it's not yet 2024 where i am but it is where my love @ravensmadreads is, so happy new year already enjoying january 1st!
i usually overthink around my birthday as i march towards death but you lovely people have really made me think about 2023 as it comes to a close. i feel weird talking about myself (unless im drunk and we haven't started drinking yet so hold onto your butts for that possibility), so i'm just going to say this:
You all changed my life.
there, that's it. if you read this and you think it doesn't mean you, yes it does. not a day goes by where this place, this community does not bring me joy and warmth. i hope you get that job you wanted, or you get that fur baby adoption you've been hoping for, or you get accepted to that school you wanted to, or you graduate with all the honors, or you create the thing you've always wanted to, or you get the baby you've been hoping for, or the person who makes you heart flip says i love you. i'm nervous about next year because it truly feels like a year where anything can happen 🤍
now to the fandom stuff:
i've never done a fic rec list because inevitably, i'm a fucking moron and i leave someone out. i know it hurts when i'm left out of a fic rec list so i never want to do that to anyone here. what follows is a list of fics that spoke specifically to me. the old saying goes is that you don't write fanfic for yourself, you write it for the five freaks on discord that can't write coherent sentences after you publish -- and it's true. fanfic isn't about numbers -- i would much rather write for my five freaks on my discord (where my work has deep, emotional impact for them) than try to write for a large crowd that i will never ever manage to please all at once.
my wish for you in 2024 you all find your freaks. and i hope i'm one of them.
side note: there are a couple fics not on the list because i wanted to highlight fics that i didn't see much on other end of the year rec lists. but @iamskyereads 's Compulsion should be read in graduate programs and @whatsnewalycat already knows i'm going to name my first born child after her for her Psychomanteum. yall rock my goddamn world.
so without further adieu . . . these are the fics i read this year that tickled me pink.
God is a Woman by @wheresarizona
the way arizona writes max is entirely unique. i love her descriptions of how cold he is and how he doesn't breathe. i read this and had to rethink everything i ever wrote for max
the impaler by @kiwisbell
the dracula x johnathan x mina vibes in this are spectacular. this is a pairing i never thought i'd see much less enjoy so thoroughly. why is older tim being seduced by a younger max so hot??
night one by @haylzcyon
this is one of the first fics i read by hayley and she pretty much set the standard for all marcus pike fics moving forward. his endless patience, his flirty attitude, how he see things the reader won't admit, and then the sleeping bag -- god i'd read a thousand more fics about this dymanic
blood & tinsel by @morallyinept
so if i tried to list all of my favorite jett fics, we'd be here all night. but this one stands out to me because it's so well built. the description of the vampire "trance" or "glamor" or "compulsion" without using any of those words is INCREDIBLE. plus max is face-meltingly hot in this.
the world turned on its side by @idolatrybarbie
this was a surprise that came outta nowhere, but it hit me like a fucking train. bea weaves a story that sticks with you and creates a frankie that makes my entire soul sing.
heat by @wordywarriorwrites
okay, listen. the beauty of fanfic is that you can have insane, animalistic smut AND literary level writing. this fic is both. i have yet to come across another frankie abo fic that makes the dynamic more than a reason for the blorbos to fuck like animals. it's so well done, there's so much love here.
in fiction @sin-djarin
yall know dieter is my boy so i am VERY particular about how he is written in fic. everyone's interpretation is valid, but for dieter fics to resonate with me, there has to be this special blend of humor, kindness, dorkiness, and a sexiness you didn't expect. this fic is all of that and more.
reminiscence by @projectionistwrites
this was one of the first joel fics i read and there's something about it that just . . . feels right, feels natural to Joel. there's a raw honesty to both joel and the reader that just sunk into my chest. the back and forth over the drink, the SMUT, everything is just this beautiful snapshot of two lonely people in the apocalypse.
oct' 19 x ghosts by @trulybetty
another author that if i tried to choose a favorite, i simply couldn't. betty created a lovely, lovely world with this one (and the rest of the prompts for this one and her december prompts). i love fics that add a new layer to dieter and this one opened him up in a way that made him glow!
renegade by @eupheme
my personal favorite brand of joel is one that comes alive between reader's thighs. more boulder than human until you bring something to the surface. and this totally captures that. im a sucker for a good qz fuck-that-verges-on-love and i adore everything about it.
Dominica by @ohforficsake
if you ever need proof that notes do not reflect the quality of a fic, look no further. the language, the mastery of tension, and beauty of these descriptions are one two punches that knock me on the ass. genuinely one of my favorite frankie fics of all time.
wanna bet? by @write-and-buried
i debated putting this or her celestial navigation fic on this list, but this one just tickles me. i love it when authors throw in a confident, sex-obsessed dieter now and again and this makes me howl. and the DEBAUCHERY of the statue oh my god!
give it to me @sp00kymulderr
okay now to be fair, this review is entirely biased. i genuinely love gideon and all that they bring to this fandom. plus, they let me scream about dieter and then sends me dieter pictures that make me scream even louder. this fic is SO important to me. dieter here is everything i need and want: hesitant, anxious, but so madly in love. if i could wake up in one single fic every day, it'd be this one.
stepwise by @the-scandalorian
i joined this fandom through din and this has been, and always will be, one of my top favorites. the evolution of din from being touch averse to LUSTING after it, it kills me. it's a oneshot but so much is accomplished in such a short time. the writing here is simply superb.
salvatore by @devilmademewriteit
i came for the premise, stayed for the smut, and continued for the banter. i go back to this one all the time for inspiration with my own writing and then i get sucked in and read the whole thing through -- twice. javi drives me absolutely wild in this.
a whole new can of worms by @hier--soir
i accidentally read this out of order initially, but this was just reason for me to reread it from start to finish. fwb!joel can be really hit or miss for me, and primarily because this fic sets the standard. this feels like a real joel, a joel that has lost and found loved ones all through out his life and now in jackson, he can finally relearn what it means to be a lover. so good, so fun with the banter -- and the friggin' greenhouse scene -- woof!
telltale heart @astroboots
i am a SUCKER for 'frankie fixes his life' fics and this is one of the best. there are consequences for his choices in colombia, one that almost has him lose his family, and the woman he loves. this a real, genuine struggle for two people to overcome a seemingly impossible challenge in their marriage. you know the phrase, love conquers all? yeah this is that fic.
brand you in the way it counts by @charnelhouse
charnel was one of the first authors i read for the pedroverse -- and i mean i READ her. i read every single one of her fics at least twice and this one always sends me over the edge. it's such an inspiration to my own writing and i keep going back to her whole body of work to be reminded i can always improve my own writing
west by @radiowallet
when people want to know why fanfic matters, i want to show them this fic. it is achingly beautiful and written with a loving and gentle hand. joel is a messy, broken man but still capable, still good, still wanting to find love in this and i adore everything about this. Oneshots can be more devastating than multichapters because they end and this is one of them that drags me back to it constantly.
And to that weird little dude out of Chile who has no idea how much light he brings to the world…
Saw someone on twitter stan avatar (racist blue cat people variety) and like/retweet fanart of that white rat baby with locs and then saw them say "if you hc or joke about a character being a bigot then that makes you a bigot because youre perpetuating it and because youre making fans of that character uncomfortable" and then they gushed about two US imperialism military propaganda video games, complete with fanart of them holding rainbow flags and calling them queer icons.
(NO COPYING OR PLAGIARIZING FROM ME AND ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIEND’S WORK! THAT INCLUDES OUR CHARACTERS, DESIGNS, STUFF, ETC. IMPOSTERS AND SEXBOTS ARE NOT WELCOME TO FOLLOW MY BLOG WHATSOEVER! 😡 That will be all….I mean it.)
My food thoughts of: 🍫❤️Elmer Chocolate®️ Candies
⬆️ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Images (back in February 26th; where I was in our family’s living room to snack those sweets.)
After my sister give me this from last month of February; which it was a nice thing during ❤️Valentine Day to share. ➡️ Link Here
Elmer Chocolate®️ candies is something I never tried before; aside other candy brands I’ve enjoyed like Hershey’s®️ or M&Ms®️. However, it came with an amount of 15 pieces in 5 different flavors. Though remains of having chocolatey goodness after bites to another.
⬆️ 4th and 5th Images (While still in our family’s living room)
Started with Strawberry and Orange Crème flavor, they’re not bad either way how I take it. They’ve tasted good depend which were had the most creamy flavor for my liking.
⬆️ 6th, 7th, and 8th Images (March. 1st, 2023; while decided to move to my bedroom)
Saving for those three pieces much later than expected, the Choco Truffle, Caramel, and Chocolate Caramel tastes well too. From a fudge filling heart-shaped candy to gooey caramels, I’m going for Choco Truffle for my pick.
My thoughts:
Either way, it’s not bad of owning Elmer Chocolate candies for the first time. I still got some left that I’m saving, but appreciate my sister after giving me for this year’s ❤️Valentines Day. 🙂 Hope everyone will be planning this for next year; whether for your love one, friends, or any related family members. At least this is a start when getting chocolate from other brands or something else.
