#only fools rush in

[gotthat-lightwood-bane]

I’m revisiting because everyone should read khaleesiofalicante’s Only Fools Rush In💛

Every time I make a cup of coffee I now think of that AU’s Alec☕️

✨🏹Just Another Malec Monday🏹✨

I wanted to start sharing the fics I love because I feel like it’s important to share good work. AO3 provides a central hub to build community off of, and I want to help build some of that and share some wonderful fanfics with everyone.

Malec Monday is going to be the time where I share my Top 5 fanfics of the week (or pull from my vault of bookmarks if I don’t have 5 from the week) and share my thoughts on Tumblr. The quotes provided may be mildly spoilery (not completely but it depends how much or little you like to see before you read), so if you want a completely unspoilered fic, only read to ‘My Summary’.

Side Note: Please check the tags of each fic for possible triggers as some will be D3NE / extreme / include sensitive topics

The Way to a Chef’s Heart

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 29,812 (1 chapter)

Writer’s Summary:

After a scorching review on his restaurant in one of the world's most famous food magazines, world class chef Magnus Bane is set on finding the food critic who dared to slander his art and make him change his mind. He doesn't expect someone as stubborn or infuriating as Alec Lightwood.

My Summary:

Human AU, Magnus is a chef and Alec is a food critic.

This fic perfectly blends humour, self discovery and romance. This fic had me swallowing my emotions more and more as the characters revealed parts of their lives and their emotions. This was one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful fan fics I’ve ever read🩷

Favourite Quotes:

“He doesn’t hate it entirely, to have someone watching him with the same dedication Magnus reserves to his art.

He finishes dressing the plate quickly. When he looks up, Lightwood blinks at him, as if pulled out of a trance.

His cheeks flush gingerly and he averts his gaze, as though Magnus had interrupted him in the middle of something quiet and intimate.”

I just love this moment, Alec seeing a side of Magnus he hasn’t before, Magnus seeing a side of Alec is hasn’t before. It feels transcendent and like I’m experiencing it first hand. There’s more to this section, and you really feel IN IT.

“If it’s become something bigger than what you wanted it to be in the first place, you can reclaim it. It’s your craft and your life. No one should be telling you how to go about either of them.”

This was just an incredibly sincere reminder to myself that you can always change the things in your life - it might be hard, it might be complicated, but there are ways to do the things you want, and it’s okay to let yourself do them.

“everything I managed to get my mouth on was otherworldly. I’m talking solely about the food. (No, I’m not.)”

I mean, I just love Alec being a cheeky lil shit, so this made me grin🤭

Only Fools Rush In

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 147,929 (Across 29 chapters)

Writer’s Summary:

It’s essentially an arranged marriage fic where Magnus and Alec marry each other for their own reasons (mostly because of Asmodeus, lol) and fall in love along the way.

My summary:

Human AU, Magnus is a jewellery designer and Alec is a COO of a coffee company.

Heart wrenching. Beautiful. I cried so hard.

I got totally lost in this fic, in Alec’s confusion, in Asmodeus’ love and in Magnus’ sadness. Magnus genuinely is beyond a mystery in this fic and uncovering his emotions and slowly starting to understand his motivations through Alec’s lens is fascinating. It was a rollercoaster reading Alec’s experience of Magnus and it broke my heart. This was such a well laid out and carefully planned plot and it deserves the highest of praise. I just, omg I can’t coherently form sentences about how awestruck I was by this fic🩷

This fic is like gold dust in my heart✨ and it is a MUST read.

Also the chapter titles are cute and fun, so there’s that☕️

Favourite Quotes:

“Magnus tenses immediately. Then he looks at Alec. 

Alec blinks. Oh. Okay then.

He gets up and walks over to the doctor, shaking his hand and asking for an update. What the man has to tell him is a relief, but not completely. When he walks back to Magnus, he sits next to the man. 

“He’s okay,” Alec says first and foremost because it feels important to put that out there before Magnus can chew off the rest of his nails.”

Even in the worst of times, the fact that Magnus, without really knowing Alec at all, can find so much comfort in Alec and put so much trust in him. It just breaks my heart and mends it all at once🥹 My fragile baby angel Magnus.

“But as he looks down at the box in his hands, confusion melts into surprise. Inside is a pair of cufflinks—a warm golden brown, shaped like coffee beans.

“I thought you might want to wear these for the party,” Magnus says softly.

Alec’s breath catches as his heart swells”

Oh oh oh!🩷 For me, this was the first moment of genuinely seeing Magnus for the first time, experiencing him in his rawest form. It’s so intimate that it hurts my heart.

“So, he’d held Magnus tightly, letting him cry, listening to those quiet, heartbreaking sobs. 

And the whole damn time, all Alec could think about was how much he wanted to do this for the rest of his life. Hold Magnus. Comfort him.

Love him.

The realization had hit him out of nowhere, and now that he knows the truth, he has to act. 

But the problem is, he doesn’t know what to do.”

This hit me like a freight train. I mean I knew Alec loved Magnus but him realising for the first time had me crying. I couldn’t hold back the literal tears of Alec realising he loved this man who was struggling the hardest after spending the night being so endlessly selfless and sweet. Alec realising he could do this forever, and this being comforting the man he loved, I just😭 it’s making me emotional just thinking about it.

Of Flowers and Felines

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 39,652 (Across 11 chapters)

Writer’s Summary:

Screaming fights next door are not new to Alec. The neighbor's cat in his apartment is. When he meets the cat's hot owner, Magnus, he builds a friendship he's never had despite Magnus's toxic relationship with Camille. When Magnus reaches his limit and kicks her out, Alec is there to pick up the pieces and leaves a bouquet of purple flowers on his doorstep. In a relationship marked by purple flowers, can they make it through the aftershocks of Magnus's ex and Alec's family?

My Summary:

Human AU, Magnus is a fashion designer and Alec is an interpreter.

A beautiful fic that had me smile, shed tears and laugh. They struggle through their insecurities and support each other through it all, and I just can’t recommend it enough.

Favourite Quotes:

““Do you read?”

Magnus looked up, almost startled as his eyes again met Alec’s. “Yes?”

“We could get some books at the library for tomorrow? My couch is good for more than just sleeping.” A second meaning he hadn't intended flashed in his head and color bloomed on his cheeks.

If Magnus caught Alec’s accidental innuendo, he didn’t mention it as his expression brightened. “That sounds wonderful, Alexander.””

This both made me laugh and made my heart eyes for Alec more defined than ever😻 Alec is so sweet, I literally cannot cope with him

““I thought you were going to break up with me. And I couldn’t handle that. I panicked.” Magnus finished the drink and set the bottle aside.

Alec waited until Magnus laid down, until they were facing each other like a pair of parentheses. “I know it’s hard, but I can’t help you if you don’t trust me.”

Magnus squeezed his eyes shut. “I do trust you.””

This moment was so sad and heartbreaking😭 I just love Alec never letting the hardest moments becoming reasons to leave, instead he turns them into proof he’ll always stay🥹 Also, I didn’t think I could hate Camille more until I read this fic. Lex knows how to emotionally destroy me with Camille being evil😂

““It’s fine. Did you just get that camera?” He jerked a thumb at the door.

Magnus grinned so wide, Alec thought his face might break. “No. I’ve had that for over a year.”

Alec could feel a blush rising to his cheeks as that sank in. “You saw me leave the flowers, didn’t you?”

“I did. And when you told me what they meant--” Magnus pressed a kiss to his cheek. “--well of course I was smitten.””

I just - the realisation and the secret kept for so long just made me so so beyond happy, I love these boys so much🤭

There's A Fire Burning in My Heart

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 6,658 (1 chapter)

Writer’s Summary:

Magnus knows his job as a firefighter is going to have difficult calls, been through it too many times to count. But when the man he loves the most is trapped, Magnus has to put his duty before his heart.

My Summary:

Human AU, Magnus is a firefighter.

Witty and wonderful. I love a one shot that captures your heart in such few words. I fell in love with Alec in this and Luke was so good in this. I rarely get to experience Luke in a fic and he was fantastic.

Favourite Quotes:

““Hey, handsome,” Alec rasps back, a weak smile on his face. “Sorry I didn’t reply, I lost my phone in the car.””

I was mid tears and let out a half cry half laugh at this, of course Alec would be teeheeing all the way🤣

““You looked so beautiful and happy at our wedding,” Alec cries. His husband just sniffles and looks at him with his signature puppy eyes.”

Oh Alec😭😭 this bit got me so much, angel boy just loves his husband and that is all. Nothing else in the world matters🥹

““You must be tired,” Alec whispers. Magnus hums out a yes, eyes already drooping shut. “It’s okay, I’ll protect you while you sleep.””

No matter what, Alexander Gideon Lightwood-Bane protects his husband at all costs🫶 This left the biggest smile on my face🩷

As You Wish

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 23,336 (Across 9 chapters)

Writer’s Summary:

After meeting at the Institute Party, Alec asks Magnus out for a first date, and Magnus, despite his reservations of dating Alec, decides to say yes.

What follows is a first date for the ages and love at...second sight?

My Summary:

This extension of the AU set up in the Shadowhunters TV show is such a fun twist on fanfic! This split POV between two writers was such an interesting read. The writers warned there may be duplication between each POV, and there is but you WANT it. Wherever there’s repetition of the events happening, you find yourself leaning into it and enjoying understanding where the other is coming from or what they’re feeling.

The sweetest date turned into wildest evening. I loved this, so fun!

Favourite Quotes:

“Magnus was at least three centuries too old to be blushing because of a compliment from a handsome man. At least. Yet here he was, his cheeks hot, because Alexander Lightwood had said he looked amazing.”

I can’t help but get all giddy when the roles are reversed. Shy / reserved Magnus makes me so happy every time🤭 This was so Magnus coded from the AU in the Shadowhunters TV show.

“Alec didn’t believe in a spark. He didn’t believe that the world stopped spinning when someone kissed the love of their life for the first time. He didn’t believe in fireworks blasting off behind closed eyelids the moment those lips touched. He didn’t believe in any of that… Until that moment.”

Alec’s entire world changing because of Magnus Bane?? No surprise there💅 The most wonderful first kiss for our boyyssss🥹

““My darling,” Magnus whispered against Alec’s lips, feeling him jolt at the soft nickname. “My darling Alexander, I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.””

I just love love love anything where they declare they’ve never felt anything like they feel with each other before.

[whoisspence]

take my hand, take my whole life too for i can't help falling in love with you ♡

[sayornispress]

Two author copies delivered! Both for @bropunzeling (AO3 here).

More photos and info under the cut!

I actually did my copies of these a while ago--both in February, one in 2024 and the other in 2023. collide the spaces that divide us was one of my earliest attempts at social media formatting, and one of the last books I ever made with my inkjet printer. I did end up fixing a few things on that one's typeset, but it's nearly identical to my first copy. You may also notice in the photos that I chopped off a bit too much off the edge--I didn't yet know how to use my guillotine, and in all the time that's passed since then, it's become defunct (sharp enough to cut off a hand, but not sharp enough to cut through a stack of paper lol)

It's neat to see such a clear example of how much I've improved as a bookbinder in a year and a half--my copy on the left, author's on the right:

Also, a comparison of color ink (left) vs color laser (right):

Like this, it's easy to see how much more vibrant color toner is than ink. Ink works much better for complex images, but since I don't print a lot of photos, but do make a lot of social media typesets, this works much much better for my purposes.

Soon after that, I bought a black-only laser printer and had a whole new set of challenges. It was in this era of printing that I made only fools rush in. It has one of my most complex title pages to date, as they're not really my forte.

Below are my copy, the title page, and an example of how I did texts in this particular typeset.

My copy has a cloth spine and a different cloth as the cover, with a strip from the endpapers to hide my sins act as a bridge between them. This is one of the binds from last Binderary that I'm most proud of.

The title page is in several different pieces--sort of jigsaw-puzzled together from vectors, Google Drawings, and a few different fonts.

Black-toner-only printing meant adjusting how I did social media formatting, and this is one of my favorite ways I solved that problem. I like the simple, almost minimalist formatting that sets the texts apart but doesn't steal the show.

I'd been meaning to offer author copies for these books for as long as I'd had them, but it's hard to understate how little I wanted to use my inkjet once I got a laser XD It's both slower and more expensive to use an inkjet, so as soon as I got my color laser printer set up, I sent the DM!

I organize my handbound fics by ship--that is, every ship has a set spine cloth and title color--so one of my favorite things about author copies is that I get to be a little more creative about covers!

[creatingnikki]

i wanted you to buy me sunflowers. i wanted you to take me to a bookstore. i wanted you to hear my stories and read my writing and drink coffee with me. but you cannot even find it in you to be present. so fuck it, i'm not mad. i'm only observing and processing. ah, so this is who you are — unreliable, inconsistent. i'm not anxious, even though my attachment style may be. you're not making me sad, you're only making me more confident in my judgement. ah, so this is why we don't rush into making grand declarations of love and those who pull a Ted Mosby cannot be trusted. you've given me cute nicknames and you try so hard to make me laugh and you've already heard me cry twice but so what? this only means what it means and nothing more and nothing less. thank you, I do appreciate the soft and tender ways you've been with me. but i'm twenty seven now and have enough experience and objectivity to not let that window dress the other not so nice things. we all contain multitudes and baby i am all for understanding yours — but if you won't consider me, i'm not going to keep waiting for you sitting here on the sidewalk smoking through an entire pack of cigarettes wondering why i'm not good enough. because now more than ever before, i know i am.

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: "Is this you?" It was, in fact, not Wilhelm in that incriminating video. But his best friend Simon is in it. or, alternative universe where Wilhelm and Simon are best friends, and a sex tape puts a rumour between them.

Author; @toffeelemon

[howifeltabouthim]

'Some crazy incoherent tenderness led me to marry that man.'

Iris Murdoch, from A Fairly Honourable Defeat

[rosielindy]

Holding strong with 2 & 7 butt 8 may be coming in 2025. What kind of fool are you?

[laughinglikespring]

NEW CHAPTER LESSGO

[sabo-torao]

Sabo Week Day 5 - Mission(s)

where's the fun in things you specifically do for fun if you can't be extremely self-indulgent at least once?

i love the idea of sabo and law running into each other repeatedly during the timeskip, especially if it's during one of sabo's missions. i want this boy to be silly and have fun so he can ignore the pain that's corroding him from the inside even more than usual, and who would be a better partner-in-crime than trafalgar law himself?

p.s. this was supposed to be kiiind of a "parallel" to day 4 (same but opposite composition, the contrast between teen sabo and ya sabo, etc) but i don't think any person outside of my own self would get it. i'm just too stupid

[sexologii]

this girl don’t understand how this game works 😭

[haysaprocky]

hahahaha i just stopped at 7-11 to buy a lighter, i told the lady working to just grab me a random one and she gave me elvis <333 luvs it

[thermo-catz]

HOPE, IM NOT LOOKING AWAY FROM YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE MUTILATED, IM LOOKING AWAY BECAUSE IF I KEEP LOOKING AT YOU I'LL WNT TO KISS YOU. BBG YOU'RE SO GROEGEHUS AAAAGHHHH

[tea-and-secrets]

I'm 28 and i've never been in a real relationship. i don't think i'm ugly, i have friends, i have a steady cool job, a nice flat, i'm pretty satisfied with my life.

i have this very romantic burried part of me who dreams of finding love but i just can't make the step. i'm on tinder, i try to be open at social events but it's like... i don't know, like i'm blocking myself from men, like i know when i find the one it will all make sense but until then no one can approach me as more than a friend.

i know if i wanted to, really wanted to, i could get a boyfriend, but i want the big relationship, the real thing, not just something i chose to do with someone. i don't know. it really is the only part of my life i still feel lost about. I'm scared of growing old alone but I'm also scared of a tasteless relationship. i know my soulmate is out there, i don't want anyone else. does anyone relate?

.

[jacqflores]

tags post wip

#‘⠀this is a real treasure of an experience‚ isn't it? ( ic ) #‘⠀cool cat ( ooc ) #‘⠀even making the attempt is a worthwhile experience ( headcanon ) #‘⠀silly kitty ( self ) #‘⠀the words i never said but wanted to ( musings ) #‘⠀he innovates after sweet cat naps ( behavior ) #‘⠀slow down‚ it's a science ( aesthetics ) #‘⠀my heart is thrilled by the still of your hand ( desires ) #‘⠀text ( music )

#‘⠀only fools rush in but i can't help falling in love with you ( willow ) #‘⠀did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there? ( turo ) #‘⠀text ( clavell )

#‘⠀there was a boy born from a lotus. his heart was golden‚ deep as the ocean ( pupmemoirs )

[mollyjames]

Even in food service, there is the demand for exponential growth. Each store has a profit target you're expected to hit every quarter. Each quarter the target gets bigger and bigger. The only way to make sure you hit or exceed that target is to increase sales or cut costs. Sales can only go so far though, so at a certain point there is the understandable temptation (not justifiable, but understandable) for your manager to start cutting hours. Once they do, your location has entered a Death Spiral.

The thing about the Death Spiral is it is nearly impossible to escape. It starts innocuous enough, with a few hours getting shaved off every week. And true enough at first you probably didn't need those hours. They were the slack, the extra hands that helped distribute the work and made it easier on everyone. You might not even notice they're gone. Maybe the morning rush is a little harder to handle, maybe there isn't as much time to chat as there used to be. But on the whole nothing has changed. You're still hitting your sales quota and, hey, everyone seems to be working a little harder. That's good, right?

Then the next quarter rolls around. You exceeded your quota. Upper management is very excited. But now your new quota is even higher than it would have been if you had simply performed to expectations. You raise prices a bit, push more expensive drinks, and sure, cut a few more hours. Bit by bit the slack gets tighter. The fat gets trimmed. All because continual growth, continual improvement, is not just demanded, but expected.

The endgame of the Death Spiral is the expectation that every worker will operate at 100% efficacy 100% of of the time, and that nothing will go wrong ever. It never reaches this point, as any food service worker will tell you, shit goes wrong. Service gets worse, you lose a few customers, and you miss your quota. This is the point of no return, because the only way to solve the problem is to add more hours. But there's no way upper management will approve spending more money. On a failing store? Don't be ridiculous. Maybe get those numbers up and we'll consider adding hours back. But the only way to get those numbers up is with no hours. It's a Catch-22. You're trapped. Slowly, inevitably, the store fails, and then closes.

The Death Spiral is a doomed strategy, but it is the one corporations push in response to investor pressure. It tricks workers into more work for the promise of relief later, if they do well and succeed, not realizing they'll only be asked to do even more next time. So how do you fight it? Know your worth. Don't let anyone give you more work without some kind of kickback. Don't fool yourself into thinking that being indispensable will lead to a reward later.

But the best defense? Join a union.

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Tfw you had to alter a Christmas card's front because you got it for your dad but somehow missed it said HUSBAND on the front but you can't be half-assed to get another card and if it can be easily altered then its not too bad of a situation.