#highly recommend everything by this author honestly

[moon-rivr]

falling behind

pairing: college!miguel x inexperienced spanish speaking fem reader (translation provided 🫡)

warnings: established fake relationship (i honestly mixed like three tropes into this) and oral (f receiving)

author’s note: this was somewhat inspired by ‘falling behind’ by laufey (highly recommend 🙏🏼) and a lil bit by the spanish love deception. anyways i had a lot of fun writing this so i hope y’all enjoy :3

word count: 4.6K

You always seemed to be behind when you compared your life to your classmates' lives, almost like you were sitting in the backseat waiting for your life to begin. A part of you secretly wanted what they had: to get asked out, to experience teenage dating, but you never had the courage to seek out and go get it. Sure, your family made some smart remarks about how your cousins were already dating but you pushed those away since you didn't want to make a big deal. You honestly thought that it wouldn't come back to bite you until you got back home from your class one day.

You got back home from your chemistry class to see your roommate, Miguel O’Hara, hunched over at the kitchen table reading some envelopes. You set your bag down on the couch and walk over to the table, sitting down next to him. "Hey, anything good come in the mail?" You asked, visibly startling him as he looked up at you. "Just our utility bills. Oh, and you got something from back home," he responded, handing you an envelope with your sister's name on the sender address. You wanted to put off reading the letter, but you decided to bite the bullet instead.

"Ah fuck," you mumbled, holding up the wedding invitation as you let out a small sigh. "C'mon think of all the leftovers you could bring," Miguel suggested, raising his hands up in defense when you looked over at him. "I'll probably just say I'm sick or something," you spoke, more so to yourself as Miguel’s brows furrowed. "It's just, if all my aunts and whatnot see me at the wedding without someone, they're gonna start commenting on it. How I'm the only one alone," you explained, hoping that it would ease the confusion on Miguel’s face.

"So I'll be your fake boyfriend for the night," he suggested, like he was asking what type of cereal he should get. Your brows furrowed as you sat down at the table, folding your arms. "What about your girlfriend? Dana? or Xina? Whichever one you're dating now," you countered, looking up at him. "Well.. That's actually where you come in. Dana broke up with me so I was kinda hoping that if she saw me and you together, she'd come back," he replied, sitting down across from you.

"And what about if this blows up in our face and I end up homeless, Mig?"

"First of all, this isn't gonna blow up in our face. And second of all, I think we can separate our façade away from our home life."

"You're forgetting I've never dated anyone. I have zero idea how this all works."

"I'll teach you about what to do. Plus, you'll be able to have some experience when you actually do date someone."

You wanted to continue arguing with Miguel, tell him how farfetched this idea sounded but it seemed like for every argument you had, he had a counterattack. Your mind couldn't help but race with everything that could possibly go wrong with this arrangement, but you decided to trust Miguel’s confidence in it. "Since it'll be beneficial for the both of us, okay," you said after a moment of deliberation, extending your hand out. "Are we in the mafia or something?" he muttered, rolling his eyes as you glared at him and shook your hand. You were expecting him to pull away after a while, seeing how resistant he was to it but he didn't. He simply stroked your hand with his thumb, intertwining his fingers with yours. "Our first lesson's handholding," Miguel elaborated and you were about to explain how you didn't need his help but he interrupted you. "Look, I know you know how to do it. But you would've started to overthink if I told you beforehand," he stated, keeping your hand with his.

The next few weeks before the wedding had been pretty uneventful, you had been telling Miguel about your family members and which ones to look out for and he had been teaching you all the basic parts of being in a relationship. The two of you were currently sitting at a Starbucks, helping each other study for a chemistry exam when you heard Miguel’s name being called from behind you. "Migs! I haven't seen you in such a long time, how are you?" Dana asked once she appeared in sight, completely ignoring you as she went to go stake her claim. "I've been good. Been busy with my girlfriend and all," he replied, his gaze locked on you as he smiled. You could've sworn that Dana's eyes turned into little daggers as she faced you. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Dana decided to say, starting to talk about some frat party she wanted to take Miguel to.

You couldn't help but notice that the entire time that Dana was talking to Miguel and batting her lashes at him, he kept his gaze solely on you. You decided to push it off, assuring yourself that he was doing that to make her jealous. "I thought the whole point was to get her back, why didn't you agree to the frat party?" You asked when Dana left, taking a sip from your coffee as his brows furrowed. "Oh, the frat party, yeah. I mean, she says she wants to spend time with me but who gets back together at a party, y'know?" He responded, shrugging before going back to his school work. You decided not to push the subject any further and continued to study with Miguel.

You and Miguel had spent the following weeks going on study dates or just little dates between the two of you that didn't feel like research anymore. Eventually, the wedding approached the two of you and you were pacing in your living room. Miguel stood at the corner of the room, watching as you talked to yourself and freaked out. "What if this goes all wrong? I’m gonna be such an idiot," you muttered to yourself, continuing to walk around the living room. You didn't notice when Miguel walked over, placing his hands on your shoulders as he held you still. "Hey, calm down, you're gonna make a hole in the floor. On a serious note though, you're not gonna look like an idiot. We rehearsed this through and through and you're a natural when it comes to being affectionate," he remarked, massaging your shoulders gently.

You took a few seconds to calm down and stop your pacing, wrapping your hands tightly around Miguel’s body. "Thank you. For getting me out of my head and for even agreeing to this shenanigan," you spoke up after Miguel wrapped his arms around you, enveloping your body in his. "Don't worry about it. Go get dressed and we'll get going. We don't wanna miss the food," he replied, pulling back from the hug as he smiled reassuringly at you. "And what's wrong with what i'm wearing?" You asked, a brow raised as you referred to the Spider-Man pajamas you were wearing. "Nothing, but I just think those pajamas should be reserved for my eyes only, mm?" He responded, winking at you as you rolled your eyes.

You put on the dress that you picked out with Miguel a couple days ago, the material fitting around you snugly. You sat in front of the mirror, following the makeup tutorial your sister had sent you. You were in the middle of doing your eyeliner when suddenly you poked your eye. "Motherfucker!" You grumbled, putting your hand against your eye as you felt it watering. Miguel walked in after hearing your yell, stopping in his tracks when he took a glimpse at you. "I know it looks bad but I'll be ready in about thirty minutes," you assured him, wiping off the smudged mascara as you suppressed the urge to groan. "Bad isn't necessarily the word I would have used," he mumbled, leaning against the door frame.

"Maybe you're taking too much at one time. Makeup's a journey and shit, so just do what you know how to do while you get better at the other stuff," he suggested, rubbing small circles on your back. You looked at him through the mirror, nodding as you took off your makeup to start fresh. "I don't know how you always do that. Say all the right things to make me feel better, i mean," you admitted, deciding to turn off the makeup tutorial and go by what with Miguel said. Miguel lingered by the door frame, crossing his arms together as he watched you do your makeup before eventually going off to get dressed himself.

You and Miguel arrive at the reception hall at a pretty decent hour, since it wasn't too early but the caterers were barely starting to pass out the food. You jump a little when you feel a hand on your shoulder, turning around to face your mom. She leaned in, kissing you on the cheek as she embraced you. "Hola mami, ¿cómo estás?" you greet her, watching as her eyes immediately drift over to the man next to you. (hi mommy, how are you?) "Bien ¿y tú? ¿Y quién es este?" she asked, cutting the formalities short to find out what she needed to know. (good and you? and who’s this?)

"Este es mi novio, Miguel." (this is my boyfriend, Miguel)

"Ay mija, pero que guapo esta. Y que alto, casi llega al techo. ¿Porque no me lo habías presentado?" (oh daughter, he’s so handsome. and he’s so tall, he almost reaches the roof. why haven’t you presented him to me?)

You were about to speak up when Miguel suddenly cut you off, extending his hand towards your mom. "Un placer, señora. Y bueno, usted sabe como es su hija y lo tanto que le gusta ser privada," he responded, your mom’s eyes widening a bit. (a pleasure ma’am. and well, you know your daughter and how much she likes being private) "Un placer también. Usted es mas aceptable que el poster que ella le daba besos," your mom remarked, laughing as Miguel joined her. (a pleasure too. you are more acceptable than the poster she used to kiss) You grabbed his hand, pulling him away to avoid any other embarrassments. "You kissed a poster?" Miguel asked in between laughter, wiping at some imaginary tears from his eyes. "We're never speaking of this again," you grumbled, watching as his eyes sparkled with your reaction, laughing even harder. "I'm never dropping this."

Your mom pulled you and Miguel over to the table where all your aunts were so you'd say hello and make pleasantries with them. You could tell they wanted to say something about Miguel, surprised to see you here in public with a man by your side but they chose to bite their tongue back. Well, all but one. "¿Y tu eres su novio?" One of your least liked aunts asked Miguel, pointing a fork at his direction. (and you’re her boyfriend?) "Si señora. Apenas empezamos con la relacion pero la quiero mucho," he responded, looking at your aunt as she laughed. (yes ma’am. we just started with the relationship but i like her a lot) "Pero que bueno. Pensábamos que se iba morir virgen la pobre," she remarked, her eyes glinting with amusement as your other aunts laughed. (oh, how good. we thought the poor girl was going to die a virgin.)

You were used to these kinds of remarks and you knew that it was best to keep your mouth shut and let them glide through. "Disculpe señora, con todo respeto, pero a usted ¿que le importa? ¿Es que no tiene vida para andarse preocupando de lo que ella hace? Lo que usted deberia estarse preocupando es sobre su marido," Miguel replied, keeping his tone even as he grabbed your hand. (excuse me ma’am, with all respect, but what do you care? do you not have anything else going on in your life to be worrying about what she’s doing? what you should be worrying about is your husband.)

You and Miguel sat in the car at the venue parking lot as he stroked your hand softly. "I'm sorry if I stepped a line in there. It's just.. What does she even care about who you're dating or what you're doing?" He spoke up after a couple seconds, looking directly at your eyes. "I really appreciate you doing that, Miguel. Every time I tell my mom about it, she takes their side and tells me to keep quiet about it. I mean, yeah, they're probably never gonna wanna talk to me but that's cool," you said with a small laugh, meeting Miguel’s gaze. he tilted your chin towards him, his lips meeting against yours tentatively.

His touch was featherlight as he leaned into kiss you, almost like he was scared you weren't going to reciprocate. You felt your heart beat hammering as you tried to recall the kissing techniques you'd seen in YouTube videos, shutting your eyes as you leaned in. "Ow," you mumbled, opening your eyes to find out that you accidentally bumped into Miguel’s nose. "It's okay, chiquita. I know it's your first time," he assured you, holding your cheek as he tilted his face to the side. (little one) "Just keep your eyes open until our lips connect and then just follow what I'm doing, don't overthink it," he told you, leaning in once more to kiss you.

The moment you felt your lips connect against his felt like fireworks, even if it was a little awkward. Your lips were stiff as he kissed you, unsure of what to do before you remembered his advice and decided to follow his lead. You felt comfortable shutting your eyes so you did, your hands reaching up to his hair like you wanted to pull him closer. You'd heard from your friends about their first kiss stories, how it was an awkward clash of lips but it felt more like a synchronized dance with Miguel. He deepened the intensity of the kiss when he felt that you were comfortable, his hand moving to your cheek in doing so.

You two pulled away a couple seconds later to catch your breath, the realization that you'd not only kissed your fake boyfriend but your roommate hitting you hard. You could've sworn that Miguel read your mind because he said, "I saw someone coming out the door and I figured we might as well sell it since they were looking this way." A fiber of your being hoped that your first kiss wouldn't have ended up as just something to prove, but you knew that it would lead you to uncharted territory with Miguel so you nodded along.

The ride home was mostly quiet, the music on the radio filling up the atmosphere. You thanked Miguel once more for helping you with the wedding dilemma before locking yourself up in your room. You didn't have the energy to figure out what was happening between the two of you and quite frankly, you thought you were probably being delusional, thinking too hard about things that would be normal in a fake relationship. You pushed those thoughts away as you changed out of the dress, hoping that you'd be able to get some peace of mind.

After a couple minutes of tossing and turning on your bed, you decided to go talk to Miguel since you had a feeling you wouldn't get some clarity until you did. You knocked on his door, hesitantly, as you swayed from foot to foot while you waited for his answer. Your jaw almost touched the floor when he opened the door, wearing no shirt and a low-clinging pair of grey sweatpants. You had to force yourself to look up at him when he let out a small cough, noticing the glasses he had on. "Is there something you needed?" He asked, a brow arched as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. In your defense, you tried really hard not to look, but it was impossible to resist the way he biceps flexed when he did that. "You."

Your eyes widened as you realized what had come out of your mouth, Miguel’s face one of amusement as he started to laugh. "What I meant to say was, I wanted an explanation from you. What did that kiss mean tonight?" you asked, a brow raised as you folded your arms. "I told you chiquita, to sell it to the person walking out of the party," he spoke, but you noticed that his eyes wouldn't meet yours. You pressed your lips together but decided not to push it any further, walking away. You turned around when Miguel grabbed your arm, he looked like he wanted to say something more. "I want more than just kisses with you." Your mind began going haywire at what he was saying but what you managed to blurt out was, "Because we're fake dating?"

Miguel let out a small sigh, running a hand through his hair. "No, not because we're fake dating," he spoke up after a while, tilting your chin up. "I want more than just kisses with you too," you told him, watching as his eyes darkened a bit. "I'm not gonna sleep with you until you're certain that my feelings for you are real. None of this fake dating shit," he whispered, leaning in as he kissed your cheek. You felt a bit disappointed as he spoke, but you realized where he was coming from though that didn’t stop the desire igniting in you. "I need you, Miguel."

Miguel let out a small sigh, almost like he was conflicted on what to do. "Lay down on the bed, chiquita," he finally relented and you laid down on the bed, awaiting for his next move. He set down his glasses on his bedside table before he laid down next to you, his hand moving to your cheek as he leaned in to kiss you. He continued doing that until you two were a panting, breathless mess and he played with the hem of your sleep pants. "Are you okay if we go further?" He asked, not wanting to intimidate you by doing too much too soon. "Y-Yeah," you whispered, wishing your voice sounded more affirmative than breathy, but you felt overwhelmed by everything Miguel was doing.

He slowly took off your pajama pants so he'd be able to stop himself if you got uncomfortable at any point before he settled in between your legs. Before you got a chance to ask what he was doing, he began kissing his way from your calf to your inner thigh. He gently nipped at the skin, his teeth grazing it slightly as he continued with his movements. He hooked his arms underneath your legs, putting them on his shoulders before leaning in to your clothed pussy. You felt embarrassed by how much wetness had accumulated since he'd barely even kissed you but that was quickly pushed aside when Miguel started to lick you through your underwear.

He slid off your panties after a while of you wiggling to get more from him, his lips curled in amused smirk as he took them off. He started off slow, collecting the slick that was clinging to your folds before delving in. He ate you out like a man starved and you couldn't help but moan out at the strange sensations. He let you close your thighs around his head, letting out soft grunts into your pussy as you tightened around him. The vibrations from his mouth shot straight to your spine, making your back arch from the bed. He held you still as he started to suck on your folds.

His mouth enclosed around your clit, looking up at you as he flicked his mouth. "Keep your eyes on me," he whispered when he saw you looking away, slowing down his movements. He continued once more once your eyes met his, having you watch as he kept his mouth connected with your clit. He took one of his fingers, gently probing them inside before sticking it in. he curled his finger, making way to stroke your g-spot with every movement. "So tight," he spoke against your clit, putting another finger in as he started moving them in a scissoring motion. Your mouth parted into a 'o' shape as he continued, overwhelmed by the sensation. His two fingers curled, finding your g-spot as they brushed up against it every time he thrust his fingers in.

You pulled on his hair, pushing your pelvis closer to his mouth, almost drowning him with your pussy. And you could tell that he wouldn't have minded it that much with the way he groaned in your pussy, slurping the juices that were leaking out. You felt a strange sensation building in your lower stomach, like a knot just waiting to unravel. "Mig! Stop, I'm gonna pee," you blurted out, feeling a bit embarrassed by the admission. You had expected Miguel to slow down but he continued with the same vigor, if not, only more motivated. The knot unraveled in you quickly and you released against miguel's face, feeling embarrassed at the thought you might've peed on him. He took his fingers out, sucking your juices off them as he looked straight into you. "You didn't pee on me, don't worry," he assured you, grabbing a wet wipe to clean you up.

You and Miguel had been threading a delicate line throughout the course of a week, only talking to each other when it came to basic chores and what to get for dinner. You were in the middle of doing classwork on the dining table when Miguel came over, sitting on the chair across from you. "Hey, I know things have been weird between us, but do you still want to head to that Halloween party with me?" He asked, reminding you of the Halloween party that he'd asked about two weeks ago. "Well I already have the costume, so it'd be a shame not to," you responded, not willing yourself to look up at him. Partly from the fact that you weren't sure where your late night rendezvous left you and from the fact that you'd looked up porn after that night, using Miguel as the object of your fantasies when you got yourself off.

You came back from your classes about five hours later and you noticed that Miguel was in his room blasting music, probably getting ready for the Halloween party so you decided to do the same. You managed to find a simple makeup tutorial for the bruises you were doing, given that you and Miguel were going as Tyler and the Narrator from Fight Club. You put on the suit and grabbed some of the bars of soap that Miguel had gotten for the two of you before stepping out of your room. "Hey, do you think you can help me with the bruises? I just can't get them to look realistic, y'know?" Miguel asked when he came out of his room, the bruises on his face looking like blotches of purple.

You had Miguel sit down while you blended the colors in his face, trying not to pay mind to just how much it affected you having him this close to you. You finished up a little while later and grabbed some fake blood, dabbing it in with your finger around his mouth and the cut you'd made on his cheek. "Has anyone told you how good you look covered in blood?" You asked absentmindedly as Miguel burst out into laughter. "Must be why everyone was so eager to help me out after a fight in high school," he replied, standing up once you finished. He thanked you for the work you'd done and you two quickly headed out to the dorms.

The party was in full swing when you two arrived and you couldn't help but notice that a lot of people were coming to say hi to Miguel. You'd always pictured him as the quiet genetics student, but seeing him out in public with his friends was a decent experience. You'd half expected him to leave you to go entertain them, but he grabbed your hand and led you to the back where there was more space to talk. "If at any point you want to leave, just let me know and we'll go, okay?" He told you, waiting for you to nod in affirmation before he took you to hang out with his friends.

He introduced you as his girlfriend, which struck you as odd since you would've thought he'd tell them about your arrangement, but you liked the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. His friends were nice enough, they included you in the conversation and they were pretty nice to talk to overall. "So how long have you two been dating?" One of his friends asked, looking over at you. You looked up at Miguel for help and luckily, he answered that plea. "We've been dating for about two months now, I'd say. But I've been liking her for a bit longer than that," he replied with a small laugh, and you couldn't help but feel your heart beating faster at his comment. Even if it was something he added to make the story sound more believable, you wanted to believe so badly that he actually liked you.

The rest of the party was spent in a blur of talking with his friends, dancing, and getting shots. Even when you stopped by to get shots, Miguel’s gaze never left yours. You could've sworn that you saw his fists clench up when a guy in a Spider-Man costume tried to talk to you, but as soon as you blinked, it was gone so you decided to push it away. You excused yourself to the bathroom a little after, and Miguel insisted on helping you find your way through the large house. His friends had a weird look on their face but you didn't question it too much out of the need to pee.

You came out of the restroom and you were a little surprised when you noticed that Miguel hadn't stayed behind to wait for you. You walked down the large hallway, stopping when you saw Miguel walking into one of the rooms with a girl in a devil costume. You decided to look through the creak in the door, seeing what Miguel was up to and quickly came to the realization that it wasn't just a girl in a devil costume. It was Dana and she had her arms all around miguel. "Please miguel, I've missed you so bad and I can tell that you do too. Come on, you can't seriously be happy with that inexperienced virgin?"

You decided to leave the party after witnessing Dana talk to Miguel, feeling a burning sensation in your chest. You knew that this was the whole objective of the arrangement that you and Miguel had going on, but you didn't expect it to hurt this much when it ended. You'd grown used to being miguel's 'girlfriend' and spending time with him, that you hadn't anticipated it would come to an end so soon. You locked yourself up in your room, feeling completely angry at yourself for being so foolish about the circumstances as you scrubbed away the makeup of the night. You were thinking about what to do about healing the burning you felt in your chest, listening to Frank Ocean and having a good cry seemed like the best one, when you heard a knock on your door.

You opened your bedroom door, seeing Miguel standing there with a solemn look on his face. "Hey, I heard what Dana told you earlier. I bet you're happy that she came back to you so i think we should end this. I'll find someone else and.. use the experience you taught me," you told him, attempting to muster a smile as his gaze darkened. "You're not gonna do that, okay?" He responded, his brows furrowing as he spoke. "And why not?" you asked, feeling your own smile falter as he spoke.

"Because I don't want you to find anyone else."

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[asimmutableasgravity]

big big marvey fic rec list

marvey is currently my most bookmarked ship, so trust me when i say i've been around the bend for marvey content. i have dug through a lot of it the past few months, so trust that these fics have been highly rated!

fics are loosely grouped, with the summary and my thoughts under the cut :3 no spoilers ofc bc i love you

MY PERSONAL FAVOURITES

A Specter-Ross Affair by @frivoloussuits (15k+, au)

“You ordered an ‘extra-hot, extra-wet cappuccino, single-origin, properly layered, to-go and ready five minutes ago to make up for your service speed or lack thereof.’” In which Mike is a barista, Rachel is a lawyer, and Harvey is paid excessive amounts of money to plan their joyous Christmas wedding.

"Love is just a particularly socially accepted form of fraud. It's a series of increasingly complex and fragile deceptions between two or more people, and, more alarmingly, between each participant and their own deluded subconscious."

i literally cannot recommend this fic enough. this might be my favourite read of the entire year, dead serious. this sounds fluffy but trust me, the pining and the angst go well like salt on a chocolate chip cookie: extremely decadent. everything about this fic goes insane and this should be your gateway drug into marvey, im so serious about this. READ IT. (weddingplanner!harvey)

of all the gin joints by @frivoloussuits (10k+, au)

Hanging around a neighborhood bar one night, Harvey befriends a guy named Mike after realizing they can both quote The Princess Bride on demand. In the law offices of Rand, Kaldor, Zane and Pearson, senior partner Harvey Specter takes on an unusual case, representing his managing partner's daughter as she divorces a Michael James Ross. Harvey sees no connection until it's far too late.

"They’re playing a virtuosic duet with inhuman ease, as if the intoxication has broken their boundaries and blurred them into a single entity."

this. obsessed with fics that really use the law in their plots, and this is a prime example. a lot of chemistry in this one that is described in a way that makes you jealous of the bond they share and there are still lines in this fic that i think about almost everyday but honestly, such a top-tier read. PLEASE PLEASE IF YOU LIKE SUFFERING ANF REALLY REALLY GOOD CHEMISTRY PLEASE

5U175 by Closer (26k, canon-adjacent)

Harvey sometimes moonlights as a Star Trek BNF. Mike might have an attitude problem on the internet. TiberiusGhost is strangely compelling, for a recluse who never goes to meetups, and Harvey's finding this kid Photohead vaguely familiar…

i know that the terminology in this one is hella old-school but trust me. as someone who doesnt read a lot of fandom fics, this fic has changed it all for me (also bc the author replied to my comment hehehe) stick with this fic because the way fandom weaves with the character development is absolutely delicious, i remember saying this in my og comment but this fic was written with love for fandom and you should definitely read it too!!! you'd absolutely love it! (also ben stans rise up ^^)

fics to sink your teeth into (20k+)

needs must by @melthemagpie (98k+, au)

When Grammy needs an upgrade in care, Mike knows that the usual one-off gig as a paid submissive won't be enough. He takes a job he's been refusing for a while - a long-term, full-time contract. He expects his client to be a sadistic asshole. He expects not to like it. He's wrong on both counts.

this is a fandom classic, every fic rec has this on the list (cw for dom/sub and prostitution, so if you're uncomfy please dont read) but i swear there are so many romantic moments in this one that make me swoon and the smut is very good, i usually tap out in long fics really quickly but this hooked me the whole way through twice. thats my ringing endorsement, READ THIS

Lobster and Other Catastrophes by @andthetardis (21k, canon-compliant)

After months of silence, Mike starts texting Harvey again out of the blue. Funny thing to do on his honeymoon, really.

BRO PLEASE. this was so good. angsty and pining-y enough even though it's mostly a text fic. text fics to me are more like comedic, but this one had substance and heart (and funny and enjoyable btw). pulls you in and really makes you want to stick it out and get to the beautiful ending <333 (harvey being soft is probably a category on its own :3)

The Game by @frivoloussuits (27k, hunger games au)

Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen are efficient and elegant killers. They have trained since childhood, mentored personally by Jessica Pearson and marked for years as District 1's Tributes for the Hunger Games. Mike Ross is an orphan from District 12, a drug dealer, and an underage gambler. After years of scrutinizing the Hunger Games on TV to make savvy bets, he finds himself on the wrong side of the camera, now playing the odds just to survive. Harvey and Mike cannot, should not trust each other. Still, they strike a backroom deal.

"Because he’s clever and quick-thinking and he’s learned her main lesson well– don’t love anyone you wouldn’t be willing to see dead. Ideally, don’t love anyone at all."

I READ THIS WHEN I WAS REVISITING HUNGER GAMES AND OHHHHH THIS HAS THE ANGST. absolutely riveting. ths is the third fic im reccing from them bc i love frivoloussuits. i would die for them HHFSHFHKSDGDHFG i love the angst and the life-threatening situations that the hunger games provide and harvey as a career is correct. its just correct. everything here grips my soul

Disaster Stories by agatestones (22k, canon-compliant)

"Hold on," Mike asked, "you made Donna come into work in the middle of a blizzard?" "I don't make Donna do anything. Haven't you learned by now?" Harvey gave Mike a mean little smile, but under that was relief for anyone to see. "You, I can make come into the office in a blizzard."

reads like a novella to me, and it's really good!!! very episodic and you really feel like these are things that have happened in universe. its very slice of lifey and i reread it a lot as a comfort read, its like a big hug to me

Pizza and a Movie by Closer (30k+, au)

In an alternate universe, Harvey's still a lawyer but Mike's not a pot runner -- he's a deliveryman for Rollo's Pizza and Ribs, which happens to be Harvey's favorite pizza place. Once Harvey finds out his pizza guy is a genius, Mike's life takes a few turns he would not have expected...

i swear this is the most rom-commy fic marvey has to offer. i like aus that slap me in the face more with the alternate universe, but this is such a rom-com plot. fandom classic as well and it really reads like a hugh grant 90s movie and if thats not enough to pull you in idk what will tbh

Imprimatur by Closer (22k, au)

Mike was raised to believe Imprint was a life-changing event for those few lucky enough to experience it. Harvey was raised to believe it was a form of mental illness. When it actually happened, neither of them noticed.

this goes absolutely crazy. one of those fics where you read it and you almost want to throw your phone at the wall because the characters could make it so easy if they werent so stupid (but in a good way of course) but the way it was written, you feel the depth of the soulmate bond and why its so important (which a lot of soulmate aus forget to do loll) but goes down like an expensive and delicious dinner :)

afternoon reads (10k+)

Sony SRF-39FP by @frivoloussuits (11k+, canon-adjacent)

Anita Gibbs won’t settle for Mike, not when there are name partners within her reach. She offers only one deal– two years, no other charges against anyone else in the firm, as long as Harvey Specter turns himself in. And even as Donna and Jessica and Louis and Mike beg him not to, he jumps on the grenade. “Time to get busy living or get busy dying,” he remarks, and Mike gives a small chuckle. Then Harvey smirks, straightens his suit jacket, and strides into FCI Danbury.

“I can’t believe they’re trying to lock you in a box and forget about you,” Mike sighs as he leaves.

“Well, as long as you don’t forget me, I figure I’ll survive.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but forgetting’s never been my strong suit.

cw for depersonalization and desc of solitary confinement, very very heavy but the way mike is there throughout everything makes my heart twinge. i really dont know how to describe this fic at all but its really good. it makes me cry a lot. also made me start listening to jazz which- uh

Here at the end of all things by @tattooedsiren (10k, au)

When he arrives at the Pearson Hardman building the lights are dimmed and the floor is deserted. His feet carry him to Harvey's office even though he expects it to be empty. Because Harvey probably fled the city via helicopter or teleporter or sheer force of will. But when he approaches the office he can see that Harvey is there. He has moved the couch so that it now faces the floor to ceiling windows and Mike silently sits beside Harvey, joins him in looking down at the chaos engulfing the city below. [Apocalypse AU]

I LOVE APOCALYPSE FICS UP UP UP badass!harvey makes me bark, but im a really big fan of people who find happiness in the worst circumstances and this fic does it so so so well. reminds me a lot of tlou episode like 2? the one with the strawberries. please this is what i revisit when i miss marvey and i dont have a lot of time because the world and the characters are jsut so delicious!!!

quick reads (1k+)

This Love is Silent by kim47 (8k, canon-compliant)

She should have known. She had known, that something was off, at least. She knew he was hiding something. She just never imagined it could be this. Despite Harvey's warnings, Mike tells Rachel the truth about everything. She's shocked, naturally, and more than a little angry, but she agrees to keep his secret, and even to date him. So when they break up, Harvey goes into damage-control mode.

RACHEL!! HELLO RACHEL!! im always up for smart and discerning rachel (this shows up in of all the gin joints too btw!!!) this runs realistic to me because it shows that rachelxmike arent some hopelessly wrong for each other couple, they have good and bad times. this feels more real to me than other fics bc its not like the world conspires for marvey to be apart, its just life. i know this makes it sound so sad, and it is, but trust me: this is really really really good i love this so much

an archive of harvey specter's expressions by @frivoloussuits (2k, canon-compliant)

Five old expressions that Mike rediscovers in new contexts once he and Harvey are (finally) together, and one that he sees for the first time. Alternatively titled “An Ode to Gabriel Macht’s Face.”

this was written for me. this is literally me. writing fic because gabriel macht is too pretty, like this fic is literally for me. a lot of peering at him to get this fic as masterfully written as it is, and i thank you author everyday for it. to me, this reads like it's been written with love and care and true adoration (Truly, like Mike)

Coffee-Cart Client Privilege by @frivoloussuits (7k, au)

Mike runs a coffee cart. The coffee cart.

"Why not? They're too big and dense to be a snack." So are you, Mike thinks, and yet.

IM SORRY I KEEP RECCING FRIVOLOUS SUITS THEYRE MY FAVOURITE WRITER IN THIS FANDOM HFBKABFDKHFBHKDSA this has the hand-wavy logic the show has itself but mike's internal monologue in this one is one of the best ive ever read and the way mike's integrated in the offices is just so well-done ahhhh

Objection by yeah its frivoloussuits again i feel bad tagging them like 7 times (2k, canon-adjacent)

When Mike announces he’s leaving, Harvey plans to hide the jagged pieces of his broken heart deep inside, where no one will ever find them. His heart would like to object.

BIGG fan of physical hurt/comfort!!!! also big fan of people absolutely freaking out in the hospital in fics, it makes me bounce of the wall!! very short but the angst and love really hits you quick and leaves you on the floor gasping for air. very good (also cant prove this but im very sure this is a scrubs reference.t hanks)

Excerpts From The Gospel of Harvey Specter, edited by Michael "Forever Awesome" Ross, 2011, 1st Ed, by @rcmclachlan (7k, canon compliant)

Mike can totally read people. Well, most people. Some people. Or maybe just Harvey, who's pretty much an open book.

this one's really funny! it doesent follow direct prose and instead plays a lot with the setting its in (where mike's a documenter of harvey) and its just so funny and adorable. has a lot of heart too, it isn't just crack or anything but you really feel everything mike does as he writes all this, read this!!1

One More Sleepless Night by @sal_si_puedes (9k, au)

Soul Bonds are one-sided – there’s usually mutual affection, but only one party feels the crippling need to be together as often as possible. If separated at length from their love, that party becomes crushed by longing, panic, and sheer hopelessness, and so it is illegal to forcibly keep Soulmates apart. Some days, Harvey Specter hates the Bond that skews his judgement and weakens his resolve, and he fears what would happen if anyone in his world ever discovers he is so compromised. He certainly never planned to disclose the Bond for the first time in the middle of Anita Gibbs’ office, in a last-ditch attempt to invalidate the deal sending Mike to prison.

HSDGFHSDKGHRLKGHK THIS FIC. i love fics that use more than just prose to tell their stories (see above fic) and this does my favourite thing that soulmate aus do, which is where they integrate in-universe explanations for the phenomenon. the amount of work and dedication put into this fic makes it absolutely sing and was absolutely lovely!!

also pspspsps

golden like the daffodils by @mini-mart (2k, canon-compliant)

Poetry holds meaning, for anyone who reads it. It obscures and dances around the literal and metaphorical, because it’s imbued with so much of something that it overflows out of any definition. It can make someone mad, or lovesick, or aroused, and the reactions would be absolutely warranted. Mike is poetry, to Harvey. - Harvey Specter could be a good politician, as he believes in pragmatism over poetry. He won't let his progress fall apart, won't let someone knock it down. And then someone unceremoniously cracks open a suitcase at his feet. Or: Harvey, pretty boys and poetry.

yeah yeah i wrote this yeah yeah self promo smth smth

there's a lot more that isn't here but i'll probably write a new one when i go for a deep dive through the ship tags again :3

^^ ao3 etiqutte applies! if you like the fic, kudos and comment and bookmark!! show your love! happy reading marveys! my gift to u :3

#marvey #suits tv #suits #mike ross #harvey specter #marvey fic recs #marvey fic #ao3 #fic rec list #fic recs #tbr #fanfiction #103 #GUYS PLEASE READ THIS #mikexharvey

[companionjones]

The Beginning of Us (1/5)

Pairing: 36!Joel Miller x 23!Fem!Reader

Fandom: The Last of Us (could be applied to the video game or TV show)

Summary: You get new neighbours. One of them, a man very much your senior, might just be the most perfect man you have ever met. Where will this take you?

Warnings: Age gap, cursing, eventual smut

Author’s Note: Hi. Have you heard of @dbnightingale24​? If you haven’t, I highly recommend checking out her page, especially if you’re into Chris Evans and the characters that he plays. She is an amazing individual, inside and out. I would not be posting this story without her much-needed help and support. She even came up with the title! Thank you so much. Happy reading!

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

What got your attention was a loud and gruff “Shit!” and the sound of a box tumbling down the staircase in your apartment building.

You got off your couch and went to your door to see what was the matter. Opening it, you saw a girl disappearing into the apartment across the hall from yours, and another girl, slightly older than the one before, following her into the same space.

“Howdy stranger! We’re your new neighbours!” The girl still within your sight let you know. She then followed in the other girl’s footsteps in disappearing behind the door in front of you.

There was a man at the end of the hall, you noticed. He had his eyes peering down the staircase, but then he turned his vision toward you. “Hello,” he greeted and started to approach you with the two boxes he was carrying, “My name’s Tommy. Sorry if we were disturbing you.”

“Not at all,” you assured. “Are you and your daughters moving in?”

Tommy smiled as he shook his head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t handle those two 24/7. Those are my brother’s girls, Sarah and Ellie. Joel?” He called down the stairs.

Leaning into the hallway, you spotted a man one flight down, putting books into a cardboard box. Seeing that Tommy already had his hands full, you went down to help the aforementioned ‘Joel.’

Apparently, he didn’t notice you until you were knelt on the floor with him, helping him gather the books. You looked up the same time as he did, and the two of you locked eyes for the first time.

Joel had the deepest brown eyes you had ever seen in your life.

You gave him a shy smile, which Joel returned quickly, and you asked, “You didn’t go down with these books, did you?”

He must’ve said no, but you didn’t hear him because you were taking notice of the books. They were all war related, more specifically World War II. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the material.

“What?” he wondered with a smirk.

You shook your head. “Nothing. It’s just very on brand for a father like you to have books like these, no offence.”

Joel smiled, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you; nothing,” you teased.

“Right…” he chuckled, and the two of you finished gathering the books.

Moving everything in took the rest of the day, and it was night by the time everything was out of the U-Haul and into the Millers’ apartment.

“Finally!” Ellie celebrated, “Let’s have more pizza!”

Tommy groaned, “Seriously? You already had it for breakfast today.”

“Come on, I’m hungry too!” Sarah complained, and the next thing you knew, Joel was ordering over the phone.

Tommy (reluctantly) offered to pick it up, and you said you’d stay back with Joel to start on the organisation of things.

“You really don’t have to stay,” Joel told you while Tommy and the girls were on their way out.

“Really, no offence Joel, but this place is a hazardous zone. I’m going to stay until there is at least a feasible way to get from room to room.” You were glancing around the space until you looked back at Joel. He was looking at you with a soft gaze that honestly made your heart flutter.

Joel softly let you know, “Help like yours…it’s extremely hard to come by these days.”

“You get it from Tommy, right?” you wondered.

He shrugged, “I do…Really, I do, but it’s not the same. He’s my younger brother, y’know? Half the time, it feels like I’m helping him way more than he’s helping me.”

“That makes sense,” you nodded, then took a chance and pressed on, “...Is it alright if I ask what happened to the girls’ mother?”

Joel nodded, “It’s alright. It all happened some time ago…Sarah’s mother left…five years ago now…? And Ellie’s mother, well…she died in childbirth.”

“Oh my god…Joel, I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

“It’s alright. It happened a long time ago.” Surprisingly, Joel chuckled. He was looking right at you.

You grew self-conscious. “What?”

“You didn’t say, ‘I’m sorry,’” he pointed out.

“Oh. Oh my god. I’m sor–” you tried correcting.

Joel cut you off, however. “No, it’s fine. I promise. It’s just…whenever I tell someone about the girls’ mothers, they take pity on me and say sorry. It got a little annoying after a while.”

“I would think so,” you relayed softly.

Not wanting an awkward silence after that conversation, you turned on your phone. “...Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t keep doing this work without any music. There we go.” You turned on your playlist and put your phone down on the entertainment centre.

Joel seemed surprised. “80s? Seriously?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Miller?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me that. It makes me feel old.”

You chuckled. “Okay, Joel it is.”

Tommy and the girls came back with the pizza sooner than you expected. Sarah and Ellie were whispering and giggling about something that you could tell Tommy had been over with for a while. The girls shared another look when you sat next to Joel on the couch, and Tommy just rolled his eyes at them. You tried not to think about what that could mean.

The five of you watched a movie as you ate dinner, and Tommy was quick to leave after it was over. It almost felt too quick.

The girls didn’t waste time either.

“I’m exhausted!” Sarah yawned.

Ellie joined in, “Me too. I think we’re gonna head to bed, Dad. That alright with you?”

Joel was just as taken aback as you were. “Yeah. I guess so—”

“Okay. Goodnight!”

“Thanks for coming over, Y/n!”

Sarah and Ellie almost ran to their newly-set-up rooms.

“What was that all about?” you wondered out loud to Joel.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. But it’s not all the time that Tommy is let in on their antics.”

You chuckled, “Well, anyway, I think that’s my cue to go home. Lord knows it’s late enough.”

Joel followed you out into the hallway. “I really do appreciate your help, Y/n.”

You did your best to copy him. “It really was no problem Mist--Joel,” you corrected yourself.

Joel had been leaning against his door frame, but he took a step forward, which all but closed the space between the two of you.

The movement caused you to silently gasp, and you were so shocked that you barely got a hold of yourself in time for when Joel started leaning down--

“Joel, I’m 20,” you got out just before his lips would’ve touched yours.

Of course, Joel backed up. “Oh. Oh my god. Y/n, I am so sorry for putting you in that position–”

“You didn’t put me in any position. I should’ve told you earlier–”

“When? I didn’t ask. Shit, I didn’t ask. I just assumed ‘cause you’re living alone–”

“I know. I know. You didn’t do anything wrong, Joel. Okay?” You reached out and put a hand on his arm. Then, you realised what you were doing, and took your hand away. “I-I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, Joel.”

“Goodnight.”

The last thing you saw were his shame-filled eyes as you closed your door.

(1/2/3/4/5)

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

#joel miller #sarah miller #ellie williams #joel miller x reader #joel miller x reader age gap #the beginning of us #troy baker #ashley johnson #pedro pascal #bella ramsey #nico parker #companion jones

[randomyuu]

there's a lover in the story, but the story's still the same

Ahh, don’t you love it when fear motivates your drawing mood? (not really)

That’s what I felt reading the scene that is drawn below. It’s fear for Yuuji but also feeling excited picturing an emotionless teen!Gojou so here I am. Always down bad for Vox’s Goyuu fics, aren’t I? *sighs*

Welp, here we go.

Title: there’s a lover in the story, but the story’s still the same

Author: @voxofthevoid

Second fic of the series there’s a lover in the story, but the story’s still the same

Pairing YuuGo, NSFW, please read the tags carefully before giving it a read... the usual drill ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

!!! SPOILER FOR THE FIC !!!

Highly recommend you guys to read them first. Or not, it’s up to you honestly :v

Usually I would gush about the fic but I’ve already done that under the fic itself so I just want you to know this comic is solely carried by me wanting to draw the ticking time bomb called teen!Gojou-post-discussion-with-adult!Ieiri. You could probably guess what they’re talking about :”)

The fear for Yuuji’s well-being started this, but Satoru’s cold eyes kept me going. I can’t get rid of it from my mind lmao

You can say drawing these kind of expressions is my jam   (￣▽￣)

I hope I did Satoru’s emotions justice haha

A bit of my thoughts and doodle below. Unhinged maybe, it’s midnight, I got more work to do after this, and my brain cells are barely hanging on. Haha I'm living the life-

I AM STILL REELING FROM THE FACT I MANAGED TO GET THIS DONE.

There are so many things I want to talk about in the process of making this. But after I typed it out, most of them sounded so unnecessary so I rewrote it a few times. I tried to make this as short as possible lmao

Typesetting and sketching are the roughest parts of this project. During these stages, I kept feeling everything I did wasn’t doing the scene enough justice, and it was frustrating. As I planned this project, I read a few doujins and noticed the font types scanlation teams use. There are so many of them, and each helped convey the tone of each image. Felt like crying when I realised I’m not knowledgeable enough to apply good typesetting, ngl. And then the interior design. Fuck, the frustration is so real. I am absolutely clueless about this kind of thing. Tracing lots of references because I have no perception of space makes me feel even worse. I knew first times rarely create a masterpiece, but I was not satisfied with my accomplishment and the feeling of failing to fulfil my own expectations hurt.

BUT.

Thank goodness most of the things I need to draw are Shouko, Yuuji and Satoru. Because dear g o d drawing them healed me. I found so much comfort in drawing Shouko’s long hair and Satoru’s eyes and drowning Yuuji in an oversized hoodie. The comfort zone of character drawing never feels so real lmaooo

Drawing them was so effective that I can look back at the backgrounds with acceptance. Hey, I did it! Not perfect just yet, but I did it!

Haha I feel like I’m losing my mind. I don’t know if it’s in a good way or a bad way. Guess I do have one or two screws loose.

Only for Yuuji lmao

(nah I just need sleep, or cooling down from the rush of having finished this)

It might come off as a surprise if you’ve only seen my art on Tumblr, but I’ve always preferred to draw feminine-leaning ladies. I’ve always loved drawing their curves, whether it’s the figure, the clothes, or the (long) hair. But I’ve grown to like drawing masculine gentlemen as well with their sharp edges and straight lines, and now my ladies start to look more androgynous lmao

Anyway, I was pretty stoked to be able to draw adult!Ieiri! I… I kind of miss drawing long hair so here have some more before you go on your day ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

#yuu's art #jjk-fic-fanart #jjk-ship #五悠 #goyuu #goyu #5u #gojou x yuuji #I'll see you sometime later #if real life lets me haha #:")

[okay-babe]

Hiya Dot! Sorry for the random ask but I am so in love with your writing that it single-handedly got me into this accursed fandom, and now I'm wondering where to start with other authors. Do you happen to have any fic or author recs??

Hi there, anon! I'm so glad you asked because I definitely have some author/fic recs that I'm more than happy to share with you/anyone else who comes across this post!

Before we begin though, shout out to all of the people I mention below! I hope none of you mind being tagged/linked but let me know if you do and I'll remove everything asap :)

1. Starting off strong, we have the amazing @jyoongim! She's been my mutual since I think like day one or two of me creating this account, and I honestly cannot think of anyone more kind or welcoming. Plus, their writing is amazing! Like genuinely so good, I cannot recommend her highly enough. 2. Also, if you're into smut, I am always utterly baffled at the quality of @hazelfoureyes' work. Like, as someone on the ace spectrum, I can say very firmly that sometimes, I don't want to read smut, but even so, I will always read a new post from Hazel when I see it because they're just so well written that I simply cannot wait lol. Plus, their sense of humor is just *chef's kiss*. Love them, truly. (Note: I used they/them here because I don't know Hazel's pronouns, but if anyone does and they aren't gn feel free to let me know and I'll edit this post asap) 3. Additionally, if you like headcannon style writing @a-hazbin-reader is incredible. I've spent actual hours on her page just reading through some of the absolute art she posts there, and it is always a treat. Plus her interactions with her readers are usually either hilarious or incredibly sweet/kind, so it's a good time all around.

As for story/specific fic recommendations, I do have a few of those too!

1. The Deer Dolly series by @ohproserpine (Genuinely incredible writing and a killer story line). 2. You & Me for the worst eternity to come by Notafraidtosimp on AO3 (Definitely not your typical x reader series, but I love everything about it and would never forgive myself if I didn't use this opportunity to share it with everyone). 3. The Partners in Death... and Life series by @safination (This might just be my favorite Alastor series I have ever read, the writing is incredible and I simply cannot recommend it highly enough). 4. Even Death Can Never Part Us by JuliaRobHURTS on AO3 (This is an amazing ongoing long-fic that makes me gasp audibly every time I see that there's been an update. The way the characters are written is utter perfection every time).

I definitely forgot some amazing fics/authors here in my haste to get this posted before class, so everyone should feel more than welcome to comment some other recs if they want to! <3

#.talks #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #.recs

[polyamzeal]

Polywise Review

When I first learned of non-monogamous, I seeked out as many resources as possible to learn if I really was it. Some of the most important resources were a few books. The communities I found made it seemed like you were not even allowed to have a license to be polyamorous unless you first read certain books. At that time, the holy bible of polyamory was More Than Two and before it was The Ethical Sluts. These were the books everybody recommended as a must-read if anybody wanted to learn more about polyamory, no matter what aspect of polyamory they wanted to learn more about. These books were hyped up like they would cover everything. Those books have fallen out of favor now a days and are hardly ever recommended and when they are people are quick to jump in to talk about their controversies as a reason why nobody should read them for them anything. So a new book had come along to become the new holy bible of polyamory. That book was Polysecure by Jessica Fern. How do I feel about Polysecure? I think it is a good book that is over-rated and over-recommended. Unlike the previous bibles, I do not see Polysecure as a polyamory 101 book. It does not get into the very basics of polyamory at all. It is much more of a polyamory 102 book, a book to read once you are ready dig deeper and study the more advanced topics. I think it is great we have 102 books! I am glad that every polyamory book out there is not just an introduction to polyamory. I often mention that "Love's Not Colorblind" by Kevin Patterson is a fantastic polyamory 102 book! Polysecure feels more focused on attachment theory than polyamory honestly to me. It is really interesting stuff to read but I never really felt like it applied much to my relationship, I rarely felt insecure in my relationships. I had other problems that needed working on in different ways.

So all that to say that Jessica Fern had a second book come out. And despite having some issues with the community worshipping the first book, I was ready to give the author another chance. It sounded like this book was going to be more of what the community makes Polysecure out to be. And yeah, I am happy to say it is accurate. Now I still don't think this is quite a polyamory 101 book. If you want an introduction to polyamory that covers all the basics there are other books I would recommend like "The Smart Girl's Guide To Polyamory" by Dedecker Winston or "Ready For Polyamory" by Laura Boyle. But Polywise is more of a 101 book than Polysecure is. Maybe Polysecure is really a 103 book with Polywise being 102.

Whhat do I have to say about the contents of Polywise? Honestly not much despite everything I prefaced it with. The book is good and i liked quite a bit! But like the last book, it is meaty intellectual topics that make your brain think. Which makes it a bit hard to summarize and untangle in a simple review without going page by page. I do like how much focus is put on how many little tiny things change when going from monogamy to non-monogamy that you wouldn't think of or plan for. Also the whole book has an angle of not just monogamy to non-monogamy but also one form of non-monogamy to a different form of non-monogamy. It is very thought-provoking. From my favorite chapter was on codependency & differentiation. It was amazing to have words for these phenomenons I had personally observed serveral times but didn't know what to call it. I feel like that chapter in particular will be really useful to a lot of people. Finally there was a lot of unpacking old habits that were once useful but are now harmful. It really shines a spotlight on the shift to non-monogamy being a really big change that I don't think a lot of newbies often understand.

I highly recommend Polywise: A Deeper Dive Into Navigating Open Relationships by Jessica Fern & David Cooley. I think it is a better book than Polysecure. My caveat is I don't know if it should be the very first book you read about Polyamory.

#Polywise #Book Review #polyamory #polyam #nonmonogamy #Jessica Fern

[arkive78]

ATZ Fanfics I’ll Forever Reread

Ok so most of this blog is me reblogging some of my favorite ATZ content, and I thought I’d make a masterpost of some of my all-time favorites. Please let me know if links aren’t working btw! A lot of these have NSFW/18+ content, so minors please DO NOT interact with those mentioning 18+ or NSFW below the cut!!!

** Updated: August 25, 2022 (added some fics and also tidied it up a bit hehe)

✨ Mists of Celeste by @hongism

NSFW!!, space pirate au

Ok, so if you’ve been on ATZ tumblr, you SURE have heard of this story by now, its at like 46 (roughly I might be remembering wrong) chapters of pure space-pirate galore and it’s honestly one of my favorite stories ever. It is NSFW, and is. M/18+, so yeah, it’s got smut and violence and trauma. 

The way she writes is absolutely amazing from the world building to character development it’s insane. No character is perfect, and honestly the MC is such a badass it’s just amazing. The personas she builds is just crazy and I swear she’s a god at tying plot points together or dropping some of the juiciest info or moments at the BEST TIME!!! 

Also, if you love pirates, this fic is great. I’m such a hoe for this fic it’s insane, it’s so well done and just everything one could want. It also has MANY funny moments that had me cackling. I do love the very “human” moments of just dissecting the human psyche or emotions and dealing with trauma and the like, or even the complications of relationships and ethics. Overall a work of art.

✨ Horizon by @pxedpiper

SFW, pirate au

Another iconic pirate ATZ fic, I read this one a LONG time ago, but it’s a classic pirate AU with the MC as a princess who gets stuck on ATZ’s ship and it’s very found family vibes and cute. 

It’s 21 chapters of everything I love too, and is completed hehe. It is Hongjoong x reader, so it’s even 100000x better because I am a huge simp for Captain Hongjoong on so many levels it’s a shame that there’s not more pirate Hongjoong fics. 

✨ Do you believe in fate? by @lettersfromaphrodite

SFW, soulmate au, magic au

A glorious HJ x reader chapter story with soulmates, magic, and all that good stuff. I read this one a long time ago, but the story is just so good and I love a good soulmate AU ahhhh. There is a sequel that’s a Chan x reader one (as in Chan from SKZ).

✨ Pirate King by @chaseatinydream

SFW, pirate au

NOW THIS!! THISSSSSS!!!!! I rmb when I first found this and was like huh this is a lot of chapters, and I wonder what it’s like. I swear hands-down I obsessively read the HELL out of this. IT’S SO GOOD!!!! 

It is another Pirate AU (my favorite), and it’s done so well I screeched multiple times, the whole story is so immersive and you literally cannot help but keep reading it, I would read this story til like 3AM it’s crazy. 

The MC’s storyline is SO COOL and unique from what I’ve seen. And the ending is just absolute perfection. I would make everyone read this if I could (like MOC LOL).

✨ Body Talk by @jungkxook

NSFW, 18+ smut

This is a 3 part story FWB! Wooyoung x virgin!reader, and the story is basically, reader asks wooyoung to take her virginity and the like. The smut is written so well and I just love a good ole idiots to lovers vibes because obviously they’re both in denial LOL.

✨ You’re the one that I want by @ateezmakemeweep

18+ NSFW

this is peak Badboy!Seonghwa do not get me started. This author has the tendency to pull you in and immerse you and then destroy you in the best of ways. 

I have actually not finished this out of fear of what happens next but lemme tell you, if you love a good angsty love story, read tf outta this. the way they write this story is just PERFECTION with the build-up and everything. 

Highly recommend this author in the first place but man, this was so good and the relationship building is awesome too (and ofc the angst if you love it). I swear I’ll finish this one day when I’m emotionally ready.

✨ Richboy!Seonghwa by @ateezmakemeweep

18+, NSFW

but another iconic writing by this amazing author. You will become obsessed immediately. It’s just absolute perfection.

✨ Into the Aurora by @honeyhotteoks

18+ NSFW

one of my favorite ot8 x reader fics, premise is really great and written VERY WELL. 

It’s so good it will have you absolutely SWOONING!!!!!! 

✨ Murphy’s Law by @uhmingi

NSFW, 19+ a/f/s, soulmate au, alien au, enemies to friends to lovers, san x reader, and ?/reader

the way I’m absolutely OBSESSED WITH THIS STORY??? should be illegal, it literally had me geeking out from the very first chapter, especially with the whole AU itself. 

Because aliens? How you gonna portray that? what kind of world are we in? And like literally it has me on the floor freaking out over how GOOD IT IS. 

Literally I had no idea what would happen next with each chapter. There is sadly only going to be 4 chapters, BUT I feel like this story will end satisfyingly, that’s the vibes I’m getting. 

But man, I will forever wish I could look at this story for the first time all over again just relive the shock moments. 

You will NOT regret reading this story. I would sell my soul for more chapters, but man this author got me YEARNING for these characters AGHJJJJJJ. 

Literally this story had me SWOONING

✨ Letters to a Ruined King by @ zetsumyona (on AO3)

18+, mature, 

another pirate AU that has me having heart eyes over captain hongjoong tho he hasn’t done a lot yet in this story. I

t is marked as an ateez x reader, tho granted they can always throw surprises at us but my assumption is that any member is game LOL. this series is also Mature and 18+ btw. 

It’s got great worldbuilding, portrayal of emotions, and it’s been fun to guess how each relationship is gonna go.

But the level of depth they’ve given the characters is crazy, and you don’t know what to expect next

it’s definitely an interesting take on a pirate AU

✨ You Belong to Us by @teeztheflag

18+, mature, ot8!werewolf ateez x werewolf!reader

about four parts right now, but man I love this fic. I think why I always liked werewolf!aus is the found family vibe but also the soulmate vibe and I always love re-reading it because it makes me so curious about their dynamics.

✨ Der Damonen Klan by @teeztheflag

18+, mature, demon au, poly teez

this was the first fic I found on their page and I love it. It' just such a vibe and I'm such a fan of ot8!fics because they're so entertaining and seeing the dynamics of each relationship (but also lowkey having people interested in you woohoo what fun). The storyline here I really like too because the MC is still trying to figure out what works and how she feels about them and the like. hehe.

✨ Blood Masquerade by @hongism

M/18+, fem!reader x tba, smut, violence

So ofc it's Miss Caly herself so obviously it's amazing. It actually mimics a dating simulator so she'd have choices after each chapter. and man this story is so immersive and I love how the MC is such a badass and isn't letting the boys win her over so easy, and although there's only 2 chapters so far, its stunning. The best part is you don't know what to expect since it's a twist on dating simulators and it's just so good, I cannot wait for more parts.

✨ catlike by @ maganxx (AO3)

witch au 

san gets turned into reader’s familiar and I’m about halfway thru it but it’s so good!!! It just finished I think.

✨ Kiss of Chaos by @ tenelkadjo (AO3)

Here’s the tumblr link as I’ve learned recently they’re also on tumblr @tenelkadjowrites

NSFW

another witch au

THE WAY I WAS OBSESSED WITH THIS THE STORY IS SO COOL AND THERE’S SMUT AND WORLDBUILDING AND AHHHHH

Seonghwa x reader

literally I wish they would write one shots with each member because I think it would be so cool (please write one about Fae Hongjoong I might lose my mind) !!!!!!! And Seonghwa is such a hottie in this too!!!!!!

-------

One shots! One’s that are NSFW are labelled but please read the further content readings when you go to the post.

✨ Can’t Stand You by @domjaehyun 

NSFW, HJ x reader

basically HJ is bad boy and reader is good student, and they get paired together

✨ 5 weeks by @ zetsumyona (on AO3)

NSFW

strangers to lovers, colleagues to lovers, smut, there is an age gap btw (the reader is older)

idol!wooyoung x fem-stylist!reader

✨ Can’t take my eyes off of you by @bobateastay

NSFW

san x reader

70s college au, boy next door san, smut

✨ Take me home pt 1 by @yeosanghwas

NSFW

wooyoung x reader

THIS WSS SO GOOD WTF, it gets so heated in the best of ways

sub!wooyoung, softdom!reader, smut, frenemies to lovers, college au, fluff

✨ hop hop little bunny by @bngchnsi

NSFW

yeosang x reader

when I read this for the first time I about died thank you very much

brat tamer!yeosang x brat!reader

✨ A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out by to_shinestar (AO3)

NSFW

wooyoung x san x reader

!!! the iconic duo!!

this literally got ME sweating

✨ The House of Eden by @ faerbloom (AO3)

literally the softest thing I ever read

this is a very wholesome fic and just makes me wanna live in the woods with my lovers as a witch like wtf

ot8 x reader

✨ Room for Three by @honeyhotteoks 

NSFW

yunho x reader x seonghwa

a duo I didn’t think I needed

there’s a second part too

this fic is literally so good i was SWOONING!!!!! just the dynamics and everything got me SCREECHING if they made a whole series of this I would go feral please and thank you

#arkive recs #ateez #ateez x reader #ateez series #hongjoong x reader #seonghwa x reader #yunho x reader #yeosang x reader #san x reader #mingi x reader #wooyoung x reader #jongho x reader #ateez ot8 x reader #ateez smut #ateez pirate au #ateez fantasy au

[hazshit-hotel-hater]

"I own you, b***!"

"Yeah, you do. In the studio. And you can do whatever you want to me there, just like our deal says. But out here, I get to do what I want." - Valentino and Angel (episode 6)

That one scene made me come up with a solution of how Angel can be freed and Valentino getting what he deserves. OK, fine, let's say that Charlie and Lucifer don't have the power to mess with other demons' contracts and can't free Angel's soul with just a snap of their fingers. BUT they do have the power as a royalty to take down Valentino's business. "And you can do whatever you want to me there(in the studio), just like our deal says." Think about it:

(No business + no studio) + Valentino losing his power and his overlord title = Angel's freedom (and the freedom of many others)

Just imagine: a powerful man-turned-demon doing a lot of terrible things in order to get wealth and fame, and people to step on (pls, don't take that out of context). He gets what he wants every time, and everything is perfect. For him, at least 😒. And then, out of nowhere, the "stupid, blonde, good-for-nothing" princess of Hell and her father, the King, declare that this porn business is coming to a close, and Valentino shall no longer be an overlord. Everything, EVERYTHING, that this disgusting moth-man has worked for crumbles right in front of him. Money, gone. Porn movies and drugs, bye-bye 👋🏻. His favourite toy (Angel) and the souls he has under contracts are free. Even Vox and Velvet are leaving him behind because he is worthless to them now. Personally, I think this will be more satisfying than simply killing Val with an angelic weapon.

But, alas, knowing Vivzipop, it's highly unlikely that she will come up with something like this.

I kinda feel proud of myself 🤗, and I'm not even a writer. 😅

(Sorry if I have any grammar mistakes, English is not my first language. )

Your grammar is very good don’t worry! Also you had me terrified a Valentino roleplay blog messaged me for a second

This is a really interesting idea actually! I’ve seen a lot of people mad at Charlie for not doing something about Angel’s situation and honestly I am too but Angel asked her to stay out of his business which is something I and many other have experienced of that “It’s fine I can handle it myself this is my issue” mindset, but still in the future I really hope she actually steps up and does something. Especially with her stupid “But thats so meaaan :(” line when Vaggie tells her to actually use her authority.

I also agree on the point I’d like to see Val have more consequences to his actions instead of just killing him. Of course I want him dead but I’d like it to be later on. Number 1 thing I hate is character’s abuser dying and then suddenly the character is fine and has no issues.

Id draw a picture of Valentino and put him through the oven and stove but I don’t want to draw anything more than the back of his torso and hands. Maybe someday you’ll see me make an animatic of Val being gunned down but certainly not soon.

Anyway expanding on this idea sounds like it’d be very interesting, if you’d have anything to add I recommend toying around with it!

#hazbin hotel #angel dust #hazbin angel #hazbin angel dust #hazbin critical #hazbin hotel criticism #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin hotel rewrite #angel dust hazbin #raimble #cw valentino #hazbin valentino #valentino hazbin hotel #valentino #tw valentino

[rhinocio]

ROTTMNT Fanfic Recommendations

Light

You Coveted This Prison by CaveDwellers (April / Donatello - Comedy / Character Study - WIP) THE April O'Neil character study. One part excruciating (for reader and supporting cast) slow burn romance, one part introspection on being true to oneself. Rated M but only for one chapter, which can be skipped. Riddled with laugh-out-loud comedy shenanigans and heartachingly tender intimacy. Hot takes all over the place because the author wrote this with very little fandom involvement, and intentionaly chose to be contrarian in as many ways as possible. April takes down her arch-rival! Raph locks her in a freezer! Casey Junior's keeping secrets! Donatello's wall of horrible fake sciencey souveniers keeps growing and it may or may not be a sign of affection -- he's going to crunch the numbers on that. An absolute blast of a fic, cannot recommend enough.

★

Tried To Grow Up Good by Sroloc_Elbisivni (No romantic focus - Character Study - Complete)

THE Casey Jones post-movie character study. Love is stored in the found family. Casey is an accidental felon. He and Cassandra are siblings now. Anatawa hitorijaNAI let's get the entire two timeline fam in here for a reunion so I can sob myself silly. Perfection. This author's constantly pumping out new fics, and often updating multiple at a time; I've read through and greatly enjoyed Tomato Maze (there is so much serotonin in the knowledge that these idiot turtle boys will do anything for watermelon), Sorrow Is An Autumn Heart (Leo/Usagi but make it a slowburn thriller-drama set in historical Japan), and The Passionate Pools of Salamandria (a post-movie Raph/Mona bodice-ripper with an amnesiac protagonist and a B-plot where the rest of the family fight space to find their missing brother). Honestly this author has the WILDEST takes and everything they write is fascinating.

★

Give Me Something That’ll Haunt Me When You’re Not Around by Taizi (Leonardo / Yuichi - Drama / Romance - Complete)

If you've decided you're finally gonna take a dive into the leosagi crossover ship and see what all the fuss is about, do it with this fic. The author has a strong grasp on how to make a character study about characters first and relationships second, and in doing so has crafted one of THE most tender romance stories I've ever read. Starts as a character study on Yuichi Usagi and the yokai perspective on the Kraang invasion, branches into an exploration of PTSD and what it means to recover, and ends with a friends-to-lovers quickburn that says, "because of you I'm learning to love myself." Leo gets a therapy dinosaur. Yuichi gets out of his head. The character nuance and showing-not-telling is godtier. Healing starts with telling the alien invaders to go fuck themselves. Do not pass this fic up, I promise you it's worth the read. It legitimately made me cry.

★

The Old College Try by Theashemarie (No romantic focus - Action / Drama - WIP)

Donatello cloaks himself human to go to college, and drags his twin brother along. This fic masquerades as a fun, comedy-heavy action adventure story, but under the surface is a really fascinating introspection on what it means to hide your true self in order to fit in. The queer subtext is off the charts! Leo babysits Baxter Stockboy. Mikey gets eaten by a bird. One of the grad certificates is definitely going to be made out to to the wrong Hamato entirely. This fic features an autistic writer writing an autistic character, and their personal experience shines through in the excellent way Donnie's awkwardness and affection are balanced. This author knows nuance; I also highly recommend The Hibernator (apocalyptic timeline and Raph's dead........ wink) and Very Thoughtful (a Donnie-centric low empathy study).

★

Aftermath by Bronte (No romantic focus - Drama - Complete)

The boys deal with the aftermath of the movie events in whatever ways they can. Donnie gets into pina coladas. Leo harasses his brother. Look at these disaster twins bonding! There's a flippancy to all the angst that keeps these lighthearted and love-focused without skipping the rough details. I'm literally never going to recover from the belly bongos scene and will probably end up making art about it. Fantastic read, made me viscerally emotional.

★

At The Bottom Of A Duck-Shaped Crater by CaveDwellers (April / Donatello - Drama / Comedy - Complete) One part worldbuilding for the apocalyptic timeline and one part heartfelt comedy from the perspective of Miyamoto Usagi. Leonardo adopts a babysitter. Casey Junior saves the war effort from collapsing under a dick-measuring competition. April may or may not be about to kill a man. CaveDwellers is among my favourite writers for several reasons, but this fic really highlights her strength in blending several different kinds of relationships in one story and building a plot that delivers achey-breaky sentiments without having to structure everything around romance. (We're also developing projects together; keep an eye out for the "next in series" button at the bottom of the AO3 page for soft apocalyptic stories of a similar nature!)

★

Superfight by Swordfright (No romantic focus - Drama / Comedy - Complete)

An easy-reading one shot! Leo comes to terms with being a teenager, Donnie calls his disability out for what it is, and everybody plays Superfight the card game. The author writes in a very Douglas Adams-y style, resulting in a wheezing-on-the-floor-funny reading experience. If you're burnt out on fandom angst and need a pick-me-up, this is 900% the fic for you. It got me cry-laughing with just the quick refresher glance I gave it to put this recommendation together.

★

Now That's What I Call A Vacation! by WayWardWatson (No romantic focus (?) - Adventure / Crossover - WIP)

This fic's a multi-feature! It's one part infodump about Japan's culture and tourist hotspots, one part study on what it means to cloak your identity to fit into the world, and one part surprise crossover with Usagi Yojimbo. I am OBSESSED with this author's takes on Splinter as a character; several chapters are dedicated to exploring his fixation on being "human again" and trying to juggle the life he once had as a star with the life he now has as a parent of mutants. Primarily this is a feel good adventure story about the Hamato brothers getting in touch with their heritage, but it comes in swinging with several different action/adventure plot points and drama beats to keep a reader invested. Legitimately have no idea where the author's taking things, which makes me all the more excited for the ride!

★

One Step Forward, Fall Forever Back by GriffinStone (No romantic focus - Action / Mystery - Complete)

This fic is one of those slight universe alteration stories that takes a one-off thought and runs with it: what if Casey Junior died on his way through the time rift, spawned into the past as a ghost, and Leo was the only person who could see him? Promise the execution is way less daunting than it sounds -- events move along at a breezy pace and characters never spend very long lamenting the whole dead boy situation. The final battle alone is so chocked full of found family ride-or-die energy between the two protagonists that it's worth the rest of the adventure playing out pretty similarly to the movie. Definitely a treat for those of you who are big on Leo-Casey interactions.

★

A Mixed Bag by MusingWordsmith (No romantic focus - Action / Comedy - WIP)

What if I told you there was a fic where the turtles of every major tv show TMNT iteration shonen anime-style battled their way through challenges in mixed teams of four in order to defeat a team of evil overlords who may or may not know what they're doing re: evillness? Trust me when I say this story is fun -- it blends comedy and drama flawlessly, and the author totally committed to the bit in keeping each version of the turtles loyal to the genre of their individual canons. The 1987 turtles are breaking the fourth wall. The Rise kids are absolute supersoliders. 2003 Michelangelo somehow ended up as the babysitter of his particular faction and is kind of having a crisis about it. I am so beyond impressed at how well this author distinguishes each character and keeps who's who from getting too confusing, which is a common issue in TMNT crossovers. Reading this fic feels like watching literally any version of the show as a kid on a Saturday morning. It is a blast.

Medium

Young Root, Old Rock by SiryyGrey (No romantic focus - Action / Thriller - WIP)  

Shortly after the Kraang invasion a mysterious file of an unreadable format shows up on Donnie's computer, and he's driven by an intense curiosity to decipher exactly what it is and means. This author goes HARD on creating tense, muscle-tensing atmosphere, which is balanced out by extremely tender character interaction. Casey knows something he's not letting on. Donnie makes himself a robo-brain. Leo blows up his brother. You ever wanted an adventure with the blorbos that was also an ARG? Cryptic messages are sprinkled throughout the chapters for readers to decipher. Mind the tags but absolutely do not pass this fic up!

★

No Rest For The Weary by Nekotsuki (No romantic focus - Action / Adventure - WIP)

Ever thought "hey what if the movie just kept going and we found out what happened to those other kraang"? Hello and let me introduce you to THE post-movie out of frying pan and into the fire fic. I have it on good authority that this author was a big name in the 2003 TMNT fic scene, and I suspect for good reason -- this story perfectly blends heart-pounding action with A+ belly laughs and solid found family energy. Donnie hacks cute animal emails and narcs on the enemy. April fights zombies back to back with Barold Draxum of downstairs neighbour fame. Raph gets tranquilizer-darted by his brother for being too emotional. 100/10 wild ride, cannot recommend highly enough.

★

I May Be Invisible, But I Still Look Good by Dandy (No romantic focus - Adventure / Thriller - WIP)

Several TMNT AU competitions have made this fic a household name, and for good reason -- the author's come onto the scene with a bold, fun plot premise: after a battle gone wrong, Leo finds himself alive but unable to be perceived via sight, sound, or touch. Naturally, his family assumes he's dead. While it starts on the angstier side, this story's got a lot of heart and shoves tenderness into every possible crevice; the longer it goes on, the more tears are swapped out for laughter, and anguished dialogue-heavy interaction trades place with high-octane action. Worth sticking with!

★

Creation, Haunted And Holy by Greenglowsgold (No romantic focus - Drama / Thriller - Complete)

I lied about the romance it's Donnie x Technodrome with a twist. This fic reads like fascinating poetry, and does right by its source material by taking one of the fandom's favourite angst catalysts and turning it into a demonstration of the strength of love. Looking for something wildly different? GGG's got you. Would also highly recommend their outside-POV slice of life fic Midtown Mutants!

Dark

The Lemonade Leak by TurtleSoupSwimmer (No romantic focus - Horror / Thriller - WIP)

How do you explain to your family that your twin brother's possessed when you have no evidence, aren't sure if said brother is still alive somewhere inside the zombie, and revealing you know something's wrong could get everybody killed? There is no describing how completely feral I've gone for this fic - the author's technique of starting chapters with small, raw, seemingly unrelated scenes that segue into the current plot and enhance the tone or underlying message of the story is just incredible. They've given the turtles a fascinating mutation feature that adds layers of intrigue to the plot. The character interaction is heckin' tender, we got a nice scoop of self-worth issues from Leo to deal with, and the scary scenes are grip-your-phone-and-stop-blinking scary. The author promises a happy ending but that doesn't make Lemonade Leak any less of an incredibly tense ride. This is a fic I jump on the second I get the AO3 email notification.

★

The Smoking Gun: A ROTTMNT Tactical AU by AlienMadame22 (Donatello / April - Action / Adventure - Complete)

Agent Bishop of the EPF stole four turtle mutants away from their father as children and raised them as militia; dad's gotten back in contact and intends to break them free. This author absolutely took off running with the tactical AU prompt that various visual artists started up, grabbed a handful of canon concepts to mess around with, and mcguyvered together a wild ride of a story that continues to catch me off guard. Strap in for a fic riddled with emotional complexity and character nuance, and come prepared to cry. Fear not the ship tag, as the fic is primarily non-romance-focused and the ship elements are handled in an interesting, convoluted way that works to further the plot and add comedic value. Smoking Gun is a refreshing new concept in a very busy fandom tag and I have been eating it up like candy.

★

The Dawning of the Hour (Series) by Faiakishi (No romantic focus - Horror / Drama - WIP)

Donnie is captured and brainwashed by a pre-Vegeta-arc'd Baron Draxum, who subsequently starts parenting the kid out of guilt while using his talents to fuel the canonical Mutate All Humans takeover plot. It's been often called the Donatello version of Like Father Like Son, but that does its storytelling a disservice - this series goes much deeper in the psychological and physical horror direction, has an underlying political intrigue plot, and spends a generous amount of time with the secondary cast (plus a few excellent OCs) in order to really ramp up the intensity of the premise's whole situation. The first story is very whump-heavy, but does a lot of setup for fic two: The Drax-Daddening, which gives Donnie a friend in Cassandra Jones and finds more space for affection and comedy. The author's ramped up the sources of conflict several times over in the first few chapters of the series' second fic, making rescue by the Hamato feel ever more impossible. Despite being a very complex and interesting read (grey-morality my beloved) I cannot stress enough how VERY not for kids this fic is, so proceed with extreme caution!

#fanfiction recommendations #ROTTMNT #TMNT #ROTTMNT fanfic recs #the post was getting absurdly long so hang in there for a part two #save ROTTMNT #unpause ROTTMNT #holy shit the formatting nightmare this was tUNGLR WHY

[the-likesofus]

Buddie Fic Recs

This is the three round of recs and again these are all so so good so please read them all if you haven't and send the authors some love xx

REMINDER TO CHECK THE TAGS AND TRIGGER WARNINGS

A hotel room in Portland (the place is not important) by justhockey | Not Rated | 8k words

Buck and Eddie travel to Portland for a wedding. I love a bottle scenario and this one is so good and also has the only one bed trope so obviously, that's even better. This fic is so wonderful <3

Presumed Dead by @inkinmyheartandonthepage | G | 4k words

Oh, this fic is just the perfect little package! Buck goes on a hike and when he stops at a gas station on his way home someone steals his jeep leaving him stranded with no way to contact anyone, in the meantime the dude whole stole the jeep crashes and when the 118 arrives on the scene the body is too burnt to ID and they assume that it’s Buck. Delicious! 

sometime after midnight by @gayhoediaz | G | 2.5k words

Buck and Eddie finally talk about the *Couch* of it all while I am sobbing in the corner…enough said. Honestly, though this fic is so wonderful and the whole thing takes place over a phonecall too, which is just *chefs kiss*.

My Type On Paper by earthstar (startrex) | T | 7.9k words

BUCK GOES ON LOVE ISLAND AND EDDIE COPES…….sorta. This fic is maximum pining, maximum adorable, hilarious, buck being a genuinely lovely human being and me just trying to survive. Highly, highly recommend reading this if you haven't!

Color Him Father, Color Him Love by @elvensorceress | G | 3k words

Once again Jenwyn left me breathless and sobbing with this incredible fic. Basically, Connor and Cameron have the baby and when Buck meets the baby the moment is not anything like he thought it would be and he has a whole realisation about what he is to Christopher and to Eddie and it is emotional and heartfelt and I’m gonna cry again just thinking about it!

still by @gayhoediaz | T | 9k words

The suspense of this one kills me! Once again Nie has done an incredible job of pulling on all your heartstrings as Eddie STANDS ON A BOMB and pretty much waits for it to either be defused or for it to blow him up. 

open up my eyes (tell me i'm alive) by @rogerzsteven | G | 5k words

This right here is PEAK nightmare hurt/comfort and i beg of you please please read it. Simi’s writing destroys me every time but this fic in particular has that bit of pizzazz that just makes me arghhhhhh. Buck is having trouble sleeping post-coma and Eddie offers to stay with him so that he can tell that he’s in the real world and not his coma dream and my god it's so good. Also special Dad appearance by Bobby!

Like the ebbing of the tide by @starlingbite | G | 5k words

This is an incredible fic that deals with Buck’s emotions around the tsunami on the five-year anniversary of the event and wow damn. Also, there is an incredible embedded edit by @skyhighrollins911!

When I watch the world burn, all I think about is you by theleftboobgrabber | E | 34k words

I am an absolute sucker for a Pacific Rim AU and come on we can all agree that Buck and Eddie are the most drift-compatible mofos to ever walk the earth. This fic is so so good (a good bit spicy too) and i just adore it!

rest your weary head by @eddiediazes | T | 2k words

I am also a sucker for physical touch and comfort and this beautiful little fic delivers everything I could ever hope for. It’s a post 6x12 missing scene and Eddie comforts Buck in the kitchen and then asks if he wants to stay the night (well more like tells Buck he has to stay and he has no choice) and it's just all kinds of fluffy perfections.

If you do read any of these, please show the authors some love. Leave kudos, comments, stalk their tumblrs etc. Wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week!

Love, Meegs xxxx

#buddie #buddie fic #buddie fic recs #buddie rec list #911 fox #eddie diaz #evan ‘buck’ buckley #christopher diaz #911 buddie #eddie x buck #buck x eddie #911 fic #911 fic recs #meegs says stuff #buddie ao3 #911 ao3 #buddie recs list 3

[graythegreyt]

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!! Who wants ace/aro fic recommendations for Miraculous Ladybug does anyone want ace/aro fic recommendations. Who am I kidding of course you do get in here

The Ace-ing on the Cake - Sailorchibi

This one is THE Aroace Marichat fanfiction in my mind. After several encounters, Chat and Marinette come to understand that they’re both asexual, and begin to worry how their crushes will accept them knowing this. They have a lot of transparent discussions and they may find that things will work out better for them than they’d ever hoped. This one makes my heart so happy :) This author has a lot of fantastic ace works which I'll also be linking, including

Miles Above 

Aromantic Chloe! Chloe, as Queen Bee, feels a growing sense of dread at being left behind by her friends who are getting into relationships and having less time for their friendship with her. She and Ladybug have a long heartfelt talk about her fears of being abandoned. Everyone knows each other's identities in this, and Ladybug does her best to let Chloe know how much her friends value her.

And the last one by the same author: Lost Cause

Marinette is caught up in the fear that Chat Noir will hate her for wanting to pursue a relationship with Chat Noir while being aromantic, but Tikki is convinced that he’ll just be so glad that she loves him so much. Marinette’s not so sure about that, but with Adrien’s encouragement she takes a leap of faith. Aromantic Marinette!

(pockets full of) Stones - felledstar

Aroace Adrien! Adrien keeps telling his friends that Marinette is just a friend to him, but nobody seems to listen to him. Eventually, tired of not being understood, he does some research of his own and has some revelations. This one has a really valuable narrative of how it feels when people won't listen to how you describe your identity in my opinion!! Adrien isn't left hanging forever though-- his closest friends are willing to put their hearts into understanding him. Hopeful ending.

doing romance - @anna-scribbles

I would be REMISS to leave out doing romance from Annascribbles-- it’s just came out but already addresses a lot of the confusion and indeed dread from not feeling the same ways that other people seem to, for romance. Aroace Adrien struggles with feeling inadequate as a boyfriend-- how can he claim to be in love with someone if just a kiss makes him feel so off?

The Hearts of Monsters - @ladyofcreation (and also the whole Heroes with the Faces of Monsters series honestly.)

This is an alternate universe where the miraculous transform the holders into what are, essentially, monsters-- Mari becomes a huge ladybug creature complete with mandibles and two pairs of arms, and Adrien becomes a cat creature with warped limbs and sharp teeth. While our two heroes aren’t interested in one another romantically, they find that they treasure and love eachother deeply, and that’s enough for them- it’s always been enough. Highly recommend the rest of the series as well!

Honorable mentions (stories that aren't ace but do fit the spirit in my credited opinion. They're also just a real kick to read):

Tangled Ribbons and off book by @sadrien

These two stories do a fantastic job in establishing deep friendships in the characters before they begin to harbour honest romantic intentions, which reads so nicely to me and is also just so so beautiful. Highly recommend either of these!

Boys get Dresses, Girls get Suits - @dragonchris

This one’s a gen story and not focused on romance- instead, Alix tackles gender roles in the school, and her class has her back. Very fun!

OKAY THAT'S IT EVERYONE HAPPY READING AND I HOPE YOUR VALENTINE'S HAS BEEN EVERYTHING YOU HOPED IT WOULD BE!!

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fic rec #Help I do not know the etiquette for fic recommendations. Dying a little. Someone tell me if I'm out of line DKDN #Anyways YAYY

[historia-vitae-magistras]

This is a little different from your usual content. But you have so much niche information that just I love to hear about. Do you have any podcast recommendations?

WHOO okay so I'm doing my nonfiction podcast recs and leaving out my horror or audio dramas but without further ado:

It's been out of production for years, but Caustic Soda is probably my favourite of all time. It's a small Canadian production of tons and tons of episodes on everything from shark attacks to murder to warfare to bugs and anthropology. It's so fucking funny and pretty well-researched as time goes on. Honestly, I was so young listening to this that it formed part of the lens through which I view the world.

Stuff You Missed in History Class: Often corny, wee bit lame, occasionally hilarious, always solid; this one is probably the one that has taught me the most. It's been on the air forever now, and it's really fucking great. They have also used sources that I actually dug out and made public for the first time and I'm quite proud of that. Its the favourite sweater of podcasts.

Time to Eat the Dogs is about the history of science and exploration. I highly recommend it if you like any of those things. I really like the host's interview style; all the guests are academics and authors. It's very conversational and feels like having a lovely sit-down with good friends, but those friends have Ph. Ds.

Casting Lots: Two really, really funny Brits discuss survival cannibalism across time and space. This podcast informed me that a story i heard as a fireside tale was based on true events. It somehow manages to mention Canada in every other episode and then some. I love the first three seasons in particular. They have truly done some incredible work in the course of their series and pulled from some primary sources that surprised even me, an actual archivist. They're shockingly respectful for how funny they are and how disturbing the content is and really take into consideration things like culture, empire, sex and racism as they discuss cannibalism, and it's just. I love it so much, truly.

Big Old Boats: It's not technically a podcast, but I've never once in my life actually watched the video as he discusses various maritime disasters, and I don't think I've ever missed anything by doing so. This is an absolute must-listen if you enjoy maritime history, missing ships, ghost ships, or just anything weird related to a boat. Archival work I did is actually mentioned in a couple of episodes!

Not What You Thought You Knew: Another podcast I really love that was, unfortunately, a very short run but academics and actual historians debunking popular historical myths. I am very, very fond of the episodes on The Night Witches in particular.

The Midnight Library: Last but not least my favourite fucking podcast currently running. It's a nonfiction podcast framed as a fictional witch/librarian in her cursed library telling (mostly) true stories around a particular theme, human vice, or any number of stories. And the way it's framed is so fucking great. Like they're talking about real history, witchcraft and folklore in so many of these, but you get little glimpses of world-building that have honestly started to bleed into the way I write. Even the ads are for fake magical businesses like 'the League of Lady Grave Diggers, the Broom and Fang pub. The library assistant/bouncer is a werewolf. The Witch's on-again and off-again boyfriend is a spring-heel jack. It's just so fucking clever a way to frame a nonfiction podcast in a spooky atmosphere while being historical, terrifying and funny in turns.

Anywho, if you listen to any of them let me know! And sorry if that went overboard!

#the ask box || probis pateo #not hetalia #sorry if that was too many

[lavendermoonlitskies]

Fanfic Friday: Recommendations!

I wish I could remember whose idea this was, but for fanfic Friday I thought I’d just share some recommendations that I’ve read recently! Maybe I’ll try and make this a weekly thing if y’all enjoy my very specific taste in fanfics lol

Rating: T

Words: 15,840 (5 chapters)

Summary: A seemingly pleasant dinner with Anathema and Newt takes a surprisingly horrible turn. One simple drink can prove to be fatal.

This fic is a ROLLERCOASTER. Super interesting concept that’s so well executed through the writing that I couldn’t put it down. It does involve harm to a beloved character as the summary implies, but as someone who has a hard time with stuff like that, it wasn’t too intense at all. It does have a happy ending, which I also quite enjoy :)

Rating: G

Words: 1,800

Summary: Aziraphale can feel love– the love for things, for places, for the people around him. He can feel that Crowley loves, too. He loves the Bentley and his plants and the Earth.

But never once does Aziraphale feel any love from Crowley for him.

Which would be fine, of course, if not for the fact that Aziraphale loves Crowley like it’s the only thing he knows how to do.

I believe I found this one through @aziraphales-library (10/10 blog, highly recommend), and I absolutely ADORE it. Such a perfect representation of the two of them being blissfully and almost comically unaware that the other feels the same. Beautifully written, short, sweet. Pure unbridled fluff. Just my kind of fic.

Rating: G

Words: 3,974

Summary: Aziraphale and Crowley are complete when they're together. Everything's right, and fine, and it doesn't have to be anything else for it to be perfect.

Now that they can express that in more ways than just friendly affections, they discuss the reasons they fell in love with one another. And why they'll keep on falling, for the rest of their eternities.

OR

“When did’jou first fall in love with me?” Crowley asked.

I really love the author’s writing style! They have a very specific voice as a narrator and the dialogue is remarkably in-character for Aziraphale & Crowley. It was like I could vividly hear their voices saying the dialogue, which really lets you get lost in it, and that’s a feature I’m honestly always looking for in fics.

Rating: T

Words: 11,913 (6 chapters)

Summary: After the end of the world didn’t come, Crowley had planned to spend a lot more time with Aziraphale, and Aziraphale didn’t seem opposed to the idea at all. Unfortunately there’s one glaring problem. Crowley has a strong, uncontrollable panic reaction to being touched by something divine. And Aziraphale cannot turn off his own divinity.

Such a cool concept, and wonderfully executed. There is a lot of talk about mental health in this fic, which is great, but for those who might like to know, there is a detailed description of what seems like a panic attack involved. If that might be triggering for you I’d skip this one! Otherwise I really enjoyed it and highly recommend.

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #good omens fandom #david tennant #michael sheen #good omens 2 #neil gaiman #aziraphale x crowley #good omens fanfic #good omens fanfic rec #fanfic friday #fluff #hurt/comfort #domestic fluff

[mylight-png]

Sorry to be a bother, but I (mid-conversion) have a request, if you aren't too busy and don't mind.

Could you please reccomend some great fiction books, YA, Adult, other, where the main character just happens to be Jewish? And preferably not made a victim or a villain by the author, written by a jew would be even better.

Thanks for your consideration:)

Omg yes absolutely yes. When The Angels Left The Old Country is absolutely amazing. It's so completely Jewish that I honestly feel like it'd be inseparable from Judaism. If one is to take everything Jewish out of that book then that book cannot exist anymore. The writing and representation is absolutely incredible. It does have some antisemitism portrayed in it due to the historical setting of the story, but it isn't the main focus of the book.

Black Bird Blue Road is also really really centered on Judaism, also to the point where the book couldn't exist without it. It's definitely meant for a younger audience, but even so it is an absolutely fantastic book that I believe can be enjoyed by anyone.

Anya And The Dragon was by far one of my favorite books by a Jewish author that I've read. It's set in imperial Russia, so there is also some antisemitism, but it isn't the center of the story. This book is significantly less centered on Judaism, but even so the author does not let the reader forget that the protagonist is Jewish. There's even a scene where the protag is at an event with food and ends up barely eating anything because nothing was kosher, which I'd honestly never seen addressed in a book before. While both of the previous books were written about Judaism in big ways, this book (and its sequel) were focused on the seemingly smaller things that still ended up being big things. It is also worth noting that this book had a strong focus on Russian folklore and I'm not sure if some references to it would make sense to those who are unfamiliar with it, but those details would seem like interesting bits of world building anyway, so don't let that dissuade you from reading it!!

What I Like About You is definitely a book I'd recommend. It's solidly in the YA category, as opposed to the previous two. The protagonist is Jewish, but part of the book is her connecting with Judaism a bit more. If I remember correctly, antisemitism isn't really addressed in this book, but there are representations of panic attacks and anxiety about dying, so if those may be an issue then this is a book to skip. The book is centered on romance, and I have read it like five times. There's also representation of very observant Jewish characters, as well as mixed Jewish characters, so the protag isn't the only Jewish character.

As If On Cue is so so good. It's by the same author as the previous recommendation and it does have a scene or two where antisemitism I'd addressed, but it is done so well. Both protagonist and love interest are Jewish, but not very observant. Even so, the author portrays how their Jewishness affects how they interact with the world in some parts of the books. This book is the ultimate rivals to lovers book and I highly recommend.

There are a few other books with Jewish protagonists that I could recommend, but I think these are the best ones that I've read. All of them are written by Jewish authors and are amazingly written.

This was such a great question to get though omg, I love books so much. Books are like most of my personality. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to rant about Jewish books!!

#jewish #judaism #jumblr #jew #opinion #jewish joy #wholesome #books #reading #ya books

[c0la-queen]

Hybrid Boys AU | Drabble

Warnings: No interactions in their human forms, though those forms are hinted at subtly a few times, perverted boys if you squint, I honestly had fun writing this, let me know if you want to see more of this AU

Words: 2.9k

Author's Note: Heavily inspired by the Call of Duty "Woof Woof" series by charliemwrites ! I love their writing and I highly recommend checking it out!

--

Imagine being someone living a perfectly normal, content life. You have your own little house, a place just for you, that sits right on the edge of the woods. You have a comfortable job that pays well and isn't too mentally or physically demanding - hell, you could even say you even liked your job.

It was your day off, a day completely to yourself. All of your household chores were done, communication with your job was muted until tomorrow. You had the entire day to laze around. And that is exactly what you did. It was rainy and gloomy and sleepy, so there was no reason to leave your bed for a long time. Drifting in and out of sleep, watching Tik Toks, and reading on your phone. It wasn't until probably around noon that you finally dragged yourself out of bed to eat. Since you were planning on cooking something big for dinner, you had something simple and easy for lunch.

After that, you decided to treat yourself and do some self care. Everything shower, shaving your legs, skin care, and repainting your nails. You finished it all around 3 p.m. and, dressed in fresh lounge clothes, you made yourself a comfortable little spot on the couch to binge through one of your favorite shows until dinner time.

That's when Prince showed up.

Not the singer. He has nothing to do with this.

Prince was the name of the big, orange wolfdog that you found in your backyard that day. He had gotten your attention with his barking. None of your neighbors had any dogs that you knew of, so there was no reason there should have been any dogs in your yard. So, you went to investigate.

The dog looked pitiful, soaking wet and covered in mud. He had been barking at one of the puddles of mud that the rain had created in your grassy yard. It had made you laugh, because he almost seemed… offended? Like he was yelling angrily at the puddle.

He must have heard you laughing, because his focused turned to you. For a few minutes, you and the dog just stared at each other through the glass. Then, he 'boof'ed. He didn't really seem aggressive…

Naturally, you opened the door.

Maybe baby talking a random wolfdog - that likely came out of the nearby woods - wasn't the best idea. But hey, you weren't exactly known for making good ideas. Why would you need to think when there was a big, gorgeous dog just waiting to be pet?

Not that the dog seemed to mind. He accepted your pets happily, despite your caution approaching it. Your sister was a dog trainer and had taught you years ago how to properly introduce yourself to a wild dog. You went through every step, keeping your distance, angling yourself away from him, extending your hand without looking at him, staying completely still, etc. It wasn't necessary, though, because as soon as he got a sniff of your hand, he was all over you.

About 30 minutes later, you were standing in your kitchen looking at a freshly dried, freshly fed Prince laying on the cool tile. You had decided to name him that due to the majestic way he walked and because after you got the mud out of his fur, you had to practically drag him away from the mirror. You had never heard of a narcissistic dog, but boy, did this dog love looking at his reflection.

You called up your sister after that, chatting with her on speaker phone as you cooked pasta for dinner. Based on the picture you sent her and the verbal description of the way Prince was acting, she gave you tips and advice on how to properly care for your new dog. You felt yourself grimacing at the news that you would need to give him a mainly raw meat based diet. Raw meat, regular grooming, mental stimulation, plenty of exercise, and, of course, lots and lots of love. Once the phone call was over, you sighed and sat down on the couch with your bowl. Only to be met with Prince with his chin on the couch cushions, staring intently at your food.

Damn the dog distribution system.

--

It was two days later that Monster came into your life.

Prince had proved himself to be quite the cuddle-bug. Every second that you weren't at work, he was practically glued to your legs. Every night, you would step out of the shower to find him waiting outside the bathroom door. (The first night, he had tried to push his way past you to follow you into the bathroom, then whined like a baby when you closed the door in his face.) Every bedtime, he jumped up onto your mattress and made himself comfortable in the crook of your legs.

That's why you thought it was odd when you woke up without him.

It was the middle of the night, and your groggy brain struggled to catch up with the present. The bedside clock read 1:45 a.m., though the numbers were blurry. Why were you awake? Oh, yeah. There had been a dog barking. Prince? No, it sounded muffled, like it was outside.

Where was Prince?

You figured he must have gone off to investigate the barking. After a moment, you exhaled deeply, pressing the heels of your hands into your eyes.

It would probably be a good idea to bring him back to bed, so he doesn't try to pick a fight with whatever stray is in the yard.

As you climbed out of bed and stumbled towards the door (you didn't bother to put on any further clothes, since your neighbors weren't close enough to see you - leaving you in a crop top and underwear) you didn't think about how quiet the house was now. In your half asleep daze, you didn't register that the barking had stopped. Nor did you pick up what sounded like hushed murmurs coming from the kitchen - which ceased altogether when you yawned loudly.

No, when you stepped into your kitchen, the cold tile raising goosebumps along your arms, all you saw was Prince standing in front of the sliding glass door and a brand new dog standing on the other side. This one was smaller than Prince, but still big enough to be recognized as a wolfdog. It had light brown fur and impossibly dark eyes. Oddly, you got the feeling that it was glaring at you.

Upon your arrival, Prince sneezed softly - his version of a snobby huff. Only acknowledging him with a hand through his fur, you passed by him and crouched in front of the glass. The dog on the other side took a wary half step back. This one wasn't going to be as trusting as Prince was. No matter. You knew how to handle this.

With a hum, you stood and walked off to the other side of the kitchen. The two dogs watched you curiously as you dug through the fridge for a moment.

Prince barked in indignation when you walked back over with a container of deli ham. You giggled as you had to keep him pushed away while opening the door. The new dog moved back onto the grass as you stepped out, though he stayed at the edge of the porch. Eyeing you.

You set the food down on the concrete, as close to him as you could get, before moving away from it. You stood flush to the glass doors, ignoring how Prince was pawing and whining for your attention.

You watched as the brown dog's eyes slid from you to the food and back again, before very slowly inching closer. You made sure to stay still.

It sniffed around for a few seconds, then dug in.

After that, you had no trouble getting him to follow you into the house.

Seemed like the way into his heart was through food.

It wasn't too long after getting him properly wiped down that you wandered back to bed and fell back to sleep with the familiar weight of Prince beside you, now joined by another.

Later, you'd blame it on sleep, but his slightly intimidating appearance prompted you to settle on the name Monster.

--

Soldier made an appearance another two days later.

You had finally found the time to go to the store, after being swamped with work and having two big dogs to take care of. On the bright side, Prince and Monster got along great. Sometimes you thought they actually knew each other, with the way they acted. Whenever Prince was swarming you and pushing against your legs, Monster would bark and nip at him. Though, that would just turn into the two of them play fighting.

It was already dark by the time you stumbled through the door with too many bags hanging off your arms. You had to buy two collars, two sets of dog bowls, plenty of non-destructible toys, treats, chews, and food that would fit their wild appetites. If your sister hadn't been on shift when you decided to come in, you would have been hopelessly lost within the aisles of the pet store. You made a mental note to get her an extra special gift this coming birthday.

You hummed softly as you set all the bags on the kitchen table, too lost in your thoughts to notice an obvious lack of dogs swarming you. You had decided to get Prince a lilac collar and Monster a deep blue one.

A particularly aggressive bark from Monster caught your attention. He never barked like that, not even at Prince. Your blood went cold. What could have gotten Monster that riled up? Why was Prince not barking? Where were the two of them?

Calling out for them resulted in a scrambling of claws against tile. Your boys came out of the hallway, tails wagging and perfectly okay. You leaned down to pet Prince when you suddenly stopped in your tracks. Standing in the hallway was… a third dog. This one was bigger than both Prince and Monster, with caramel colored fur that stuck up in some places. Its eyes were… strikingly silver, gluing your feet to the floor.

A third wolfdog? How did it get into your house? Why were Prince and Monster acting so calm now, after Monster had barked like that?

You barely registered Prince bumping against you, too busy tracking the newest dog's every move. It walked through your kitchen nonchalantly, sniffing the shopping bags as if it had lived here its entire life. It didn't seem to be acting threateningly in any way. The opposite, in fact - it was probably the most relaxed one of all of you.

Prince sniffed your cheek, the loud inhale of air next to your ear bringing you back to reality.

Hesitantly, you cooed at the new dog, holding your hand out to it. You made sure to keep your eyes on the floor, as to not provoke it. From the corner of your eye, you watched the dog stop and stare at your hand. Less warily than Monster had been, but still on guard, it walked closer and sniffed at your hand. You felt its nose move from your palm to your wrist to your forearm, before moving back down and running its tongue along your wrist. The cold sensation made you involuntarily giggle.

As unnerving as this third dog looked, it seemed perfectly calm.

After setting out food for the newest addition, you went about wrangling Prince and Monster to get their collars on. Prince was as happy-go-lucky as ever, but Monster seemed off. He seemed tense. Which, on the surface, is a weird thing to say. But these dogs had proved to be the most expressive animals you had ever met. The emotions displayed in their actions could almost be mistaken as human. Monster kept looking back at the new dog every so often, ears twitching or huffing softly before turning back to you.

After the three were settled down, you had a moment to think.

Prince was settled on top of your legs, Monster just shy of your feet. The new dog was laying on the rug, facing the front door attentively. Almost like a guard dog.

Or… a soldier.

--

Life with your three wolfdogs was turning out to be hectic.

It had really only been a week since Prince had shown up at your door, yet here you were with three of them. Prince and Monster hadn't changed, still tussling whenever they had the chance. Soldier didn't really bother to stop them, though he nipped and snapped if they got too close to him.

You noticed a couple of things about Soldier. Firstly, he was quiet. You hadn't heard him bark or growl at all. Sure, he would sneeze and huff, nip at the other two or snap playfully at your fingers for treats. But he was never vocal. The second thing you noticed is that he was always alert. If not for his lack of a collar or chip, you'd have thought he was someone's security dog.

The three of them seemed to be best friends. However, sometimes it proved to be a disadvantage to you.

Like when you were trying to shower.

Unlike when it was just Prince, you couldn't keep them out of the bathroom. Even if you tried, you could only push one of them away while the other two simply slipped past you. After a couple of times, you stopped trying.

The weirdos just sat there while you showered. All laid down on the floor, just outside of the glass shower door. You brushed it off as them simply being clingy. They probably liked the cold tile, too.

Prince had just gotten done licking the condensation off the glass, when they all suddenly sat at attention. Even Monster woke up from his nap, staring at the door alongside the other two. Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked in that direction, trying to figure out what had caught their attention.

A loud bark from outside sounded. The three dogs all scrambled to their feet racing out the door - ignoring your protests. With a sigh, you shut off the water and grabbed your towel to follow.

You wanted to hit your head on the wall. Here you were, dripping water all over your kitchen floor, wrapped in only a towel after a perfectly good shower had been cut short.

Loitering outside of your kitchen was a fourth wolfdog. This one was the biggest of the four of them, bulky with chocolate brown fur and eyes to match. By the time you had actually gotten out to the kitchen, Prince, Monster, and Soldier had just been sitting in the kitchen, staring at him. You felt like you had just walked into the middle of a members-only meeting.

The final dog shifted its focus onto you when you walked in. You would almost call its gaze scrutinizing, like it was judging you. You stared back.

After a few moments, the dog chuffed. It pawed at the door, not even struggling to reach the door handle. You chewed on your bottom lip, deliberating. Was it really a smart idea to let this random, massive dog in? Nothing bad had happened the first three times that you did it. But that luck couldn't last forever, could it? Could this dog be the one to get aggressive, to attack you and possibly inflict major injury?

For some reason, your gut told you it wasn't. That it wouldn't.

You decided to trust that feeling.

You let the dog in.

--

Superhero turned out to be the leader of the four.

That's the only way you could explain it. The other three seemed to naturally listen to him. They followed him on walks, behaved when he snapped at them. That's not to say he was set apart from them. He still played with them, still joined the cuddle piles. But there was a clear sense of respect. Some innate canine instinct that recognized him as some sort of pack alpha.

Maybe that's why you butt heads with him so often.

It sounds ridiculous on paper; getting into arguments with a dog. But Superhero had some serious attitude. Your best guess was that he wasn't used to someone challenging his authority, or trying to boss him around.

But you weren't one to give in, either.

There were times where he would try to herd you in a certain way, trying to get you to go where he wanted, if he deemed your destination unsatisfactory. You would always push back, clicking your tongue and glaring at him.

You even had your sister come visit to see if she could find a way to train it out of him. She couldn't even get him to crack.

So you were stuck with a dog that would mouth off to you every time you tried to get him to do something.

Oh, well. At least you would always have something warm to cuddle. Or several somethings.

Your life was going to be so much more interesting now.

#eddsworld #eddsworld x reader #eddsworld tord #eddsworld tord x reader #eddsworld tom #eddsworld matt #eddsworld tom x reader #eddsworld edd #eddsworld matt x reader

[falderaletcetera]

because I'm partway through a reread and queueing up a bunch of reblogs about it, and it seems only fair to recommend it first:

Jack Farris doesn’t want to save the world, just every person he knows, encounters, or hears of. It’s a bit of an issue. S. Grey doesn’t want to save anyone but himself. He wants to know everything and majoring in sagework at the Academy is the best way to do that. Laney Jones left her home to avoid the constraints there, only to find different barriers holding her back at the Academy. Eager to learn, to excel, to escape, she has far from given up. Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh would just like everything to be orderly, thank you very much, but it seems the only way to make monsters and myths (and malicious but mundane men) stop rampaging through his world is to go out and do some hero-ing himself. They are put together as an unwilling study group, but they become something more.

this is Beanstalk. It's first in a trilogy, all self-published, all free on the author's website, and the series is one of my favourites. It has:

– found family, with platonic relationships front and centre

– an adventurer's academy with a complicated legacy, where "hero" means a coloured armband and a diploma

– worldbuilding (appreciative), featuring an interesting magic system and monsters of all kinds, many of them people

– a red-headed boy named Jack, seventh son of a seventh son, who left the forest and grew like a beanstalk. You may recognise parts of his story. You may recognise others down the line.

– there's a whole cast I don't want to spoil except to say I'm currently rereading the first book and really looking forward to reaching the rest.

– there's definitely casual queer rep though. what do you take me for.

– honestly the writer (hi @ink-splotch!) writes all these characters with a complexity and love that I really admire. Some of the chapters that affected me most aren't even about the main cast.

— you may know the writer from her fics, the interactive games Stay? and More a Haunting than a History, or the podcast Second Star to the Left which she co-created with Aysha Farah. I can highly recommend most of the above and will get around to MaHtaH eventually.

If anyone's interested, I'd advise you don't go looking for spoilers. There most definitely is angst, but less so in the first book - hit me up if you want content warnings!

#I'm also queueing up someone else's rec for this but I wanted to put the platonic relationships bit right at the top #for ''I'm aro and I'm feral about it'' reasons #beanstalk #leagues and legends #that second tag is the useful one but every now and then I forget the series name but still remember the first book so I try to use both #falderal speaks #when I say I admire inky's writing I mean i have done for years #it's probably influenced my writing style a fair bit and honestly I hope it has