#this is in the tags in case anyone has/wants recs

[kitchensunflowers]

what am i going to do when i finish a court of fey and flowers. all i want to do is watch lord squak aivaris (ofc alongside his dear cousin) as he goes about his various escapades and shenanigans

[cursedhaglette]

Shoutout Sunday

it is so freaking kind of @littlejuicebox and @tallymonster to tag my work in their shoutout posts, so i wanted to add my own recs of fics i am currently wishing I could leave 1000 kudos on.

also fair warning, i'm a long fic girl. give me an OC to be obsessed, someone i can imagine my own hanging out with, and hopefully one that their author is also obsessed with. i wanna feel that through the writing. and with these, you can.

Pieces Left Stuck in Your Teeth by @howlsmovinglibrary / @wetcatspellcaster - i couldn't put this down when i started it, to the point i was reading it in the car when i should have been grocery shopping. i couldn't stop. it is witty always, devastating at times, and this version of Astarion is just terrible and hilarious in all the best ways

Not Your Sweetheart by @kittenintheden - the most natural dialogue I've ever read, and also the most hilarious. kitten also has such a talent for writing every character in a way that has me laughing each time anyone in her fic speaks. unless it hurts, in which case, it's gonna hurt a LOT

I Want to be Better; Let's Make Each Other Worse by @redrook - my frequent writing bud who's ideas outdo my own more often that not, Jack is an absolute genius and their fic shows it with every word written. the strange ox like you've never seen him before, dolphin riding, ceiling sex - you name it, it's in here AND it makes sense

Pour One Out by the absolutely delicious mind of @aevallare - auristarion supremacy for always. we all know kindred but if you aren't also reading Pour One Out you are, unfortunately, a fool

Sonnet of the Lone Cardinal by @brain-rot-central - neech is doing something truly different with this devastating and delicious A!A piece. and for it to be her first long fic??! the talent is insane

Made for This by @olivedrop - Olive's fic brings me so much joy, not just because Olive herself is an absolute delight, but because her writing is so real and the way she captures the companions feels like it was cut dialogue it's so good

now you want some SMUT? OKAY lets talk - take these and call me in the morning

Think of Me by @scaryanneee is the smut fic of all time for me. i've recced this an unhealthy number of times, probably bordering on it being obsessive

inevitable by @aevallare the smut fic i rec the second most because it's just so easy to place myself in the moment alex writes and as always, i love when the tadpole gets thrown in while folks get nasty

Where were you when I was new? by @kittenintheden - just shut the fuck up and read this and you'll get it. also i'll never stop thinking about how kitten writes dialogue in smut because holy cow

Pent Up by @underdark-dreams - this isn't even Astarion I'm sorry. it's Rolan. i don't even know if i like Rolan. BUT I LOVE THIS FIC. it is so fucking good oh my god.

Careless Whisper by @tallymonster - okay i might be biased because Tally offered to mention Halia here and made her the goddamn prima ballerina, but this is also just So Good and such a fun read. modern AUs don't usually work for me, but this one is that charming

and of course, though i doubt you need my rec to know her by now, anything written by miss @fangswbenefits will make your toes curl. and i mean anything.

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hello, I’m so glad that this blog is coming back from hiatus! I always really enjoy your posts. I was wondering if you have any advice on engaging in a fandom that is mostly smut if you don’t read and write it? Most of the fans in my small fandom hang out in on discord together and mostly write E-rated fic. For various reasons I don’t read and write smut, and I’ve found it really difficult to make friends in the fandom. As a result, people very rarely comment on my fics even though I get lots of views and some kudos - it’s making fandom a bit lonely. On top of this, some of the BNFs have started ganging up in the comments on other people in the fandom over perceived slights in (actually very positive!) comments. I’m thus quite hesitant to even comment on the stuff I can read in case I accidentally offend them. But I do want to make some friends! I just don’t know how to do it. Thank you!

*hugs* that sounds like you've got a lot going on, anon! 💜 Let's start by separating this out into things you can't control versus things you can control.

You can't control:

the types of fics other people decide to write

how other people (Big Name Fans, in this case) will react to your comments

You can control:

whether or not you join, participate in, or leave the discord server

whose fics you comment on and how

how you write and post your own fics

You may be able to encourage:

whether other people decide to comment on your fic or not

Have you already tried the discord server? If not, maybe give it a go. Even if all of the authors solely write e-rated smut, that won't be the only topic of conversation. Plus, there are likely to be readers in there too, if it's open to anyone in the fandom. There will probably be channels related to writing, a channel for spoilers and speculation, a channel for fanart, one for recs, and one for general chitchat. At least, that's been the makeup of fandom servers I've been part of in the past.

As for the BNFs who are getting angry over comments, if you are worried about getting hit by that anger, then you don't have to comment on their fics. But a fandom is made up of many more people than just BNFs. Search out other writers, readers, artists etc. who are in a better frame of mind and comment on their works. Send them tumblr asks. Reblog their posts with tags or additions. A conversation has to start somewhere, and that's the first step towards making friends.

It's true that romantic fics tend to get more readership than gen fics in most fandoms, and getting more readers increases your likelihood of getting comments. However, you don't need to write E-rated smut if you don't want to. I'm someone who writes a lot of smut. However, I'm also someone who loves a good gen fic. I pretty much just want to see more of my favourite characters existing in a world together and whether that leads to shagging or shenanigans is up to the author.

If you want to encourage comments on your works and you're not sure how, I recommend checking out the @longlivefeedback Comment Project. It's a way for authors to make clear to readers what kind of feedback they like and whether or not they'll reply to comments (along with some other suggestions for how to start the conversation with your AN). LLF also has a Comment Builder to help readers who struggle with commenting. You can link that in your author's note as a resource, as well.

How have the rest of you found friends in your fandoms?

[morallyinept]

Writing For Ezra - An Overall Analysis Of Our Favourite Scoundrel’s Articulation.

I often see writers mention in their blog/fics that they’re worried or concerned about writing for Ezra because of his loquacious nature. As a fanfic writer it can be daunting to translate an already loved character into your works, without trying to alter their main personality trait. In this case, it’s Ezra’s way of talking that is his standout mannerism and the reason why so many have a soft spot for him.

So, I got to thinking and put together this, somewhat, deep dive into him and his talkative ways. I hope it proves useful for anyone tackling him for the first time (myself included), or even for the experienced Ezra writers already here, who are already killin' it. 🖤

If this is beneficial to you in any way, please kindly re-blog, and also tag me in any Ezra works you write because of it. I’d love to read your work and feature it on my Ezra fic recs list for others to enjoy too.

⚠️This will contain spoilers for Prospect, so if you haven’t watched it yet, then you might want to save this for later. 

Ezra’s accent is Southern.

Ezra’s accent has been likened to a Texan accent with a side of ham. Ham meaning someone who enjoys performing or behaving in an exaggerated style. Not the pig meat. 🐷 And his accent and voice certainly does have that hamminess about it. Back in the day, approximately around 1882, the term ‘ham-fatter’ was used referring to a poor person who overacted. It was then shortened to just ham. 

It was Pedro Pascal himself who gave this specific accent to Ezra. Although it is not confirmed in the film where exactly Ezra hails from, he is confirmed human. In the Prospect-verse there is no mention of Earth as we know it, but that’s not to say it doesn't exist or isn’t referred to by another name. The closest being Camrea or Lau in terms of similarities of planets with land and water. So there is a good chance that his accent stems as a direct result of his heritage from either Earth itself, or a planet just like it in The Fringe. 

In the deleted scene with Ezra and Cee, Ezra reveals he has a brother. This is the only personal information we get from Ezra - and it was deleted. 

Ezra says in the scene where he encounters Damon for the first time, "me and my partner feel we both deserve... satisfaction." 

If you didn’t know already, the term ‘deserve satisfaction’ stems from the 17th century where duels were mostly single combats fought with swords. But then in the 18th century, the swords were commonly replaced with pistols. You’ve heard of the term ‘pistols at dawn’ right? Well to demand satisfaction means to restore one’s honour by demonstrating a will to risk one’s own life for it. Again, this originates from the Southern states of America, during such times where duels were prevalent.

Damon and Number Two actually have a duel-type shootout, which is how Damon dies (aside from Ezra putting him out of his misery).

So yes, Ezra is, in fact, a Texan space cowboy of sorts. 🤠

Edit: Whilst I can only find one source that states Ezra has a "Texan" accent (and it's a film review article, so not based in fact), many argue that he sounds Louisianan more than Texan. Either way, he's definitely Southern, so you can make your own mind up on where he hails from originally, as it's never actually confirmed. 👇🏻

Source of Article

Yes, Ezra is a rambler, but pay attention to the frequency of his actual rambling. 

It would be easy to overdo it on the flowery language when writing for Ezra.

The fact that Ezra throws in some words that are not commonly used in everyday conversation, doesn't mean that he does it ALL the time. Try not to fall into the habit of writing paragraphs of archaic and wordy language, when sometimes a simple sentence is sufficient for him to get his point across. 

Here are some examples where he speaks with simplicity in the film:

“How poetic.”

“The starter, if you don't mind.”

“Funny, I don’t see any mercs. Where are they?”

“This is so exciting.”

“You friendly with these fellas?”

“You got a field kit?”

“It seems I must.”

“Keep it creamy and it’ll be fine.”

See? Short and snappy sentences.

What’s in a name?

Names are important to Ezra; he uses names as a gentle threat. When he comes across Damon for the first time, he uses his name almost constantly: 

“Nice to meet you, Damon. I'm Ezra.”

“Where’re you from, Damon?” 

“Alright, Damon.” 

“Damon, it has truly been a pleasure, but pleasantries pass, it’s time to get candid…”

“So how did you get here, Damon?”

“The starter, if you don't mind. Where is it? Don't make me root for it, Damon.” 

“But Damon, if there is talk of the Queen’s lair, the excitement is momentary.”

“Damon, I have clearly underestimated you, I must stop doing that.”

“Damon… does this mean that the plan is off? You have me all hot and bothered up over the Queen’s lair, Damon.”

“It's a shame, Damon.” 

Ezra uses Damon’s name 11 times in just the first few minutes of meeting him and his untimely death. A name is important for Ezra to gain the upper hand and to subtly manipulate and appear menacing, more so than he probably is. It’s also done to grab the attention of Damon constantly; to ensure that Damon’s focus is directly on him by mentioning his name continuously.

Later, when Cee won’t give Ezra her name despite him asking for it repeatedly, you can see the frustration this causes within him. Because he has no way of gaining influence over her without it.

He refers to her instead as “little bird, birdie, girl & oi, number 3.”

When he does eventually learn her real name, he uses it only once. 

“Nice to meet you, Cee.”

He doesn’t use it again for the duration of the film as their relationship has evolved into an unspoken, mutual trust. Something he did not have with Damon and therefore used his name repeatedly as a way of asserting dominance over him. 

☝🏻So, if you’re writing Ezra, don’t forget to use names in abundance, like he does. Especially if he doesn’t trust or like them. 

Double Entendres.

Pay close attention to the possible hidden meanings inside Ezra’s words too. This might not be deliberate, but his face when he speaks and says certain things hints at a devilish playfulness about him.

A particular scene that stood out to me is when Ezra and Cee are at the Queen’s lair. 

 Ezra says, “somebody ought to give her a go… That's the price for a dry breach. My chem will calm the brine.” 

Now, if you’ve a dirty mind like me, (😜 ha!) A dry breach could be interpreted as ‘a dry pussy’ and his chem is ‘his semen’ that will calm it, or moisten it up as it were. 😏 I like that he can speak with a double meaning, if you're looking for it, but of course this is subjective.

So, dirty talk from Ezra doesn’t always have to be directly on the nose. 

Some more subtle examples are:

“Hello, sweetheart.” 

“Hold it like you love it.”

“Slippery son of a bitch.” 

His tone also changes when he wants to emphasise a point. When the Saters give him and Cee the juice in their tent, Ezra can sense Cee’s reluctance to drink it. 

He knows it tastes bad, yet urges Cee to drink it, without insulting his hosts who he knows could be dangerous. His face changes; his features become sharper and serious as he says "it's good for you, cleanses the dust."

Only moments before he was smiling and jovial. 👇🏻

Cussing.

Ezra never swears, in the conventional sense, for just the sake of it. I get the impression he would find that kind of language lazy. Cussing/swears are saved purely to express his frustration or fear in the situation.

“Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh Shit. Oh Shit. Oh Shit.” - (Yes, 6 times he says it!) When he loses his arm. - Fear

“Slippery son of a bitch… No, no, no. Ah shit.” - When he's mining the Aurelac husks. - Frustration 

When mining for the Aurelac where he can’t separate the gem from the blister due to his physical impairment of only having one arm, Ezra mumbles a long string of unintelligible words in frustration.

Despite listening to the audio over and over, I can’t fully decipher it, but some words I pulled out were: “cob spitters(?)... can fuck more nuggets(?)... in this sleep for snatch(?)…”

Who knows exactly what he is saying here, (if you know, lemme know) but he rambles quickly and incoherently when he swears; especially when frustrated. 

He likes to fill the silence. 

When walking with Damon, he keeps conversation flowing by questioning Damon about the corporate expeditions, and with Cee, he tells her about the channel rats. He seemingly can’t abide silence.

And this is prevalent when he first meets Damon, he says “I can't tell you how refreshing it is… hoo… to encounter another talker.”

It’s safe to say Ezra likes to talk. If you’ve not already grasped that yet. So make that ramblin' man chatter away.

Ezra's redemption shifts his language too.

Ezra fully admits he is not a good man to Cee. He does this first by blaming the way of life that they are thrust in. 

“Why should I trust you? You stole from us. We did nothing to you.”

“That's The Fringe, girl.”

Later he confirms coldly he is indeed a killer when Cee tells him so. 

“You’re a killer. 

“I am. But are you?”

As time goes on, Ezra realises he is at fault for the death of Cee’s father.

“Well you can't... you can't think like that. If you go down that path. It's not good. If you need someone to blame, you blame me.”

You can see the shift in his language from being blunt and to the point in the beginning, to more accepting and gentler later on. Full character transition.

He also refers to Cee as his partner, rather than his daughter, when he is impersonating Damon to the mercs later on. His choice of words here is interesting.

This indicates he thinks more highly of her than he lets on; that she is equal to him. He soon thinks less of the Aurelac - the sole reason why he is on the moon - and more so of getting off the moon intact with Cee beside him. A complete metamorphosis from when we first meet him, and he's stealing Aurelac from Damon. 

“You are not understanding me.”

 “I say the terms have changed.”

“You’ll find a way if you want that buried treasure.” 

“A ride for me and my partner on your handsome craft, or no deal.”

Actions speak louder than words.

Ezra’s movement is interesting, as too is the violence he engages in - it’s slick.

He slices the Achilles Heel first of the merc at the Queen's lair, thus rendering him unable to fight back or run for assistance from the others before ploughing him face first into the acidic hole.

Despite only having one arm, Ezra’s strength is still pretty impressive. He’s quick, experienced and brutal. And not opposed to fighting dirty to ensure his survival. 

Ezra also has excellent aim with the thrower; he kills another merc with only one shot, and in the dark too. That’s pretty kick-ass when you think about it. 

Describing not only his language, but also the way Ezra moves in your writing, will really make him leap off the page when you write him. Be that in an action sequence, or completely fucking you up between the sheets. 🫠

A man of few words in the end.

Ezra’s last words are for Cee:

“You grab the gun and you go. You can make it. Get outta here.” 

He’s fully aware of his impending fate at this point and has accepted it. He doesn’t say anything else, not even when she comes back for him, suggesting their bond now doesn’t need a spoken word to cement it. It’s transcended verbal communication. 

Even when in the safe confines of the pod ascending up to the sling back, Ezra doesn’t say anything, even though you can see he is awake. 

☝🏻In the end, words are not always needed. Sometimes it's the things he doesn't say that has the most impact.

So there we have it, Prospectors. I hope this was helpful and insightful to you about writing for Ezra and how he talks.

He is my favourite Pedro Boy, and despite feeling that I know him pretty well as a character, the thought of writing him still brings me out in a cold sweat to some degree… 😬 So I can understand if you feel daunted by it too. 

There are so many wonderful works already out there that are written fantastically and really captures the essence and the personality of Ezra. And if you’re thinking about writing for Ezra for the first time, please don’t be put off by it - he’s such a great character who can be thrust into so many different scenarios, and of course, you can also mould him to be your own creation. 

That’s the great thing with fanfic and head canon - there are no rules. We all interpret characters differently. And that’s what makes reading about them so fun. 

If you haven’t seen Prospect yet, I highly recommend it. Check out the Ezra deleted scene here too.

Also check out my Ezra specific fic rec list for further enjoyment of this dashing rogue from other writer’s points of view. 

Ezra Thesaurus:

Loquacious. Flowery. Tincture. Drawl. Husk. Gravel. Gabble. Wordy. Babbling. Long-winded. Effusive. Droning. Garrulous. Gibberish. Multiloquous. Yakking. Muttering. Mumbling. Voluble. Cadence. Trib. Rambling. Glib. Clucking. Gregarious. Windy. Verbose. Prolix. Articulate. Fluent. Mouthy. Vocal. Opinionated. Drole. Gassy. Eloquent. Stylised. Chatterer. Logorrhoea. Word Vomit. Incessant. Spit-balling. Bleating. Clacking. Blabbermouth. Windbag. Motormouth. Harping On. Overzealous. Enthused. Mirthed. Crude. All Around The Houses. Effulgent. Airy-Fairy. Prattling. Harpsichord. Waxing Lyrical. Recounting. Din. Tone. Note. Music.

🖤

GIFS used by @uuuhshiny @perotovar @nicolethered @iamasaddie @pedgito 🖤

[jadenoryuu]

DP x ? Crossover Prompt

A though came to me when I re-read the tags on "Robin's Egg" by Calix/@arzuera (which I can't rec fast enough):

What if, given their liminality due to exposure to ectoplasm, the Fentons, Sam and Tucker have a proto-core?

What if, due to any accident of your choice (be the Nasty Burger explosion, the GiW getting shoot-y or a ghost attack), they get killed?

And what if, before their bodies die, Danny manages to snag their proto-cores and stuff them in a Thermos or within himself, to keep them from the possibility of fading after death?

After fleeing from Amity because of plot reasons (usually Vlad, but you could choose whatever), Danny now has two three possible options:

Help them stabilize as full ghosts. Angsty and full of feels, but that's a given due to the situation. (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

Try to clone their human bodies and shove the proto-core (or full core if they had time to mature) inside of them before they could develop a soul of their own and so become halfas. [That's a personal headcanon of mine: "normal" clones can't be perfect replicas of the templates, because the soul (or the Core in an halfa's case) is impossible to copy. In this case the clones are more body-suits than ex-novo beings.]

Oh, I almost forgot! Robot body instead of a flesh one! Would they be considered the first generation of sentient machines or just ghosts possessing technology (a-la Technus/Skulker)?

Now, to add in more feels, there are two possibilities that could happen when Danny's still on the run:

Danny is "alone", because the proto-cores are in coma, so he has no one to bring him out of his spirals. (Bonus points if they have some moments of lucidity where they are too confused by what's going on, before going under again, to understand anything Danny's saying.)

They are conscious and, while Danny has someone to talk to, in the meanwhile they also feel his agony, regret and desperation to do something to fix things.

This idea is free for everyone, but I'd like to be tagged if anyone uses it! (I want to see what you come up with!!)

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

Aren't you tired of forced romances with no chemistry that only take away from the actually interesting plot? Don't you just want media where romance isn't portrayed as being superior and more important than (queer)platonic relationships?

Well, my exhausted aro ass is too, so here are a few tricks and wisdoms I've gathered over my years of being a-spec (which is all of them) on how to avoid romance (in media) in a very allonormative society 💚🤍🩶🖤

(this is a rec list btw. no I am not shitting on the shows that I tagged, quite the opposite)

1. Middle Grade

I get if you aren't really into that, because it is kind of annoying to be pointed to literal children's literature when all you want is a story that isn't constantly being interrupted by describing the main guy's heated eyes for the twentieth time.

However.

It is true that in middle grade, friendship is always more important than romance. Because, let's face it. Making two eleven year old characters kiss is kinda weird. So even if there is a romance, it isn't very prominent and treated more like friendship and/or a puppy crush. Plus some stories get surprisingly dark?!?!

Examples

- Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), technically a romance in the end, but mostly focused on found family, shenanigans, and finding your own value

- House of Many Ways (DWJ). Yes, again. I really like her books okay? They always have something so fantastical and whimsical about them. This is my other favorite book by her and it has literally no romance at all. Plus a hmc cameo that is so fun !!

- Coraline (Neil Gaiman). Maybe this is cheating because I never actually read it. However. a) the movie traumatized me. b) Wybie was added to the movie, he doesn't exist in the book, so if "power of friendship" isn't your thing this will be great. Probably vibes over plot.

Flyte (Angie Sage). Technically this is the second book, but I never read the first one and still understood everything. Once again, no romance at all. A fun read, which can get surprisingly dark at times.

2. Short Story Collections

Once again, I get it if it isn't your thing. Short stories are - as the name reveals - short. Which means: no worldbuilding, very limited narrator, open ending, no time to really get attached to characters, etc.

But.

The cool thing about collections, is that they always have a certain theme. And as long as the theme is not romance, romance will not be the focus. Even if there is a romantic relationship, it will be used to explore this theme since there simply isn't time for anything else.

Examples:

Life Ceremony (Sayaka Murata) This is the book that actually made me figure out: hey! I do actually like short stories !! The main theme is basically about being different and it plays a lot with body horror and the perception of your own body in contrast with how society sees it. There is even a story about two women who platonically live together and raised multiple children!

Canterbury Classics: Classic Tales of Horror (introduction by Ernest Hilbert). As the name suggests, this is a collection of horror short stories, featuring well-known authors such as Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe or Charlotte Perkins Gilman. As these are classic old tales, the language is a bit complicated at times and you can read them for free on Gutenberg. However, the book is very very pretty and the introduction is very interesting (Origins of the genre, specific tropes and monsters, etc.)

3. Podcasts

PODCASTS!!! If you follow me, you are probably already aware of those. However, in case you don't, let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Audiodramas.

The cool thing about Podcasts is that pretty much anyone can do it. All you need is an idea, a mic, a lot of motivation, and you're pretty much set to go. No producers or publishers you need to get approval from. So it is only natural that this medium is filled to the brim with queer creators. Basically every character is somewhat queer. It's awesome.

Examples:

- The Silt Verses. I adore TSV. I listened to the first season like, four times. (the second one is good too but OH MY GOD THE FIRST ONE). And one of the main characters is canonically and explicitly aro!! Sister Carpenter, I love you with my whole being. And the great thing is, it is very clear that the writers love her, too!! There is a lot (like a LOT) of body horror so it isn't for everybody. But if you think you can handle it I really recommend it. (Plus, not any romance plotlines at all !!)

- Wolf 359. This is one of the older ones and it is really good. It's a bunch of restless and very unwell people stuck in a spaceship under the unforgiving rule of capitalism. However bad you imagine it, I can assure you it is worse. But the really cool thing is that there literally isn't any romance at all. Like, there are great m/f friendships but they never even hint towards a romance. Some people are so unused to that that they literally ship the main dude with the fucking robot AI. (don't worry, not an actual romance plot).

- Girl in space. I am sure you will be absolutely shook to know that this one also takes place in space. It is about a girl. In space. Shocking, I know. Except that she has been on her own for well over a year when suddenly a fleet of strange ships arrive and kidnap her. There is also a very asshole-y robot. And questions about what makes us human. And found family!! And a goat. And cheese. Just go listen to it okay. This is also one of the shortest ones of the list, so maybe a good start.

- Malevolent. I have to confess that I personally am not a huge fan of this one? Like the premise is really cool - a detective who wakes up blind and with a demon in his head who can see through the detectives eyes. What the fuck?, you may ask yourself. So does Arthur Lester. Mysteries and other dimensions and a whole lot of pain ensues. Harlan is undeniably an awesome VA and a great writer, but his stories just seem a bit too repetitive to me? Nonetheless I know of lots of people who enjoy it a lot. Trying to define the relationship between Arthur and John (his demon) is perhaps the biggest mystery of them all. (Jk. there are multiple murders and stuff. they've really got other priorities)

- Middle:Below. This is another short one and probably the least famous of this list? It's about this funky lil dude with a ghost roommate and a cat who can talk (.....or can it?). There is a m/f friendship but it never turns into a romance (wow it is possible!!). They all go on adventures on the dimension between life and death. Despite the description, this is literally just a comedy. A bit spooky at best. Reminds me a bit of scarier kids cartoons like gravity falls.

4. "Gay" movies/series in countries with homophobic censorship

Now you may think, "hey that seems like a bit of an asshole move!". And you would be 100% correct in thinking that.

However.

It does also mean that the main relationship of the story can never be explicitly romantic. They can allude to it, they can try to show it. But they can never confirm. So it is very easy to interpret them as having a QPR. (because tbh I don't think I've ever seen one on television.)

Examples:

The Untamed. Look. I am aware that the first episode is so fucking atrocious, all right? And no, the CGI does in fact never get better. And sometimes the translated subtitles are a bit awkward. But I swear that it is so good. Trust me on this one, okay? Just make it through the first ep. It's a wild ride. Lan Zhan I love you. (However the book it is based on (written by a woman) depicts them being in an explicitly romantic relationship, with lots of very inaccurate and badly researched smut, so the fandom pretty much sees them as exclusively romantic.)

- Word of Honor. Very much in the same vein as The Untamed. Except that the first episode is less horrible. And the one dude has a very fruity fan. And they also raise a kid together. And the costumes of the villains are really fun!! I actually never finished this one tbh. I know that the book it is based on has one very extremely terrible ableist plot point, but I don't know if that made it into the show since I never got that far

The Devil Judge. The last two were fantasy, this one is a dystopia. Very tense and interesting. There is a romantic subplot (typical childhood friend vs bad boy love triangle), but he rejects the childhood friend and they can't exactly show him and the "bad boy" (who is actually a judge. and also kinda his sugar daddy) as explicitly romantic for the reason above. They also live in the same house and cook together and take care of a child together. Can totally recommend.

Assassination Classroom. A bunch of students have to kill their teacher who is an alien. that's literally the plot. I cried so hard at the finale. Nagisa and Karma have MASSIVE vibes and you can't convince me otherwise. (There is a romantic subplot that does end in a kiss, but they agree to continue as friends since those were..... extenuating circumstances. The dude very clearly is not into her). Nagisa also very aro-spec coded imo.

5. "Straightbaiting" Anime

Sometimes Anime does this thing (which I personally find very hilarious) where a boy and a girl will have no other romantic involvements or love interests while growing closer and closer, but never get together. A bit like reverse queerbaiting.

Examples:

- Fairy Tail. The ultimate power is friendship anime. That is all you need to know. (I should also perhaps warn you that the end of the last arc (and the sequel series, but we don't talk about that) are huge letdowns. Like the buildup? So good. But....welp. If that doesn't bother you too much and the idea to have a group of people be the main character instead of one person only, this may be the series for you. Just do yourself a favor and skip all the filler arcs

Soul Eater. I really love the vibes of this one. Once again, most of the fandom likes depicting them as explicitly romantic, but they never canonically are. It also reminds me a bit of creepy children cartoons. It is also where the superior fictional school exists, Devon. Frankenstein teaches there (the dude, not the monster). People transform into badass weapons. Nobody can convince me that Make Albarn is not a trans woman. However the ending deviates a bit from the manga, and I personally think the anime one is a bit worse

Noragami. This one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first anime I really watched. This one also has people who transform into weapons, but the vibes are very different. It goes a bit more into Japanese folklore in case that interests you.

Bonus: Canonically Aro/Heavily Aro-Coded Characters

They were not anywhere above because the stories they are in didn't really fit any of the categories. But they exist!

Wolf (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts). I adore Wolf. There is also barely any romance. Like, it will seem like it at first, but don't worry, it's only straightbaiting. There is a romance subplot but it's very brief and very much in the background. Overall very good aro show 👍

Isaac (Heartstopper) Very queer show, very high likelihood that you already know of it. The series per se is very romance focused, but as far as I've heard the a-spec rep in S2 is really good

Georgia (Loveless). Actually never read it. But, well. Title pretty self-explanatory dare I say. By the same author as Heartstopper (Alice Oseman)

Chance/Chris and Shadow/Ryan (woe.begone) Are explicitly in a QPR together !! they are also probably the healthiest couple in the podcast lol

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein). Henry is the "a couple of besties!!" to Victor's "we look like a couple <3"

Barbie (Barbie 2023) If you've seen it you know what I mean.

Jo Marsh (Little Women). I never read the book, but Jo in the 2019 movie??? very sus.

I would also recommend checking out Japanese books! I personally think they are much better at writing romance than the western people lol. It's more about knowing each other and sharing your views of the world, thus changing each other and leaving a mark forever, even if the relationship ends. (studio ghibli romance vibes). My favorite Japanese book doesn't have an English translation :(

aber an alle Deutsch-Sprecher*innen: Die Katzen von Shinjuku (Durian Sukegawa) -> og title: Shinjuku no Neko

Can't think of anything else right now, but please leave some of your own recommendations! Hope this helps ^^

[devouringbodies]

Hiiii I was wondering if you have a fic rec list 👉🏻👈🏻

Omg hi!!! I just went through my bookmarks and found some of my favorites!! Literally I had the hardest time narrowing down, I've got so many I love, also some I can't remember the Exact plot of that I'm sure I absolutely love and have just forgotten. So I definitely have more up my sleeve if anyone wants more. Head the tags for some of these.

The Enticement of Suffering by jonnimir - latest fic I just read, gory and sexy wound fucking coda to dolce. if you're into that it's SO GOOD

Not Quite Charity by @stranded-labyrinth - au first meeting between Will and Hannibal, hannibal leaves his car in a run down area of Baltimore and will, who's homeless, heckles him about it and Hannibal decides to pay him to watch it for him. I love this will sm!! It's a really interesting look at their dynamic, and is super in character and just a fun au study!!

Perda de memória by bleakmidwinter - amnesia!hannibal post fall fic. I'm actually a sucker for amnesia aus and love the angst in this. It adds an element to Will's struggle and decision making that makes his mindset post fall all the more interesting. And I love how much hannibal is still hannibal despite not remembering hardly anything.

Everything casts a shadow by @ghostforwhat - i looooove season 2 Will killing more people. I can't ever get enough of it. It's written so well and believably here, and the way it changes the course of the season is super fascinating. Currently a wip.

Wolf and I by t_pock - so so sooo fucking good. One of my favorites. It also has a Podfic as well and I love Podfics soo much and relisten to it often. Season 1 au that has more elements of horror, creepiness, symbolism and hands down the best, hottest, wildest forest chase sequence I've ever read. This fic feels more like a folk or fairy tale it's so good, especially paired with the beautiful art the podficer made, as well as the music they paired with the Podfic. Can't recommend this one enough.

A night off the record by barcharonte - season 1 au again, where on the way to Minnesota hannibal and will get snowed in and have to take shelter somewhere. Will is still losing time and hallucinating. Hannibal still tries to take advantage of course. Fun times to be had.

Between ease and foresight by devotional_doldrums - season 1 au (can you tell I like these? Lol) where wills and Hannibal's metaphorical conversations get a little too on the nose and Will finds out. SUPER good hannibal pov, I want to eat parts of this fic the writing is so good, and the author's notes are hilarious.

Sings to me nightly, sings to me brightly by serindrana - psychic connection phone sex what more could you want!!

The joy of creation by fkahersweetness - super dark mute!will post fall. I wouldn't say I think this is Actually how a post fall dynamic would be but in the universe of this fic it's so so sooo amazing. I love the surreality and implied shared visions/psychosis connection that will and Hannibal have here. Also the ending layed me tf out for days.

Radon and its daughters by @chaparral-crown - best most believable and realistic abo au ever. Nuff said.

Speaking of abo the one where Will smells like blood to hannibal, so good. I'll probably survive this by saintsavage

Pochée by ellopoppet - season 1 au! Also with a Podfic, Will's away on a case but is still getting closer to hannibal through texts and calls.

Mon chéri by sandyquinn - cracky Addams family au esque one shot. Just super cute and silly. I'm picky about my cute and silly but the Addams family morbidity fits comedy hannigram to a T.

Never let it starve by northern - another Will finds out in season 1, I truly can't get enough of these. Also bonus bug boy will!!!

Let the river rush in by several - Explores an actual psychic connection between the boys, again I'm a huge fan of this trope.

Hyacinth house by bluesyturtle - MY BELOVED!!!! One of my top top faves, season 1 au, cool cases, great relationship dynamic between the boys, and im obsessed with how this fic portrays Will's empathy and how it plays with his gender a bit. Love the story, love the ending. Also with Podfic!

Pattern break by thisbeautifuldrowning - dark Will au season 2 where he doesn't plot with Jack or go back to the fbi and deals with Hannibal himself. LOVE how this one plays out.

Bloodline by xzombiezkittenx - VAMPIRE AU MY LOVEEEEE this fic is an utter joy if you like vamp aus. The world building is great.

A consequence of consumption by ironlotus - straight up hands down my favorite fic in the fandom I think. It's still a wip, but it's one of the best characterizations, writing, plot, and just perfect outstanding everything I've seen in this fandom. It's an au where before all the events of season 1, Will is kidnapped by Eldon stamments and is kept alive and rescued eventually. It's peak "Will's milkshake brings all the serial killers to the yard" trope and the way everything is woven together, the storylines and character motivations, is just crazy good. Also one of my most favorite hannibal pov and characterizations out there.

Ok that was still a lot, I'm sorry if I missed tagging anyone, and hopefully the links all work!

[librarycards]

hello everyone, and welcome to the final installment of my quarterly favorite books of 2023! this fall has been interesting in terms of reading: my attempt to balance the sheer, necessary pain of keeping up with current events with a desire to continue enjoying transportive fiction, especially as I make my final rounds of edits to my forthcoming novel. it's been me exploring the influence both of thematic and random texts on my dissertation-in-progress. this has resulted in a somewhat unusual final quarter for me: of the above texts, only two are fiction. no straight-up poetry made the cut, either. a weird (but wonderful) round-up for a weird time in my life and history, I guess.

as you likely have time off school or work this month and into the new year, consider picking up a book or five to carry you into 2024. you can view my other recommendations for this year here: 1 / 2 / 3. I very specifically recommend Atef Abu Saif's The Drone Eats With Me of my list this year, given the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

if you like these lists, check out my substack, where i write a free monthly list of media recs, as well as my book rec tag (linked above). and with that, here are my top nine books between Sept. and Dec. 2023!

Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Pidginization as Curatorial Method: Messing with Languages and Praxes of Curating

Atef Abu Saif, The Drone Eats With Me: A Gaza Diary

Mairead Case, Tiny

Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun

Stephen Kuusisto, Planet of the Blind

Lynda Barry, Syllabus

Lamya H., Hijab Butch Blues

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas

Micha Frazer-Carroll, Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health

tagging people below to share their faves. No pressure, and if you're not tagged and want tot share yours, please!! tag me in your posts, mutuals or not. I love reading them.

@heavenlyyshecomes @sawasawako @capricornpropaganda @stephen-deadalus @discworldwitches @sadhoc @materialisnt @punkkwix @tirragen @xxxjarchiexxx @passerea @metamatar @myalgias @felgueirosa @secretcircuit @aldieb @bioethicists @trans-axolotl @oddmerit @boykeats @artuhmes @oatsmilk @feypact @campgender @fatehbaz @handweavers @abstractlesbian @closet-keys @querxus @pf2e @probablymoons @osmanthusoolong @ghostzvne @poipolycule; my beloved @gwenderqueer AND anyone else who wants to!!!

[mxlfoydraco]

hi hi! i saw your drarry recs and i love a lot of them! if you dont mind, can you recommend some of your fav drarry angst fanfictions with good endings? something emotional because im in a mood for that hahah. i went through the angst tagged ones and most of them aren't.. heart wrenching enough..? thank you in advance btw ^^

I have a Angst with a Happy Ending list, I'll add more here!

Close Behind by @oflights (134k)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back.

you’ve got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass (20k)

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want.

The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things by @writcraft (63k)

Harry has terrific friends, an amazing girlfriend and his job as Head Auror enables him to work on challenging cases and Ministry reform. He just wishes he could work out why he’s been so out of sorts. When Draco Malfoy is arrested for gross indecency, Harry’s comfortable life begins to unravel. He’s forced to decide if it’s worth risking everything for love in a world where following his heart is a criminal offence.

Nor All That Glisters by @sweet-s0rr0w (110k)

Lonely and frustrated on house arrest, with no prospects for the future, Draco begins brewing Felix Felicis in an attempt to improve his lot. Just in the short term, of course. He isn’t a total idiot.

But before long he finds himself with a thriving business, a nice flat, some actual (albeit irritatingly Gryffindor) friends, and a very satisfying sex life. What’s more, no-one is hexing him in the street. And Harry Potter is single, and gorgeous, and giving Draco decidedly interested looks.

Stop taking the Felix? You must be joking…

If Memory Serves by @dictacontrion (30k)

Maybe Draco wants to forget. Maybe it’s wrong to make him remember.

The Stars Have Courage by @fantalfart (85k)

Draco waited five long years to watch his husband wake up from a coma. He’s not ready to meet a Harry with no memory of anything that happened after he died at The Battle of Hogwarts, twelve years ago.

Telling the Bees by @cibeewastaken (31k)

Scorpius’ body was found in Hogwarts one early morning.

It'll Come Back by @vukovich (15k)

Draco Malfoy wakes up in the Thickey ward not remembering anything except that the Auror in front of him is his husband. But he's not. A tale of owning up to who you used to be.

Everything That Happens is From Now On by @thusspoketrish (42k)

After surviving a brutal assault, Draco tries to navigate the tumultuous waters of his mind and embrace a bit of love and trust in his life. After all, the smallest steps forward can begin to heal the most fractured of souls.

Us, in Lieu by @tepre (29k)

Teddy needs help and Harry needs funding. Draco sits in the other room and plays the piano.

you, a violent desire by @alpha-exodus (47k)

The Amortentia was an accident—but only the first time.

He Comes Like a Thunderstorm by @korlaena (140k)

Draco is doing his best to balance the life he wants to live and the life he’s forced to live. He’s nearing the tail-end of a long, post-war probation when Harry Potter crashes back into his life with all the grace of a charging Erumpent, breaking through his carefully constructed rules and routine. Caught up in a whirlwind of sex and lust, Potter unwittingly shows Draco that his life as an Incubus doesn’t have to be as lonely and unfulfilling as he thought, but how long can it last?

An Emerald In The Sky by @corvuscrowned (6k)

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone. Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles.

Nobody's Ever Died Of A Broken Heart by Frayach (10k)

Harry staggers under a burden of grief, trying both to remember and to forget

There are only two good facts about Harry and Draco's disastrous marriage: it had been relatively short, and they had managed to produce a very lovely child. However, if they don't work together, they just might lose him.

Palace of Eternity by @gracerene (27k)

It had been twelve years, five months, and six days since the last time Harry had laid eyes upon Draco.

Loverboys by @corvuscrowned (84k)

As post-war violence and tensions rise, it seems as if there’s no hope to unify the wizarding world. Except, maybe, a manufactured relationship between resident Saviour Harry Potter and known purveyor of the Dark Arts Draco Malfoy. (The fact that they detest each other is beside the point.) But as Draco’s unrelenting mind games begin to wear him down, Harry has to remind himself that it’s all fake. The relationship is fake. The affection is fake. The pet names, the romance — even the engagement photos are fake. But there’s something in Draco’s kiss that might just be real.

Black Holes and Revelations by @femmequixotic (38k)

What was meant to be an unexpected one-off in the loo of a Camden bar turns into something rather different, much to Harry and Draco's surprise.

Tell Me a Secret by alexmeg (86k)

In which the bond is rooted in their emotions, everything goes even more wrong, and Harry is certain that he and Draco could never feel what the curse wants them to feel for each other. Until Harry does.

Now My Neck Is Open Wide (begging for a fist around it) by LadySlytherin (75k)

Six months post-war, Harry meets Grayson Wenke, a famousv Quidditch player. Harry believes he's found the love of his life, and a Happily Ever After ending suitable for the storybooks. When Grayson slowly goes from Prince Charming to a monster behind closed doors, Harry finds himself trapped, and alone, and fearing for his life. When Harry realizes he's pregnant, the opportunity for escape - and a real Happily Ever After - presents itself as none other than Draco Malfoy. The only question is if Harry is brave enough to take a chance, and strong enough to heal.

The Crane Lord of Gringotts by @vukovich (31k)

Harry is fine. Being an Auror is fine. Living with Ginny is fine. It's all fine. But it used to be a lot better.

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by @vukovich (49k)

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead. But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame? Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less. Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy. God save the Ministry.

In His Nature by create_serenity (20k)

Harry agreed to have sex with Draco once a month in order to keep him alive, what he didn’t agree to was Draco popping up all over the place and disrupting his life in more ways than one.

Blood and Fire by @lqtraintracks (44k)

Harry has spent the last twelve years in Romania, not returning to England as often as he knows he should. It's complicated. But when Ginny asks him to be her best man and help her plan her wedding, he can't say no. Having a reckoning with his choices, with himself, won't be easy. To say nothing of seeing Draco again.

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl (69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic.

Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Consequences of Redemption by bobbirose (120k)

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco--and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated.

Both Hands by @sweet-s0rr0w (10k)

It’s been over a decade since Draco packed up his belongings and left, and Harry’s doing just fine. Really, he is. So when he spots the For Sale sign outside their old flat, he doesn’t think twice about arranging a viewing. Curiosity is only natural, right? And what harm can come from a quick trip down memory lane?

[steddieficfind]

I was wondering if Andrew and Natalee have any fic rec lists? tysm

While I wanted to stick to strictly fic finding on this blog, it seems like people are interested in what we're reading! So we're gonna do a little mini rec list and maybe some more in the future! You can also check out the #rec event tag for more!

Andrew

You Don't Know This Guy by Anonymous - I'm a sucker for future fics with Tommy Hagan and Steve Harrington meeting again. I also love outside POV fics. This one is under appreciated for SURE.

Tell Yourself You Still Live Here by shanparkervarietyhour - angsty future fic where Steddie finally gets together in the 90s.

Apple Tarts and Tattoo Hearts by trekkiepirate - Another really creative and under appreciated outsider POV!

in lieu of flowers by dannytorrance - ow. I love it so much but OW!!! fics delving into Steve's family always get me man.

i thought good guys get to be happy by DrewWrites - okay this one is mine. This is a shameless plug, but it's probably one of the best things I've written.

natalee

i’ve been working on a big reclist that i hope to post on my personal account soon so i’ll let y’all know when that happens :) for now here’s a few of my favorites!

Pity the Freak by emmy_award — this is my all-time favorite steddie fic and i don’t see anything topping it anytime soon so it probably will be forever. i’m always so surprised i never see anyone else talking about it! i came out of this one Changed. i maxed out the text field with my comment which i didn’t think was realistically even possible. this is a must-read and if me saying this convinces even just one person to read this fic then i’ve won

kissing the beehive by slowmoon — one of my best friends, tiff, wrote this in the summer and fall of 2022. they’re one of the most talented writers i know — it was a huge privilege to work on this with them and i had a really fun time editing it. if you like vampire!eddie this one is right up your alley :-)

keep with me forward by shortcrust — this has been a favorite for a long time — it’s simple and sweet and incredibly well-written. a few of the lines were so moving that i still think about them regularly. beautiful!

Calamity’s Child by glorious_spoon — something i value probably more than anything else in a fic is good jokes and this one’s chock full of ‘em. this is like tears in your eyes level funny. i think about “okay, nancy reagan” basically every single day. i too am a massive fan of outsider POVs and this one captures dustin’s voice perfectly

Three Days on the Red Planet by CaptainHoney — as a lover of the sci-fi genre i’ll read any sci-fi au you throw at me. in this case i am throwing this one at y’all. the concept and the setting for this fic are super interesting and well-executed and i could have read hundreds of thousands of words of this. delicious

He Knows Only Two Stories by teddywesworl — you know those fics where eddie is just like…slightly off? like there’s something weird about him. (think Looks like we’re in for nasty weather by prufrocks or Heal Your Shrinking Soul by how_about_no, or maybe even The Train Fic by novemberthorne) this is one of those and it’s soooo good. i only recently realized i’m very much drawn to There’s Something Wrong With Eddie as a genre but this is the best of ‘em, i’d say. and obviously you can never go wrong with farmer!steve. i’ve never read a fic i didn’t love from this author and this one is no exception!

let us know if you’d like to see more of this sort of thing from us in the future, and happy reading!

[ficfinder-general]

I'm new to Codywan. Doyou have a list of Must Reads or Fandom Classics or anything like that? (Bonus points for longfic!)

Funnily enough, I'm not sure I'm an expert on Fandom Classics, but I do think that the long Clone Wars rewrites/fix-its are a perfect way to start! (And then you can move on to shorter fics and crazy AUs haha) So these are all longer, and can be fit into TCW continuity, even if they diverge at some point because the writers can't help themselves and will fix canon (as they should).

{recs under the cut, please mind the tags listed on ao3}

in our hearts some ancient song by whimsicalimages (@keensers)- Fives discovers the chips, he's on the run and gambles his life on the assumption that there's something going on between Cody and his general, so they would help him. Some amazing lore in this fic. 40k words

Golden Shield of Brightness by NerJetii (@nerjetii)- Soulmate AU, your soulmates' (romantic and platonic) names are written on your wrists. "Only" 15k, but I would recommend it even if you're not a fan of soulmate AUs (=they don't fall into each other's arms just because they're soulmates). Focuses on Obi-Wan, mostly, but we also learn a bit about how the Kaminoans treated the clones.

I am teaching myself how to be free by tattooedgreenhouse (@gershwyndl) - this might be THE Clone Wars rewrite for me because the author has taken upon themselves to literally retell the whole series from Cody's AND Obi-Wan's POV. It's ambitious, I'm pretty sure it's technically canon compliant, but we do get our happy ending. Appropriately, it's 113k long.

i'll orbit your flickering star by sunskippa (@sunskippa) - Also a Clone Wars rewrite (by this I mean that it goes through the events of the series from Cody's POV), also canon compliant, 78k words. Might be my favourite ending in the genre, beautiful. I don't even know how to sell this, but it's a must-read imo

|to failure sweet victor| by littlekaracan (@cillyscribbles)- 20k words. In case you've read all those rewrites and you just want to skip to the part where Cody leaves the Empire and they find each other again on Tatooine *with a twist*

you read my mind, I'll read yours series by sospes - This is very much canon divergent. Starts off as a mission fic, Cody and Obi-Wan discover an artefact that creates a Force-bond between them. Misunderstandings ensue. Look at the tags/ratings, some of the works later on are spicier/angstier. But you could also read the first one and call it a day if those aren't your jam. (The whole thing is 166k long at the moment.)

will you be an anarchist with me? by a_alene (@birdiedoessw) - an outsider POV (Rex's) on Cody's and Obi-Wan's relationship. With the extra twist that they can't stand each other at the beginning of the war. This is something I would've loved to read when I was getting into codywan, it's a great way to start. (25k words)

shoulder the sky series by Night Fury (@shootingstarpilot) - Last but not least, an ongoing series (all but two works are finished, more than 200k words atm). You'll have to "get through" the first work to read the more codywan-focused fics (and I don't mean this in a bad way because the story is a m a z i n g. Just so you know.) To be honest, I think it might be a bit confusing to read at the moment because as far as I can see a work was removed from the series, but it's still up? I'm not sure what happened there, but I suppose you could simply read all the author's works in chronological order :D This series is pretty much Obi-Wan AND clone troopers focused and relies a lot on the Jedi Apprentice series (which isn't canon anymore) but you're gonna be fine if you haven't read it.

(If anyone reads this, please feel free to add your own suggestions!)

[epicbuddieficrecs]

You should change the name of the blog if you're are gonna rec Buck/Tommy fics don't you think? Also why in the world would youbl

Oh wow, baby's first anon hater!

I've been pondering how to answer for a little while, because on one hand, do I really want to take the time and energy to answer such an idiotic message? But on the other hand, you've given me a great excuse to set some things straight so thank you for allowing me to make an example out of you.

This is my blog. I can blog about whatever the fuck I want. I do try to be diligent abut tagging Bucktommy content specifically so people can avoid it if they want to. I identify the Bucktommy fics in my fic recs, I tag the Bucktommy content. If you don't like Bucktommy, tumblr has great muting and blacklisting features, so use them. You can also just unfollow if you're not happy about what I blog. Didn't you think of that before coming into my ask box to bother me about this?

I do not have to justify the way I run my blog to anyone, but your suggestion that I should change the name of my blog JUST because I've recced SOME Bucktommy is ridiculous to me. If I really wanted to be petty about it, I would count the number of bucktommy fics VS buddie fics in my recs just so I could shove it in your face that it's such a fucking small number, I don't even understand how you're bothered about it.

And if I was a die hard "OTP Bucktommy endgame" stan, then yeah, I might make a separate blog about it, but anyone with more than two brain cells who spends any amount of time on my blog can clearly see that it's not the case for me.

I'm kinda glad that you managed to mistakenly (I presume) hit send before finishing your sentence because the first one already didn't make you look so good, I can only imagine how much worse the second one would have been.

So let this be a warning to all of my followers: I'm not anti Bucktommy. There will be Bucktommy content here!!! I'm pretty neutral-to-positive about Bucktommy, which means that I will rec the few Bucktommy fics that I read. I will reblog Bucktommy gifsets. Deal with it or show yourself out.

[thehighfiveproject]

Friends, time to get your high fives out of the crisper drawer.

Here's your card for this edition of the bingo. Remember, zero need to sign up, but if you want to share it with us so we can reblog and share the love, make sure to @ us by Monday, May 1.

Remember this, too: you don't have to complete the card! Any number of these things you can do will be a great high-five to whatever creator you want to shout-out or encourage. Just make sure you provide a link to whatever you're high-fiving about. (Except for 'message a creator', although if you want to brag about the cool person you messaged feel free to link to their work!)

Below the cut you'll find the usual list of definitions for each square in case you need any help or ideas, along with a black & white version of the card if you want to get creative and make it your own.

Here’s the way we’re defining the activities associated with each card. If any of this is confusing after you read it over, send us a message and we’ll help!

- ‘leave kudos on a fic’

This is the easiest one! Just go out and find a fic you like and leave a kudos on it, if you haven’t already. It’s a small gesture but it makes an author know that someone actually read their story!

- ‘reblog/retweet an art post’

Find any art post you like and share it! Here’s the catch: you need to interact with it a little. When you reblog/retweet, please tell the creator what you thought about the piece – you can add some tags, or reply to the post, or quote-retweet or add a comment, or anything! A simple “I love this!” is nice but some details are even better (“your linework is so good!” or “that shade of blue is perfect”). One thing to think about: a lot of art on Tumblr is reposted (like when a user posts another artist’s work from Pixiv, say), so it’s nice if you make an effort to interact with posts that are actually from the creator if you can. That way the artist will see your comment!

- ‘reblog/retweet a fic post’

Same as the above, but for fic! Again, tags/replies/comments are needed, preferably with a little detail. You don’t need to be super eloquent or leave a detailed review (although if you have time/energy, that would be appreciated!); a tag as simple as “that was really cute” or “great characterization!” will do. Like with the art posts, it’s nice if you reblog directly from the writer (if you can) – some fics are posted by AO3 feed bots and the like, so the author may not even know a reblog has happened.

- ‘reblog/retweet an edit’

Same as the above, but for edits! Edits can include a gif set, or a set of screencaps, or even a fanvid. And, again, some simple tags/replies are needed. “I love that song choice!” for a vid or “great coloring!” on a gifset can let people know their work is being appreciated.

- ‘comment on a fic’

Find a fic, on any fic-hosting site you like, and leave a comment. That’s it! Again, no need to leave a novel-length comment (unless you’re inspired!) – a sentence or two is all we’re asking for this square to be considered complete. This is a great opportunity to let a writer know how their piece made you feel, or what section you particularly liked.

- ‘message a creator’

‘Creator’ here can mean anyone who makes *anything* to do with fandom: art, edits, fic, meta, knitted sweaters with character faces on them – if they’ve made anything, they’re a creator, and now’s your chance to let them know they’re appreciated. Send a message (anonymous or not!) letting them know that you enjoyed their work!

- ‘make a rec post’

This is a chance to tell your fandom friends about something they need to see. You can rec a fic, a blog, a fan event, an artist, an author, that person who knits sweaters with character faces – any kind of fandom thing that you want to make sure people see. This doesn’t have to be long or complicated, but feel free to go into as much detail as you want! Just make your own post, on Tumblr or Twitter or wherever else seems best to you, and give that thing you loved a little fanfare.

- ‘interact with a meta post’

A little love for our analytical friends! Here, you can reblog/retweet any kind of meta post for your fandom, whether it’s a three sentence headcanon or an essay-length dissection of why Character X is the absolute best character in Fandom Y. It’s even better if you respond to the meta, whether that’s agreeing or (respectfully!) adding your own thoughts, but sharing it is the main thing here.

And here’s the non-decorated version, in case you feel like making it your own. Get creative, if you want!

[sharkfish]

i've seen some people express concern that the spn/destiel fandom is dying out. i've had that feeling myself! but SO MANY cool projects have started (or continued), even two years after the finale, and i want to highlight some of them for you!

(sorry for so many links in replies. trying to make sure this post shows up in the tags. stay cool, tumblr.)

@amoreprofoundcon is a fanworks & creators-focused destiel convention (via zoom!) created by fans. the first con was back in march 2022, with a second scheduled for the destiel holiday weekend (nov 5-6)!!

@mixtapebookclub is a podcast focused on destiel fanfiction, featuring a different topic and author each episode!!

the destiel fan favs survey is still going strong (link to the ao3 collection in the replies) and you can find more info at @destielficarchive!! the ao3 collection currently includes 2782 works, submitted by fans over the five years the survey has run.

@destieltropecollection also does a yearly survey where writers can submit their own works that fit a list of various tropes. i love to see writers reccing their own stories!!!

the profound bond discord server (@profoundnet & link to discord in replies) has a gazillion members and is still hoppin'. the tumblr also reblogs members' stories, art, and other creations.

suptober is a fanworks celebration put together by @winchester-reload every october!! you can find this year's contributions in the #suptober22 tag. (suptober is not destiel-specific so you'll find a lot of other great spn art there too.)

tons of challenges and bangs still going strong! there are way too many for me to list here, but profoundnet has a long list on their wiki (link in replies).

@profoundbondfanfic brings you recs and reviews of a new fic every day!! just in case you're having trouble narrowing down over 100,000 fics. cheers to 100k more!!

@makingitupaswegopod is an anthology of destiel podfics! it doesn't look like this tumblr is being updated with each episode, but you can find the podfics embedded in ao3 works or on your favorite podcast platform.

but really, the BIGGEST thing still happening in the destiel fandom—the MOST IMPORTANT thing—is YOU. every artist, writer, reblogger, edit & gif maker, meta analyst, lurker, rec list curator, and friend is a vital part of this community!! <3

if you know of any other cool projects that should be listed here, please reply/reblog/dm and i will add it! would also love to see anyone with an active spn blog in the replies/reblogs so more folks can find each other!!

[itwasthereaminuteago]

|| Part of Me ||

Symbiote!Matt Murdock x female reader

Tags/warnings: oh gosh where do we start? 😅 Oral sex (f rec), sort of non-con tentacle insertion at first quickly changing to 'yes please I am fully onboard for some consentacle porn', unprotected sex (p in v), assplay (m and f), slight choking, human and alien body fluids I guess, improv cock ring, and FLUFF (yes actually!).

A/n: thank you to the mutuals who enabled this 😉 and the post I saw from @thora-jane that inspired me in the first place (huge apologies if it's not really your thing let me know and I'll untag 🫢)

If anyone likes this I might try a more angsty exploration into the deeper moral issues that arise from being a crime fighting vigilante lawyer with an alien inside that just wants to rip heads off and eat them (thanks @spiderbabey for the inspo for that!)

After a brief chase through the dark city streets The Devil has the mugger pinned underneath him, baton poised above the guy's head, the silver of it glinting in the streetlight, his muscles straining hard with the effort of holding it back. He had heard the commotion, the threats, the gun being drawn and was on the scene in a flash of red. The guy saw the suit, the horns, and ran. As he tore off after him Matt could sense that the victim was shaken but otherwise unharmed but if he hadn't acted so fast…

KILL 'IM

"No!"

BAD MAN

"Yeah, I know. Very bad man," Matt grits his teeth together trying to keep the other voice at bay as he draws a hard breath.

KILL HIM

"No, No killing! I told you." Matt snaps.

HUNGRY

The deep growl has a sharp metallic edge to it that shocks right through Matt's veins. He can feel the power of it bubbling through him and it's taking everything to keep it inside and contained.

The devil had truly been let out. He could use it as an excuse for the things he did at night but the honest truth was that he wanted to do those things, he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop. Since he'd been infected with this thing he was even faster and stronger than before, better equipped to protect the Kitchen… but it came with a price.

MAKE HIM SUFFER

The voice over his shoulder hissed as the perpetrator stared up at Matt, the smell of fear wafting off him.

DELICIOUS…

"We're taking him to the police and that's the end of it."

Matt dragged the man to his feet and dumped him at the station. As he jumped up the fire escape onto the roof of the next building the symbiote twitched under his skin.

YOU CAN'T HOLD ME BACK FOREVER MATTHEW

He ignored it but he knew he was in for yet another restless night.

And that wasn't all.

There was you.

It had been the worst possible timing. You had started seeing each other about a month before it happened, and he was on edge around you the entire time. You had put it down to nerves and stress at work, trying your best to get Matt to relax and not worry, to assure him that you loved spending time with him and he could just be himself.

PRETTY

"Fuck, no, don't ruin this for me…please."

"Uh, hey Matt, you alright?"

He tries his best to keep it together. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, it's just this case… "

"A tricky one huh?" You ask him.

"Mmm, a total pain in the ass, you could say."

"Do you need to work late? Because it's okay if you do, we can rearrange dinner for another time?"

He'd let you take the lead, you had been the one inviting him up to your apartment after you had dinner together and on both occasions he'd politely declined, half of him not wanting to rush this and the other half terrified of what his alien side might do.

WE LIKE HER

Yes, of course he liked you, you were funny and smart and understanding. So much more than most.

However, this time after you had finished your meal and he had walked you home, you wouldn't take no for an answer. You knew he was probably just being polite, knew he really wanted to take things further but had something on his mind. You were so patient and open with him, encouraging him to talk about it if he wanted, to express his concerns. You didn't want him to do something he'd regret.

"I just, don't want to hurt you…" he'd explained, and that was the truth. He'd quickly fallen in love with you and the way you were giving him all the time and space he could need was just causing him to fall even deeper.

"You won't hurt me Matt, I know you won't." You'd said so sweetly as you pressed him up against your door, your lips falling on his.

The alien had been uncharacteristically quiet of late but he wasn't taking any chances when you pulled him into your apartment. He wanted to damage control as far as possible, there was no way he wanted to scare you away.

"I know it might sound strange with me uh, not being able to see but… is it okay if we keep the lights off?"

You smiled so warmly. "Of course, I want us to be comfortable."

God you were perfect. He couldn't fuck this up. He wouldn't.

+

"Oh, oh that feels sooo good, oh holy shit Matt, it's like your hands are all over me…"

Fuck.

You had your eyes softly closed, that much he could tell and was grateful for. Inky black tendrils were webbing across your naked skin and caressing your breasts as his own fingers were still woven in your hair and holding onto your waist as he kissed you, but he couldn't stop it.

SOFT

The dark voice within him rumbles with interest.

WE WANT TO TASTE HER

For once Matt found himself agreeing with his symbiote.

"Sweetheart," he says to you, kissing his way slowly down the side of your neck and down your chest and stomach. "would you let me do something for you?"

You gasp in anticipation, knowing exactly what he's about to ask as he gently nudges your thighs wider. "Yes, yes Matty please…"

You don't see, only feel the two long black shining tentacles that lash their way around your thighs, with two others branching out and teasing up and down your pussy lips, spreading them open and putting you perfectly on display for him. You take a sudden sharp inhale of air and Matt freezes. "Are you alright? I can stop…" that wasn't exactly the truth, he didn't know if he could.

"No, no no please don't stop! I just… it feels so different, I- don't know how you're doing what you're doing, but god, don't stop…"

Matt hums before he kisses the soft inner skin of each thigh, then slips out his tongue, dragging it slowly up the center of you, flicking it up over your clit. The sound you make has his dick throbbing.

He laps you up, his hands skimming up over your hips to hold you firm to his mouth as he takes his time taking you apart. He hears you whimper and twitch under him, and only then is he aware of the thick, probing, wet tentacle that's pushing its way into your pussy.

"Mm!"

"Oh fuck!" Matt curses, he can feel the sensation of you squeezing him through the symbiote. It's like nothing he had ever experienced before. You moan long and hard as you're filled, Matt's tongue still licking and sucking you towards ecstasy.

SHE LIKES IT

He can't usually control what the alien does, can only hold it back so much, but now he finds the control has been shared with him, the room quickly filling with slick sounds as he moves this extension of him within you, drawing out your addictive little moans.

He stops when he senses you looking at him. Actually looking. With your eyes.

He wants to die.

"Oh, Matt…" you sit up as he gently pulls away from you, the symbiote retracting slowly and carefully back under his skin with a grumble that only he can hear.

"Is this what you were afraid of, why you've been acting so strange?"

"I, god I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- I'll go-" he feels around for his pants but you crawl across the bed and grab his arm stopping him from running away.

NO

"Matt, please don't leave! Just tell me, is… is this thing a part of you?"

Matt sighs, hanging his head. "It's... still all so new but… yeah. I don't really know how it works yet." His head tilts adorably as he considers something.

"Why aren't you running a mile? Aren't you scared, or mad that I kept this from you?"

You only smile and pull him closer. "I'm only sad that you felt you had to keep it from me. If it's part of you, that's okay. I want all of you, Matt, if you still want me…"

He can't believe what you're saying, how could you possibly be any more perfect? He licks his lips, nodding. "Of course I do."

"Come here," you beckon, lying back on your bed. "We'll figure this out together, but only if you finish what you started. I don't know how good those other senses of yours are but… I liked it."

You trail your fingers up his side, his breathing shallow as everything you're saying sinks in.

"Touch me with them, Matt… please." Your voice is coloured with excitement and need and who is he to refuse you. His brows almost reach up to his hairline and the smile on his lips is as wide as his face when you reach for him. A soft gasp leaves you when his other side makes a gradual reappearance, the webbed, black tendrils snaking up your skin and coiling around your breasts. You sigh softly when one slides inside you again.

Rippling contractions pass down through the length of the tentacle, massaging you from within and making you mewl out with pleasure. Matt's breath wavers as you watch as another one wraps around his own cock and does the same, slowly squeezing and milking drops of precum onto the sheets.

The sensation of warm slithering and throbbing rolls over your clit at the same time Matt is desperately licking into your mouth, there's so much stimulation your brain is starting to melt. Slick wet sounds as the tentacle fucks in and out of you fill the room, and you feel your pussy walls start to flutter and contract. "Ohh, m'gonna cum-!" You moan as your body writhes and rolls against him. Matt takes it all in, he can feel the tight squeezing of your perfect cunt, the pounding of your heart, hear the sweet sounds you make as your orgasm rolls through you.

"You're so beautiful…"

He slows and gently pulls back letting you come back down. "Are you okay sweetie?"

You almost laugh, your body alight with desire. "Jesus Matt, yes!"

"If you want to stop-"

"Mm, no don't stop, let me feel you." you breathe, and tentacles are quick to wrap around your body, drawing Matt closer, bracing himself over you.

"You got any more of those?" You tease, arching into his touch while other thick strands of shiny black emerge and wrap around your legs pulling them open again. He moans against your parted lips, the coil that's around his hard cock nudging the head of it at your entrance, coating himself in your arousal. The tip of your tongue gently slides against his as he pushes inside, just the barest whisper of pain as he stretches you open.

SWEET GIRL, SO GOOD FOR US

Matt makes a quiet noise in agreement as he starts to grind his hips at your insistence. You feel like nothing else and he wants to make this good for you. You respond to every little touch of him and the symbiote, purring like a kitten when your nipples are pinched and tugged by the prehensile serpent-like appendages. The steady, slow drag of his cock in and out has you murmuring his name like a prayer while he shows just how much he adores you with his mouth, the warm brush of his lips caressing your sensitive skin and setting off goosebumps all across it.

YES

MORE

The voice at the back of his brain is greedy, but it soon becomes clear it's just echoing your own desires to him. He feels more tendrils slipping their way up to wrap around your throat and slither between your legs, hearing the needy, desperate panting from you when one of them brushes lightly against your ass.

"Uhuh! Please, yes Matty… please"

You beg him until the blunt, self lubricating tip of it breaches you gently. It's small and slender at first allowing you to get used to the intrusion, but then there's nothing but pleasure as it swells bigger making you feel stuffed full, pulsing every time Matt thrusts his cock deep in your pussy.

He groans as another tendril that's not under his control splits off, penetrating his own ass and throbbing against his prostate, while yet another curls tightly around the base of his sensitive cock to stop him from cumming right there and then.

"Fuck… fuck!" He whines at the intensity of all this feeling, connected to you in a way he could never have dreamed of.

You're so very near to falling apart, being thoroughly fucked from every possible angle, your eyes are rolling back and muffled moans escape from around the thick black tentacle that lays heavy against your tongue as you suck on it.

The creature inside him is suspiciously silent, seemingly content feeding from your throes of passion for now. But then it speaks again, a hungry voice full of sharp teeth and carnal want.

HARDER

MORE

SHE CAN TAKE IT

Matt tries in vain to shake the lustful haze from his mind. "Sweetie, tell me what you need…" he asks you, his voice strained and tight.

"M'so close Matt," you cry, "please, please harder… make me cum!"

He lets loose, giving you what you need, making you moan so prettily as his hips piston hard, skin slapping against the backs of your thighs. The improvised cock ring finally releases him, coiling lower to tug and pull on his balls and he ruts even harder chasing his own end. A slick combination of your own juices and those from the symbiote leaks over your bodies as they slip and slide against each other, only increasing the multitudes of sensation thrumming through you as the tentacles fuck, fill, tease and choke you. Your cries rise as you can't hold back any longer, cumming and creaming hard on his cock, your pussy and ass squeezing so powerfully he quickly follows, his fingers almost bruising your soft flesh as he's groaning and spilling hot inside you.

The symbiote growls and purrs along with him, satisfied and sated. It very slowly withdraws again, slipping out of your bodies leaving you wrapped in a sweaty mess of only each other.

Matt gently brushes some strands of hair away from your face. "You okay sweetheart? It… wasn't too rough on you was it?"

You stretch yourself out with a blissful sound against him, eyes half closed and a relaxed smile on your lips. "No, I… just didn't know I could feel that good."

Matt chuckles softly, kissing you on the cheek. "Neither did I."

You lie there for a few soft moments getting your breath back before guiding him to the bathroom, turning on the shower and pulling him in with you, letting the stream of hot water cleanse you both. His multiple tentacles are a great help washing your hair and soaping up your body, and you find yourself petting them and giggling as they wrap a fluffy towel around you when you're done.

"Honestly Matt, I think you're amazing."

Matt is almost brought to tears while he hugs you tight. It feels so good to know he doesn't need to face this change in him alone, and that he's lucky that he met someone as understanding and loving as you to share it with.

Now all he had to figure out was how to explain his other life to you…

[bloopitynoot]

Shadowgast Corporate/Office-Au Rec List!

Hello I'm back again with more disaster wizard (well and in this case working professional but more office-like setting) recommendations!

This list is a little bit more bawdy than normal (I love a good smut fic, but I also try to vary the ratings on these lists for those who may not share my enthusiasm).

If you want to see my other shadowgast rec lists- they are linked at the end of this post. ANYWAYS- let's get into it!

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1 As per my last email

As per my last email (11651 words) by LivThael (I don't think they are on Tumblr- if they do please comment so I can tag- but they have a twitter listed in the notes of the fic) Chapters: 11/11 Rating: Explicit Summary: Essek Thelyss is an asshole with a questionable taste in spreadsheets. Caleb Widogast has more important and certainly more interesting things to do than filing travel expense claims. A series of mails turns into a escalating meeting. Or: Please stop writing me emails, I genuinely hate you. - Explicit content only in chapter 10.

What I loved: Anyone who has worked in an office knows a passive aggressive email when they get one. Plus we have the added bonus of having to deal with accounting to get expenses covered- ugh, so good. The energy of these passive aggressive- yet flirty workplace emails between new hire Caleb and kind-of-an-asshole Essek in accounting is *chefs kiss*. The build up to their meeting was written so well! I also really love the way the fic is formatted- the email style gives it an immersive feel.

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2 Paradigm Shift

Paradigm Shift (114,291 words) by full_time_dreamer_behold (I don't know their tumblr, please totally feel free to tag if they have one- i'll add it). Chapters: 28/28 Rating: Teen and up Audiences Summary: Recently moved to Rosohna, Caleb accepts a job at a prestigious law firm, but the work turns out to be menial and dull. Thankfully, his life takes a turn when he makes new friends and starts taking a curious interest in the IT Manager- the handsome and intriguing Essek Thelyss. Could he be reason enough for Caleb to stay in this place? He certainly intends to find out.

A friends-to-idiots-to-lovers slow burn with a sweet ending.

What I loved: This was such a lovely slow burn. It covers hard topics in a corporate kind of setting including racism, nepotism, and power dynamics that really suck but it handled with care and well written. I also really love the disability representation here! This slow burn is so so good, I super recommend! Also bonus it's the length of a beefy novel!

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3 the golden thread around your neck whispered visions of my undoing

the golden thread around your neck whispered visions of my undoing (172812 words) by MarsBar2019 (If you know Mars' tumblr please comment and I will tag- I couldn' find it in the notes). Chapters: 38/? Rating: Explicit Summary: Caleb Widogast does not belong here. The world of sharp suits, board meetings, and billion dollar budgets is a far cry from Caleb’s preferred domain: the research lab. Where nobody cares about his faded T-shirts and raggedy jeans. But a year of industry experience will look good on his CV, and the hefty pay bump wouldn’t hurt either. How hard could a secretary gig be? What he finds behind the glittering edifice of Auriga, Wildemount’s leading name in arcane technology, is CEO Essek Thelyss, who maintains his domain with an acid tongue and an iron fist. It’s difficult not to find him intriguing, this handsome, guarded, brilliant man. It’s even more difficult not to want to please him. Caleb knows to keep it professional, though. Working late nights together at the office and lingering glances here and there don’t cross the boundaries of propriety. That is, until they do.

Or: the one where Essek Thelyss loses focus and has a consensual workplace relationship.

Updates weekly on Mondays.

E-rated chapters: Ch. 4, 9, 13, 14, 17, 18, 22-23, 26, 32, 38

Why I love it: Out of all the recs this one is the SPICIEST (and I love that). Head the warnings - there may be stuff that isn't for you, but if you, like me, enjoy a 6/5 spicy level fic- congrats this one will not disappoint. This story is in progress but updates weekly which is fantastic. We have big time and hot mess CEO Essek and his personal assistant disaster bisexual Caleb- of course it's an HR scandal waiting to happen, but also, Essek might come out a better person for it. I cannot recommend this enough, this fic is so so good. In addition to the smut, it's also just a really fantastic story.

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4 sleep, with benefits

sleep, with benefits (62272 words) by KmacKatie @kmackatie Chapters: 12/12 Rating: Explicit Summary: Caleb Widogast wakes up from the first good night of sleep in far too long. It takes him a moment to realise it's because he's not in his bed. Is it the better mattress (lump-free and like a cloud), or the fact he drunkenly slept with Essek Thelyss, the colleague he's been secretly crushing on for the last six months?

Why I loved it: Let me just start off by saying kmackatie is brilliant and everything shadowgast that katie writes makes my heart sing. In this fic Essek and Caleb are captured so well- they are both big idiots who act like scared cats around one another (even though they both want the same thing) but honestly- can there be any other dynamic? This hot mess of them not using their words eventually leads to the best of endings and you should all read it because it is so lovely.

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BONUS FIC: (high school teachers, less corporate feel, but not what I would throw on a professor or academia list so its a bonus for this one).

5 all this science i don't understand

all this science i don't understand (8858 words) by mllekurtz @mllekurtz Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Mature Summary: Caleb knew how he was with crushes, he was aware that historically they’ve brought him nothing but trouble, and vowed that he wasn’t going to develop one on his new colleague. This resolution lasted a remarkable twenty-four hours. * Small-town high school science teacher Caleb Widogast has his life more or less figured out, or so he thinks. Then an unexpected variable gets thrown into the equation in the form of the new addition to the teaching staff: the handsome and clever Essek Thelyss.

Why I loved it: This fic was so sweet. I have a soft spot for fics that play with chronology in their story telling and this one does a bit of that. It is a shorter read but honestly that works really well for this love story. Caleb of course falls hard and fast and Essek does not mind at all. Some angst, but they are written so well and so soft, Brilliant <;3

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My Other Shadowgast Rec lists:

Shadowgast fics that made me ugly cry

Shadowgast Space Opera-AU list

Shadowgast Bakery/Coffee/Tea Shop-AUs

As usual I devour all fics shadowgast so if there is a rec list you want to read that is tried and true- dm me or leave a comment. I always prefer to use my librarian degree for chaotic neutral purposes so hmu.

[I am totally thinking about doing a Professor/Researcher OR College-AU OR Time is a Weird Soup list next but we shall see!]