you take the dark and carve me out a home

Since today is Sunday, my usual order of business is to go pick up the groceries for the week. Mom and I order them separately and I pick them up for both of us and that's that. Today I was waiting for the order and I remembered that it was 7 weeks ago that I listened to "Take Me Back To Eden" for the first time. 18 days later, I saw them live. And here I am today.

While on the drive home today, I was thinking about what was it about the band and the sound that made me fall in love with them. A lot of my past historical music enjoyment has been epic sounds, or cinematic soundtracks, etc. My music interests are very wide and varied. But I am not a much of a metal fan. I liked Linkin Park a lot, but it was the rare song that I appreciated that was of the metal genre other than that. So ultimately, I think what drew me in was just how genre bending it is. I've heard some people say that Sleep Token's sound is music for musicians. I love the epicness of the sound, the variations in a single album, etc. And Vessel's absolutely gloriousness of a voice.

In essence, Sleep Token for me is cinematic metal. Melodic metal. Ambient metal. And frankly, just damn good music. I can't believe its only been 7 weeks since I started listening. I feel like I was waiting for him. Him and his music. And the absolute pure poetry of his lyrics, my god. I look forward to many more years enjoying Vessel's talents, no matter the form they take. Whether under his real name in the future, or under the continued anonymous façade and band.

perspicuity (26968 words) by dhampir72
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q (James Bond)
Additional Tags: Poisoning, Trapped In Elevator, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, First Dates
Summary:

Bond and Q are trapped in a lift. Awkward, under normal circumstances, for certain.
Unbearable when Q has been poisoned and his life hangs in the balance.

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#fics read in 2023#00q#james bond#20k to 30k words#the ending was so sweet#rereadable and lovely

synchromesh (17664 words) by foolish_mortal
Chapters: 5/5
Fandom: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: Eve Moneypenny, Q (Bond - Craig movies), 007 - Character
Summary:

"I should let you know that MI6 is not in the habit of ceding to terrorists," Q tells him with chilly poise. "But it is after hours, and this is at least a halfway decent kidnapping."
Bond's answering hum of amusement resonates and mingles with the sound of the revving engine.

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This was so good. Definitely a fave.

it doesn't take you away from yourself (9284 words) by scioscribe
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom, SPECTRE (2015)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: Q (James Bond), James Bond, Eve Moneypenny, Original Character
Summary:

Q thinks he can't imagine anything worse than three days at a conference with James Bond as his bodyguard. Bond thinks that's showing a lack of imagination. He may be right.

Or, the one where Q has a long-standing arrangement, Bond condescends to croissants and tablecloths, unresolved issues abound, and then actual serious stuff happens. Post-Spectre.

Does Your Mother Know? (17531 words) by sorion
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom, James Bond (Craig Movies)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q (James Bond)
Additional Tags: Romance, Character Study, Sensuality, Love, Happy Ending
Summary: “He told me… that he’d loved and trusted people with his life before, and that it didn’t end well. And he told me… that he would trust me with his life… and his death.”
“Wow. Now I don’t know which one of you to warn off of breaking the other’s heart, anymore.”
COMPLETED

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I loved how good they are together. Definitely rereadable.

Gödel and the Alcubierre Warp Drive (28297 words) by Laysan_albatross
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: James Bond - All Media Types, James Bond (Craig Movies), James Bond (Movies), GoldenEye (1995)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Bond/Q, James Bond/Q/Alec Trevelyan, James Bond & Q, Q & Alec Trevelyan
Characters: Q (James Bond), James Bond, Alec Trevelyan, Boothroyd (James Bond), Olivia Mansfield, Vesper Lynd, Bill Tanner, Moneypenny (James Bond), R (James Bond), M | Gareth Mallory, Madeleine Swann, Franz Oberhauser | Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, Espionage, Intrigue, Backstory, Queerplatonic Relationships, SPECTRE Fix-It
Summary: Where you play the game of intrigue for the second time and still have no idea what is happening.
> After dying, Q is thrown back in time and can't understand why certain people find him so interesting.

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This was so good. Another one for the favorite pile.

Grace Period (22609 words) by junetangerine (culuyetille)
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q (James Bond), Eve Moneypenny
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Humor, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Domestic Fluff, Romance, Slash, Smut, Bondlock (only mentioned)
Summary:

In retrospect, the whole thing was a series of extremely poor decisions on Q’s part, none of which he regretted in the slightest.
Or, AU in which IT-techie!Q is chatted up by one James Bond and doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he’s also MI6.

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Gods, this was good. Another fave to add to the pile. So many good fics in 00Q fandom. Soooo many.

ordinary, everyday things (7536 words) by pdameron
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies), James Bond (Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q (James Bond), Eve Moneypenny, M | Gareth Mallory, Bill Tanner, Luna Lovegood, Various Harry Potter Characters
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Pining, Mutual Pining, Minor Character Death, Fluff, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-SPECTRE
Summary: It is fourteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts that he finds himself at the helm of MI6’s Q Branch, 29 and thrilled and terrified and completely alone.
(In which everything is the same except Q and Bond are both wizards and think the other is a muggle.)

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Definitely rereadable.

feels like insomnia (woah) (4172 words) by skylights
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom, James Bond (Movies), James Bond (Craig Movies)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Q
Additional Tags: Fluff, Crack, so I finally watched Skyfall and this happened, not even sorry, maybe a little, because of OOCness, Q has problems, Bond is one of them, but not really, unless Bond steals his food again, this is going nowhere
Summary: Q, on the other hand, is having significantly less trouble with coming to terms as to how he currently has a slightly drunk double-oh agent standing in his flat at arse-o’-clock in the morning. Without waiting for a reply, Q starts the vacuum up again and starts to clean the patch of carpet next to Bond’s feet. The vacuum nozzle bumps against Bond’s patent leather shoes a few times and Q grunts, a clear sign that Bond should move.
Bond moves.
(or, that fic where Q has insomnia and Bond tries to be helpful)

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This was another fun read.

How to Be a Superhero (53726 words) by turningterrific
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: James Bond (Craig Movies), James Bond (Movies), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Characters: James Bond, Gareth Mallory, Q (Bond - Craig movies), Eve Moneypenny, Q's Family
Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Slow Build, POV Alternating, World of Warcraft Playing, Kid Fic, Post-Skyfall, Sharing a Bed
Summary:

“Am I sacked?”

M doesn’t bother answering James’ attempt at humor but instead continues in his point. “Since your return from the Skyfall operation, which was over a year ago I might add, you have not taken one day of leave, no holiday of which I'm aware. You haven’t rested the requisite 48 hour period between mission and report.”

James takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“You are not a young man,” M says plainly. “Everyone, even James Bond, needs time to let wounds heal, both physical and mental. Pushing yourself is going to get you or someone else killed eventually.”

“So not another mission then?” James asks and moves to stand.

**

Or, James Bond is forced to take a few days off, runs into Q at a kebab shop, starts playing World of Warcraft, and takes a trip to Witney to meet Q's family (for reasons of national security, of course).

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This was perfection. Instant favorite.