jaskier hasn’t seen a single person in the three hours he’s been working, so he puts in his earbuds, turns up his music, and sings along as he stocks shelves, desperate to keep himself awake. It’s not the concerts he thought he’d be giving to a stadium of adoring fans when he dropped out of Oxenfurt his junior year to pursue his music career, but he can be his own adoring audience.

He doesn’t realize anyone has entered the store until he turns around, arms full of canned pasta, and finds himself face-to-face with Mr. Tall, White-Haired, and Scary. Jaskier lets out a little shriek and drops the cans, sending them scattering across the linoleum floor.

The man doesn’t so much as blink. He’s not wearing sunglasses this time, but he must be wearing contact lenses, because no one has eyes like that— yellow with slitted pupils— in real life. “Shouldn’t wear your earbuds when you’re in here by yourself. It’s not safe.”

Jaskier presses his hand to his heart, which is racing. “Well, I wasn’t expecting someone to sneak up on me.”

“Didn’t sneak. I walked up and told you that you’re out of coffee. Not my fault you didn’t hear me.”

Jaskier swallows hard. “Um, do you want coffee?”

“No,” the man says dryly. “I stopped by just to tell you that you’re out of coffee.”

Jaskier is normally quick with a witty rejoinder or a flirty comment. He chooses to blame his sudden inability to form coherent sentences on the fact that it’s 2 AM, and not on suddenly being struck tongue-tied like a horny teenager. “Right, a fresh pot of coffee, coming right up.”

He wonders if the man’s white hair is natural. Based on his face, he wouldn’t put him at any older than his mid-thirties. Whatever aesthetic the man is going for with the white hair and the yellow contact lenses is a stark contrast to the bulky black jacket he wears and the ratty van he drives. Maybe he’s an actor? He’s certainly pretty enough. Or maybe—

“I have a long drive ahead of me,” the man says and Jaskier realizes he’s been standing here, staring at the other man’s white hair for an awkward amount of time.

“Ah, yes, sorry.” Jaskier leaves the cans scattered across the ground and goes to put on a pot of coffee.

“So,” he says while the coffee is brewing. “Heading north or south?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, but I’m not big on awkward silences.”

A snowy white eyebrow lifts in response. “Didn’t realize this was awkward.”

“Well, it’s not now that we’re having a conversation.”

The man snorts, which Jaskier takes as a victory.

“My name’s Jaskier, by the way,” he says, emboldened. “I know my vest says, ‘Julian,’ but that’s because my manager is a joyless old busybody who insists on proper names on name tags. In reality, no one has called me Julian since my grandmother died when I was sixteen and even she—”

“Jaskier? Like a buttercup?”

Jaskier grins, delighted that someone knows that jaskier used to be another word for buttercup. He read it in a 13th century poem his freshman year of high school and was immediately enamored with it. “Exactly, pretty and poisonous, just like me.”

“Concerning to hear from the person making my coffee.” The man’s lips twitch into a barest hint of a smile.

Jaskier laughs. That small curl of the man’s lips is lovely enough; a full smile from him would probably make Jaskier swoon.

“You work here every night?” the man asks.

“Four nights a week.”

“See anything strange lately?”

“Only you,” Jaskier refrains from saying. Instead, he says, “No stranger than usual. We get all types at this time of night.”

“Hm.” The coffee pot finishes brewing and the man goes to pour himself a cup. “And you’re always here by yourself?”

“Most nights, yeah.”

The man frowns at that. “Your bosses haven’t heard about the murders?”

“Eh, don’t think they’re too worried about the murders.” The handful of murders along Route 89 in the last month— a hitchhiker, a college student sleeping in his car at a rest stop, a young woman who stopped for gas a couple of exits south, a couple whose car broke down on the side of the road— are all isolated incidents, according to the local police.

“Jobs like this, it’s easy to replace me if I get my throat slit.” Jaskier laughs.

The man doesn’t join him in his mirth.

Jaskier is aware that he probably should be nervous, all alone in a convenience store with a man who looks to be pure muscle and has the air of someone who definitely has at least one weapon hidden on him. The security cameras haven’t worked in years. With the snow, no one will probably stop by until Jaskier’s shift ends at six AM. If this man meant him harm, Jaskier would be utterly fucked.

But nothing about this man seems threatening. Or maybe it’s just that he’s spectacularly good-looking and all of Jaskier’s self-preservation instincts go flying out the window at the sight of a defined jawline and strong shoulders. (Some would claim that Jaskier has no self-preservation instincts to begin with, and they would be entirely right.)

“Do you want to know a secret?” Jaskier asks. The man’s expression becomes slightly less neutral, so he takes that as encouragement. “I keep a spiked baseball bat behind the counter. Call her the Countess, after my ex. Which is a long story in and of itself… which you don’t look like you want to hear. Anyway, I’ve used the Countess to ward off several potential robberies. Well, one robbery. And it may have been the car pulling up that scared that guy off, but I’m giving the Countess credit.”

“Hm,” is all the white-haired man says. “Just keep an eye out.”

“Don’t you worry, I can take care of myself.” Which is debatable, but that’s another story this man doesn’t need to hear. “Coffee’s on the house. Sorry for the wait.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I insist.” Jaskier flashes his sunniest smile. “Got to keep my favorite customer happy.”

The man quirks an eyebrow. “Must not get a lot of customers.”

“Not a lot of pretty ones.”

The man snorts, looking somewhere between incredulous and amused. “Take care of yourself, Jaskier.”

“What’s your name?” Jaskier calls after him as the man walks towards the door.

The man pauses in the doorway, looking like he’s contemplating whether or not to answer. “It’s Geralt.”

***

Next time: When Geralt shows up at the E-Z-Go with a mysterious back wound, Jaskier offers a helping hand.

@kueble @dredshirtroberts @avoidingaverage @teamfreehoodies

If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list for this fic or for my overall tag list, let me know!

[casxmorgan]

Books Books Books

100 Years of Solitude

11.22.63

120 Days of Sodom

1491

1984

A Brief History of Time

A Canticle for Leibowitz

A Child Called It

A Clockwork Orange

A Confederacy of Dunces

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters

A Land Fit for Heroes Trilogy

A Little Life

A Naked Singularity

A People's History of the United States

A Scanner Darkly

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Song of Ice and Fire

A Storm of Swords

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Walk in the Woods

A World Lit Only by Fire

Accursed Kings

Alice in Wonderland

All Quiet on the Western Front

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Pretty Horses

America, the Book

American Gods

American Psycho

And then There Were None

Angela’s Ashes

Animal Farm

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Anna Karenina

Anything Terry Pratchett, But, Mort is My Favorite

Anything Written by Robin Hobb

Apt Pupil

Artemis Fowl

Asimov's Guide to the Bible

Asoiaf

Atlas Shrugged

Bartimeaus

Batman: the Long Halloween

Battle Royale

Beat the Turtle Drum

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Belgariad Series

Beloved

Berserk

Bestiario

Black Company

Blankets/habibi

Blind Faith

Blindness

Blood Meridian

Blood and Guts: a History of Surgery

Bluest Eye

Brandon Sanderson

Brave New World

Breakfast of Champions

Bridge to Terabithia

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West

Calvin and Hobbs

Candide

Carrie

Cat's Cradle

Catch 22

Cats Cradle

Chaos

Child of God

Choke

Chuck Palahniuk

City of Ember

City of Thieves

Cloud

Collapse

Come Closer

Complaint

Confessions of a Mask

Contact

Conversation in the Cathedral

Cosmos

Crime and Punishment

Dan Brown

David

Dead Birds Singing

Dead Mountain: the Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Delta Venus

Die Räuber (the Robbers)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Don Quixote

Dragonlance

Dune

Dying of the Light

East of Eden

Educated

Empire of Sin: a Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

Enders Game

Enders Shadow

Escape from Camp 14

Ever Since Darwin

Every Man Dies Alone

Everybody Poops

Everything is Illuminated

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Fahrenheit 451

Far from the Madding Crowd

Faust

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson

Feet of Clay

Fight Club

First Law

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers in the Attic

Foundation

Foundation Series

Foundation Trilogy

Frankenstein

Freakonomics

Fun Home

Galapagos

Geek Love

Gerald’s Game

Ghost Story

Go Ask Alice

Go Dog Go

Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

Goldfinch

Gone Girl

Gone with the Wind

Good Omens

Grapes of Wrath

Great Expectations

Greg Egan

Guards! Guards!

Guns Germs and Steel

Guts (short Story)

Half a World

Ham on Rye

Hannibal Rising

Hard Boiled Wonderland

Hatchet

Haunted

Hawaii

Heart Shaped Box

Heart of Darkness

Hellbound Heart

Hellraiser

Hell’s Angels

Helter Skelter

His Dark Materials

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Hogg

Holocaust by Bullets

House of Leaves

How to Cook for Fourty Humans

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Huckleberry Finn

Hyperion

I Am America, and So Can You

I Am the Messenger

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

I Was Dr. Mengele’s Assistant

In Cold Blood

In Search of Our Mother's Gardens

Independent People

Infinite Jest

Into Thin Air

Into the Wild

Introduction to Linear Algebra

Invisible Monsters

Ishmael

It

Jacques Le Fataliste

Jane Eyre

Jaunt

Job: a Comedy of Justice

John Dies at the End

John Grisham

Johnathan Livingston Seagull

Johnny Got His Gun

Jon Ronson

Journal of a Novel

Jurassic Park

Justine

L'histoire D'o

Lamb

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Les Miserables

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Life of Pi

Limits and Renewals

Little House in the Big Woods

Lockwood & Co.

Lolita

Looking for Trouble

Lord Foul’s Bane

Lord of the Flies

Lyddie

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Maldoror

Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media

Man’s Search for Meaning

Mark Twain’s Autobiography

Maus

Meditations

Megamorphs (series)

Mein Kampf

Memnooch the Devil

Metro 2033

Michael Crichton

Middlesex

Mindhunter

Misery

Mistborn

Moby Dick

Mrs. Dalloway

My Side of the Mountain

My Sweet Audrina

Nacht über Der Prärie (night over the Prairie)

Naked Lunch

Name of the Wind

Neuromancer

Never Let Me Go

Neverwhere

New York

Next

Night

Night Shift

Norwegian Wood

Notes from Underground

Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea

Of Mice and Men

Of Nightingales That Weep

Ohio

Old Mans War

Old Mother West Wind

On Heroes and Tombs

On Laughter and Forgetting

On the Road

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest

One Hundred Years of Solitude

One of Us

Painted Bird

Patrick Rothfuss

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer

Persepolis

Pet Sematary

Peter Pan

Pillars of the Earth

Poisonwood Bible

Pride and Predjudice

Ready Player One

Rebecca

Red Mars

Red Night (series)

Red Shirts

Red Storm Rising

Redwall

Replay

Requiem for a Dream

Revenge

Riftwar Saga

Ringworld

Roald Dahl

Rolls of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Round Ireland with a Fridge

Running with Scissors

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Sapiens, a Brief History of Humankind

Scary Stories to Read in the Dark

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schindler’s List

Sein Und Zeit

Shades of Grey

Sharp Objects

Shattered Dreams

Sherlock Holmes

Sho-gun

Siddhartha

Sisypho

Skin and Other Stories

Slaughterhouse Five

Smoke & Mirrors

Snow Crash

Soldier Son

Sometimes a Great Notion

Sphere

Starship Troopers

Stiff, the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Storied Life of A.j. Fikry

Stormlight Archives

Story of the Eye

Stranger in a Strange Land

Surely, You're Joking

Survivor Type (short Story)

Suttree

Swan Song

Tale of Two Cities

Tales of the South Pacific

The Alchemist

The Altered Carbon Trilogy

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Art of Deception

The Art of Fielding

The Art of War

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

The Autobiography of Henry Viii

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Beach

The Bell Jar

The Bible

The Bloody Chamber

The Book Thief

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brothers Karamazov

The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories

The Cask of Amontillado (short Story)

The Catcher in the Rye

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Clown

The Color out of Space

The Communist Manifesto

The Complete Fiction of H.p. Lovecraft

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The Dagger and the Coin

The Damage Done

The Dark Tower

The Declaration of Independence, the Us Constitution, and the Bill of Rights

The Devil in the White City

The Dharma Bums

The Diamond Age

The Dice Man

The Discworld Series

The Dresden Files

The Elegant Universe

The First Law Trilogy

The Forever War

The Foundation Trilogy

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence

The Geography of Nowhere

The Girl Next Door

The Girl on the Milk Carton

The Giver

The Giving Tree

The God of Small Things

The Grapes of Wrath

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Hagakure

The Half a World Trilogy

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Hiding Place

The History of Love

The Hobbit

The Hot Zone

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hyperion Cantos

The Jaunt

The Jungle

The Key to Midnight

The Killing Star

The Kingkiller Chronicles

The Kite Runner

The Last Question (short Story)

The Lies of Lock Lamora

The Little Prince

The Long Walk

The Lord of the Rings

The Lottery (short Story)

The Lovely Bones

The Magicians

The Magus

The Martian

The Master and Margarita

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

The Monster at the End of This Book

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

The Music of Eric Zahn (short Story)

The Name of the Wind & the Wise Man's Fear

The Necronomicon

The New Age of Adventure: Ten Years of Great Writing

The Night Circus

The Nightmare Box

The Odyssey

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Orphan Master’s Son

The Outsiders

The Painted Bird

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Plague

The Prince

The Prince of Tides

The Princess Bride

The Prophet

The Queen’s Gambit

The Rape of Nanking

The Red Dwarf

The Republic

The Rifter Saga

The Road

The Satanic Verses

The Screwtape Letters

The Secret History

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Selfish Gene

The Shining

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer

The Silmarillion

The Sirens of Titan

The Six Wives of Henry the 8th

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

The Speaker of the Dead

The Stars My Destination

The Stormlight Archive

The Story of My Tits

The Stranger

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

The Suspicions of Mr. Witcher

The Tao of Pooh

The Things They Carried

The Time Machine

The Time Traveller’s Wife

The Tin Drum

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

The Wasp Factory

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

The World According to Garp

The Yellow Wallpaper

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Things Fall Apart

Thirsty

This Blinding Absence of Light

Tiger!

Time Enough for Love

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Say Nothing of the Dog

Toni Morrison

Too Many Magicians

Traumnovelle

Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuf Voyaging

Undeniable

Under Plum Lake

Universe in a Nutshell

Unwind

Uzumaki

Various

Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia

Walden

War & Peace

War and Peace

Warriors: Bluestar’s Prophecy

Watchers

Water for Elephants

Watership Down

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Wheel of Time

When Rabbit Howls

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Why I Am Not a Christian

Why People Believe Weird Things

Wizards First Rule

Wool

World War Z

Worm

Wuthering Heights

You Can Choose to Be Happy

Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

[mego42]

I 100% agree about wanting more fanfic lists! I honestly think it's the best way to get a variety. Everybody has personal preferences, if someone, who mostly reads long, fluffy au Brio fic, is making recs, they're not likely to mention short, angsty, canon Brio (which is understandable and fair!) so ideally someone else, who does like those, would also do recs. I'm pretty sure I've read or at least tried the vast majority of Brio fics, but the recs often make me re-read the fic and author.

YAAASSSS!!! I mean like, okay, I v much get why people have issues with rec lists, and I def do not by any stretch endorse the idea that recs/rec lists should be considered anything other than one person sharing a think they liked, but to me a lot of the issues (the same fics/authors getting recced, feeling like awesome fics/authors are going unrecognized) can be solved by more reccing, not less. everyone’s got different taste and different stuff they look/read for and I am extremely pro sharing that.

Idk, I think about it like this: in a previous internet life I was a YA book blogger and I lived and died by recs from other bloggers whose taste and preferences I knew. I mean, you know, I’d check out a book bc the premise sounded interesting but literally the first thing I would do was go to Goodreads and look for a handful of people who tended to like the same books I did and see what they were saying about it bc that was the best way to get a good idea of if I wanted to give it a shot. Or, on the flip side, there were some people whose reviews I followed bc I knew we v much did not read for the same things so if they hated a book for X, Y and Z reasons, I was probs going to like it (one thing about book blogging is if you want to keep current, you do not have a lot of time to mess around, snap judgements are key but that’s a whole other thing and idk if it’s even relevant anymore bc that landscape has changed so much). 

ANYWAY, the point is, I got in the habit and now I do the same thing with fic bc, tbh, I don’t have a ton of time to read, esp not when I’m actively writing which, with the exception of the last week or two, I’ve been doing p non-stop since I got here. All of which to say is, I am desperately in favor of fic recs for purely selfish reasons, I need them! Give them to me!!! Please!!!!!

That said, I uh, am v bad at returning the favor and I recognize that (I think I’ve made what? two rec lists for this fandom?) so I will try to do better to live by my own, idek what this is, moving on and here are 10 recs not really thematically linked by anything other than I’ve read them and loved them and don’t think I’ve put any of them on one of my rec lists yet (and if I have, my blog is a trainwreck I cannot be expected to remember what’s on it LET ME LIVE):

The Goodest Boy by EnsignDisaster

There’s a key turning in the lock and Buddy rushes over to greet his Master excited for her to meet his new friends. The door opens and he dances around Master’s feet rejoicing on the fact that she’s made it home. It's been literally forever.

“Hey Buddy what’s wrong? Need to go potty? Need to pee-pee?”

“Nah he’s good we took him out.”

Master does something very unMasterlike, she drops all the food she’d brought in on the ground and screams. It’s a non traditional avant garde type of hello…Buddy loves it. Mostly because while Master taps furiously on her small light box and sits tense in the corner opposite his new friend Buddy can lick up the egg smashed on the hardwood floor.

Buddy! The! Dog! POV! no further explanation necessary. Technically WIP, but it covers the whole pilot in a way that could be read as standalone (THOUGH THAT WOULD V MUCH GIVE ME A SAD though, when did the show forget the Bolands had a dog? so maybe that’s a tragic casualty of canon, idk)

May The Moon’s Silvery Beams by @pynkhues

Emma hums in agreement, and Rio turns her around to sit her on the counter, grabbing one of the older looking boxes of muesli while she kicks her legs out, heels bumping back against the counter, watching him. He gropes around the inside of the box, finally just opting to pull the plastic cereal bag out and peering inside. He can’t quite keep the grin off his face when he sees the wad of cash lining the bottom. This woman kills him, she really does.

Then there’s a little face peering up beside him, trying to peek into the box.

“What is it?” she asks, and he tilts the box sideways so she can see inside.

The upside to not getting here until s3 is that old fic is new to me! Huzzah!! Idk how many of y’all have already read this on but if you haven’t I highkey recommend. Extremely cute take on what if Emma woke up when Rio and came by to collect his/Beth’s/whoever's money during the shutdown. Cannot believe I’m reccing kidfic. Witchcraft!!!!!!

Maybe You’re My Fantasy by ohmisterjapan

He fucking loves the involuntary. It speaks to how he likes to unlock chaos and walk away. He's been called a control freak before and it felt like such a misunderstanding of him - he's all about self control but he doesn't want to control others. It's more that he enjoys revealing to them how little they can control themselves. It's more that he likes to stand still in the eye of someone else's storm and pick coldly through the wreckage.

Another oldie but a goodie. This fic is more like an extended character study (first chapter Rio POV, second chapter Beth) and I LIVE FOR THIS KIND OF SHIT. I really really really love the take on both characters, it really digs in and pulls out some nuances that made me sit and think about my own read of them and I love it.

A Shock Of Blue by mintletters16

“You don’t look very well. Would you… like me to get you a glass of water or something?”

Her voice is low but smooth, laced with a softness that cuts straight though to his core. Strawberry blonde locks fall gently just above the pair of magnets freezing him in place.

He can still feel the chaos tearing through his veins - emanating from the gold plated gun stuffed in his waistband - and suddenly he can’t be here anymore. Can’t meet this wide-eyed gaze that’s been locked on his for the past God-knows-how-long anymore.

Can’t see blue alive and concerned when he just left it cold and void somewhere in oblivion.

She’s looking at him like he’s on the brink of madness. He thinks maybe he is.

Apparently, it’s backlist rec day over here and I’m not sorry. This one is another technical WIP but the chapter works as a standalone (BUT if the author decided to return to it I WOULD NOT BE MAD). It’s a what if Beth and Rio met pre-canon and it works so!!! well!!!! The tension and fascination and build are all *chef’s kiss* plus the writing is gorgeous and lyrical and ugh, I love it.

for a moment we were strangers by openhearts

“We got stuff,” Rio motions with a nod to the backpack Beth hadn’t noticed when they arrived hanging on the back of one of the chairs at the island.

She swallows and turns back to the dishes, realizing Rio apparently means to sleep there , assuming the place isn’t bugged.  Or for some kind of cover story if it is.  She turns and fixes Rio with a narrow-eyed stare, studying his face, the corner of his jaw especially prominent from the angle she’s looking up at him.  He’s methodical about drying each dish and setting it back on the rack, maddeningly ignoring her hard stare, so when he goes to take the next plate from her hands she grips it tightly and gets his attention.

“Hey.”

“What you on about now?” he asks, irritated.

It gets her gut uneasy, how he’s just . . . there, settling in, in ways he never had before, no matter how nonchalantly he would let himself in through her locked doors.  

“This is,” Beth tries, failing, to find words for it, “. . . it’s weird .”

This one takes place post 204 and Rio and Marcus end up spending a long weekend staying with Beth and Emma for reasons (that work, for the record, I’m just not trying to summarize rn) and it’s domestic and cute but honestly my fav part of it is how weirded out Beth is by how easily they slip into sync. The story does an excellent job balancing where they are in canon (uneasy post-sex truce) with a snapshot of what they could be if they got over themselves (HA! as if) and Beth is DEEPLY FREAKED which makes her slow slide into realizing she could maybe sort of kind of oh shit like it/him??? that much more satisfying.

Not So Careful by @bensonstablers

When he doesn’t answer, her eyes go to his but he’s too busy watching the letter opener which is still pressed against the back of his hand. Curiously, Beth runs it up his arm, careful not to press too hard, and smiles a little as he shivers. Pulling her leg up onto the bed, she shuffles closer to him before pressing the tip of the sword to his chest and slowly circling his left nipple with it, being sure not to get too close.

“You ain’t gotta be that careful.”

And when she lifts her eyes to meet his, he’s got that look. The one that always makes a lump form in her throat and for her to fall back into bed with him without a single thought of what they have to do that day. Only thing is, this time they’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the weekend and well, staying in bed the entire time had seemed like an appealing idea so she allows herself to give in a little to that look.

It makes me EXTREMELY SAD that knifeplay ranked so low on the kink survey so I’m gonna need y’all to check out this V V V EXCELLENT example of it and come back and tell me you’re sorry and you voted wrong. I am v reasonable what are you talking about.

love (where it wasn’t supposed to be) by @lilliloves

"You know what I can't stand?" Rio asks, stepping closer. It's a rhetorical question but he pauses for a second and watches Dean sniff, watches a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead, watches him shift on both his feet as he contemplates making a run for it.

"A guy who don’t realize how good he's got it." Rio continues, looking Dean up and down in disgust. "A guy that will literally fuck up a good thing just to get his dick wet."

"Yeah, well I can't stand a guy who can have anyone he wants but chooses the married woman he's not entitled to.” Dean shoots back. "And I really can't stand the fact that you're always in the room with us even when you aren't there."

And who brings him into the room Dean hmmmmm????? Jk, jk (or am I). In this one Rio catches Dean out on the town with another woman (bc of course he is) and tries to call him out but whoops! gets called out himself. I really love the like, idk, undercurrent of wistful regret in this fic. I love Dean straight up calling Rio out on his feelings (spoilers but there’s an exchange right after this one that made me straight up holler), and, you know, obvs I am here for Rio making Dean feel like an ass. 

Hell Is Other People by makemanybraver

Rio: We're in Hell, Elizabeth! If you don't think you belong here, then repent! Don't fuck everyone in the room in hopes that you get to go out!

Beth: Why do I have to repent?!

Rio: Because you did some fucked up shit in your life, Elizabeth! You keep doing fucked up shit here, too! And you think you don't belong here!

Beth [screaming at the top of her lungs]: Because I don't!

This fic is existentially bonkers and I love it. It’s the kind of experimental format/homage/what have you kind of thing that I L O V E. Based on No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, Beth, Rio, and Fitzpatrick are stuck together in a room in hell for all eternity. What more do you need, honestly.

Working On Things by odenkirk

Unknown Hold up, Elizabeth. I'm really thinkin about you here.

Beth turned her face into the pillow, effectively suffocating herself for a moment, but thinking it was a good trade off for the way the cool silk of her pillowcase chilled her skin.

She lifted her head to glance at the still sleeping Dean before replying.

Beth I'm thinking about you too. But this can't happen.

She wanted him to know she wanted him, but she also thought that admitting she was already there would save Rio from trying to convince her. She wanted him, but morals had to win just once in a while.

YES this is technically Beth/Dean while also being Beth/Rio BUT it’s also sort of Rio/Dean and I am HERE FOR THE DIVERSITY OF SHIPPING leave me alone who asked you.

Five Times He Knew What She Was Thinking, and One Time He Didn't by JoeyLee

Aight, so tell ‘em I was hittin’ it. Said deliberately blunt, eyes locked on her face the whole time, just to see those blue eyes widen. She looked so shocked that he almost laughed, so he softened it teasingly just to keep her going. Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart, tell ‘em we were makin’ love.

Then he just watched her, just watched her face, just fucking fascinated. Her lips were parted and her eyes were big as saucers, and…there it was. Before she could look away flustered, he watched the thought go through her mind. Him and her together.

He wondered what she was picturing or where. Them in the back seat, her bed, a motel?  Her on top or him from behind or his face between her legs?

Whatever it was, the blush started immediately, and he watched it bloom out from her cheeks to her hair. Then she was tearing her eyes away to gulp a little.  But it didn’t knock her down for long before she was looking back. And then, wait, was she actually asking him how to go about telling a fed they were fucking?

Okay this is another technical WIP but works as a standalone. I am absolutely fucking feral for character POV takes of canon scenes and this is a supremely excellent take on Rio POV of some notable scenes from the pilot through 204. Imo it brilliantly captures Rio’s voice and I love it a lot. 

HEADS UP I am absolute shite at tracking ao3 to tumblr unless people have specifically told me someone’s ao3/tumblr name SO if you recognize any of the non-tumblr authors on please lmk so I can tag them and YES I recognize that I am asking y’all to do things for me throughout this entire post and I’M SORRY OKAY I’M A WHOLE ASS MESS LOVE YOU BYE

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Two Gods, One Braincell

Kagami goes on a self-imposed quest to save a terrible place from meeting its timely demise.

Chapter 1: Here There Be Dragons

Summary:

Now leaving heaven:

A cat has joined your party.

---------------

Kagami rolled among the clouds, riding the jet streams of the upper sky. Her long snake-like body glinted scarlet and gold in the late afternoon sun. The wind whipping against her mane and whiskers and antlers. She held her four claws close to her side and closed her eyes.

"Having fun?"

Snapping open, Kagami's slitted pupils tracked the source of the voice. A shadow leapt across the fluffy clouds, stark against their color; keeping up with her despite her speed.

Ah, him. Relaxing, she allowed herself a grin before suddenly twisting straight down. The cat let out a yelp as he overshot his mark, quickly following her to the earth.

Keeping one eye on the cat Kagami sought the cover of forest. Shifting into mortal form as soon as she was hidden in the leaves. There she waited.

And not long. Kagami's keen ears heard him shifting as he landed on the forest floor. Had she been any other he would be as silent as a cat. But she was a dragon.

"Ka-ga-mi!" He sing-songed, voice echoing so that if she did not have him in sight she would not know where it came.

Her fingers twitched impatiently as he stepped closer. She forced them still. More than one of her ambushes had been exposed because of her fidgeting. He came nearer. One more... One more... Now!

Kagami leapt from her hiding place and had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen in surprise before they tumbled to the ground.

"Ah, hello to you too," Adrien grunted. He wore black robes in the style of the western gods.

In her scarlet kimono (which would be very restrictive for a mortal) Kagami sat on him. "This marks my twelve thousand four hundred and fifty second win to your twelve thousand four hundred and twenty-three."

"Yes, yes, very impressive, I can't breathe!"

"Don't be so dramatic," Kagami replied without the barest hint of irony. Still, she rose off of her fellow deity. "You know we don't need to breathe."

" 'Don't be so dramatic,' says the dragon" Adrien muttered, cleaning himself off as he stood up. "Tackles me to the ground, goes running off without a word, leaves me to deal with-"

"You mean like all the times I bailed you out after you did something stupid?"

"Name one stupid thing I've done!"

Before Kagami could begin listing the long, long, long, long line of dumb ideas Adrien's had since Creation itself he cut her off.

"This century!"

Cheater. Well, at least it was a good one. Kagami grinned smugly. "You made Marinette mad at you."

Red bloomed on Adrien's cheeks as he spluttered a reply. "You said you wouldn't bring that up again!"

"I did no such thing." Kagami turned smartly away from him and began walking. "You begged me not to mention it and I said I'd consider it."

"Oh, very clever," Adrien replied sarcastically, following.

"Thank you."

"Anyways, what're you doing out here?"

A demon burst out of the foliage and charged at them. Alerted by their bickering, the brute brandished a club overhead. Saliva dripping from its tusks, maw towering over them.

Kagami shifted. Thunder roared from her mouth lined with sharp teeth. Claws like swords, scales like fire in the lengthening shadows. Long, muscular body dwarfing her opponent's. Narrowed eyes promising a quick end.

The demon dropped its club and ran, letting out frightened squeals.

Adrien held his palm up, shadows coalescing into a sphere of pure darkness. Casually, he tossed it at the retreating demon. "You didn't answer my question."

The demon collapsed as the orb of shadow struck it square in the back. A rabbit sprinting away from where it fell.

Still in dragon form Kagami picked up the crude club with two talons like it was a baby mortal's diaper, snout wrinkling in distaste. "Have all smiths vanished from among the demons?" She tossed the so-called weapon aside. "I remember them being much more of a challenge."

Adrien puffed out his chest. "Your welcome."

Kagami snorted, shifting back into mortal form. "We could have left them a sword at least."

"You didn't answer my question," Adrien pointed out.

"Did I not?" Kagami asked innocently. Or rather tried to. Adrien often pointed out that she was far too honest to lie properly.

"Please, don't let this dragon!" Adrien grinned.

She wasn't smiling. No, her lips did not twitch upwards. "That was terrible."

"Well, sorry that I've had a long flight!"

"Wrong language."

"It was ryu-ly tiring!"

Kagami whirled on Adrien and put a hand over his smirking face. "Stop!" She would not be bested by second class material!

"Mm tho enn u the mm at nno!" Adrien mumbled through her fingers.

His breath tickled so she pulled her hand away. "What?"

"Ah! I said, I'll stop when you tell me what I wanna know." Adrien rubbed his nose in a way Kagami could only describe as cat-like.

Shaking the distracting thought from her head, Kagami focused on what had brought her out here in the first place. "There is a city that's been cursed with drought."

Adrien stiffened. "O-oh?"

"It's been a year. Their reserves are almost gone." Kagami quickened her pace as she thought about what would happen to all those mortals if they didn't get rain soon. "The council won't do anything! They just sit there and 'pass judgment'. Which really means doing nothing! What good are they if-"

"It wasn't a council matter."

Kagami paused. Turning, she saw Adrien fidgeting nervously. "... What did you do?"

"Why does it have to be something I did?" Adrien asked defensively.

"Was it?" Kagami demanded, peering straight into Adrien's eyes.

"Okay, fine! I cursed the city! There, are you happy?"

"You gave an entire city drought!?"

"No, of course not!"

"Adrien," Kagami walked up to him and, ignoring the height he had on her, pinned him to a tree with her arm. "What was the wording exactly."

"May you reap what you sow."

A chill went down her spine and she dropped her arm. A curse like that... Rumors, deceptions, lies. They were all seeds of nothing. And apparently the curse decided the best way to reap nothing was to make sure nothing grew.

She sighed. "A year. They had a year to break the curse themselves." A growl of annoyance grew in her throat and Kagami shifted to better indulge the urge.

Adrien shifted into his great cat form, shoulders level with hers, and bumped against her scales. "How did you find out about them anyway?"

"I heard someone pray for them."

"Ah."

Kagami didn't need to ask what they'd done. It was all semantics. All that mattered was that most of them had learned nothing from it. And yet... "How did they attract your attention?"

His slitted eyes narrowed further as shadow black fur bristled. "They desecrated the hall of judgment."

Kagami's mane rose as her whiskers trembled. The hall of judgment was both court of law and temple to justice. If any god besides Adrien had stumbled onto them... They were exceedingly lucky misfortune was all they suffered. "Morons."

"Extremely," Adrien agreed, pressing his giant, warm, feline body closer and purring.

"They do not deserve my help," Kagami declared, laying down and curling her tail around Adrien.

"Nope," he followed her example and stretched out on the leaves covering the forest floor. "But you're gonna help anyways, aren't you."

"Obviously." Kagami turned her long, serpentine neck so she could rub her muzzle against Adrien's.

No mortal would have been able to read how Adrien's face softened while in his current form. "I love that you're so kind."

"You're forgetting about that fleet I turned into driftwood."

"Bragging about your exploits does not diminish the compassion you feel for others. And that armada had it coming."

If Kagami was still in her mortal form she would have blushed. Thankfully, that was physically impossible for dragons. Instead she touched the tip of her nose with Adrien's. "You'll help me?"

"If you need it," he acknowledged easily. "One little curse should be no match for your storms."

"Your curses are hardly that simple, Adrien." His tail flicked happily, as though she'd given him a great compliment. Kagami knew he disliked using his curses cavalierly but like any god Adrien took pride in his work.

"Then we should get going." He stood and stretched like an overgrown housecat. "Traveling in the lower world takes so long when you don't have Max with you."

"I hope that wasn't another pun."

"If I'm feline punny what business is that of yours?"

In response Kagami took off. Letting the wind she summoned buffet Adrien; his protests following her as he leapt into the air. Her laughter booming like thunder as they raced across the sky.

Notes:

@kagamiappreciationweek2020 Written for Kagami Appreciation Week 2020. (The accuracy of the title is yet to be determined.) Is this all going to be self-indulgent nonsense? I mean, yeah, probably.

[jaqobis]

"I dreamed of you," he said.

am i just supposed to be normal about this or

[bighound-littlebird]

The UnKiss: Sansa Stark’s Mismemory (from a non-shipper)

Sansa Stark thinks the Hound kissed her, but he actually didn’t (e.g. the “Unkiss”). The mismemory could signify Sansa’s attraction to the Hound.

Sansa Stark has been established as an unreliable narrator, and perhaps her biggest lapse in memory — at least that the readers are aware of — is the “UnKiss.”

So what is the UnKiss?

On the night of the Battle of the Blackwater for King’s Landing, the Hound visits Sansa in her room, bloodied and frantic. Sansa thinks the Hound is going to kiss her and she closes her eyes hoping for it to end, but nothing happens.

The blood masked the worst of his scars, but his eyes were white and wide and terrifying. The burnt corner of his mouth twitched and twitched again. Sansa could smell him; a stink of sweat and sour wine and stale vomit, and over it all the reek of blood, blood, blood.

“I could keep you safe,” he rasped. “They’re all afraid of me. No one would hurt you again, or I’d kill them.” He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her. He was too strong to fight. She closed her eyes, wanting it to be over, but nothing happened.

–A Clash of Kings, Sansa VI

However, later in A Song of Ice and Fire, Sansa misremembers the events from the night:

Sansa wondered what Megga would think about kissing the Hound, as she had. He’d come to her the night of the battle stinking of wine and blood. He kissed me and threatened to kill me, and made me sing him a song.

–A Storm of Swords, Sansa II

It’s not surprising that she misremembers the night. There was a battle for the city raging outside, and Sansa did not know what would happen to her, no matter who won. Then she thought she was going to be kissed against her will — or worse. It was a harrowing event during harrowing circumstances.

But, according to George R. R. Martin, this misremembered event could play a role later in the series.

“You will see, in A Storm of Swords and later volumes, that Sansa remembers the Hound kissing her the night he came to her bedroom… but if you look at the scene, he never does. That will eventually mean something, but just now it’s a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on,”

-GRRM, per Westeros.org.

What exactly it will mean remains to be seen, and there’s not too much to go on when it comes to speculating about it.

Why might the UnKiss matter?

However, one theory, originally posted on asoiaf.westeros.org, is that the mismemory is not a mismemory at all, but a fantasy of Sansa’s — perhaps one that she herself is not even fully aware of.

“For a mismemory to be considered as such, it has to come out of the mental realm into the realm of reality, otherwise it’s fantasising, pure and simple,” the original theory reads. “Thus, as far as Sansa’s imaginary kiss remains in her thoughts, it’s only her imagination at work.”

In other words, the significance of the UnKiss could be that it subtly represents Sansa’s attraction to the Hound. He was brute, and loyal to Joffery (often to Sansa’s detriment), but he was also kinder to her than almost anyone else in the Red Keep.

If the attraction exists, it could also be reciprocated. The Hound admits to Arya Stark in A Storm of Swords that he wishes he had done more to Sansa that night in the Red Keep — although he was vulgar and crude in this admission.

Nonetheless, with the Hound still potentially alive, this could set us up for a Sansa-the Hound relationship in the future. We’re not exactly rooting for this theory to be true — it’s not the type of relationship anyone would hope for, especially given everything Sansa has already been through — but that’s the speculation of the UnKiss.

The true significance of the UnKiss — if there really is any significance other than GRRM establishing the fact that his narrators can be untrustworthy — remains to be seen.

[ngame989]

Starco Fic Recs

Disclaimer: This list is largely curated to my own personal preferences (minimal feelings angst, minimal AUs, character development >>> plot) and has a fairly high bar for quality in characterization, etc. There will likely be many popular/beloved fics that I really don’t think highly of at all and therefore don’t make the cut. Feel free to DM me things you think I should consider adding, but I make no promises.

And of course I’d be flattered if you gave my own works a chance - stop by my About Me section for links! Thus far I’m particularly proud of the post-canon series I just started in collaboration with an awesome team, The Greatest Gift.

(Updated 9/26 - I decided to redo the list since people might appreciate seeing it in the tags again. To anyone whose own work is featured here that I haven’t personally responded to - I’m a tough critic with a lot of strong personal preferences so PLEASE do not take my gripes as condemnations of your skills - if they make the list at all, I think they’re worth a read!)

See below for the very thorough list!

Bolded titles indicate must-read.

Italicized titles indicate work is incomplete (in the case of continuous stories).

Asterisks indicate new additions from last update (3 for brand new, 1 for status update).

I’ve VERY loosely organized the categories by personal priority order this time around, but read the descriptions and decide for yourself!

Must-Reads

Forevermore - A Starco wedding story (with a bit of Jantom as well). Simply one of the best fics I’ve read in the fandom. I have no meaningful criticism to give it, and that’s the highest praise I can possibly give something.

Monarchs of Mewni (+ Traditionally Lovingly Yours) - A series of chronologically disconnected oneshots set years after the show. The backstory is very dated given how long ago it started (Jarco was kinda serious for a few years, Tomstar v2 never happened, etc) but overall it’s lovely. Has a bit of plot, a bit of Jantom, a lot of other character interactions, and a boatload of Starco - plus a Starco kid who is a decently developed character but also doesn’t just take over and crowd out Star and Marco themselves! That alone deserves merit.

Ruined - Aftermath of a hypothetical return of Monster Arm. Angst with a happy ending (and one of the few angsty fics that gets my seal of approval), so read this extra early if that’s more your schtick than mine.

study buddies - Y’know what, fuck it, I’m putting this here. It’s a short ball of Starco fluff but it’s one of the sweetest and fluffiest fluffballs I’ve seen in a long time and it’s very emotionally immersive and y’all needa read it.

*When Two Worlds Collide - One of my favorite postcanon series thus far. I admit I’m really not big on “magic returns!” plots in postcanon (which this has), and the sections that focus on that are hit or miss for me, but overall it has some of the funnest and cutest characterization and gags I’ve seen in any SVTFOE fic, ever. Absolutely worth following (and it has a fair amount of art to go along with it!)

***Star Chef - Oneshot (two chapters, so twoshot technically?) set in the same universe as Starlight Justiciar (see below) and is just a day in the life of Star and Marco. Goes absolutely above and beyond at emotional immersion and little nuances and details to bring the world and characters to life, which elevates it to something special to me.

Light of the Sun and Stars - (Promoted to Must-Read!) One of the few heavily divergent AU fics I care for. Marco is an orphan raised by monsters, and meets Star after running away. Just finished its “first season” and I've loved the recent chapters, am very excited to see where it goes.

*Don’t You Let Me Go - Wonderfully fluffy post-Cleaved Starco, one of my favorite oneshot “epilogues”.

i want to tell you (but i don’t know how) - Post season 3 fic detailing the growth of Star and Marco’s relationship. It’s spectacular writing and shows off a lot of the true depth of Starco beyond just being cute.

Adult - NSFW warning, non-explicit (aged-up characters). It’s a story about the journey towards Star and Marco’s first step into adulthood together -  it’s not graphic and way more focused on the emotions involved, but it still is definitely more explicit than your average FFnet rated-T fic. If sexual themes ain’t your thing, I totally respect that, but this is a charming and funny piece of writing.

Lawchan’s various oneshots - There isn’t a great compilation for them right now so the best I can do is give you her tag for it and you can comb through it yourself. I like some more than others here, but they’re all very well-written - my only gripes with some of them are my own tastes in subject matter, so have fun perusing this on your own.

I Will Always Be There For You - A really pure and wholesome Starco oneshot. Very well-written.

Post-Canon Series to Follow

I figured with the show being over, and so many people starting their own series, I should include a lot of them here even if I’m personally not the biggest fan just to help gather them up so people can decide for themselves. Little bit looser on judgment here.

*Life on Earthni A to Z - Non-chronological postcanon slice of life oneshots, Starco and some Globclipsa and Jantom. Overall really good so far, one of my favorites in terms of direction.

*When Dimensions Cleave (sequel - Unforgettable Getaway) - Another postcanon series hellbent on bringing back magic queen lore, but it has some solid Starco fluff still. Credit where it’s due, the “Star constantly freaking out over what a horrible person she was” bit that I called preachy in the prior rec post gets somewhat less preachy and does end up actually going somewhere as part of character development, but I’m left scratching my head at how they all act sometimes. The good parts are certainly good, though, and in terms of quantity of lovey dovey Starco, it really can’t be beat (especially the sequel) and that’s worth something by itself. 

We’re a Miracle - Extra adorkable postcanon fluff. Lighter on the “but ACKSHUALLY MAGIC IS BACK” stuff compared to the others, but it’s there, like almost every postcanon fic in existence.

Star vs the Sands of Time - Heavy politic/lore postcanon fic, not my fav but if that’s more your thing then great. Has some casual Starco too.

Goodbye Isn’t Forever - More POV dives into Cleaved.

Fake Proposal - Some decent jokey but cute fluff

The Stars Above - Some exploration of Earthni

New World - A bit over-the-top meta, but fun fluff

The Starlight Justiciar - Four years after canon, some social change plot stuff and some decent Starco. Not the biggest fan of some of the plot stuff but check it out for yourself!

Starco vs the Forces of Evil - Another collab fic/art thing. Fair warning, I really am not personally a huge fan of a lot of the characterization and plot decisions here (see my notes on Sign of the Moon waaaay down below) but decide for yourself, don’t let my pickiness dictate your own preferences!

Ready For The Future - Technically a oneshot (with some Starco) but sets up some Mina plot, if you’re interested in more give it a follow/review.

Worlds Together - Some Starco and exploration of Earthni.

Epilogue -  Some Starco and exploration of Earthni.

***A Dark Horse - Has a few really nice lovey dovey Starco bits but also lots of superdrama with politics stuff. There’s a lot of fics here that I honestly just windowshop the scene I like for a quick fix of dopamine every now and then and skim at most otherwise, and this is one.

Revolution - end of canon AU where Moon is as anti-monster as Mina, dark as fuck. Only putting it here cuz some of y’all angstlords might like it.

Shorter Works/Oneshot Collections

I’ll Carry Your World - Big ole’ ball of wonderful Starco fluff with an important moment between them (written before end of show so a bit divergent).

***LoveIsTheStrongestKindOfMagic - Very short and basic fluff.

Starco Week 5 (Hugs Included) - Some of it is postcanon Earthni oneshots and others are from the Light of the Sun and Stars AU (see above). Great author, fun as hell writing style.

Fragile - Star worries about keeping her boyfriend Marco safe.

Complete - An older Star reflects on her past and present. Short and sweet.

Knighthood - Simple fluff piece on if Star and Marco got together after Storm the Castle.

Too Hot to Move - Star and Marco try to survive a heat wave on Earthni. Also funny fluff.

Marco Make-out Mayhem - Star really likes kissing Marco. Funny fluff.

Cleaved Together - NSFW warning, non-explicit (aged up) - Star and Marco’s first time. Very very overly focused on the whole purity/sacredness of first time thing, but still pretty cute.

Like Us - Really nice, sweet casual reflection on her life with Marco from a future Star’s POV.Toothpaste Kisses - Short fluff about its title.

A Friend’s Memento - Starco fluff with some reflection on the results of destroying magic

Plum Pie - Some goofy antics and hurt/comfort.

Not Losing You - A little dive into Marco’s POV at the end of Cleaved. Also adds a kiss.

We Belong Together - More speculative slightly angsty comfort/fluff.

Enough - A nice study of the emotions and thoughts during the last scenes of Cleaved, adds some depth to it.

Heartless - A bit of angst over magic going away with some sweet Starco comfort.

Together - Post-Cleaved Starco megafluff.

My Prince - Starco fluff set in a world where they were together before Cornonation.

Dancing with a Star - Starco fluff from alt S4.

Love in the Time of Pancakes - Written hours after my last update of the list, another little ditty based on the pancake promo.

Pancakes - Fluffy S4-promo-based little oneshot.

Hers - Hurt/comfort/confession-y fic, has some really nice moments and shows off a lot of how much they care about each other. Nice to see after such a drought.

Someone to Stay - Another hurt/comfort fic, nice and simple.

A Viola, a Violin, and a Butterfly’s Sword - some nonlinear oneshots about Starco. Some kinda weird directions gone in with the “plot” but it’s pretty good overall.

Falling - One of many, many fics from throughout the fandom’s history about Star and Marco getting together. Short and sweet.

forget about white horses & once upon a time - Drabble collection of various moments scattered throughout Star and Marco’s lives. Cute fluff.

The One Where I Thought I Lost You - Post-BFM fic where Marco realizes his feelings for Star earlier. Very wholesome.

christmases when you were mine - Established relationship fluff.

lightning in your veins, thunder in your heart - Post-season 3 established relationship fluff (slightly divergent, written before 3B).

once upon a december - Established relationship fluff.

Flags - Alternate rendition of the episode “Flags” with Starco.

Spells and Hot Chocolate - Wintry fluff.

5 Ways to Say ‘I Love You’ - Post BFM with some events in Star and Marco’s lives.

You’re My Wish Come True - This is just indulgent Starco trash. I won’t even argue for the characterization/writing quality, this is just a straight-up guilty pleasure.

Wands and Nachos - ^

The Princess and the Safe Kid - ^

A Day in the Life of Starco - ^

A very Starco Xmas - ^

Could It Be -^

All the times Star wore Marco’s hoodie - ^

Protect Me, Squire - ^

Crushed - Star and Marco both get turned down by their respective crushes and find comfort in each other.

Stay - Cuddly fluff. There’s another Stay out there which I frankly can’t stand with will-they-won’t-they melodrama out the wazoo, so don’t get confused.

Longer Series

*The Inescapable Us - Really tropey miscommunication will-they-won’t-they type of thing. Not my fav, especially now that the show is over and finished that leg of Star and Marco’s story once and for all (I’m personally WAY less interested in things that redo something canon already did). However, where it’s at now has some really good Starco moments. Fully admitted that I hella skimmed most of it until the parts I enjoyed, but And if you’re more fine with that type of thing then you’ll probably really like it, it’s well-written otherwise.

Together We Fall - Throwback S2 AU fic where Star and Marco go to the dance together instead and Toffee makes moves earlier. Gets kinda dark but has a lot of nice Starco along the way.

Safer, Sorrier - A recent rewrite of an older fic, Better Safe Than Sorry, where Star has to leave early to become queen and Marco is alone for a few months before they reunite. A very dated premise (post season 1 ish) but quite good.

Sugar and Spice - NSFW warning, non-explicit (NOT aged-up characters). In this fic, Star and Marco have gotten together after BFM, and a spell gone wrong leads to Mewberty relapses with obvious consequences. This fic has adorable Starco moments, but what I love this for above all is the other character interactions (especially Glossaryck and Star’s parents). This is probably a controversial add-on to the list, but I stick by my decision - if the subject matter isn’t your thing, then by all means avoid it.

Beyond Dimensions - Plotfic + established Starco where some ancient sorceress has to trap Star to escape and try to take over Mewni. Maybe y'all are more into plot stuff than me but the Starco that’s there is quite good regardless.

Starfall - NSFW warning, explicit (aged-up characters). Probably the most popular one to make the cut. Star and Marco are forced apart and have to find their way back together. Very old fic, lot of dated stuff here, and the narration and plot itself can get kinda questionable sometimes, but it has a lot of good Starco and some interesting plot elements that make it, in my opinion, worth a read despite a lot of flaws. A few epilogue chapters contain rather explicit sexual content, so be wary of that (and the epilogue itself after Ep 6 kinda transitions into a nextgenverse, so maybe just skip that entirely).

The Star Butterfly Effect - The sole fic on the list that is purely plot-based, with very little actual Starco development whatsoever. I can’t even really explain it, just give it a shot and see what you think; I was rather engrossed by the plot, and that’s rare for me.

The Princess and her Knight, Return of the Empire The former fic in this series is way more character-based, while the latter is very heavy plot stuff. Pretty decent character writing with some fluff. There’s a third that I honestly can’t recommend because I completely dropped it because it was just a nonstop war story.

Experimental - REALLY heavy, dark AU where Star and Marco are tortured and corrupted. It’s pretty decent.

Blood Moon Blitz - Alt BFM fic of Marco going to fight Toffee with Star. unfortunately dropped without completing, but what’s there is pretty solid.

Read at Your Own Risk…

The Sign of the Moon, The Dance of the Stars - Starts post-3A, involves the growth of Star and Marco’s relationship as they take on foes in and out of the castle and learn more about the Blood Moon. This series is rather… melodramatic, and there were some chapters and character interactions I flat out did not enjoy reading. But some people aren’t as strict on character interpretations as I am and would love such a long plot-based Starco fic, so overall I still will at least list it and let you decide for yourself. There might be a third entry in this series now, but I dropped it before then.

Photos - I hesitate to include this one here because the “Tom is a perfect angel who must sacrifice his love for Star” thing pisses me off. But just skip all that (and ignore the random “a part of me will always love Tom” line) and it’s a really nice post-s3 confession fic.

[collegeburnoutsuperstar]

2020 Reading Challenge

For 2020, I have set my Goodreads goal at 30 books, but I would like to get closer to 100. I prefer to keep my Goodreads goal lower to try to avoid stressing myself out.

This year I am also going to participate in @bookbandit ‘s TBR buster challenge!! My goal is to read at least one book per week (4 books a month). My current TBR includes:

- Blue Lily, Lily Blue; The Raven King (Maggie Stiefvater)

- Sword of Destiny; Blood of Elves; Time of Contempt; Baptism of Fire; The Tower of the Swallow; The Lady of the Lake; Season of Storms (Andrzej Sapkowski)

- A Court of Wings and Ruin; A Court of Frost and Starlight (Sarah J. Maas)

- Six of Crows (Leigh Bardugo)

- The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)

- The Eye of the World (Robert Jordan)

- The Wise Man’s Fear (Patrick Rothfuss)

- The Cruel Prince; The Wicked King; The Queen of Nothing (Holly Black)

- A Conjuring of Light (V.E. Schwab)

- The Magician King; The Magician’s Land (Lev Grossman)

- Doctor Sleep; The Stand (Stephen King)

- Water Music (T. Coraghessan Boyle)

- House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)

- The Silmarillion (J.R.R. Tolkien)

- Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)

- Assassin’s Apprentice; Royal Assassin; Assassin’s Quest (Robin Hobb)

- Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Rick Riordan)

- Kings Rising (C.S. Pacat)

I would also like to try to get through Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive this year. 

There are a million other books that I am dying to read this year but don’t own yet, so I will not be including them in this challenge.

[luwritesao3]

Fandoms:

Game of Thrones (TV)A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin

Relationships:

Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar TargaryenArthur Dayne & Lyanna StarkLyanna Stark & Ned StarkAshara Dayne/Ned StarkCatelyn Stark/Ned StarkBenjen Stark & Lyanna Stark & Ned StarkHowland Reed & Ned Stark & Lyanna StarkElia Martell/Rhaegar TargaryenRhaella Targaryen & Lyanna StarkRhaella Targaryen & Viserys TargaryenLyanna Stark & Viserys TargaryenJon Snow & Daenerys Targaryen & Viserys TargaryenJon Snow & Daenerys TargaryenTargaryens & Starks & DaynesAllyria Dayne & Rhaenys TargaryenCersei Lannister/Jaime LannisterRobert Baratheon/Cersei LannisterJaime Lannister & Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia)Arthur Dayne & Gerold Hightower & Oswell WhentArthur Dayne & Jon SnowOther Relationship Tags to Be AddedElia Martell & Lyanna Stark & Rhaegar Targaryen (positively good)

Characters:

Arthur DayneAshara DayneAllyria DayneLyanna StarkNed StarkBenjen StarkHowland ReedGerold HightowerOswell WhentRhaella TargaryenViserys TargaryenDaenerys TargaryenJon SnowCatelyn Tully StarkRobb StarkRobert BaratheonCersei LannisterJaime LannisterJon ArrynWillem DarryBarristan SelmyElia Martell (mentioned)Oberyn MartellDoran MartellArianne MartellRhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia)Original House Dayne Character(s)Original Sand Bastard(s)Original CharactersOther Character(s) Tags to Be Added

Additional Tags:

My First Work in This Fandom Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Lyanna Stark LivesArthur Dayne LivesRhaenys Targaryen Lives Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies R Plus L Equals J Jon Snow is a Targaryen Jon Snow is Not Called Aegon Eventual Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen Protective Arthur Dayne Canon-Typical Violence Mentions of Death Angst and Tragedy What Ifs My crazy take on the world of GoT&ASOIAF A Wolf raises Dragons Everyone Has IssuesEveryone Needs A Hug Essos Targaryen Restoration Family DynamicsFamilies of Choice Slow Build I Don't Even KnowI'm Bad At Tagging Some Plot Don't Examine This Too Closely Don't Like Don't Read I'm Bad At Summaries Viserys Targaryen is raised properlyHe doesn't end up madjust morally ambiguous and slightly wicked But Everyone is Gray Team TargaryenTeam House DayneTeam Stark (previous to S6) Prophecies & Magic Do not cope this work to another site! Other Additional Tags to Be Added Not Catelyn FriendlyNot Robert friendly Dragons & Direwolves

Language:

English

Summary:

"The night is dark and full of terrors, the day bright and beautiful and full of hope. One is black, the other white. There is ice and there is fire. Hate and love. Bitter and sweet. Male and female. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good. Death and life. Everywhere, opposites. Everywhere, the war." - A Storm of Swords.

[3rdgymbros]

AIRI’S CHARACTER SHEET (credit to @/sleepynezuko)

BASICS

Name: Airi Ubuyashiki (formerly Airi Shinozaki)

Birthday: 1 February

Age: 26

Height & Weight: 4′11, 90 pounds

Gender & Pronouns: Female, She/Her

Appearance: Mixed blood. Light brown curls that fall to her shoulders, held back with a wisteria kanzashi. Light blue eyes. Can usually be found in pastel coloured kimonos like this one, with zori and tabi on her feet.

Affiliation: Demon Corps. Former Mist Pillar who trained Muichiro, now retired as Ubuyashiki’s wife.

PERSONALITY

Positive traits: Loyal, compassionate, passionate, brave, curious, affectionate, expressive.

Negative traits: Overly trusting, moody, insecure, will carry a grudge.

Habits: Swearing (Muichirou picked up swearing from her), humming/singing to herself while she works/walks, sleeping late and waking up early, tracing/picking at scars

Quirks: Snorts when she laughs (usually at inopportune moments), sticks her tongue out when she yawns, hides wisteria-tipped knives (and normal knives) in her sleeves and on her body, keeps a collection of wisteria kanzashi.

RELATIONSHIPS

Family: Biological mother was a prostitute (status unknown). Yoshiko Shinozaki (step mother, alive), Takeshi Shinozaki (biological father, alive).

Allies, people she works well with: Tanjirou, Nezuko, Kanae, Shinobu, Muichirou, Kanroji, Zenitsu, Kanao, Rengoku

Enemies, people she doesn’t get along well with: Inosuke, Sanemi, Uzui, Genya, demons

ABILITIES

Breath style: Breath of Mist User, and Muichiro’s predecessor.

Weapon: Former weapon of choice was a Jian sword, with an ivory-colored blade. A Jian is a double-edged straight sword used in China. The blade varies from 18 – 31 inches in length. The hilt of her sword is decorated with short wings, while the grip is wrapped in violet cord.

Add-ons: Wisteria-tipped butterfly swords (concealed in her sleeves), zori with concealed blades.

Natural abilities: Quick and agile, Airi usually likes engaging her opponent in a game of tag, preferring to dart away quickly and using the cover of trees or bushes to pick the optimal time for a surprise attack. She also has keen intuition, and is usually able to discern the difference between friend and foe, as well as pick out a demon who might be hiding using a disguise.

OPINIONS

Favourite food: Anything sweet. Particular favorites include wagashi and mochi ice cream.

Likes: Sunlight, flowers, festivals, the ocean, hot springs.

Dislikes: Thunder storms, bitter food, being cold.

Hobbies: Gardening, going to festivals, walking through towns, taking the train and stopping at random towns to explore.

Thoughts on demons: Airi finds herself sympathizing with demons. She can’t help but wonder if they were turned into one by force, or if becoming a demon was something more comparable to the life that they had. After killing a demon, she used to clasp her hands together and wish them well in the after-life.

Thoughts on Tanjirou/Nezuko: Although she’s only met them once or twice at the estate, Airi finds Nezuko to be adorable, and hopes that they’ll be able to meet more often so that she can pamper her a little. She thinks that Tanjirou seems like a good boy, a loving brother if anything, and privately finds his habit of head butting people amusing.

Thoughts on Tamayo/Yushiro: She finds how Tamayo helps others as a doctor to be admirable, and their way of life has her asking so many questions! Are there others like her? How much blood does she need to get by? Airi would be filled with hope, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this war will finally be at an end . . .

BACKGROUND

Airi’s family has prided itself for generations on being one of the few families whose daughters were carefully chosen by the priests to be given to the Ubuyashiki family as wives. To them, being chosen was an honour.

However, her mother suffered from fertility issues and they were unable to conceive a child, which brought much shame onto the family name. Thus, her father turned to prostitutes, and paid one to conceive a child, whom he later took home and passed off as his own, forbidding the servants and his own wife to say a word about what they had done, though rumors would continue to float around about how the child resembled neither parents. The child would be called Airi.

Airi would grow up leading a remarkably sheltered life (though she was aware of the existence of demons and the people who fought against them), with endless tutoring sessions, being reminded each and every day that she would eventually be the wife of the next head of the Ubuyashiki family if she was able to play her cards right. Airi would grow up to resent her family for reducing her to some bargaining piece to be traded away like a piece of fish or a length of cloth.

With a desire to see the world and be more than a bride to be married off to some spoilt brat, she would run away from her family when she was 13. She would find a teacher, a former Mist Pillar, who trained her to become a demon slayer.

She would become the Mist Pillar at 15.

Her parents, fretful and worried about their only daughter’s safety, not to mention their family’s reputation, would continuously badger their daughter to come home by writing her letters. Airi, disappointed that her parents had not changed, would read those letters and then burn them, never replying.

At her first pillar meeting, she would meet the ailing head of the Ubuyashiki clan and his son, Kagaya, unaware that this was whom her parents wanted her to marry (she assumed that she would be married to someone else in his family, not him specifically). After their meeting, she would stay behind to talk to Kagaya, and they would start a correspondence through letters. They became close, to the point where she would persuade him into sneaking out of his home for a few hours (usually to the town nearby), with the guarantee that she would protect him and get him home before anyone noticed.

Her parents would hire someone to track her down, intent on getting their runaway daughter to come home for a marriage interview with the Ubuyashiki family. Airi would give in and return home, determined to be on her worst behavior and scare the potential groom off, only for her mouth to drop open and a blush to paint her cheeks when she found out that she was being match-made with Kagaya.

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

All the Wrong Questions - The Associates AU

↳ Florence Smith      ↳ {Literary Materialization, Fictional Summoning}

Florence’s mother really doesn’t approve of her reading, but she doesn’t care; she’ll cover her room in books whether her family likes it or not. But, well, about a year ago, strange things started happening whenever Florence read things aloud. If she read something written down- anything- it would seem to appear. She could be reading about a storm to her friend Kevin, and suddenly it would be storming, only to clear up in a minute or two. If she read a fake letter to her sisters about an elephant appearing in town, sure enough, one very confused elephant would wander by. 

At Wade Academy, Florence has been testing the extent of her powers. She can’t seem to change events, just summon things from her books. The teachers seem very interested in this power, saying things about how “the pen is mightier than the sword” and “books really are the true magic.” While Florence agrees, it disturbs her just how focused on the children’s potential powers the adults at this academy are. So her and her best friend, Kevin, are going to do what they do best: cause as much trouble for their guardians as possible.