quick & dirty werewolf romance rec list
Cold Hearted by Heather Guerre (Tooth and Claw #1). @matsuoclan has the BEST book recommendations, oh my god. Grace moves to a remote town in Alaska to escape her past, and finds a new family, and more besides. Explores the themes of loneliness and depression with a supernatural twist, with a sprinkle of enemies to lovers. Love this book, will devour the series >:3
Ruby and the Wolf by Clover Down. @dominimoonbeam remains one of my favourite PNR writers. After putting her life on the line for a stranger, Ruby finds herself on the run from vampires with the wolf she saved. SO STEAMY. SO GOOD.
Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert. A werewolf falls head over heels for a hunter. SO GOOD. SO FUN. READ IT.
The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate by Cate C Wells. Another book rec from a moot that I devoured. Wells is a guilty pleasure, and this is my favourite of this series. Deals with trauma, mind the content warnings, Darragh has my heart.
Tumblr recs
@monstersandmaw - Gabe and Odessa, complete, full novel. I cannot tell you how many times I've read this story. It's a comfort read okay. Slow burn. Odessa, lawyer, escaping the city, moves into a small cabin in the woods and meets Gabe, a park ranger, with more to him than it seems. Just a beautiful story.
@snowkissedmonsters - Candy and the wolves. Explores poly dynamics between a wolfpack and the human waitress Candy who is their mate. Gorgeous art to accompany it too!
233 notes
·
View notes
you find a stray cat lingering around the barracks, and ghost tries to act like he doesn't care. | pt. 2
wc: 637
ghost's love language being physical touch and action <3 but not knowing how to voice it
cw: no caps bc this is more of a drabble!
she was a mangy little thing; you could see it the moment you saw her. she lowered her body to the ground the moment you made eye contact. her lips pulled back into a hiss, white teeth threatening to bite. you didn't doubt they could. but the feral look in her eyes- nobody was born that way. it came from something, it always did.
so, slowly, you began to draw the little thing in. you left out a bit a food from every meal to get her interested. bits of meat (if you could call whatever slop came out of the can that), bread, anything. you would tear it off as you ate and throw it somewhere nobody could step on it, but somewhere she could see.
the other soldiers were a little too busy tearing into their meals to care, but ghost, ever-watchful of you, does. "'s just a cat. you need to eat," he told you, voice low and serious.
but you just smiled, that damn smile that always melted him to his core. "so does she," you replied.
and ghost couldn't find it in himself to say otherwise.
you watched her slink out of the shadows and give the chunk of meat a few sniffs. she finally sank her teeth into it and ran off once more. it didn't take ghost long to notice that your eyebrows were furrowed.
"spit it out," he said, making you turn to him, confused. "you're worried abou' somethin'. out with it."
the rough way he speaks makes you (affectionately) roll your eyes. ghost has never been good at expressing how much he loves you through more than touch. his words are always a little rough, but his hands are always gentle. "well, we're moving bases soon," you remind him, having another bite of your food- a simple stew that more resembles slop. "i don't want to leave her."
although ghost rolls his eyes right back, he can't help but feel himself grow soft. it's a perfect reminder of why he fell in love with you in the first place. despite being this, despite being a soldier, you have a love for life that makes ghost want to hold you and never let go. "we can bring her with us."
his words make you raise your eyebrows. "i thought she was just a mangy cat," you reply, smiling as you repeat (mock) his words.
ghost grumbles something under his breath as he wraps an arm around your waist. "don't like seein' you worry," is all he says.
without hesitance, you lean into him in the way you always do- your head on his shoulder, hand on his. you know ghost doesn't always know how to express how much he loves you in any way but this. and you'll take it. you lift his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles and lift your head so he can see your smile. so you can see his eyes, softening like butter beneath the summer sun. "well, i don't want to scare her," you tell him. then you raise yourself higher to press a kiss to his cheek, even though his face is covered by the mask. "but thank you. that was sweet."
ghost grumbles something you can't quite make out other than "just a cat," making you giggle. the sound makes him lower every single defense he's ever had around you. he can't help it; he's a military man. he's defensive. but when it's you... everything becomes different. ghost brushes your bangs out of your eyes so he can stare into them a moment longer. before price gets you all up and running again. before you two have to exist anywhere outside of this moment.
his squeezes you to make sure you're really there.
"anything to make you happy, love."
157 notes
·
View notes
🫶🏻 15 gentlebeard/blackbonnet fic recs
(17 if you squint)
hey legends, in this bittersweet period where a lot of a us are feeling gutted but simultaneously, rebelliously hopeful, i've emerged from my reading den to showcase to you all some of the brilliant talent we have in this fandom! these fics are some of the best of the best, and i hope you love them just as much as i do! <3
they are all complete, do not feature any ongoing steddyhands/edizzy/stizzy, and are above 20k words.
peruse part 1, part 2, and part 3 at your leisure if you want to compare our tastes/devour more fine literature, or check out my masterlist as an ao3 collection.
adrift between the dreaming seas by @dandy-pirate-time
49k, mature, locked
stede lives a cursed life on a moving island, until the monotony of his days is suddenly interrupted by the fearsome kraken.
this was such a fascinating & incredible idea! i love how it manipulates aspects of the original story and transforms them into parts of the cursed island <3 sweet & unique & magical. i want to hug poor stede.
Five Birthdays and a Funeral by @bizarrelittlemew
58k, explicit
"When Ed and Stede's friend groups merge, they meet at a birthday party, and Stede's life is turned upside-down. As they collide again and again, he not only has to figure out what Ed means to him, but what he means to himself."
stede gets to be oblivious and a bit of a silly goose as a treat. also: treasure hunts, lucius is the best, ed has a cat whom i would die for, such a sweet & heartfelt fic. you will be so unbelievably fond of this version of every character.
The Ghost of Frigate Point Lighthouse by @piratecaptainscaptainpirates
53k, explicit
"When history professor Stede Bonnet goes to investigate rumors of a ghost haunting the local lighthouse, he's thrust into a mystery centered around the ghost of one of the most famous pirates of all time."
was SO eager to read this and it did not disappoint!! it has everything - fun, magic, mystery, tired TA lucius, and a lil bit of seduction. good enough that i am worried the author may actually just be a sea witch recollecting events he personally witnessed.
Haunted by @thepirateroo
60k, explicit
"The Kraken is a famous spiritualist, working the music halls of 1920s London to help families communicate with their dead. But Stede Bonnet knows that underneath the fame and illustrious title, Edward Teach works as a ghost hunter, debunking the spirits he makes his living off."
this is, genuinely, in the top 5 fanfics i have read for any fandom EVER. i wouldn't bat an eyelid if i read this exact work as a published novel in a bookstore. the mystery is so good and had me guessing and re-theorising constantly, the characterisation is brilliant, and the emotions are perfect. i cried, i laughed, i felt sick with worry for the characters, and i couldn't stop reading until i was done.
haunt me, then by @hyruling
28k, explicit
"He releases the ropes slowly, barely registering the burn as they slip through his fingers. Then, fallible as Orpheus, turns to meet his ghost."
post s1 fixit fics ily. everyone needs some therapy. really VERY well written and a joy to read.
Homeward Bound by mari_who
51k, explicit
"In the long-ago year 2000, bouncy blonde boy-band member Stede Bonnet is 17-year-old Edward Teach's gay awakening. Decades later, Ed hears a voice he could never forget."
i said 'ohhh no poor ed/stede' so many times while reading this. a lovely exploration of emotion and human connection, and finding yourself when everyone else has always defined who you are on your behalf.
I just need some air by @cuddlytogas
26k, teen
"Stede Bonnet's been having panic attacks for almost as long as he can remember, suffocated by pressure and expectation... When [he] finally takes his life back — divorces Mary, moves to Melbourne, starts his own event management business — things get better, but he's still no good at parties. He still needs some air, even at the very events he's brought to fruition. Meanwhile, Edward Teach, renowned chef and owner of Blackbeard's Catering, is wondering why the newest bigwig in events still hasn't hired him."
zoomed through this faster than lightning mcqueen. such a lovely writing of stede, ed and the whole crew - it feels like there's depth in every character, even background ocs.
also fantastic australia rep (i was jumpscared by mention of the cotton on group) AND i've been to the bar the final scene takes place at!!!! most exciting reading experience of my life.
i'll be your treasure by @monksofthescrew
48k, mature
"Wasn't the Dread Pirate Blackbeard rumored to have a hoard hidden somewhere near Essex? It's a metal detecting AU. They're detectorists. They fall in love."
i LOVE this fic so much it is just,,,, so sweet. stede does self-discovery and is seduced. ed is a bit of a goose and i'm obsessed with him. doug and mary are lovely. alma is so cool and i love her.
+ the sequel! drift o'er the rolling hills, swim through the briny sea (made me cry. btw. doug keeps being the best.)
The Kraken's Sacrifice by @trinityofone
22k, explicit
"Every year, a person is chosen—supposedly at random—to be sacrificed to the Kraken, to quell the sea's worst storms and to stop the taking of ships... Stede discovers that there is much more to the creature than he was led to believe—and that they have a deeper connection than he could have ever dreamed."
i LOVED this okay. it was funny and sweet and gave an interesting spin to the ed-is-the-kraken genre. get both of these boys some self-esteem asap. also comes with art by @avatoh!!!!!
lovers in a dangerous time by @veeagainsttheday
52k, explicit
pacific rim au - "Edward Teach becomes a jaeger pilot, first with Izzy Hands and later with Stede Bonnet. It’s not easy trying to save the world and falling in love with your drift partner…"
made me feel every emotion under the sun, including foaming at the mouth jealous that i don't have a drift partner. absolutely, masterfully written. i've popped this link first since its the fic that focuses on stede & ed, but it was written as a prequel for:
+ catagory five: a shatterdome romance by @owlinaminor (27k, mature), which focuses predominantly on jim & oluwande, and which i also massively recommend reading (first). it's told through lucius' words and made up of journalistic notes and transcriptions, and its really terribly clever. i knew nothing about pacific rim before this, and now i'm really very invested. if i wrote something this fantastic (& creative & wildly unique) i would never shut up about it.
More of the Gravy Basket than of the Grave by @veeagainsttheday
36k, explicit
"Ed and Stede’s ‘unorthodox friendship’ ended four months ago when Stede left Ed without a word after Ed asked him to run away to a parallel universe with him. They’re thrown back together when they’re summoned to perform a supernatural exorcism at the Hillside Hotel during a blizzard."
this has got to be one of the coolest and most creative fics i have ever had the pleasure of reading. genuinely kept me guessing and so so intrigued, PLUS the most sweet stede & ed dynamic!!!
Nothing Missing in My Life by @semisweetshadow
63k, explicit, locked
"Hollywood action star Ed Teach is bored with his celebrity life. Everything changes when he meets Stede, a sweet extra working on the set of his latest film shoot. Stede doesn't know who Ed really is and treats him like a real person and Ed can't help wanting to keep him."
ed plays an action hero called jeff the accountant, and if that's not immediately the greatest synopsis ever idk how else to win you over. hilarious, clever, & so heartfelt. i gasped and said 'oh no' with a hand over my heart nearly as many times as i laughed out loud.
not pickles by smallestchurch
84k, explicit
"Ed's minding his business when the new neighbor's kid comes around holding a human puppet. It's creepy as hell, but as soon as the kid's father rounds the corner, Ed doesn't mind."
i actually feel a bit ill when i think about this fic because i love it so overwhelmingly. there's family, and healing, and good food and friends, and ed teach and louis bonnet become the dynamic duo they always had the potential to be.
Our Fangs Mean Death by @flawedamythyst
87k, teen, locked
"Master Vampire Blackbeard's afterlife is enlivened by the arrival of a new coven in town, lead by the self-styled Gentleman Vampire. Now here's a Master who doesn't mind shaking things up by wearing clothes 300 years out of date, buying a massive gothic mansion for a lair, and leading the most eclectic coven Blackbeard has ever seen."
ridiculously fun. this is the vampire novel/fic i didn't know i needed and i loved every silly second. stede really gets to fulfil his dad-ness. i'm furious i can't join the gentleman vampires coven irl, will just need to embrace the gothic vampire aesthetic in my own life.
Wayfaring by @justkeeptrekkin
35k, explicit
"The downside to being stuck on a desert island is that Stede's not awfully good at adapting. The upside is that he and Ed can finally have some peace and quiet– that is, if Ed ever wakes up from the gunshot wound in his stomach."
the sweetest desert island fic, feat. the cutest piglet in the world, a little bit of pining, a helpful skeleton named dusty, and some of the best & most accurately written stede and ed content ever (imo).
184 notes
·
View notes