#Curator: MistressPandora
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Good Day Gentle Readers,
Your Curators have been busy and prioritizing other things over some side projects, like this blog, so we have been quiet for some months. But I wanted to take a moment to let our followers know that we are still here.
I also wanted to use this blog to acknowledge that the LGBTQIA+ community in our fandom had a very difficult weekend, with hate speech, open harassment, even death threats. Sunday was a day of furiously reporting and blocking abusers, but also pouring love and kindness into our community. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who showed their support.
Make no mistake about it, the bigotry had nothing to do with some juvenile “ship war” and had everything to do with homophobia and hatred. Full stop.
Now seems like a good time to clarify a few things:
This is a multiship friendly blog, with a focus on LGBTQIA+ stories, art, characters, and creators. That is not changing ever.
Hate, bigotry, and harassment of any form are not tolerated. We will swiftly and judiciously block and report any of this that we find in the notes of our posts, reblogs, or inbox.
Someone checks the ask box daily; if you are feeling isolated after this weekend or want to reach out to the community, you are encouraged to do so. Anonymous asks are still on; you are not alone.
Additionally, I will do my best to check for DMs more frequently for the same reason.
There is absolutely no room for bigotry and hatred like this in our fandom community. None whatsoever. We MUST do better. All the love and solidarity I personally saw yesterday made me feel damn good about our fandom, so I know that we CAN do better.
Take care of yourselves, friends. Know that you are loved and supported, and above all not alone. Be generous with your love and kindness.
Much love,
Pan
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Editorial Series: Tagging Relationships
Good Day Gentle Readers!
We’re in the process of cooking up a new event for your writing and reading pleasure that we think will help keep us all warm through the coming winter. In the meantime, please enjoy the first installment of our editorial series!
Today’s topic is something that comes up almost daily for your Curators: tagging. Specifically, relationship tagging.
While Archive of Our Own (AO3) does not police tags and how they’re used, and some fandoms have their own, additional conventions for tagging relationships, there’s a couple universal truths. Specifically, the difference between ships with a “/” and ships with “&.”
The slash (/), as in Jamie/John or John/Tom, indicates a romantic and/or sexual relationship between the characters.
The ampersand (&), as in John & Brianna, indicates a platonic (non-sexual, non-romantic) relationship between the characters (as in friends or family other than a spouse).
It’s such a teeny thing, a single punctuation, but it makes such a huge difference! Here’s some examples and more discussion below the cut...
A reader looking for stories that are about Lord John and Jamie in a romantic relationship will search for Jamie Fraser/Lord John Grey in the ship tags. So a reader who clicks on a story tagged with the slash will be quite disappointed to find that Jamie and John are just friends through the entire fic.
What about someone who really wants to read about Dad!John and Son!Willie? All that sweet family fluff? Stories about that (definitely non-sexual) dynamic should be tagged Lord John & William Ransom. A fic (correctly) tagged Lord John/William Ransom should probably also carry an incest tag.
So why does it matter?
In some fandoms (not really Outlander or LJG that we’ve seen--unless you count John/Percy, which is a stretch), incestuous pairings are a thing. It’s also a common squick (or trigger for some people).
Fic is always a read-at-your-own-risk situation, but tagging helps communicate the agreement (the consent, if you will) between reader and author. The author says, via correct tags, “This is what this story includes.” And the reader says, “I am okay with that and expect to find what you tagged, the way you tagged it.”
It also makes it much easier for readers to find your stories! Our first step here at the Reading Nook to build a rec list is to search the appropriate tags on AO3. That means that if a story doesn’t have the tag we’re searching for (e.g., Hector/John), it never makes the cut. We then go through the results and find those that are tagged correctly, in this example, finding only the stories that are about Hector and John as the main or endgame ship.
For the “official word” from AO3 on the relationship tag, you can also check out their FAQ.
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Can’t get enough Lord John Grey content?
(via GIPHY)
You’re in luck! A team of Curators is furiously working to bring you the Lord John Grey Reading Nook!
Keep an eye for us to bring you recommendations for Lord John Grey fanfic and other transformative works, the odd meta post, and of course shenanigans!
While we’re busy doing The Nerd Things (i.e. spreadsheets, be still me heart), our Curators will start introducing themselves. Our Ask Box is already open, so feel free to drop us a note or ask a question while we toil. You’re also welcome to poke around the blog from desktop or mobile (the app doesn’t give you pages) to read the Curators’s bios and our About Us page.
See you soon!
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Here’s a random idea for the Trick or Twink fic event, free to a good home (or many)!
“Love Potion No. 9″ by The Clovers. John acquires a love potion and takes it. In the song, there’s this great line: “But when I kissed a cop at 34th and Vine...” Who’s the cop and what does he do?
Remember to tag @lordjohngreyreadingnook in your spooky, scary, or Halloween-themed Lord John stories this month! Learn more about the Trick or Twink fic event at this pinned post.
Have fun!
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Meet a Curator: MistressPandora
Hello Friends!
While we work on the nerdy stuff, we thought it would be fun to introduce ourselves.
I’m Mistress Pandora. I’m admittedly fairly new to the Outlander fandom. I started watching the show last year, ended up binging the hell out of, then proceeded to tear through every single published book (except for The Scottish Prisoner, which I was saving because Brotherhood of the Blade broke me entire heart) within six months (via audiobook).
And then I picked up my quill again (so to speak) and wrote for the first time after a nearly two-year hiatus. And that was the end of me doing anything else ever again.
My last fandom was pretty freaking massive, so it was always really easy to get lost in the crowd. What I love about the Lord John fandom is that we are (relatively) small in number but mighty in heart. It’s really easy to make connections with people and I’ve found several other writers that I do consider friends, even if we are flung across the four corners of the earth. I’m so excited to be working on this project with four of them! (Five, if you count one with an alter-ego so specific he needed his own bio. You’ll see it. It’s pink.)
One of the other Curators, LeviSqueaks (my actual brother from another mother, we’ve been IRL friends for twenty years) gave me three questions to answer for you:
What was your least favorite Lord John plot point from either book or show? How would you make it better?
I realized I’ve been stalling on this because I couldn’t think of anything ( do love the books even when they infuriate me), but it just hit me. In BotB, towards the end, Hal did The Thing. The Awful Inexcusable Thing. He gave John a pistol and sent him to convince their stepbrother to kill himself so he wouldn’t be hanged and shame the family. And thus, my vehement FUCK YOU HAL at every opportunity was born. If I were to rewrite this scene, it would be very simple. Hal would still give John the pistol. And then John would promptly beat the ever-loving hell out of him and storm out. F U Hal.
That, or rather than Jamie burying that dead Irishmen and meeting bog fairies (The Scottish Prisoner), he’d have maybe realized that he and John had been DATING and neither of them KNEW IT and maybe tried dating ON PURPOSE FOR A CHANGE. F U Bog fairies.
What helps you get into a writing mood?
I have a few go-to playlists that I listen to, sometimes before I know I’ll be able to actually write, just to put my brain in the same head space. Rereading the story so far or the original prompt helps too, reminds me of the initial excitement for the plot bunny. Rereading comments on published work also motivates me! Writing is my stress relief though. I can’t sit still and passively consume much of anything, but I can read and I can write because my brain is engaged. Most of the time lately just knowing that I can disconnect from a world where I can control precious little and plug into a world that is exactly what I want it to be is enough to put me in the mood.
If you could only pick one food to eat for the next year, what would it be?
Coffee. I wouldn’t make it to the end of the year, but I’d get where I was going really fast.
Or chicken Caesar salad. I’ve been eating a lot of that lately.
But seriously, I can’t with the bog fairies.
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First of all, I really appreciate what you're doing. Especially as I'm a poor student so I can't afford buying all Outlander and LJG books at once. Therefore I read every fic with LJ I can find. My OTP is John/Hector but unfortunately I couldn't find a lot of works with them. Maybe you'll have more luck
Hi Anon!
Thanks for sending us our first request! We’re still scouring the dark and dusty corners of the interwebs and you are so right--there’s really not much Hector/John at all. Here’s everything we could find so far with John/Hector center stage:
Love Never to be Forsworn by Thevina. 6k, Rated M. Very sweet story from Hector’s POV about how he and John fell and love when John joins the regiment.
Two sexy little 100-word drabbles: To Love is to Worship and A Most Intimate Kiss, both by fosfomifira.
These two are more about Hal and John’s fraternal relationship, with Hector/John in the background:
Aid and Comfort by Penknife. 2.6k. Rated T. Angsty fic about Hal & John when Hector is killed.
Broken Arm by SupremeMasterOverlordKhurro. 2.6k. Rated T. Angst, hurt/comfort. This is about Hal & John after Jamie breaks John’s arm. Hal knows about Hector.
I wish we had more to offer you, Anon! If we stumble upon more we’ll be sure to tag them Hector/John when we post the recommendations.
I’ll turn this over to our followers - If you know of any Hector/John fics hiding out there, please reblog with a link!
Happy Reading!
Curator MistressPandora
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What’s Your Favorite Trope?
Good Day, Gentle Readers!
Curator MistressPandora here. Sipping Chugging my coffee and thinking of what our next recommendation list will be.
So tell me, friends, what is your favorite trope? What kinds of shenanigans or alternate universes do you like to see Lord John thrown into? What is it about that trope (or those tropes) that you love so much?
Let us know in a reply, reblog, or an ask (anons are welcome if you prefer)!
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Halloween Trick or Twink hope anyone accepts a promo: John as a vampire had to bite jamie to avoid him death. Due to his new condition jamie accompanies John and from the inicial anger of being bitten they move on to friendship and lust and love ( lots of hot sex please) 2 hundred years later Jamie (immortal) sees Claire when she returns from past pregnant. Does he choose John?
Hello Dear Anon!
Thank you for sharing a prompt! I’m posting it for the world to see, hopefully someone will bite!
Calling all fic writers! If anyone is looking for Jamie/John vampire ideas for the Trick or Twink event, here’s a nifty one! There’s no official rules about snatching up a prompt, it’s open for anyone. This is a pretty intriguing idea with the potential for a plot we can really sink our teeth into.
Please pardon the terrible puns. Brian has been hopped up on fistfuls of Halloween candy and running amok. We’re going batty.
Dear Lord, I cannot stop...
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And then favourite one shots featuring Jamie/John?
Hi @geekinthefuschiahair, thank you for the ask! I realize this has been sitting in the inbox for an obscenely long time and for that I apologize. Jamie/John is the most popular Lord John ship on AO3, so a masterlist for this is a bit broad.
However, I have put my personal favorites below, and I invite my fellow curators and our followers to reblog with their favorites too.
Title: i may break to pieces
Author: iihappydaysii
Rated: E
Word Count: 1105
Summary: while john is visiting fraser's ridge before his return to england, jamie comes to john's room at night.
Why I Love It: This wee ficlet is just so incredibly moving. I was not prepared for how hard I cried. And I woke up the next morning thinking about it, read it again, cried again. It’s short but so very impactful!
Title: summer solstice
Author: iihappydaysii
Rated: E
Word Count: 3454
Summary: Jamie runs afoul of a witch who curses him. If he doesn’t have sex with a man, he’ll die. Fortunately he knows someone who just might be willing to help him with that.
Why I Love It: I’ve never read such a well done fuck or die! Fuck or Die (or its cousin sex pollen) always toe the line of dub-con/non-con (or are straight-up rapey) but Ash handled that like an absolute master. It’s insanely HAWT but also incredibly sweet.
Title: you can fix my fence
Author: Nara_stories
Rated: T
Word Count: 4699
Summary: The Earl finds out that Willie is not his son and Jamie turns to desperate solutions. Namely, the witch that supposedly lives just outside the edge of town.Who turns out to be completely different than expected.Written for the Outlander Bingo 2020 for the square 'One or both is a witch'.
Why I Love It: Witch!John. You read that right. The imagery is just glorious and there’s a nifty little twist in there, and John in his sexiest “Left-ten-ant Leonard” mode.
So now I open it up to my fellow curators and our dear followers: Please reblog with your favorite Jamie/John stories under 10k. Links are always helpful if you can!
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I really appreciate the work you are doing for the Lord John fandom, so thank you for doing it!! All of you are very kind
Aww, thank you for saying that Anon! We’re so happy to be able to connect with the fandom this way! ❤
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Hello Gentle Readers!
We keep a running page with links to all of our recommendation posts. If you’re on the desktop site you can find it here.
We typically update it within a few days of posting a new list. We link to our original post, so be sure to check the notes for other recommendations that your fellow readers have added in replies and reblogs.
If you ever find any broken links, please send us a message so we can make repairs.
Happy reading!
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Can I still add my (potential) story to the ao3 collection if I don't finish within October? 👻
Hi friend!
We’ll leave the AO3 collection (LJGSpooktacular2020) open for a couple weeks. As long as it’s open, you’re welcome to add to it!
Thanks for your question,
Curator MistressPandora
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Good Evening Dear Readers,
My goodness, we have a sweet little queue in the ask box! Just a quick note to let you know that we see you and will start cranking out answers tomorrow. We’ll start at the bottom and work our way up.
Thanks for being patient, my friends!
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Meet a Curator: Narastories
Hello everyone!
I’m Nara, another one of the curators here in the reading nook. I’ve found the Outlander books in 2017 lying around on my Kindle. I didn’t put them there, I actually think it was my dad who put the first three on there as a gift, because he knew what a huge bookworm I am. Needless to say, I fell in love with them and here we are!
I’ve started my fanfiction adventures in my native language, which is not English, but Hungarian. We had a wonderful little community there, and it was always a delight when multiple of us got really into a fandom, for example with Teen Wolf where I’ve read and written a lot of stories over the years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always the case, and I mostly just rattled on about Outlander into the void. It was the reason why I decided to translate two of my Jamie/John stories into English. That was back in 2018, and I got some lovely feedback, but eventually life got busy and I went dormant for a while.
Until this year I got wind that there were new cool people in town and I joined the @outlanderbingo2020. It was the best decision I could have made, because since then I’ve written 13 new stories, which is crazy to me! Even more importantly I got to know the nicest bunch of people I, just like MistressPandora do consider friends even if we’ve never met face-to-face.
Anyways, I’ve rambled at you long enough, and I still have three questions to answer, which the above mentioned lady picked out for me:
Other than Lord John, who is your favorite canon character and why?
Tom Byrd (from the Lord John series)
I do love many of the Outlander characters, but that is the only definitive answer that I can give to this question. No one is shocked I see. I love how he just turns up there on Lord John’s doorstep and somehow pulls the whole thing off. He cares for people selflessly, he’s cute and entertaining, fiercely protective and still thinks more maturely than many older characters.
Do you have a go-to fic you reread when you need a pick-me-up? If so, what is it?
I have several. I keep a massive amount of bookmarks on AO3 (I just went above 100 whoops), so it’s not easy to choose between them. No, I actually can’t make a choice, so I’m going to cheat and mention two:
Spellbound by @clairefraserloves - John/Jamie, Harry Potter crossover, Not Rated - This is a wonderfully written little glimpse into a world where John and Jamie are professors in Hogwarts. It’s not finished, but let’s not put unnecessary pressure on the author here. I think it’s soothing and gorgeous and I love to read it when I feel down and just imagine all the shenanigans John and Jamie could get into that world while falling in love.
Homing Beacon by @mistresspandorawritesthings - John/Tom, Supernatural crossover, Rated E (very, deliciously explicit) - I’ve only read it 1.5 times so far, but I just KNOW I’ll keep coming back to this. This story has everything that makes me unreasonably happy rolled into one, among other things: John, Tom, autumn, a witch, dragons, monster-of-the-week-style shenanigans and super BAMF characters. This isn’t finished yet either, but I know for a fact that the last chapter is coming, so it’s a perfect time to read it, if you haven’t. ;)
Tell us a joke or share a meme that you love.
@levisqueaks tells much better jokes than I do, so I’m just going to leave this little meme here to give you a taste for my sense of humor:
(yes, I am vegan)
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Good day to you, gentle readers! We now have our Events page live so that you can see all the Rules and FAQs for any events that the Reading Nook hosts. This includes the Trick-or-Twink event hosted by our very own Brian Randall (everyone’s favorite gender-swapped Brianna).
As a friendly reminder, you’ll need to be on desktop (or the mobile site, but not the Tumblr app) to get to our pages.
Happy reading!
-Curator MistressPandora
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