universal heartbeat by anonymous (will/mack, t, 7k): 90s indie band au, their dynamic on the ice translates so well. insane prose. like life-changing... so lyrical and beautiful and the world-building is genuinely some of the best I've ever read. you all already know how I feel about this one.

a light that never goes out by paisana (will/mack, e, 24k): religious stuff done right, amazingly fleshed-out dynamic, will through mack's eyes is sooo special to me.

let me tell you something (and i'll tell you something else) by bohemiabythesea (leno/carbs, will/leno, m, 9k): the best character study I've read hands down and one of my favorite hrpf fics ever!! I reread this fic every time I write anything involving leno. it's so well-written and the concept is executed perfectly. literally will make you squirm in the best way. also one of the tags is leno gets coach-taylored and I love fnl and dilf of all time kyle chandler so... instant classic...

brothers on a hotel bed by udizj (will/mack, m, 7k): incredible heavy angst, future fic, characterization is impeccable. the prose is so honest and will have you staring at the ceiling, unblinking. broaches the subject of internalized homophobia and the messy fallout really masterfully.

spring tides by @inlightofitall (will/mack, e, 5k): will's interiority is so good, covers a lot of emotional ground unapologetically and the prose is insane. will crashouts are so special to me as a pisces! like his characterization is soooooooo good in this. his bottled-up anxiety is very creatively portrayed which is quite a feat.

the surface is everything by @hockeyeast (will/mack, e, 32k): we all know and love this one but I have to reccommend it. my dear hockeyeast could write anything and I'd eat it up, in fact, go read all of her other fics, too. will in this fic is soooo lovely. like he's so funny and angsty and doesn't see anything clearly because he's stuffed deep in his own head. internalized homophobia/general anxiety in an athlete done right!!!! truly entertaining read, and it's such a well-crafted story. the prose, obviously, is nuts. like professional-level writing that I am in awe of every time I revisit! I reread this fic religiously because I catch new details each time.

trust by @bluecanvastotebag (will/leno and will/mack, t, 2k): really interesting wsh character study. you get all 3 povs and it's super impactful. all about the stuff nobody dares to look at too close. the way the author depicts unhealthy patterns in wsh's behavior are like little gut punches.

no good state to receive by @inlightofitall (will/mack, e, 17k): this is a classic post-olympics fic to me... love is stored in the mango. we all know this one, but I had to include it. as a lover of mangos and fi's writing. just go read all her fics while you're at it.

the law of holes by @drivestraight (will/leno, e, 15k): important, foundational, generational willeno text, like probably a major part of the willeno bible for me. I've read this more times than I can count. insane fleshing out of the dynamic, and really good wsh character study all at the same time. I come back to this one a lot!

pacify by @tanlineswrites (will/mack, e, 11k): tanlines.... oh tanlines... every fic is a seismic event to me but this one in particular literally took my breath away the first time I read it. the dynamic is so so so juicy because both characters are super complex and I love when authors get into stuff around communication issues, control issues, characters using their bodies to convey what they can't say out loud. it's very immersive and a really really good character study of both of them.

dog teeth by armyofbees (will/mack, e, 57k): was sitting at rapt attention the whole time I read this. seriously like a foundational wm text for me. angst + unconscious desire done sooo well. the conversations between mack and aiden solidified this fic as an all-timer to me.

clear spot by @rainybelieverland (will/mack, e, 21k): such a sweet fic... light angst, and done so well! I love this mack voice soooo much. it's very us-against-the-world vibes, even when they're going through all their angst, and I love how their closeness is depicted.

shotgun waiting to sound by teethkick (leno/pld, e, 13k): foundational text for leno understandings. so so so good. I love this author's writing style, so much so that I read all of their other fics, even the ones including pairings I don't know anything about (and now I know!)

there for it by anonymous (mack/leno and will/leno, e, 2k): this one is insane. like I don't really have words for it. super well-executed leno character study. the author literally makes each word count. I was so uncomfortable reading it, in the best way ever.

snarl by mall_dog (will/mack, e, 3k, incomplete): even though this is incomplete I highly reccommend everyone read it. it's another one of those squirmy fics that makes you uncomfortable, a lot like there for it. sharp, exacting prose and really good dual pov, which I think is super challenging to write. gets into violence in sports as a method of intimacy without cliche.

do it by @truenausea (will/mack, not rated, 3k): another squirmy one!! masterclass in erotic tension. I kind of almost felt stressed the whole time I was reading this, which I really like—the anticipation and what-are-we-doing-ness is palpable. the author uses line breaks well, if that makes sense? and the dialogue is excellent, like they're just talking around it the whole time while being pathologically obsessed with each other

fifteen minutes to the citgo sign by iodinejam (will/mack, m, 8k): great marmon fic, love the will characterization. my favorite part of this story is actually the whole willeno conversation because it reveals so much about both of them, as well as the wm dynamic. it's such an achievement to write fully-formed side characters. I also adore the dialogue in this fic.

real slick, nervy by ghostsinmachine (will/mack, m, 5k): one of the first wm fics I read, I think? soooo good. I love fics about their early dynamic, how comfortable they are around each other, how easy and yet astoundingly difficult it is to ask for something they both want.

put me on a pedestal by goalhorn (will/mack, e, 10k): I loveee this fic. it's so silly and sweet and hot at the same time. the dialogue is super realistic, and I love this author's writing style.

ask not by litaf1101 (will/mack, e, 31k): cannot emphasize this enough, you neeeeed to read this fic. I think about ask not will at least once a week and all my friends and I now regularly tell each other that time is a flat circle. my favorite part is will in the church in boston if you know you KNOW!

part 2 of halfway line

Will is so very proud of herself for continuing to jog steadily, for not letting the casual expression on her face falter, and for not turning and decking Mack square across the jaw.

Will Smith, Princess Diana Hockey

writers who became friends, and friends who became writers—we've built something together. passing drafts, sharing ideas, saying what if and meaning go further. even when it’s The Character™, even when it’s something silly or erotic, the care is real, the bond is there. and to hold it in my hands—a chapter, a page, a thing made—and feel how much attention went into it!

proof that friendship can be built through making, that creativity is a form of trust, and that something imaginary, made together, is very, very real.

Created by: @yokedtablet

Finally finished this Ellie piece 😋

they’ve fought, bitten, drawn blood, and still can’t find a way to make the parts of them that just want to belong to each other meet in the middle. but here they are anyway, broken hearts entwined in a mess of lips on scarred skin. cheeks wet and eyelashes clinging. a bone-deep guilt sinks in while ellie mourns in dutiful, almost urgent strokes of her fingers. they can’t be real, but how can they not be when it’s this good? it’s stupid how much she still wants it. she convinces herself the “it” she means abby’s release and that alone. abby lets herself get lost in the feeling of fingers tugging at her hair if it means she can entertain denial for an hour longer. ignores the bitter ache in her arm and coos filth to hopefully rid herself of the lump in her throat.