#cricfic

[stokesy55]

Calling to everyone:

I need Virat ships.

Rareships, common ships, Virat OTPs-- just send them all my way. I'm looking for a comprehensive list because trying to track this down on AO3 is becoming tiresome 😅

[hazlehoff]

i was gonna say there should be a heated rivalry-inspired cricrpf fanfic but then who's gonna write it more importantly who would the ship even be 😭

[mayavi-maya07]

your fav shubman ship/s?

Oooh anon this is such a good question! Personally, I think of Shubman as a fandom bicycle, so I have lots of ships for him haha 😅

First of all, my favourite ship, not just for Shub, but in the whole fandom, is Shubman/Yashasvi. I mean, I can't help it, the dynamics are so flawless, especially their parallels with Rohit and Virat. Yash being an explosive opening batsman from Mumbai, like Rohit was, and Shubman being the classical, complete and technically astute Punjabi with a cover drive to kill for, just like Virat was. Both of them are rising superstars, torchbearers of the next generation, the anointed successors who'll carry forward India's batting legacy. And the fact that not two years ago, they were competing for the same spot in the team is chef's kiss. I can see them as an epic romance where they go from rivals to friends to lovers.

In a very close second place is Abhiman: Shubman and Abhishek, my adorable childhood besties turned lovers 🥺💖 These two are so close omg. They've known each other since they were proper babies, around 11/12 years old, and have been attached at the hip ever since. One of my favourite moments of them is Abhishek confessing that every time he suffers through a bout of bad form, he borrows Shubman's bat and automatically his form returns. Like awww, he's his good luck charm!! The 141 Abhishek scored vs PBKS in the 2025 IPL and his debut century versus Zimbabwe were both made with Shubman's bat. And the fact that Shubman is stingy when it comes to lending his bats to other people makes everything so much more beautiful. He has no problem turning down other people, but he can't say no to his baby boy, can he? 😏

These are my two favourite ones, but I have lots of other Shubman ships too! Here are a few of them in no particular order.

Shubman/Hardik are very touchy-feely together, and they were really cute when they played for Gujarat together. I mean, Hardik loves kissing Shub's neck or cheek, how am I not supposed to ship them after that? A rarepair I really enjoy is Shubman/Kuldeep, they're also very touchy-feely together!

And I know this opinion is going to get me blacklisted from the cricket fandom, but Ishan/Shubman, or as they're popularly known, Ishman, are actually quite low on my shipping scale for Shubman. 😅 I mean, I see it, they're very sweet and affectionate together, they act VERY sus around each other. I dig the best friends to lovers vibe, and I definitely ship them too, but they're just not my favourite, if that makes sense?

A ship that's really been growing on me, especially in this last test series is Shubman/Rishabh. I love the captain/vice-captain dynamic between them, the way they're each other's sounding boards and shoulders to lean on when things get tough. And how can I forget Shubman/Siraj? It's so cute how Shub immediately runs up and checks on Siraj whenever he gets hurt! We stan concerned lovers in this house! 😜 Shubman and Sai Sudharshan are also very cute together... My dimple boys ahhh!!

A couple of underrated ships that I'm sure no one else ships but me: Shubman/Jasprit and Shubman/KL Rahul. I love the junior x senior dynamic between them, how Shubman really respects them, values them and leans on them for advice, while Jasprit and Rahul seem to be protective of him too.

Shubrat are the one pairing I really dither on. I know people ship them, but I really see Shub and his Virat bhai as more of a brotherly, even parental dynamic. Idk I think the mentor-student vibes between them are too pure for me to see them in a romantic light. But I definitely understand the appeal of the ship for those who do ship it!

A few international pairings off the top of my head: Shubman and Pat were really cute together at KKR. Their age difference, the eternal rivalry between India and Australia, and more recently, their roles as captains of their respective countries makes for a heartbreakingly angsty dynamic. I love to headcanon Pat/Shubman as a hot summer fling, and on Shubman's side, his bittersweet first love that he never forgets.

Shubman/David Miller were very cute at Gujarat in the one or two seasons they played together. There's a video out there somewhere of Miller kissing Shubman's neck at an afterparty, I'll see if I can pull that up! 🤭

And I know this is sacrilegious, but one ship I think has massive potential is Shubman/Shaheen Shah Afridi. They've been involved in so many spicy sledging battles together, it's really easy to think of them as enemies to lovers! Plus the India-Pak rivalry makes for an excellent and tragic star-crossed romance. 🤭

[stoookes]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Chapter 6 - Highs and Lows

Just as things start to go right it all comes crumbling down.

[tiredgayloser]

Hello, people of cricfam. I very much enjoy over-explaining things, and so I have come online to provide you all with a bit of a timeline of my current fics and what’s going to be coming out in the near future.

If you don’t care, feel free to scroll on. This is as much for my self-indulgence as it is a genuine PSA 😅.

1. To Wilt & Fade

This is the 2nd last part of Now Tips the Hourglass. There are two chapters of it left to come. They will both be out within a week.

2. Then & Now

The final part of NTTH. One chapter. Might be the second angstiest fic I’ve ever written.

After these two fics are released, there will be a bit of a break before I post the first part of The Hours Between, the series directly following on from NTTH. During this break, I have four fics planned (without spoiling too much):

1. Bulletproof Heart | J2, road-trip, non-cricket AU. Lots of queer culture references and mental health.

2. Snapshots | J2 over the years, but from Stokesy’s perspective. Also a dash of Ben/Woody(/Woakesy?). First fic of mine tagged ‘No Angst’ (!)

3. Cocktail Attire | absolute nonsense fic from Jos’ Test debut. Cooky takes him on a dinner date. They talk about everything and nothing.

4. Untitled (as of yet) | Woody, Stokesy & Woakesy love dilemma (not a triangle!). Hanahaki Disease. For those unsure of what that is, I recommend reading either this or this (or both, if you’re feeling especially angsty). Ouch.

Once all of these standalone fics are published, The Hours Between will begin. I hope you’re all doing well and are excited for at least a couple of these :)

[secret-santner]

For how to play, check here

[stokesy55]

It’s snippet time!

I have so many WIPs that sit as half baked ideas that I haven’t even started, so I want to give them some attention.

All you gotta do is pick a WIP from below and send it to me in an ask, and I’ll provide a min. 1,000 word snippet 🥳

(If a ‘title’ is in brackets, it’s because I haven’t yet decided what it’s going to be called)

By Order of the Peaky Blinders (misc.)

Everything On The Line (India Test, Lords)

Sober (stoot)

(I’m gonna keep getting underneath you, all our friends want us to fall in love) (stoot)

Bowing Out (Stuart retirement)

Nurse Root (stoot)

To Break the Strongest of Men (Storgan)

Welcome Onboard ECB Air (misc.)

(Knights of the Realm) (medieval AU)

The Trophy is Ours (HoffRat)

The Heart Wants What It Wants (stoot)

Exile (stoot/roottler)

Joe’s iPod (stoot)

I Believe In You (stoot)

Secret Love Song (stood)

Hitting Sixes (Ben+misc)

What If He’s Written Mine On My Upper Thigh Only In My Mind? (Stoot)

Because I liked a boy (stoot)

[hazlehoff]

hiii everyone would just like to share that my not-so-young-anymore child @avachan08 has published her very own first fic!! ❤️❤️❤️ from all the countless stupid headcanons thrown back and forth at each other on chats to now seeing you publish your own work for the rest of the world to devour, i am so proud of you 🥹 love you soo much!!!

and now, i am kindly asking (or holding you at a watergunpoint, whichever is more effective) all of you to go read and support her by leaving kudos and comments for her! please okay and thank youuuu love you all x

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83276596