Our Rainbow Paradise

She/Her. 28 years-old. Non-American. Come for the Larry Fic Recommendations, stay for the charming personality!

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

Call Answered (249K, Explicit) by vondrostes

SUMMARY: The day after his 27th birthday, Harry Styles attempts suicide. Louis is flown to his bedside to unravel the mystery of why he did it after a flash drive is found with a note attached, addressed to Louis. On it are a collection of 78 songs, all written for different dates from their past.

MY RECOMMENDATION: As long as this story is, it becomes impossible to stop reading once you start. It's an absolute masterpiece of a story.

It's a heart wrenching journey through a relationship marred in conflict due to pressure, closeting, fear... It's incredibly nuanced and delicate, and it paints two fully realized characters through out its extremely well weaved story in a way that continues to leaves me speechless.

[ourrainbowparadise]

Does any one happen to know of a link to the BBC Big Weekend Livestream...?

[allwaswell16]

i'm new here and i have no idea What accounts should I follow?Just a few lovely Larry blogs like yours

Hi! So I have way too many people I really love on here to make you a full list, but I'll give you some really lovely people to follow who make fic recs as well since that's kind of the focus of my blog (well, that and Louis lol), which is what I'm assuming you'd like!

@justalarryblog @lululawrence @dearlou @fallinglikethis @honestlytrulycompletelysteady @pocketsunshineharry @queenbeeharry @wabadabadaba @missytearex @jadepetals @itsnothesameasitwas @atruththatyoudeny @parmahamlarrie @neondiamond @daggerandrose

Also, there are some other great fic rec blogs that make fic rec compilations or posts (cough cough my own are @hlficlibrary and @1dmonthlyficroundup lol): @theficpusher @ficsyoumayhavemissed @larryfanfiction @thelarriefics @ourrainbowparadise @1dfanfictionbookcovers

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

Counterbalance (44K, Explicit) by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

SUMMARY: Harry Styles loves two things: teaching ballet and racing motorcycles. Those two worlds collide when his greatest rival on the track, Louis “Tommo” Tomlinson brings his tiny siblings to Harry’s class.

MY RECOMMENDATION: I first read this fic when I first started reading fanfiction and it somehow stuck with me. A few days back, I stumbled on it again and reread it in one sitting. It made me remember just how rewarding reading a great fanfiction can be.

This is a story of overcoming your own walls, your own defences and allowing people in. It is a story about prejudice and how it can affect our lives when we live in fear.

It's absolutely perfect.

[ourrainbowparadise]

WIP WATCHLIST

All is now harmed (WIP, Not Rated) by @fondleeds

SUMMARY: It’s still that dreamy kind of dark, nothing seeming real, but he knows that it’s time to go, to whistle for Pippa and eat whatever he’s got left in the fridge and start the drive down to Molly’s. He can’t seem to open the door. Maybe he doesn’t want to face it, this new thing. Having Louis here feels like a betrayal. Harry tries not to think about what his Dad would have to say if he saw the journo sleeping on their pull-out, here to shake a settled sheet and watch the dust fly again. - AU. Harry's a farmer, Louis writes for The Age, and it hasn't rained in the Bourke Shire for six years.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This is one of my favorite authors, period. She is particularly talented building the mood of the story and using her prose to bring to life the world around the characters.

This is particularly noticeable in this WIP. Emotional, painful, glorious. Please read it.

I will go as far as to say this is the best piece of written fiction I've read this year.

[ourrainbowparadise]

Chapter 5 is up! 💖💖💖 Can't wait to read it!

[ourrainbowparadise]

Important: Chapter 6 is up! 💖💖💖 Need to read it NOW 🥰🥰🥰

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

Heading for Limbo (100K, Explicit) by @kingsofeverything

SUMMARY: Childhood best friends who’ve fallen in and out of touch with each other since Louis’ family moved away when they were thirteen, Harry and Louis find their paths crossing again and again. Each time, no matter how many miles apart or how many years it’s been, it’s as if no time has passed. They fall back into their easy friendship, until life intervenes and sends them on their separate ways once more.

When Harry discovers some life-changing things about himself, Louis is there for him, however he needs. But it’s all temporary because Louis has plans that will move his life from New York all the way to L.A. and the distance isn’t the only thing between them.

The pieces of their twice broken hearts are scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

MY RECOMMENDATION: As with any story written by this author, this is top notch fiction writing. It's fun, touching, entertaining... It takes me from laughter to tears every single time I read it.

A sweet story about finding yourself, about long term friendships and physical intimacy.

Don't know what else to say besides this: please read it.

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

I'll Fly Away (122K, Explicit) by @juliusschmidt​

SUMMARY: Harry and Louis grew up together in Lake County, Harry with his mom and stepdad in a tiny cottage on Edward’s Lake and Louis in his family’s farmhouse a few minutes down the road. But after high school, Louis stuck around and Harry did not; Harry went to Chicago where he found a boyfriend and couple of college degrees. Six years later, Harry ends up back in Edwardsville for the summer and he and Louis fall into old patterns and discover new ones.

MY RECOMMENDATION: I've reread this story multiple times and it never fails to get me to tears. Sad tears, happy tears, all sort of tears.

A well-plotted, sensitive and moving tale of finding yourself through love and acceptance.

It's charming, romantic, angst ridden, sexy.... it's everything.

[ourrainbowparadise]

I posted 21 times in 2021

14 posts created (67%)

7 posts reblogged (33%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.5 posts.

I added 87 tags in 2021

#larry fanfiction - 12 posts

#one direction fanfiction - 12 posts

#hl fic - 11 posts

#give back love - 11 posts

#ao3 - 11 posts

#share love - 10 posts

#fic rec - 8 posts

#harry styles - 5 posts

#wip watchlist - 4 posts

#work in progress - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 44 characters

#i'm not actually trying to guilt trip anyone

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

REC OF THE DAY

Let Our Hearts Collide (77K, Mature) by @crinkle-eyed-boo​

SUMMARY: When Harry, a lonely transit worker, saves the life of the handsome commuter he's been secretly pining for, an innocent mistake results in Liam Payne's family believing that Harry is engaged to their son. In the Paynes, Harry finds the big family he's always longed for...and a love he never saw coming.A While You Were Sleeping AU

MY RECOMMENDATION: I was with my family this christmas, so I didn’t read many fics. But I did reread this one, and I can confidently say, that it is the perfect Christmas read.

It’s charming, touching, fun, heart warming and absolutely everything a Christmas story should be. 

Perfect for a cold christmas morning by the fireplace.

17 notes • Posted 2021-01-08 10:51:00 GMT

#4

WIP WATCHLIST

All is now harmed (WIP, Not Rated) by @fondleeds

SUMMARY: It’s still that dreamy kind of dark, nothing seeming real, but he knows that it’s time to go, to whistle for Pippa and eat whatever he’s got left in the fridge and start the drive down to Molly’s. He can’t seem to open the door. Maybe he doesn’t want to face it, this new thing. Having Louis here feels like a betrayal. Harry tries not to think about what his Dad would have to say if he saw the journo sleeping on their pull-out, here to shake a settled sheet and watch the dust fly again. - AU. Harry's a farmer, Louis writes for The Age, and it hasn't rained in the Bourke Shire for six years.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This is one of my favorite authors, period. She is particularly talented building the mood of the story and using her prose to bring to life the world around the characters.

This is particularly noticeable in this WIP. Emotional, painful, glorious. Please read it.

I will go as far as to say this is the best piece of written fiction I've read this year.

20 notes • Posted 2021-02-24 08:05:16 GMT

#3

REC OF THE DAY

hush. (41K, Explicit) by @wankerville​

SUMMARY: An AU where small towns suck, Louis is losing it, and Harry’s just too perfect.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A subtle and nuanced exploration of coming to terms with oneself whilst surrounded by hate as well as a gorgeous tale of first love.

I absolutely could not put it down for a second. It's a great read.

It's simple yet beautiful.

21 notes • Posted 2021-07-15 16:38:38 GMT

#2

REC OF THE DAY

This Multiplicity of Powers (149K, Explicit) by @helloamhere​

SUMMARY: Maybe in another universe he isn’t different. Maybe he hadn’t been given an impossible choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have lost everything and broken everything and then fallen impossibly, irrevocably in love with the first next thing that was kind. Maybe in that universe he doesn’t feel like he’s never breathing, always pretending, teaching the kids even though they all have to learn alone, trying hard not to read the headlines, and so afraid, every day, that he won’t be a good enough teammate to the superhero he can’t live without. He knows that love isn’t supposed to feel this way, slid secret under your skin like a surgical razor, an invisible war held close over the tender vein that keeps you alive. On the other hand, Louis wonders, had he ever known how to do it any other way?

Maybe there’s a universe where he doesn’t have to keep all his secrets on the inside.

But this isn’t that universe.

//an X-Men AU.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A wonderfully detailed take on the X-Men Universe. Fun, thoughtful and entertaining, it is also, ultimately, a truly touching story.

I couldn't put it down for a moment. This is clearly a labor of love and it absolutely pays off.

43 notes • Posted 2021-04-10 17:26:39 GMT

#1

I couldn’t resist....

959 notes • Posted 2021-01-01 21:21:38 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[ourrainbowparadise]

WIP WATCHLIST

All is now harmed (WIP, Not Rated) by @fondleeds

SUMMARY: It’s still that dreamy kind of dark, nothing seeming real, but he knows that it’s time to go, to whistle for Pippa and eat whatever he’s got left in the fridge and start the drive down to Molly’s. He can’t seem to open the door. Maybe he doesn’t want to face it, this new thing. Having Louis here feels like a betrayal. Harry tries not to think about what his Dad would have to say if he saw the journo sleeping on their pull-out, here to shake a settled sheet and watch the dust fly again. - AU. Harry's a farmer, Louis writes for The Age, and it hasn't rained in the Bourke Shire for six years.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This is one of my favorite authors, period. She is particularly talented building the mood of the story and using her prose to bring to life the world around the characters.

This is particularly noticeable in this WIP. Emotional, painful, glorious. Please read it.

I will go as far as to say this is the best piece of written fiction I've read this year.

[ourrainbowparadise]

Chapter 5 is up! 💖💖💖 Can't wait to read it!

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

Speaking of Marvels (100K, Explicit) by navigator, quitter.​

SUMMARY: AU. Louis is a nanny in suburban New Jersey, and the neighbors' son is home from college for the summer. It was supposed to be a fling.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A story of two people who find each other whilst being themselves at two different points in life and how that fact changes how they experience the relationship at each stage.

A realistic take on age difference and how it affects relationships all the while being a fun, entertaining, sexy story.

A fun summer read with deep thematic roots. Just what I love.

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

hush. (41K, Explicit) by @wankerville​

SUMMARY: An AU where small towns suck, Louis is losing it, and Harry’s just too perfect.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A subtle and nuanced exploration of coming to terms with oneself whilst surrounded by hate as well as a gorgeous tale of first love.

I absolutely could not put it down for a second. It's a great read.

It's simple yet beautiful.

[ourrainbowparadise]

WIP WATCHLIST

Burnt (WIP, Explicit) by objectlesson

SUMMARY: This is what happens: You fall in love for the first time, and less than a month later, you become an international superstar.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This is the tragic story of a relationship torn apart by life circumstances. A poignant look at the difficulty of living under the high pressure and scrutiny of celebrity and the pain of accepting the inevitable end.

The depiction of depression in this fic is so honest and raw that it left me in tears. The constant swinging between feeling void and empty to feeling too much is so real and well portrayed that it broke my heart

To top it off, the direct writing style is absolutely on point and amazingly creative. To this day, I had not seen someone use the second person narration so effectively.

The author states that she probably won't end it, and that's a shame. But I still feel that the two chapter she has published are very much worth the read.

[1dsource]

100 One Direction questions to waste your time on!

What’s the best song from Up All Night

What’s the best song from Take Me Home

What’s the best song from Midnight Memories

What’s the best song from FOUR

What’s the best song from Made in the A.M.

Which one of the boys would you challenge to a fight?

Which one of the boys would you go shopping with?

Which one of the boys would you rob a bank with?

Which one of the boys would you go to an amusement park with? 

Which one of the boys would you have a Star Wars marathon with?

Which one of the boys would you go to Comic Con with?

Which one of the boys would you go get a tattoo with?

Which one of the boys would you  go antique shopping with?

Which one of the boys would you go thrift shopping with?

Which one of the boys would you changes styles with?

Which one of the boys would you like to play video games with?

Which one of the boys would you go Wine and Paint with?

Which one of the boys would you do tiktok dances with?

Which one of the boys would you go pub crawling with?

Which one of the boys would you throw a house party with?

Which one of the boys would you ask to help with burying a body?

Who of the boys of the boys has the most appealing aesthetic to you?

Who of the boys makes you cry the most?

Who of the boys makes you stress the most?

Who of the boys gives you the most headaches?

Who of the boys makes you the happiest?

Who of the boys you miss the most?

Who of the boys makes you reconsider your life choices the most?

Who of the boys makes you laugh the most?

Which 1D or solo album has the best dance music? 

Which 1D or solo album makes you cry the most?

Which 1D or solo album has the biggest summer vibes?

Which 1D or solo album has the biggest winter vibes?

Which 1D or solo album is the most personal to you?

Which 1D or solo album made you a fan?

Which 1D or solo album has the best road trip vibes?

If you could only keep one, which 1D or solo album would you choose?

Which 1D or solo song would you play at your wedding?

Which 1D or solo song do you hate/dislike the most?

Which 1D or solo song keeps you up at night?

Which 1D or solo song brings up the best memories for you?

Which 1D or solo song do you not just understand?

Which 1D or solo song is overrated?

Which 1D or solo song is underrated?

Which 1D or solo song do you listen to when you are sad?

Which 1D or solo song do you listen when you feel like dancing?

If forced, which 1D or solo song would you perform in front of all the boys?

Would you perform a 1D song in front of the boys for £50 000?

What is your favorite cover (1D or solo)?

Do you have a song (1D or solo) that you interpitate differently than most people?

Do you have a song (1D or solo) that you love but it isn’t as popular with others?

Do you have a song (1D or solo) that you hate that’s a common favorite?

Do you have a song (1D or solo) you would tattoo / have tattooed on your body?

Do you have a song (1D or solo) that provokes many emotions in you?

Which 1D era is your favorite? (ex: frat boy, fetus, hiatus, etc.)

Which Louis era is your favorite?

Which Liam era is your favorite?

Which Niall era is your favorite?

Which Zayn era is your favorite?

Which Harry era is your favorite?

What is your favorite 1D performance?

What is your favorite solo performance?

What is your favorite clip of the boys from X-Factor?

What’s your favorite bromance? Why?

What’s your favorite tattoo from any of the boys?

Which music video do you refuse to watch?

Which music video you can’t stop watching?

Which music video shouldn’t have been made?

Anyway how’s your sex life?

Which song, that didn’t get a music video, deserved their own video?

Which 1D music video would you want the boys to recreate now?

Have you been to a 1D or a solo concert? How was it?

Have you bought 1D or solo merch? Did you like it? Regret it?

Have you done stupid things because of this band? Do you feel like a fool about it?

Have you made friends because of the band? 

Has your fandom experience been good? What do you like/dislike about it?

Has being part of the fandom made any major impact on you? Has it shaped your life a lot?

Have you considered leaving the fandom?

Have you left the fandom and come back later? Did you enjoy your hiatus?

How long have you been a fan? How old were you when you first became a fan?

Would you consider yourself more as a 1D fan or as a solo artist fan?

Have you ever bought something just because one of the boys has a similar/the same item?

Have you ever travelled to another country because you the boys?

If you could only describe your 1D experience in pictures, which 3 pictures would they be?

If you could describe your 1D experience only in 3 words, what would those words be?

Can you write a poem about the band or one of the boys?

Have you ever written fanfiction about the boys?

Have you ever made fan art? 

Have you ever sent fan mail? 

Would you say One Direction has made your life better or worse?

Can you rank the members from your favorite to least favorite?

Can you rank the solo albums from your favorite to least favorite?

What 1D or solo moment makes you cringe the most?

What 1D or solo moment makes you laugh the most?

What 1D or solo moment makes you unironically cry the most?

What 1D or solo moment brings you most pain?

What 1D or solo moment lives rent free in your mind?

What 1D or solo moment you wish to forget?

What 1D or solo moment is your favorite of all time?

Do you even like One Direction?

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

Little Technicolor Things (72K, Mature) by scary_crow​

SUMMARY: Louis is a poor writer and recent university graduate, depressed, anxious, and living in London when he meets Harry, an artist with a secret who likes to paint sunrises and pretty boys from California.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A delicate canvas of emotion filled with poetic language that shapes the romance and heartbreak of the story.

A gorgeous piece of writing that makes the most of a rather simple premise. It's absolutely worth the read (and the reread).

[ferryboatpeak]

Your last tag 👀 I would read that novel.

OK, the moon is right! The spirit’s up! And I’ve been pounding eggnog all day, so what better way to spend Christmas night than on this worthy topic? Sorry it’s been a few days, anon… in case you’ve forgotten, the tag in question was # anyway at some point i’m gonna write that post about what fine line and its accompanying statements have to say about harry’s body.

To recap: I have a longstanding fascination with the choices Harry makes about how to use or not use his body in service of his image. In part, this is because the level of consideration that seems to be reflected in his choices is something that is much more necessary, or at least more common, for female artists. (And, really, for women in general… I think women are generally conscious that what they choose to show or not show of their bodies is going to be interpreted as a message by the world at large, like it or not (usually not), and I don’t think that most dudes, even famous ones, have that same level of awareness.)

Anyway. During the entirety of 2016, fandom had nothing to do but marinate in our collective memories of OTRA Harry in all his sheer shirt/tits out/second-skin jeans glory. Harry flashing his laurels. Harry in those pornographic white jeans in Miami. Harry who only knew one button except for the times when he invited a second button to join them for a threesome. His ready offering of his body was integral to our understanding of his image.

Then the hs1 era arrived, like a meteor killing off the dinosaurs. And what did we get? SUITS. Full suits. Suits with voluminous trousers. Suits with pussy bows up to his chin. We got, in the album photography only, an intentionally evasive idea of nudity. A bare back as he turned away from us. A torso hazy through sparks. A few seconds of paddleboard footage from hs:bta that, in hindsight, are laughably out of step with the aesthetic for the rest of the era (insert dig at Ben Winston here). We saw his body only enough to make it perfectly clear that we were intentionally not being shown his body.

At the time, the drastic shift in tone reminded me of that story about Natalie Portman dressing more conservatively in an attempt to limit the ways people would objectify her. It seemed like Harry wanted to be taken seriously, and reducing the focus on his body was one step toward accomplishing that. (Again, something that women regularly strive for and men usually don’t have to think about.)

Did it work? Did he get enough of the credibility he wanted? Did he get enough of it, at least, to feel comfortable not caring about it any more?  Because WOW, have things changed in the Fine Line era.

The shot across the bow – the hs2 equivalent of what the AMAs Gucci suit was for hs1 – was the Lights Up video. Harry’s body was front and center in that video, so much so that his readily recognizable ink-scrawled body often made it unnecessary for the camera to show his face. Things only got more pointed from there, with Harry’s open hands presenting us with an actual goddamned Big Naked. The album photography for Fine Line is the exact opposite of hs1: nudity not as a withholding, but almost as an act of aggression. HERE I AM. Here is all of me, including my pointedly exaggerated crotch. Take or leave it – weird as it is, tights and dance belt and elbow gloves and watermelon-heart-vagina-oyster – but here I am.

Lyrics throughout the album are also much more vividly aware of Harry’s body than hs1 was. The arguable references to Harry’s body on hs1 are abstract: just as an example, “splinters in my knuckles” feels like it’s chosen for effect, rather than something that’s happened to him. Only Angel is not a song about Harry Styles actually on his knees crawling across the floor, it’s about him wanting to feel that way, or reveling in the idea of feeling that way. Fine Line though! “Mouth full of toothpaste,” “brown my skin just right,” “spreading you open is the only way of knowing you”… all very specific physical details, details that convey lived physical experience in a way that nothing on hs1 did. I’m also struck by how tpwk somehow manages to focus on Harry’s body and the way he wants to feel in that body (“maybe we can find a place to feel good”… “feeling good in my skin”) rather than on an external message.

So, I feel like there’s a through line from the photography through the lyrics to the overall theme of the album. In the same way the photography says HERE I AM (fucking weird), the album says HERE I AM (jealous and petty and sad and bitter but still somehow believing in the transcendant). The album photography for hs1 deflects from Harry’s body, and hs1 itself deflects from Harry himself by focusing on flat female characters, convoluted metaphors, and performative emotion. The album photography for Fine Line is blatantly about Harry’s body, and the album itself is so much more strongly about Harry himself than hs1 was. His body is used as a symbol for concealment during hs1, and on this album it’s a symbol for openness.

[ourrainbowparadise]

Great post. Absolutely agree.

It reminded me of an article I read.

" This brings me to the idea of visibility, which to me, is the clear difference between his first and second album regarding personal aesthetics. You don't need to make that much of an effort to see it. Simply look at the cover art for his homonymous first album: naked, hunched on himself with his back to the camera and his face hidden. Now, look at the cover art for Fine Line: a photo of himself where you can see all of him, flamboyantly posing and playfully looking straight at the camera. Similarly, he went from only dressing flamboyantly on tour or fan events, to inundate the internet with exuberant photoshoots with loud fashion choices and a clear message: look at me, this is me, ALL OF ME."

Thank you for coming to my TED TALK: It's a Fine Line by @thecostumevaultblog

[ourrainbowparadise]

WIP WATCHLIST

Out of Paradise (WIP, Teen and Up Audiences) by whimsicule (@whimsicule)

SUMMARY: Scotland yard inspector styles travels to Berlin in the winter of 1924, chasing defector Liam Payne and a suspected network of communist radicals. faced with open hostility from his german counterparts, it is far too easy to fall into the city’s nefarious nightlife and give in to a part of himself he’d vowed to lock away forever.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This story is amazing. From the first few words it becomes clear that there is a clear vision being put to words. And it does so with an incredible sense of reality and sensitivity.

It is hard to write historical fiction and make it believable, and yet this author does it while making it seem completely effortlessly. It captures the city, the moment and its nightlife with incredible detail, creating a real world for the characters to inhabit.

She also pulls no punches when it comes to reflecting real-life racism, homophobia and sexism in the period, which gives the story and the character's repression a weight and stakes that mercilessly drive their inner conflicts.

She does a magnificent job fleshing out the characters and their backstories, and, to top it off, she interconnects it all with a wonderfully intriguing plot.

I cannot wait to read how it goes from here onwards.

[ourrainbowparadise]

REC OF THE DAY

This Multiplicity of Powers (149K, Explicit) by @helloamhere​

SUMMARY: Maybe in another universe he isn’t different. Maybe he hadn’t been given an impossible choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have lost everything and broken everything and then fallen impossibly, irrevocably in love with the first next thing that was kind. Maybe in that universe he doesn’t feel like he’s never breathing, always pretending, teaching the kids even though they all have to learn alone, trying hard not to read the headlines, and so afraid, every day, that he won’t be a good enough teammate to the superhero he can’t live without. He knows that love isn’t supposed to feel this way, slid secret under your skin like a surgical razor, an invisible war held close over the tender vein that keeps you alive. On the other hand, Louis wonders, had he ever known how to do it any other way?

Maybe there’s a universe where he doesn’t have to keep all his secrets on the inside.

But this isn’t that universe.

//an X-Men AU.

MY RECOMMENDATION: A wonderfully detailed take on the X-Men Universe. Fun, thoughtful and entertaining, it is also, ultimately, a truly touching story.

I couldn't put it down for a moment. This is clearly a labor of love and it absolutely pays off.