July recs

[spatz]

In July, I got all excited about Andor and read a bunch of Rogue One fic! Just in time for the show's premiere to get pushed back. *sigh* I've also got a handful of other Star Wars fic, plus one rec each for The Walking Dead and Miss Fisher.

ROGUE ONE

save that light by @bright-elen & @misskatieleigh (gen + Cassian/Bodhi)

Cassian realized that he was different when he was four years old. He looked up at his father, his whole world up until then, and said, “Why are they going to make the factory explode, Papá?”

His father swiped to a different article. “I’ve told you before not to sneak out of bed to watch the news holos, Cassian.”

It was only when they heard the noise echo off the mountains that his father looked up. Slowly, he turned and looked at Cassian.

For the first time that Cassian could remember, Papá was afraid.

In which Cassian is Force-sensitive, and some things do and don't change. Really interesting backstory choices in the first story, and a solid fix-it in the second.

where there's a desert by @islandbetweenrivers (Bodhi/Luke)

Bodhi is eleven when the Emperor dies, and the explosions start the same day.

Luke is six when the Emperor dies and Vader takes over. He doesn’t know what that means.

Bodhi's fourteen when the moisture farm next door is bought suddenly, sight unseen, by some offworlder family.

Fascinating AU where Luke grows up on Jedha and becomes a Guardian. Low on conflict, but a lovely coming-of-age story, a rich portrait of Jedha and her culture, and a sweet romance with a dash of galactic politics.

let it be tomorrow by @andromeda3116 (Jyn/Cassian)

When Saw left her behind, an old nightmare, the man in white, took his place; 80 hours of nonstop Imperial conditioning later, and to all appearances, the angry Partisan rebel Jyn Erso is replaced by a loyal, inoffensively-sweet young woman.

Three and a half years later, leaks begin to trickle out of Coruscant, hints of high command secrets, either a spanner in the works or a deadly trap. Another eighteen months pass before the Alliance decides to pursue the leak, the potential payoff being too great not to risk it, and send their most experienced spy to find the source and turn the leak into a flood.

And five years into the worst deep-cover operation she never wanted or prepared for, Jyn thinks, fucking finally.

Somewhat dark but awesome different-meeting, with lots of spy games and distrust, Jyn's seething fury & hurt and Cassian's fractured faith colliding in a wildly different context, and a great resolution.

PREQUELS/CLONE WARS

Smuggled In by @galateagalvanized (Cody/Obi-Wan)

“There’s no need for finesse," Cody said, and he felt his men sharpen, ready. "These cages were built to hold two-pound flying rodents, not 200-pound soldiers. See what will break.”

Or, Cody and some of the 212th get captured by smugglers, and nothing is quite what it seems to be.

Delightful snack of a story in which Obi-Wan cannot help but do things in the most dramatic way possible.

Right on Time by @elwenyere (Cody/Obi-Wan)

Cody had decided to walk Obi-Wan to his shuttle stop. And if the reason for prolonging their farewell wasn’t actually that Cody had “needed some fresh air,” but that he was still clinging to the chance that today - at long last - might be the day that something finally happened between them - well. That was between him and the Force.

Or, Cody and Obi-Wan finally go for it. And go for it and go for it and go for it.

I loooved this! A funny premise (Obi-Wan keeps delaying his return to have more sex with Cody, smart man) matched with just the right balance of first-time passion and long-delayed tenderness.

Plot Twist by orphan_account (Obi-Wan/Anakin/Padme)

The supposed love triangle between Mr. Skywalker, Ms. Amidala, and Mr. Kenobi is all their students (and even their fellow teachers) can talk about. The only thing is, no one at Coruscant High School can figure out exactly which of them are together.

Extremely fluffy, cute, and fun modern AU.

OTHER

(The Walking Dead, Daryl/Jesus) The Prison Break by CanonCannon

Jesus is taken to the Sanctuary with just the clothes on his back, his bandana, and the paper clips he keeps sewn into the waistband of his pants.

It should be enough.

I cut off my interest in TWD at the point where they killed Glenn because fuck that - but apparently I make small exceptions for competence porn like this, in which Jesus rescues Daryl shortly after he's taken hostage by the Saviors. Wherein people make dubious choices while traumatized but it all turns out okay, Daryl has something nice happen for once in his life, and Negan gets murked like he fucking deserves.

(Miss Fisher, Phryne/Jack) there's something wild about you, child by laiqualaurelote

The woman in the bathroom is not human.

Jack doesn’t know exactly how he knows this. Something about her makes the air sing cut-glass clear, makes him feel like he is falling into a deep pit even though his feet are on solid ground. He has known this feeling all his life; it is what his grandmother taught him words for through her stories, why he still carries a dagger of cold iron up his sleeve. This is not the first time he has met the Folk. But he has never had one trespass on his crime scene.

Wonderfully eerie retelling of the show's opening, with Phryne as one of the fae.