John’s Search History 😏 (pt 2)

🚫 doing my job like a normal functioning adult ✅ doodling on sad-boi pisces-eyed George

John’s Search History 🫦 (pt 3)

Obsessed with them 💕

82 years old and Paul will never escape the sound of a woman who loved him - not on my watch 😤

Before Secret Santa '24 makes us all happy with new fiction and art: A far-from-complete list of Beatles (mostly mclennon) Christmas fics

...roughly in chronological order, from earliest days to modern AU's

• And to you a happy chrimbo (@fingersfallingupwards). John and Paul’s first Christmas together…short and sweet and very them.

• Silent Night (Hidden Track) (@savageandwise)…strangeness after their first kiss, solved by presents and a near drainpipe collision.

• Boxing Day 1958 (@beatlessideblog). I Need You Darlin’ extra (omegaverse). Paul and John’s first Christmas together after they bonded, and they try it “the other way around.”

• Christmas lights (keep shinin’ on) (distinguishd_like). John spends Christmas 1958 with the McCartney family—and they end up confessing their love in a way only they could.

• Hot Cocoa (@toovirgins). Mistletoe romance in the McCartneys' kitchen. Sorry about your favorite cup, Jim.

• Mike Storms the Bastille (@m1ssunderstanding). John and Paul escape to Paris and stay there; Mike and George visit them for Christmas in the winter of 1961. Yes, Lennon/McCartney, but:  Mike & George works *so* well.

• There snowbound together (@backbenttulips): 1961. Paul visits John and at Mendips, and they keep each other warm by the fireside. A soul-nourishing story, and they’re 150% in character.

• Mistletoe (thinkpink20): A classic for a reason. Paul watches John kiss Cynthia, and gets an idea. The two of them against a wall‚ what more does this world need, really?

 • The Spirit’s Up (@swinginglondon42): It starts in Hamburg: Ringo plays Father Christmas for Paul…a tradition is born. TW: drum stick defilement.

• The Present (@ohjohnnysblog). Hamburg. The first Christmas without Stu. Paul comforts John. The late-night banter in bed is so lovely, and the ending is hot…!

• I’ll Be Home for Christmas (@savageandwise). 1963 Christmas Show. Paul and John miss each other, and finally admit to it.

• So, I’m offering this simple phrase (frogchorus). John and Paul escape from fame and being Beatles on a walk through the snow.

• Let your heart be light (@backbenttulips). John spends Christmas 1967 at Paul’s place, and all is right with the world.

• Blue Christmas (@theoldmixer). Brian lives AU! 1968. It’s Christmas, and there is tension between John and Paul. Still. Again. Their manager intervenes.

Post-1980 (John lives AU)

• Leads Me to Your Door (@bluewater9). 1989. Paul had a difficult year, but John finds him at Christmas. Sad in places, but so beautiful and comforting in the end! All-time favorite. <3

• Just Like the Ones We Used to Know (@econhomework). Paul and John are married with children…but this is just them, early in the morning. In bed. With lovely memories of their young love tied-in.

• This Year’s for Me and You (@skylikeaflame). 1998. Paul and John both loved others, but now their life-long love finally has its turn—with their children’s blessing. Beautiful poetic masterpiece.  

Modern AU

• Talk santa to me (@backbenttulips). John volunteers as Santa at Macy’s. His ex, Paul, appears unexpectedly, and seats his pert bottom on his lap.

• Can You Still Love Me Tomorrow (ImagineBeatles). John is secretly in love with his best friend, Paul, and yet he agrees to be his pretend boyfriend for Christmas. Together they face Paul’s dad’s “piercing looks of disapproval.”

• I wish I had met you when your heart was safe to hold (goingmywaydoll). High Fidelity AU: record shop owner John asks his exes what went wrong between him and the one who got away—Paul.

sneaking glances in the space between us

3 Tips for Fanfic / AO3 Readers!

I love, love, love reading fanfic (McLennon, helllooooo).

Here are 3 ways to make your fanfic reading easier / more enjoyable since it's off the traditional publishing path:

If you love listening to Audiobooks, download NaturalReaders, upload a PDF of a fic & listen like it's on Audible. If you think you'll listen a lot, I highly recommend getting the Plus Subscription ($19/month). This is not an ad, btw, I don't get a kickback for this. But the Plus Subscription AI voices are so insanely realistic & expressive that you'll feel like you're listening to a human narrator. My personal favorite is Andrew (U.S.). If you don't want to pay, their free voices are fine - it just doesn't pass for human. (Bonus: I use this subscription for work & write it off on my taxes. Then I use it to read long/boring work docs. But duh, fanfic is the real reason I pay for it!) NaturalReaders is my favorite way to consume long fics while I'm cleaning/cooking/driving, including and especially my current fav, On Our Way Back Home. One tip, though: If you wanna listen to a particularly long fic, like hundreds of pages long, it's easier if you split it up into a couple of files before you upload it. It will load much faster and it's easier to manage since it won't have chapter markings like on Audible.

Download AO3 files on Kindle. You probably already know this - but I didn't realize, until recently, how incredibly easy this is!! Here's how: - Download the Kindle App on your phone / iPad. - Open AO3 and download any fics to read as an EPUB file. - If you've downloaded these files on your computer, airdrop to your iPhone or iPad. If you've downloaded on your phone you won't have to do this step. - Go to your downloads or whatever folder it’s saved to. - Click the file with a long hold then select to "Share to Kindle." - Make any changes you want to the title / author's name and then click upload! It'll be available on your phone/ipad in a few minutes. Just like a regular Kindle book you can highlight, annotate, change font size / color, etc. 3. Keep your fics organized on Kindle with "Collections." "Collections" are essentially themed folders on your Kindle. I use them to sort fics into categories: unread, currently reading, and favorite fics that I'm excited to re-read! I also sort based on fandom / length. So "Short McLennon Unread" or "Favorite McLennon to Reread." You could use the folders however you want, of course. One advantage of this is that you can batch upload dozens or hundreds of fics on your phone / iPad and then find which one you want more easily. I love, love, love doing this before an international trip so my Kindle is always fully loaded with hours of McLennon entertainment. Sorry, not sorry to anyone reading over my shoulder on a flight. Do you have any fanfic reading tips for me? I'd love to hear them :)

12/1/2024

The fag of the day is Paul McCartney!

Right now, I love you more right now 🪐

Cracking up at the last line - “one of his little piss takes” - as if John wasn’t this close to committing lyrical murder 🤣

from The Lyrics - an absolute must buy in hardback if you haven’t got it yet!!