The Mysterious Phoenix

When you are a kind and sweet man but Ryder just keeps. getting. in the. way.

if i'm honest 99,9% of the tobs fics i read are mary x tom so here's some of my favourites:

take me to the lakes (where all the poets went to die) by WickedSong (complete, one-shot): an AU in which tom is the one who falls sick after scafell.

flying like a bird to you now by starryeyedwoman (ongoing): so so so good, i don't think i'll stop recommending, mary and tom are teachers, chapter 16 has been out for like two weeks and i've reread a lot because it was so sweet.

A Few Universal Truths by l_g_may (ongoing): kinda really angsty right now, it follows the story essentially from the lakes onwards.

An Overwhelming Sense of Calm by TommyHayward (ongoing): another modern AU, this one is very sweet and mary and tom just feel very grounded to me and i have feels.

The Other Mr & Mrs Smith by horamiji (ongoing): listen, mr and mrs. smith AU and this is full on the angst right now and i love a nice spy story.

Waiting at the Threshold by Lilghostgal (complete, one-shot): tom waiting for his and mary's child.

A Habit of Attention by Lilghostgal (ongoing): a mary x tom marriage of convenience AU, i'm on the fence over some aspects of the story but overall i really like it (it does has a pregnancy plot and i'm aware that's not everyone's cup of tea so...)

unnatural disasters beset us from the start by reindeerjumper  (complete): tom has nightmares after the lakes, eventually he isn't alone in dealing with them.

Got a message in my inbox asking for my fic recs and, having been in this fandom from the moment there was no tag whatsoever, I want to highlight the beautiful writers 💜

If it were for me, I'd rec all 217 fics, since I've read most of them several times. PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS ON ALL THE FICS YOU READ AND LIKE. That said, here's a good start:

A most advantageous marriage by WanderingStella. Post Canon, Epistolary compilation. Multichapter/Ongoing. This fic is written SO deliciously and retaining much of the language of the period. It's a lovely insight on the Bennets and how they meet Tom previous to the wedding!

till heart with heart in concord beats by sapphicbecca. Post canon. One shot. Tom gets in the habit of sending Mary poems during their engagement + writes her a special one once married. It's tender, it's sweet and this writer understands Mary and Tom in such a special way! (the sapphic way). This author has another beautiful fic on Marytom and poems, please go read it!

All the Weather of You by LilGhostGal. Modern AU. Multichapter. Complete. This one can only be described as a throughout character study on who Mary and Tom are, at their core, on the specificity of each of them. This being a Modern AU is stunning because you'd think... what's holding them back? They adore one another, they have an extremely special relationship and yet... it all shatters. What are these character's fears? Thoughts? Does modernity heal it? Does love heal it?

this season, with their unripe fruits by Vellinae. Post-canon. One shot. Married Mary Hayward brings her newly orphaned nieces into her house. Her niece, daughter of Lydia and Wickham, who has been neglected in her own way. As Vellinae puts it, Mary gets to be the Mrs Gardiner in someone else's story. It's a poignant fic, extremely interesting concept and beautifully written. This author has quite a lot of fics for TOBS and I've enjoyed each and every one.

catch from thy wild eyes these gleams by Vellinae. Canon Divergence. Multichapter. Ongoing. Mary marries Mr Collins instead of Charlotte. She becomes a wife, a mother and then -- a widow. Tom Hayward is summoned to arrange late Mr Collins's estate. It's a beautiful story on healing, on personhood, on quiet loving, steady loving.

Another Brother (in-law) by Little_Miss_Rainstorm. Post canon. Engagement period. Multichap. Ongoing. Dwells onto the Bennets, the Darcys, the Bingleys, the Haywards... we've got everyone here and it's a beautiful wild ride. It's one of the first multichapters in the fandom and the writer has plunged us so WONDERFULLY into this world!

What We Become by BlissfulEscape. Multichap. Post Canon. Marriage and Pregnancy. Ongoing. Mary, Tom, their first pregnancy and the family they've already built. Please read the rest of this author's fics too. They are #1 Gardiners warrior and a dear friend!

good bones by reindeerjumper. Post canon. Married Marytom. Oneshot. Just absolutely delightful breakdown of the Hayward marriage through senses!

let lips do what hands do by bookstantrash. Post canon. One shot. Engaged Marytom spend a stolen moment unchaperoned. It's insanely well written and it'll leave you blushing and flailing. They love each other! Good for them!

Tom Hayward Master Yearner series by astronat. Canon compliant. One shots. Angsty. A deep dive into Tom's mindset and yearning throughout the show and after.

Lyrical Ballads by susanpxvensie. Post-canon. Multichap. Ongoing. The first longfic from this fandom, forever tattoed in my heart. Just an exploration of the engagement period + marriage of MaryTom.

The Bennets Descend by LilGhostGal. Post-canon. One shot. Tom meets the Bennets and their husbands. It's a fuckin' riot. The characterization is excellent, Darcy and Bingley were so accurate I was cracking up. JUST DELIGHTFUL.

Anyway, these are a great start but, as mentioned, each of the 217 fics I've come across have delighted me plenty. I have missed so many of my favs and cut a lot because... it's already a long list.

The way they were counting their steps while dancing. The stumbling over each other's words. Her inability to paint. His awful drawings.

elizabeth being 100% done with her family