Tumblr recs 2018 (through October)

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January recs

You Don’t Have To (Say Yes) by luminousbeings (Star Trek reboot, Kirk/Spock)

The abridged sexual history of James Tiberius Kirk.
Or, Jim’s varyingly unhealthy idea of what sex is supposed to be (a it-gets-worse-before-it-gets-better story).

I came by this one via @giandujakiss, and it’s one of those myriad post-first-reboot-movie longfics where Kirk has some epic trauma related to Tarsus IV, but it does an amazing job of still giving him agency and competence and natural leadership while still slathering on the h/c to my heart’s content.
He Just Wouldn’t Stay Away by @cygnaut (Mad Max, gen)

Max comes back in a busted old van with an even more busted leg. It’s not a social call—there’s a new threat out in the wasteland making its way toward the Citadel.

A completely delightful action romp in which Max and Furiosa go out undercover to sabotage a new enemy’s army, and continue to be the most drift-compatible ever while also figuring out how their friendship works when they’re (mostly) not in imminent peril. This one’s up for an award from @so-shiny-so-chrome, along with the next one, and I was never so glad that their category was split into gen and ship subsections.
Out of the Bag by @v8roadworrier (Mad Mad, Max/Furiosa)

Furiosa wakes up as a cat. Things progress from there.

I’m so very fond of the canon world in MMFR that I’m always a little cautious with premises like this, but holy shit this was great, and wonderfully LONG. Excellent cat shenanigans, Wasteland world-building, pining, and partnership.
Angels in the Architecture by @sholiofic (Stranger Things, gen)

Kali has a Christmas ritual.

Oh, my heart. Kali is both a vengeful crusader and a gentle big sister, and this is a gorgeous little snapshot of that latter side.
Home by Elasmo (Books of the Raksura, gen)

It turned out that living like people instead of monsters required all sorts of skills and tools. Cleaning required soap, and some inkling of how to apply it. Consolation’s flight, having been raised by monsters, not people, had none of the requisite skills.

Really great look at life post-Harbors of the Sun.

February recs

Late as usual! Have a couple of super long fics that I binged last month, some Regency crossdressing femslash origfic, some Luke/Poe porn, and some suggestive post-apocalyptic vegetables:
Hurricanes in Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire by @61below (The Hobbit movies, fem!Bilbo/Thorin)

Bilbo was banished. That’s it, the end. She wants nothing more to do with dwarves. Now all she needs to do is get back home, but there may be some complications along the way.

I still have no idea what the title has to do with anything (a ref to My Fair Lady, obvs, but why?!?), but this is an excellent, plotty fix-it AU, and I don’t even normally like kidfic very much.
Not Part of the Plan by @no-gorms (Supernatural, Dean/Castiel)

It’s time for Castiel to meet his future husband, Sam Winchester. Castiel resolves to play nice despite his personal misgivings, but out of all the challenges he’d expected to face, finding out the man he’d had a one night stand with is to be his brother-in-law isn’t one.

I’ve got this author subscribed so I’ve been waiting for this series to finish for ages, and then finally sat down with its epic ass last month and binge-read it. You should also enjoy over 300K of royalty arranged marriage AU that kicks off with an awkwardly sweet and hot meet-cute/one-night-stand, unravels into arranged marriage shenanigans, and then launches in a war with epic levels of pining - just in case you weren’t having enough feelings already.
On the Proper Treatment of Rakes by bigsunglasses (Regency origfic, OFC/OFC)

Ever since being presented to Society, it had been Diana’s custom to avoid rakes.

If Regency-era crossdressing, kidnapping, classics nerdery and flirting aren’t your speed, I cannot help you, but if they are your jam, get thee to this fic!
Eight Hours to O’Hare by @sassysnowperson (Star Wars, Luke/Poe)

Captain Luke Skywalker has put up with eight solid hours of sass from his mouthy First Officer, one Poe Dameron. At the hotel room downroute, it’s finally time to give that man a very thorough dressing-down.

Banter! Smut! Suprisingly sweet ending! *hugs fic to chest*
Salad Days by @sacrificethemtothesquid (Mad Max, Max/Furiosa)

Fresh produce is a welcome luxury after months and months of bean bars and hard, dry cakes, but *dear god*, Max thinks, at what cost.

*cackles* In which the women of the Citadel have far too much fun making innuendos, to the dismay of Max and Furiosa. Adorable and hilarious.

March recs

Cinderwings by bendingsignpost (Supernatural, Dean/Cas)

Under the cover of a masquerade ball, Castiel has five nights to recover the key to his people’s freedom. The world has changed greatly in the six centuries since their banishment into the void, but the task isn’t impossible. Unfortunately for Castiel, this is going to involve talking to people - especially the Knight Prince who has taken an interest in Castiel and his “costume” wings.

An 180K Cinderella AU with EPIC PLOT, holy shit, and also pining and secrets and research. So basically I was in from sentence one, and was not disappointed.
The Witching Hour by MellytheHun (Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles)

The radio host AU no one ever asked for but I have written anyway because sometimes when DJ’s play several sad songs in a row, I worry about their mental health and then this AU was born.

I am admittedly a sucker for radio AUs, but this one in particular was hilarious and inventive and adorable.
Vive l’amour by @philomytha (Vorkosigan, gen)

Ivan and Simon get drunk and talk about porn.

Yessss, take that offhand line from canon and turn it into a funny yet feelsy story about Illyan, porn, memory, and father/son moments (in all their glorious awkwardness).

April recs

Those That Make It and Those That Break It by foolishgames (Mad Max, Max/Furiosa)

Years later, a weary Max returns to the Citadel to find it transformed into a thriving community, benevolent and generous to strange drifters, a place he can finally, maybe, rest. But this friendly desert community is hiding a dark secret, and Max will need to decide whether he’s willing to risk his peaceful new life and anonymity in the name of justice.
A post-apocalyptic police procedural with a side of mutually baffling romance.

I don’t normally read or rec WIPs, but I ran across this while reading my way through the MMFR Awards noms and WHY ISN’T THERE MORE. Awesome worldbuilding, great Max POV and OCs, and I can’t believe I haven’t run across any other casefile fic in this fandom now.
A Sure Thing by @v8roadworrier (Mad Max, Max/Furiosa)

“That won’t do at all,” the gatekeeper says. He tsks loudly, then turns to the scribe besides him, and the two of them have some sort of rapid conversation in what might be code or might be a language Max doesn’t speak. When he’s finished he faces Max again and smiles, all teeth. “A day’s work in the brothel is good for a day in the city.”
“Fuck you,” Max says reflexively and settles his bag back on his shoulder, three seconds from walking away.
“No, fuck you,” the gatekeeper purrs. “It’s the only employment open at the moment, and you have nothing else of interest to trade.”

Another awards nom I can’t believe I hadn’t read before.
Victory Condition by astolat (Transformers, Optimus Prime/Megatron)

“Do you want me to tell you a story?” Megatron said mockingly. “You won’t like it, Prime. It’s not a very nice one.”

Yes, I finally caved and read astolat’s robot boner stories (thanks a lot, @serpentcast), and this one was by far my favorite.
Forgotten + sequel Flight by NorthernSparrow (Supernatural, gen + Dean/Cas)

Sam and Dean are working a case in Wyoming, but are distracted by news of a dangerous angel called “Castiel” who they can’t remember ever having heard of before. The name seems a little bit familiar, but neither of the boys is sure why.

AU from mid-S9, not that I’ve seen any canon since S5 ended but what the hell, sometimes a girl just wants to read 400K of classic Winchester brothers vs monster-of-the-week casefile that blows up into a clever Big Bad arc with AMNESIA and lots of Team Free Will feels and Cas whump and really detailed wings headcanon and slow burn Dean-figuring-out-he-has-emotions to round things out. You, too, can spend like three days reading this beast! Enjoy!

May recs

Excuses, Excuses by Nomad (From Eroica With Love, Dorian/Klaus)

Klaus is a difficult man to back into a corner.

AKA, Klaus vs fanfic tropes. *keels over laughing*
Get a Whiff of This by @bendingsignpost (Supernatural, Dean/Castiel)

When no good deed goes unpunished, Dean ends up sentenced to community service for physically defending another Omega at his job. That is, at his former job. It’s all a steaming pile of shit, and that’s exactly what he has to clean up at the joint animal shelter and clinic he’s been assigned to.
With a face full of allergies and a horrific mood, all Dean has to do is get through six weeks of this sinus-assaulting torture. That’s not so easy with a smartass Alpha receptionist, but at least the weird Beta vet might just end up being kinda cool.

Very charming and eventually very hot ABO romance featuring Dean being terrible at emotions despite having so many of them and Cas being weird and awkward and lovely, plus all the fun of the miscommunication trope with none of the things I usually hate about it. (warnings for past and in-story sexual harrassment/assault, but no non-con)
Peter’s Got a Gift For Gifts by @orbingarrow (MCU, gen)

Tony figures a birthday gift from Peter is inevitable. Few people bother to give Tony anything, because let’s face it– he really is the guy who has everything– but some do, and Peter’s going to be one of them. Thoughtfulness is in the kid’s DNA.

*heartclutch* I know I already reblogged this but RIGHT IN THE FEELS JFC.

June recs

Feelings Are a Luxury and This is War by @igrockspock (Solo, Qi’ra/Han)

Feelings are a luxury Qi'Ra can’t afford.

Gorgeously sharp portrait of Qi’ra that doesn’t neglect either her ruthlessness or her soft spots.
Lights, snow and mistletoe by LakeGirl (Temeraire, gen)

Drabbles for the prompt by The Dragon Deck: 12 days of Temeraire. (Okay, they got longer and longer and the last one is actually like ten drabbles.)

Here, have a Christmas story in July!
A Guy Like You Should Wear A Warning by laurakaye (MCU, Clint/Coulson)

The words on his arm were crisp and clear, written in a rushed-looking scrawl like someone had taken a purple marker to Phil’s skin.
So I take it that second honeymoon isn’t working out the way you’d hoped?
Phil’s legs went out from under him and he sat down with a painful thud, all brain processes diverted to the task of staring at his arm and wondering—and wondering—

Phil was waiting, was the thing. Not for sex—definitely not for that—but for romance, for a relationship. He knew that not every soulbond was sexual or romantic in nature, but most were, and he wanted that, wanted the kind of marriage his parents had, bound together in every possible way.
And he was going to meet his soulmate on his second honeymoon?

This summary makes it sound much more angsty than it is - there’s some, but it’s vastly outweighed by the humor and spy shenanigans. Funny and warm and charming, featuring Fury and Melinda May and David Hasselhoff. (Yes, that one.) I had a lovely lazy Saturday morning with this and laughed so hard.
Rebuilding Babel by fiercelydreamed (SGA, Sheppard/McKay)

The Pegasus galaxy makes Rodney an expert in what he can survive without.

Blast from the past, right? I dug this out of some old unread bookmarks, and holy shit was it excellent. Rodney gets permanent aphasia after getting poisoned on a mission and John finds a partial solution with some Ancient tech, but it’s a long, difficult road. Impressive enough telling a story this long and plotty without dialogue, but the communication system she comes up with, the ways his friends learn to work around, and the action sequences are all top-notch.

July recs

Two Shoes for a Hat by rachelindeed (Sherlock Holmes 2009, gen)

The first time I ever set eyes on Mr. Sherlock Holmes he was being shoved head-first out of a fourth-floor window. I was passing by St. Bart’s that night, heading toward my hotel and wishing for a better supper than I could afford. Cautious of ice patches after the recent frost, I had my eyes fixed on the pavement. The wind carried his hat across the empty avenue and deposited it at my feet, precise as a parcel delivery. It was indisputably an act of God, as Holmes was too stubborn to shout for help and I was too exhausted to have lifted my head, otherwise.

This is just…definitely, definitely how they met in the Ritchie-verse version of things. 100% headcanon accepted, full points for hilarity and canon shoutouts. <3
Just As Thick As My Skin by neveralarch (Deadpool, Wade/Vanessa/Nate)

Threesomes solve everything.
(Threesomes do not solve everything. But sometimes they’re fun.)

Post-Deadpool 2, because I do love a fix-it fic that’s also a fix-it-with-threesomes fic.
in the fire and the flood by wellavellan (Les Miserables, Grantaire/Enjolras)

In which the Death Eaters are back, Enjolras is doing his best to lead the revolution, Grantaire owns a magical pawn shop, and Veritaserum makes talking about feelings very complicated for everyone involved.

I don’t know what it is about Les Amis and HP fusions, but I really enjoy them. This one is creative and plotty and also full of feelings, so of course I loved it.

August recs

Outside by greygerbil (Rogue One, Chirrut/Baze)

War veteran Baze Malbus has gotten used to life on the streets to the point he’s convinced it doesn’t bother him anymore. He goes generally ignored and he likes it that way. However, the West Jedha City Tai Chi Centre next to which he has built his shack has a blind owner who takes notice of him.

Wonderfully slow-build and cozy. Like, I’m weak for homeless AUs already, but this one was just right.
Stone and Sand // Different Deserts by @sassysnowperson​ (Star Wars/Rogue One, Luke/Bodhi)

The war is over and Bodhi Rook has been away from Jedha for too long. It’s time to go home. He winds up with an unexpected passenger.

So I accidentally read the sequel first, where Luke goes to Jakku and meets tiny Rey and everything is PAINFULLY cute, so I was already sold on Luke and Bodhi’s relationship, but the first story was still an amazing love story and has some absolutely amazing worldbuilding around Jedha, the Temple there and its history, and Bodhi’s life there. It’s a little tricky to get into the first story because you are dropped in the middle of a story that’s quite AU, but definitely worth it.
Ceryx by Domenika Marzione (The Punisher, gen)

Karen Page, after the elevator: witness and messenger.

Just EXACTLY the story I wanted after 1x10, and moving into post-S1. I also loved Novitiate by this same author, about Karen learning the ropes at the Bulletin.
Fearson’s floating cigarette by orange_crushed (Supernatural, Dean/Cas)

“That son of a bitch,” Dean says. He strangles the handful of french fries he’s been holding, and one by one their warm, helpless, potato-y insides crumble over the tops of his fingers. He feels a brief burst of irrational, almost homicidal rage. “That floppy bow-tie wearing son of a bitch.” Dean is gonna kill Jimmy Wonderman. He’s gonna shove a never-ending string of scarves down his throat. He’s gonna make him eat balloon animals until he floats off into space.

This is a really terrible summary for what ended up being a really tender stage-magicians AU romance between Dean and Cas.

September recs

Well, I was definitely depressed in October because I completely forgot about doing these. As usual, Yuletide nominations sent me on a binge of all the stories I hadn’t gotten around to reading last winter, and trawling through the tags of a few semi-annual-visit fandoms. Enjoy the small-fandom spoils!
Harder for You, of Course by pendrecarc (Think of England, Fen/Pat)

New Year’s Eve, 1899–Patricia Merton attends a shooting party, experiences fireworks (literal and figurative), and learns what one can get away with in society.
Oh, and then there’s the murder.

The murder-mystery/lesbian get-together backstory for these two badass ladies that I have always dreamed of! I expect I’ll be reading this whenever I read Think of England from now on, it’s just that perfect.
Ancel’s Annotated Pillow Talk by aldiara (Captive Prince, Ancel/Berenger)

“Tell me what you would have said, as a pet,” asked Berenger, “and then tell me the truth. We’ll split the difference.”

Superb coda to the “Pet” short story with a very true-to-canon psychologically-twisty sex scene that is incredibly hot, and also Ancel’s continuing vendetta against Berenger’s jackets gives me life.
Building a Home of Straw and Hair by moemachina (Maleficent, Diaval/Maleficent)

And now, knotted among all his familiar desires, here he found a new one, woven partly out of obligation and partly out of curiosity.
And partly out of loneliness, of course.
Yes, Diaval thought. I am needed.

Really excellent and corvid-y Diaval POV over the years. I like that it really takes time for Maleficent to stop being vicious and wounded, and how Diaval only starts to like her as she shifts back to her old self.
Once More unto the Breach by AnEscapeFromReality (Star Trek AOS, gen)

James Kirk was the rudest student Professor Heleine ever taught. He stomped out of the middle of the professor’s lecture like he wasn’t a mere cadet. Well, the professor was done putting up with him. If he couldn’t sit through an expert lecture, then he should give the lecture about Tarsus. That would teach him some respect.

Fuck me, this is such an amazing take on Tarsus in the reboot ‘verse. I know there are a million, but this one instantly climbed right to the top of my personal favorites list.
A Mile In Their Own Shoes by LovelyPoet (Penelope, Johnny/Penelope)

From there to here, or a look at what happened between the end of the curse and the end of the movie. (Because there are some things you don’t want to tell your class of elementary school students about your love life… or your life in general.)

Very adorable story structured around the gap between the wedding and Halloween, and a little bit after. Supplied some needed closure.
The Anachronistic Calvin and Hobbes by mayhap (Calvin & Hobbes/meta, gen)

John Calvin has a chronologically-impossible friend. It had to happen.

This is probably even more hysterically funny with a good philosophy background, but that seems mathematically impossible? So funny, and extremely Yuletide.
The Murder of Count Vormontaigne by a_t_rain (Vorkosigan Saga, gen)

The Imperial Auditors review a Time of Isolation murder case.

A clever and fun idea, cleverly executed. Seriously, if you didn’t read the summary, hiss ‘yessss’ to yourself, and immediately click through, I have no idea how to relate to you because that’s what I did. I was not disappointed.
 

October recs

aka ‘I finished watching Nirvana in Fire on October 1st and promptly binge-read my way through the AO3 tag′. Expect this post to reflect that - everything is Nirvana in Fire and therefore (almost) everything hurts.
FAVORITES (so far)
Accustomed to Disguise by @emilyenrose (Jingyan/MCS/all his identities)

Jingyan tucked his hands into his sleeves and said with serene and infinite calm, “I am going to kill him.”

A perfect and hilarious balm of fix-it to read immediately after finishing the series. This is a really strange fandom, because you can choose to either lean into the intricate intrigue and excruciatingly painful tragedy of it all, or you can jump on the cracktastic yeti-metamorphosis-poison-and-wuxia bandwagon. Em chose the latter in this case, while still embracing Jingyan and all his heartwrenching grief, and I love it endlessly.
winter is the promise of spring by @katekatharos (gen)

Two Men and a Little Assassin or how Mei Changsu and Lin Chen managed to adopt Fei Liu or how a nameless, traumatised boy was eventually convinced that these weirdos were Good.

Fair warning: this one has a pretty distressing start, with Fei Liu basically starving in the snow and eating a rabbit raw (sorry, @arsenicjade), but it’s hands-down the best Fei Liu-POV I’ve come across, and a gentle treasure of a h/c piece.
Borne on the Winds of Heaven by Ione (gen, with background canon ships)

The dying King of Southern Chu has one wish, to meet the son he has never seen. He and Princess Nian want Xiao Jingrui to turn his back on dangerous Da Liang, and make his home there.
Sore in spirit, Jingrui isn’t thinking about the future. All he lives for are his letters from Yan Yujin.
Until shocking news arrives, and everything changes …

Anyone who writes 65K stories for Yuletide is obviously a magician, and the way this story sat down with the last section of the show post-Spring Hunt, wrote in all the missing character scenes I’d wished for from the ensemble, and then fixed the ending in a way that was epic and wrenching and thematically gorgeous – yeah, definitely a magician. I especially loved/was devastated by the way the author used Jingrui and Yujin’s friendship as a mirroring device for Jingyan and Lin Shu/MCS. And Marquis Yan teaming up with Lin Chen. And the background Gong Yu/Yujin. And everything at Meiling. AND EVERYTHING.
CRYING OVER CANON
The Gunpowder Talk by @katekatharos (gen)

Yujin gets a job. Yan Que has a chat with the Emperor about this.

Short post-canon piece with some excellent character work for the Yans.
Still Here (With All I Hold Dear) by marvelist (gen, past MCS/Jingyan and unrequited MCS/Lin Chen)

Jingyan misses Xiao Shu in all the ways that matter but he cannot fall apart.
Surprisingly enough, Lin Chen can relate to that.

I basically sobbed my way through this, but in a good way?
To Perish Twice by @emilyenrose (gen)

“Your father wishes to see you, Jingyan,” murmurs Consort Jing at the end of Jingyan’s visit. Jingyan freezes.

A knife-twisting look at the Emperor and Jingyan, post-canon.
FIXIT AUs
Palimpsest by ofsevenseas & Lithograph by romantic_drift (Jingyan/MCS)

Jingyan did not expect to ever see his one-night stand from three years ago again.
Mei Changsu did not anticipate that his one-night stand would stubbornly refuse to give up having feelings for him.
Things go very much not according to plan, to Mei Changsu’s dismay and everyone else’s glee.

Remember how I mentioned the cracky side of this fandom? Definitely file these under that. Fantastic and pining and hot.
Handfast by @emilyenrose (Nihuang/MCS)

Nihuang with her heart pounding squeezed the Emperor’s hand. She had known before she submitted the report that it might not work. She had already thought of her last resort. She confessed, “I could not choose from the nine good men, your Majesty, because the one I wanted was not there.”

I know I keep reccing Emily, but you should admire my restraint in not just listing all of her stories and calling it a night. This one has an absolutely stellar Nihuang POV and even more identity porn than the show and a happy ending - you’re welcome.
for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you by soera (Jingyan/MCS)

Jingyan’s greatest secret, that no one will ever know, is that Foya still hasn’t settled.

Daemon AU! Definitely on the sweet side, but has some really interesting daemon worldbuilding that I loved.
OTHER AUs
Woman King, Sword in Hand by @katekatharos (Nihuang/Jingyan/MCS)

Three years before the series the Emperor falls ill, and the Prince Yu and the Crown Prince start a civil war. Nihuang has to make a choice - and the consequences of that take her further than she expected.

Okay, I also keep reccing Katharos, but Empress Nihuang! And one of the rare times I’ve seen someone pull off this OT3 to my satisfaction.
Birthright by ancient_moonshine (Jingyan/Lin Shu)

Consort Jing watches and waits, Xuanji plots, and Jingyan struggles under the weight of a legacy.

Oof. This is a haunting AU where Consort Jing and Jingyan are secretly Hua. It digs in on something that I didn’t quite parse from the TV show but is apparently explicit in the novel: the Chiyan army were the ones who committed the Emperor’s genocide of the Hua people, and that’s why Princess Xuanji targeted them via Xia Jiang in the Meiling conspiracy. A difficult and painful read that will stick with you.
it won’t be like this for long by @katekatharos​ (gen)
In canon universe, Jingyan’s Consort dies in suspicious circumstances during the Chiyan conspiracy. In this universe, their child survives.
or: Jingyan’s adventures in single parenthood.
I am not often one for kidfic, but jfc I adore this AU. Manages to make my Jingyan feels both worse and better, because the only way to make his situation pre-MCS more painful is to introduce a tiny girl child that he isn’t sure he can protect from the court, but also he has a tiny adorable daughter and my heart grew three sizes. I’ll just be over here, quietly pining for a sequel and re-reading the bit with the embroidery. *coos*