February recs

[spatz]

Trying something new this month! I've got five top recs below (most of which are quite long, sorry not sorry), but in an attempt to keep my Pinboard more contemporary I've put all of my January bookmarks up at this tag if you're looking for more to read.

Below are recs for: 9-1-1, The Untamed, Game of Thrones, and The Hobbit. And at Pinboard are more recs for 9-1-1, The Untamed, & The Hobbit, plus Batman, Goblin Emperor, KJ Charles, and Star Wars!

Hot Ghost Problems by ebjameston (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

The ghost would prefer to go by Buck, if Eddie wouldn’t mind.

Eddie is the newest firefighter at the 118. Buck is the ghost haunting the 118. Unfortunately for both of them, Eddie's also a witch and needs to put Buck's spirit to rest, because that's what witches do.

Turns out, Buck's spirit? Super not interested in being put to rest. Very interested, however, in flirting with Firefighter Diaz, who is just trying to survive his candidate year.

(Also turns out, Buck? Super not dead.)

I adore this trope, but this one's got great worldbuilding around the magic, and the author is skilled at combining drama and humor. So you've got the emotions and pining but also Eddie's sisters roasting him via group chat, and so on.

Batting a Buck & Change by Daisies_and_Briars (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

“Do you remember that shift where Buck was off and Hen was on mandatory relaxation, and they both got drunk in Hen’s kitchen in the middle of the afternoon while we had to resuscitate a canine?”

Eddie nods vigorously. “Oh, Hoover. I remember Hoover.”

“Why have we never been drunk during a dog resuscitation, Eddie? Have you thought about that?”

“Well now I am.”

“We should call them and let them know that we can have fun on Dads’ Night Out.” Nothing could go wrong.

OR: Eddie and Chim embark on a “Dad’s night out” to watch baseball at a sports bar, and after a few too many, Eddie accidentally lets his feelings for Buck slip.

I am weak for shenanigans and Chimney's keeping-secrets fail - one of his panicked attempts to escape a conversation in this is HYSTERICAL, you'll know the one - and this fic has a top-tier assortment of both, plus a lovely Eddie-Chim friendship/baseball buddies/mutual dad admiration society.

The Pack Survives by astolat (GoT, Robb/everybody)

There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival.
—Thornton Wilder

Sprawling AU where the South makes peace and Robb lives - but ends up having to deal with internal rebellion, polyamory negotiation, dragons, and of course, a terrifying army of the dead. Features Robb growing up and making fewer and better mistakes in addition to his usual tactical genius, plus a fantastically sharp Sansa.

Thicker Than Water by athena_crikey (The Untamed, Wangxian)

The Lans were one of the founding families of the Vancouver Guild; part of their legacy is to maintain their place in it for the benefit of all. Cultivation is important, essential, serious.

In the distance, something squeaks.

A disaster, is Lan Zhan’s first impression as the bike squeals to a halt on the far side of Song Lan’s car. The man riding it – and he’s tall, and lanky, and sure-footed – hops off and locks it to the car’s back door. The back door of a police vehicle. He pulls his helmet off to reveal long, sweat-soaked hair with a shaggy undercut, bright grey eyes, and a smile that launches like an arrow straight through Lan Zhan’s chest.

No, he thinks, watching this trainwreck of a man shimmy between the narrow space dividing Song Lan’s back bumper and the next car’s hood like he’s doing some kind of dance step. Absolutely not.

Excellent modern-with-cultivation AU with a gorgeously written Lan Zhan POV - both in terms of the prose and his deep-seated trauma that bubbles up along the way.

A Passion For Mushrooms by Chrononautical (The Hobbit, Bilbo/Thorin)

There are many trials for a hobbit attempting to make a life among dwarves. A hobbit wants a garden. A hobbit wants to eat regular meals. A hobbit wants friends, good books, and comfortable chairs. Bilbo does his best to carve out a little hobbit life for himself in the mountain. If only there were not one final obstacle. For a hobbit heart wants love, and among dwarves that is a sticky subject.

AKA the one with the mushroom mine, more feelings about guilds than I ever imagined having, and some epic cultural misunderstandings (both romantic and otherwise). I'm very much showing up to this widely recced story 6 years late with Starbucks, but it's got fantastic worldbuilding, humor, and romance.

Enjoy the reads! I always like it when people tell me which ones they liked so feel free 😘

Comments

[cortue]

Hello! I was just talking to a friend about how your recs were making me feel like I want to check out 911 again. I haven't been this into reading fic in ages and so I'm very excited to see you've posted more :D

[spatz]

♥♥♥

9-1-1 is so charming! It's, you know, occasionally ridiculous but they have a good sense of humor about themselves, and the ensemble cast is amazing and diverse. The fic focuses on Buck/Eddie because fandom, but there's a lot to love about the show that isn't equally reflected in the fic. Also: found family and competence porn for miles! There is a main cop character but a) she's played by Angela Bassett and b) the show spends far more time with the firefighters, so c) the copaganda is intermittent and mild.

[cortue]

Yeah! I did get a good chunk of the way into the show the one time I was watching it - somewhere in the third season I think when Buck is suing the fire station for not letting him back to his job for...reasons? I don't really remember the details of how he gets injured and it actually sticks as opposed to all the other times but I plan to find out because my friend and I are going to do a 9-1-1 rewatch together. She had seen the Lonestar version, which I remember you did not like because it gets basic things about the location wrong - right?

Anyway, it's funny that the lawsuit is the part that made me trail off because my favorite fic you've recced recently is the time loop about the lawsuit (Don't Take the Money). I am a total sucker for a time loop.

[spatz]

You're super valid for failing out during the lawsuit arc - I had to rewatch recently for fic writing purposes and I was so annoyed at everyone. I just skipped all of Maddie's scenes where she's stalking a suspected abused wife (out of understandable trauma, but GOD). Thankfully it's only like three eps of stupidity, but yeah. Hard to get through. I think they're among the lowest rated eps in the series. But that time loop fic is spectacular and I used it to bribe myself through finishing the arc, lol.

I've only seen a couple of Lone Star eps and yeah, unreasonably judgey about their Austin vibes and Texas stereotyping generally. Also, I was not a fan of Rob Lowe's character and the focus on tragedy porn - like, og 9-1-1 has a lot of trauma and tragedy but they also have a sense of humor and balance. The eps of Lone Star I saw were heavy on the man pain. I hear there's a cute gay romance tho?

[cortue]

Damn, I've apparently had this tab open for nearly two months with the intention of responding ~eventually~. But I was apparently waiting for the right moment because I saw that there's some more canon gay in 9-1-1 now! The grapevine originally told me that Buck and Eddie became canon but like, I felt I would've Known about that basically instantly, Destiel styles. Anyway, I hope it was done well for your sake :D

It is good to know that arc I didn't like is that short. At the time, I think I tired to skip ahead several episodes but then So Much happens every episode that I couldn't follow well what anyone was doing in the episode I'd skipped to. What fic are you writing, if you'd like to share?

Currently, the friend and I who are watching 9-1-1 are sticking to wanting to watch the version that we were already into so I am hearing about Lone Star from her without watching it and...choices are made. I don't think I would enjoy watching it but I do enjoy laughing about it.

[spatz]

Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry, this got buried in my inbox! Whee, depressive bouts, and thank you sertraline....

I am pleased with what I've seen of the storyline - Buck figured out he was bi and started dating another male character (who's briefly been seen before in flashbacks, as a former member of their station) and they've been sweet together despite some missteps (with Buck, nothing goes smoothly, bless his heart).

Hahaha, hearing people confirm your decision Not To Watch a thing is always soooo enjoyable. Like schadenfreude crossed with gossip, but without any real people involved to feel bad for!