spatz | Entries tagged with recs:fic

It might be the very last day of the month, but that means I'm not late! Five Sandman recs, and one each for Batman, Murderbot, and Biggles.

SANDMAN

What Manner Of Creature by @ro-moray (Dream/Hob)

Hob’s had a number of theories about his strange friend over the years. They are all, of course, completely incorrect.

Great through-the-years look at Hob and Dream, with humor and understanding.

to dream you was remembering by @cuubism (Dream/Hob)

Hob understands now both why Dream created this nightmare, as well as why doing so was an unconscious rather than conscious act, and the thought hurts more than the nightmare itself. After all, Hob has had four hundred years to grapple with his own loss. He’s not sure that, even after so much time, Dream has grappled with his.

Short scene with Hob and Dream and a baby nightmare, but it packs a hell of an emotional punch.

The Dread and Fear of Kings by @maybemalapert (gen)

“I’m afraid I’m not much into charcoal sketches,” Hob said, taking in the crude rendition of himself and his Stranger that he’d last seen in the hands of Johanna Constantine. “Now, oil paintings on the other hand–”
“Mr. Gadlen,” the man interrupted. “I have gone to great lengths to find you and to confirm that it was indeed you who met with Dream of the Endless in 1889 and every century prior. Let me assure you, I do not make a habit of kidnapping people on a whim.”

Deliciously whumpy fishbowl rescue with Burgess being a real bastard (what else). Happy ending, but mind the tags.

Yours for the Taking by @signiorbenedickofpadua (Calliope/Dream/Hob)

When Hob spots a sad woman in white through a window of a famous author’s house, he gets a bad feeling. Further investigation reveals that she’s in need of rescue, but what Hob isn’t prepared for is the fact that the woman he sets out to save turns out to be a literal Greek goddess, the ex-wife of the Stranger he keeps waiting for, and a rather lovely person to boot.

SUCH a good and satisfying read, with a skillful build to the three-way romance.

more sky comes and more days by Chrome/@catalists (Calliope/Dream/Hob)

In the aftermath of her imprisonment, Calliope is determined to learn to trust humans again, so she finds a roommate and settles in the mortal world. Meanwhile, her former husband has been on another quest that ended in grief, and he seeks her out for solace. What could possibly go wrong?
or,
“Hey, Zed,” Hob answered. “Something the matter?”
“Yes,” she said. “Calliope’s ex showed up and he’s fucking terrifying.”

Really enjoyed this way of them all colliding - funny and bittersweet at turns - and the resolution.

MISC

Birdwatch11 by @smilebackwards (Batman, gen)

Tim hadn’t actually meant to start a popular Batwatch blog.

He hadn’t meant to start a blog at all honestly but by the time he turned eleven he’d accumulated hundreds of pictures of Batman and Robin on his Nikon DSLR and it had just seemed inefficient to go through the trouble of printing them and storing them in a box under his bed when BlogSphere had a perfectly adequate platform.

Short, funny, sweet story about someone trying to claim credit for Tim’s pre-Robin photo habit, and his A+++ response.

in recognition by isilee (Murderbot, gen)

Volescu’s first communication from SecUnit, once it had pieced together its brain again and settled into Preservation a little more, appeared in his feed inbox right as he took a sip of his morning coffee.

*dies laughing* In which Murderbot recognizes Volescu for having the sense to retire. Cute look at the friendship of the whole survey group.

Biggles in Sarawak by @philomytha (Biggles/von Stalhein)

Biggles is asked to help the CIA transport a Soviet spy they’ve captured in a remote jungle location. The trouble is, the spy is Erich von Stalhein. And that’s only the first problem.

Excellent adventure jam-packed with tropes from hurt/comfort to teaming-up-with-your-nemesis to sex pollen (with said nemesis, of course).

June was full of Neil Gaiman fandoms: first I rewatched Good Omens S1 (S2 on Friday!!!) and then plowed through my backlog of fic to read, and then I watched The Sandman. So there's six Good Omens recs, two Sandman recs, and one lone but lovely Goblin Emperor rec.

GOOD OMENS

Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach by Nnm / @mouseonamoose
Amazing story about Crowley going to therapy, from his therapist's POV. The author clearly knows their stuff and Aubrey is a vivid character in her own right with her own journey to go on. This one's been recced all over, but it really is that good.

dearly departed by attheborder / @areyougonnabe
In which Crowley gets discorporated and many shenanigans ensue - the London occultist underworld, lust-demons, Hell bureaucracy, Aziraphale vs loopholes, fake marriage, and of course, a happy ending. Slightly morbid at times but a fun hilarious romp.

Temptation by out_there / @out-there-tmblr
Lovely look at Crowley tempting Christ (as he mentions to Aziraphale), and the lasting effect it has on him.

the deft, sweet gesture of your hand by deadgreeks / @mortuarybees
Post-S1, Crowley turns up injured at the bookshop and Aziraphale takes care of him. Such a tender romance, such warm h/c. Poetry! Knitting! Pining! Ferociously protective Aziraphale!

Hell to Pay by battle_cat / @fuckyeahisawthat
"In the midst of the Great Fire of London, Crowley does an emergency good deed too undemonic for Hell to ignore." Wistful h/c.

Lead me to the banquet hall by obstinatrix & wishwellingtons
In which Crowley doesn't eat around Aziraphale because he has too many Feelings about it - and then Aziraphale finds out. Creative, delightful, hot, and well-characterized!

You can also find my older Good Omens recs on Pinboard!

SANDMAN

Spite (Is As Good A Reason As Any) by Blue_Sunshine
In which Hob doesn't just build an inn and pine after 1989, but hires Johanna Constantine to help him track down Dream. Great AU in many directions, and the Hob-Johanna friendship is a complete scene-stealing delight. (If you like them as much as I did, there's another WIP that just finished: Totus Mundus Agit Histrionem, which kicks off with Johanna rescuing Hob from a demonic possession.)

Passing the Time by Anonymous
Dream passes time in the fishbowl by quietly terrorizing his guards. (The author tagged this 'Dream is petty and terrifying' and I couldn't agree more.) Viciously funny but also a little heartbreaking.

GOBLIN EMPEROR

Between the Grave and the Well by Sphragis
"In which Iäna Pel-Thenhior catches a fever and Thara Celehar catches feelings." Gorgeous hurt/comfort-y get-together that really captures the characters and the world.

Family Photos by KelpieCodyne (DCU, gen)

“I thought you quit your photo stalking?”
“In my defence, I never said I was quitting, and you never asked if I would,” Tim immediately counters. “So really, this is kind of on you.”
Just because Tim became a bat, doesn’t mean he stopped taking photos of bats. Several times Tim took photos of the batfamily, and one time they took photos of him.

This delightful fic features my OTPs of Tim/the batfam, Tim/photography, and Tim/being a little weirdo.

In Service by @smilebackwards (DCU, gen)

Tim rings the doorbell of Wayne Manor for the third time in as many days, and for the third time, Mr. Pennyworth opens the heavy oak door. He looks tired and careworn and Tim knows for certain that he’s choosing the right thing now. Mr. Wayne isn’t going to let him anywhere near the Robin suit, but maybe Tim doesn’t need it. There’s another tack he can try.
Or: When Bruce refuses to accept Tim as the new Robin, Tim takes the next best option. He apprentices to Alfred.

Such a clever premise, and a sweet execution!

To Preserve the Life of Others by romantic_drift (Nirvana in Fire, gen)

Lin Jingyi has always been a doctor.
"Her heart stutters. She thinks for one wild second of just breaking into a mad dash, running out of this accursed palace, Jinling, Da Liang itself. She is insignificant, an orphan, a wandering doctor. They would never chase after her, surely.
But there is her family."

Consort Jing's backstory is only glancingly described on the show, and this fic does a brilliant job of putting all the odd fragments together into a complex whole with great characterization.

Zeitnot by decayaslife / @the-ronan-cycle (Captive Prince, Laurent/Damen)

"Zeitnot (chess): German for time trouble. Zeitnot occurs when a player needs to play several moves in a very short period of time in order to reach the time control defined for the game."
When twenty-three-year-old Laurent wakes up on the morning of the Battle of Marlas in his adolescent body, he has to figure out how to keep Auguste and Damianos alive through the end of the day.

Ooh, very fun and well done time-travel fix-it.

Su She Eats his Heart Out by @KizuKatana (Untamed/MDZS, Wangxian)

The (bitter) third party pov of the epic college romance between Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, as told from the pettiest NPC to ever exist.

Extremely funny use of an unreliable narrator, and the sequel/companion from Lan Wangji's POV is hilariously horny and smitten - so very in character!

Current Mood: hot

In a shocking turn of events, I'm posting my recs EARLY this month instead of procrastinating! May the Fourth be with you!

About half the stories in this set are Star Wars, because I finally watched Andor and it was AMAZING; the other half are DCU, because I am predictable when sick (Tim + Batfamily h/c my beloved). Plus a Leverage/Old Guard crossover!

STAR WARS

To Climb by Nock_and_Bolt

“Climb,” Kino urged others to escape a prison he never would.
“Climb!” Nemik screamed past multicolored explosions and his own crushed spine.
“Climb!” K-2SO’s voice juddered out over the intercom, punched from mechanical lungs by blaster fire.
And what else could Cassian do but be borne up by the bodies of those that had gone before him?

Brutally good, full of the parallels and motifs in from Andor, all woven into Cassian's final climb in the tower at Scarif. It WILL make you cry in the best way.

Coping Mechanisms by mosylu (Cassian/Jyn)

It takes a heat wave for Jyn to notice that Cassian never, ever goes barefoot.

Intimate and sweet if-they-had-lived look at Cassian's trauma from the Narkina 5 prison.

Kino Lives by ad_asterism

Set at the end of Andor Episode 10: "One Way Out". Kino fucking gets to live.

Look, a girl has needs, and those needs include reading every single Kino fix-it for Episode 10 on AO3. This was my favorite by far, I think maybe because it *doesn't* involve Cassian? The episode ending was the right ending for that arc in Cassian's story, but this fic picks up the thematic threads and weaves them into off a very Star Wars escape for Kino. It could use some more love - possibly the very basic title and summary kept people away - so don't forget to comment!

No Survivors by elwenyere (Cassian/Melshi)

It had been three standard years, two months, and twenty-five days since Melshi had made himself walk away from the man he’d known as Keef Girgo.

Great mid-mission reunion for Cassian and Melshi, their slowly growing attachment and exploration of Cassian's trauma are beautifully written, and the plot starts to poke at the roots of Rogue One.

Personal Effects by mosylu

Spies travel light. Even so, Cassian Andor left things behind.

A neatly drawn outsider-POV character study, as the Rebels clear out the belongings of the Death Star's dead. This fic's older, but felt very matched in tone with Andor.

A Proud, Unpleasant Sort of Man by angel_deux (Han/Leia, Cassian/Jyn)

It takes Cassian Andor and Han Solo an embarrassingly long time to realize that they aren't each other's rivals.

Funny and sweet post-Rogue One everybody-lives AU.

DCU

Inscribed on Body & Soul by drowningfire

Jason Todd died knowing he was loved. His resurrection took even that from him. Turns out he came back to life needing saving just as much as he did when he left it. Thankfully the Bats and Birds have always specialised in impossible rescues. And while love can't fix everything having proof of it can't hurt.
AKA In a world where the names of those who love you inscribe themselves upon your skin, Jason's resurrection plays out a little differently.

Lovely platonic soulmates AU with lots of feelings and angst for everyone in the family, just the way I like it.

of crime lords and literature by adelfie

Gloved fingers close over Tim’s throat and slowly begin to squeeze.
“Jason!” he gasps, choking. “Have you ever read Macbeth?”
The Red Hood stares at him like Tim just slapped him with a fish.
With his grades slipping, Tim worries Bruce will take Robin away. So when the Red Hood breaks into his room with the intent to kill him, Tim decides it's a good idea to ask him for help on his English homework. It works. And then it doesn't. And then Tim solves a mystery and almost dies anyway.

The summary makes this sound kinda cracky but I actually loved the plot. (Tim, how is your life just SO disaster? It's really a talent.)

Little Red and the Big Bad Hood by CrzyFun

Olivia Draper had been a good idea at first. She could pass for older than Tim could pull off while masculine and women really could get into places easier if they had a pretty face. With makeup and some stylish-yet-inexpensive clothes, Olivia could pull off most undercover ops. She was Tim’s Matches Malone.
Then Hood had shown up on the scene.

Charming AU with tons of identity porn as Jason grudgingly big-brother-adopts genderfluid Tim while he's undercover.

For the Sick and Dying by GoAwayOlivia

It’s been a while since Jason has felt this bad. He’s used to being bruised and aching, used to broken bones and lacerations of all sizes and depths, but it’s been a hell of a long time since he’s been sick, and he’d honestly forgotten how much it sucks. His family isn't exactly helping matters.

In which Jason is hilariously dramatic about being sick. I enjoyed the hell out of this while actually sick, but I think the appeal is universal.

The last (but certainly not least) story I have for you is a delightful Leverage/The Old Guard crossover, which was the funniest thing I read all month.

The Fountain of Youth Job by BazinMousqueton

The Leverage: Redemption team are hired to investigate Merrick Pharmaceuticals following a suspicious death in South Sudan. They embark on a con, infiltrate Merrick’s HQ… and find some unexpected prisoners in his research lab.

This one is more accessible for Leverage-only fans than TOG-only fans, I think, but it has a pitch-perfect grasp on the Leverage crew (Redemption era) and a great con setup - which gets partially and hilariously derailed when they find Joe and Nicky.

Much delayed by travel and post-travel virus that turned into laryngitis (yayyy), but please enjoy!

DCU

All gen unless marked otherwise.

Say Uncle by Megaerakles

Tim is prepared to take the steps necessary to ensure that Bruce will not feel obligated to adopt Tim when a comatose Jack Drake inevitably dies. But what could be better than preventing Bruce from ending up with a son he doesn't want? Bringing back the one he does.
Jason agrees to the Replacement's stupid, stupid plan to invite some strange adult man he's never met to come live with him, if only to keep the idiot alive long enough for him to serve his purpose in the Great Red Hood Revenge Scheme.
Might this new roommate situation have an impact on either of their worldviews? Surely not...

Tim, why are you LIKE this.... *facepalm* I really didn't think the Fake Uncle Scheme TM could get any more insane but this fic does it with style. (thanks to @smilebackwards for the rec!)

The Seven-Layer-Dip From Hell by Oberon Bronze

Jason enlists Tim to help him through the stages of a 48-hour fear toxin trip in exchange for a favour, on one condition -- Tim can't call any of the bats for help, no matter what happens. Tim, thankfully, will do quite literally anything to get his family all under one roof again.

Emotionally messy delicious h/c, and the sequel doubles down on the goodness.

Prince of Foxes by poisonivory/ @pluckyredhead (Roy/Jason)

Once upon a time, Roy Harper almost had a mate.
Years later, he's kidnapped for a deadly game where shifters are forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of the humans who despise them. All he wants to do is escape—that is, until he recognizes one of the other shifters: a feral wolf who, a lifetime ago, was his best friend's little brother. Until he died. Until Roy lost him.
But no force on earth is taking Jason from him again.

Well-written shifter AU with a great look at their relationship over the years (and Jason's death), culminating in a tensely-written period of captivity in a shifter fighting ring (which also has some amazing pit fights).

GAME OF THRONES

So apparently four years is finally enough time for me to read GOT fic again without being swamped by annoyance at the series finale - at least, as long as the fics are VASTLY AU. Which both of these stories are!

The Right Question by Aviss (Jaime/Brienne)

In which Ned asks the right questions at the right time, and Jaime keeps most of his vows. The important ones at least.

aka the one where Jaime hides Elia Martell and her children on Tarth. Very satisfying!

Our Scars Make Us Golden by K_R_Closson (Jaime/Oberyn)

Jaime Lannister drives her sword through Aerys's back to save a kingdom. When her father's armies sack the city and kill those she was sworn to protect, she flees King's Landing, unsure what to do. On her way to Dorne, she runs into Ned Stark who hands her a baby and a purpose, protect the Targaryen heir.

Interesting genderswap AU with a badass Jaime.

MISC

A Light in the Dark by @glimmerglanger (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

Sometimes, it seemed Obi-Wan only saw other people across the field of battle.
The only reliable source of contact he had with other living beings - for the past year - had been during a fight. And he had not been able to enjoy such contact, had not been able to sink into the Force and refill his reserves, because all of the men he fought were trying so desperately to kill him and all the people he was trying so hard to protect.
OR, the one where Obi-Wan serves the Republic, Cody serves the Separatists, and they find a way forward anyway.

Loved this! The army-swap AU premise, the captivity h/c, and the hope of the resolution.

The Emperor Gregor Vorbarra special exhibit of the Vorbarr Sultana Fibrecraft Institute by rattyjol (Vorkosigan Saga, gen)

NARRATOR: No record survives of precisely when or how Emperor Gregor first picked up knitting. The first public acknowledgement of the Imperial Hobby was in the thirty-eighth year of his reign, when the Emperor was forty-three. However, it is abundantly clear that the Emperor had been knitting for some years before this. Throughout this audio tour, alongside clips and reenactments, you’ll be hearing reminisces from Princess Olivia herself. Here’s one now:
P. OLIVIA: My father knit almost constantly inside the private Residence. I remember him reading me and my brothers to sleep as children: he would balance the handreader on his knee or the arm of his chair, and go on knitting over top of it. Never dropped a stitch, never skipped a line. And his character voices were legendary.

This is SO sweet, and a great use of fake-documentary style.

Fandoms are all over the place this month since I finished my Yuletide trawl, so lots of small fandoms + Star Trek + Star Wars, sorted into thematic clusters for your reading pleasure.

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE ADVENTURES

Another Life by @LullabyKnell (Star Trek AOS, gen)

In one moment, James T. Kirk is the acting captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, on his way home to Earth after stopping the Narada. In the next moment, without explanation, James T. Kirk is an Academy cadet on academic probation again, barely a day before Nero will destroy Vulcan.
He dares himself to do better. And with a planet on the line and no proof but his own memories, he knows that "better" means he'll need some help.

Classic time-travel fix-it elevated by a mid-story TOS-flavored twist! A wonderful adventure.

Commander Fox's Ultimate Bucket List by blackkat/ @blackkatmagic (Star Wars, Fox/Mace)

Fox has a second chance, a to-do list, a stolen lightsaber, and a complete willingness to give everyone around him grey hairs. Plus a Jedi Master to seduce. It's going to be a ride.

*cackles* Fox deserved this SO MUCH! Hilarious and satisfying.

Magic Casements by @edwardianspinsteraunt (A Little Princess, gen)

Becky is the one who rescues Mr Carrisford's monkey, and so the one whom the Magic happens to instead.

Captures the sweet magic and friendship of the original while making some sharp points about its class issues.

INVESTIGATIONS

The Striped Leg by wildwestwind (A Study in Emerald, gen)

The Adventure of The Speckled Band, set in the world of A Study In Emerald.

This author really knows their Lovecraft, which brings a rich and creepy new dimension to this very classic case. Mmm, pastiche perfection.

A Country Mile by @bropunzeling (Think of England, Fen/Pat)

“You want us to go to a house party? Really?”
“I hate to ask it of you,” Daniel said, voice muffled in that queer way one got with the telephone. "But I need someone I can trust to look after things there until then. Would you?”
Fen and Pat attend a house party and encounter: poison (pen letters); poison (literal); perilous dinner conversation; potential friendship; and physics.

Danger, espionage, female friendship, a lady scientist, general competence in the face of misogyny, Fen's self-esteem issues vs Pat's unswerving support, and a damn good read: what more could you want?

What It All Comes Down To by phnelt/ @phneltwrites (Think of England, canon pairings)

“Those blighters—” strong language from Fen there. Pat has been working on her in regards to fruity language but Fen hasn’t much taken to it. “ —won’t let women shoot at these newfangled Olympics games, despite England boasting some of the best women shooters in the world. Present company very much included.” Fen gets so heated when she advocates. It brings up a healthy colour to her cheeks. Pat smiles at her, helplessly. “So we simply must show them how good women can be by having Pat train you up from nothing so you can trounce them in the name of her club and in front of the eyes of God and the Olympic Committee.” If this wasn’t obviously one of Fen’s schemes it would be clear after her speech.

Charming friendship-centric story, with some light intrigue on the civilian side of things for once.

UNEXPECTED MEETINGS

Poiesis (Making) by ama (Queen's Thief, gen + Costis/Kamet)

Kamet is bewildered by a summons he receives to meet with the King of Sounis. After all, what could they possibly have to discuss?

Post-canon interlude where Kamet and Sophos bond over poetry, with great character writing.

Scene on a Balcony by Mary_West (Lord Peter, gen + Sylvia/Eiluned)

8th October 1935 and it's the wedding of the year - Lord Peter Wimsey and Miss Harriet Vane have finally tied the knot. But the wedding breakfast (served at the Dowager Duchess' London house) is getting a little heated. So the balcony is an excellent place to which to escape.

If anyone ever needed a sensible lesbian auntie, it's Jerry - but also this is sweet and funny and well-observed, from the wedding details to the practicalities of being queer at the time.

The Nuclear Option by Tangerine/ @atangeriner (From Eroica with Love, Klaus/Dorian)

When Klaus needs help with a family affair, Dorian is more than happy to offer his services.

Superb, satisfying, full of banter and yearning, and I love the slow reveal of wtf is going on with Klaus.

Time Enough by fresne/ @fresne999 (Ethan of Athos, Ethan/Terrence)

Terrence Cee had spent most of his life feeling like a jumpship caught in the gravity well of a blackhole. Engines on full bore. Only able to keep out of the crushing center, but never able to escape. Now in his new life on Athos, he found himself unsure of how to find a new pace.
Ethan wondered if there was a way to get his love life gestating again. Not frozen like zygotes stored in a bio-freezer against some eventual future.

Sweet get-together for the boys that addresses Terrence's trauma and socially deficient upbringing, plus meet-the-family shenanigans and rich worldbuilding for Athos in all its problematic glory. I am retroactively very pleased with myself for nominating this fandom for Yuletide (even if it took me a few months to get around to this one)!

and remains quiet by marycrawford/ @mcvices (Nirvana in Fire, gen)

She picks up her cup and sips delicately of the chrysanthemum tea she brought. It is cooling and calming. She doesn’t need calming, but Mei Changsu might. She is about to administer a medicine that the patient will find disagreeable.
The patient looks fevered, at the moment. “What is wrong with Jingyan?”

The AU divergence point is a little oblique - if I'm reading correctly, the Emperor dies early during the war and Consort Jing takes advantage of her Dowager status to go north to see MCS - but honestly who cares about the premise, because holy SHIT this author writes Consort Jing to perfection, in all her ruthlessly compassionate (or compassionately ruthless?) complexity.

PORN WITH FEELINGS

No Pity, But a Little Love by beautifulduckweed (Will Darling Adventures, Will/Kim)

The author's summary is a mess so I'm leaving it out, but this is a great post-series look at their relationship that captures their banter and mutual delight, plus Will getting exposed to more queer spaces, all structured around Will attempting anal sex again under less fraught circumstances.

Privacy by Resonant (Due South, Fraser/RayK)

“Guess it’s a while since you had a door with a lock on it?”
“I’ve never had a door with a lock on it."

I don't know how long it's been since Resonant wrote new DS fic, but she always nails (heh) their weird and weird-about-each-other charm and this is no exception!

through the desert, repenting by beautifulduckweed (Think of England, Archie/Daniel)

Daniel da Silva comes face-to-face with the deadly consequences of making a mistake and turns to a bad childhood habit to cope—but it's not enough, and Archie Curtis doesn't know how to help.

AKA the one where Archie counters Daniel's self-harm with sex, or as the author's tags put it "In the absence of therapy banging it out will have to do".

Alright, I’ve got multiple Murderbot Diaries recs from last month, and one each for MCU (Black Widow+Spider-Man), Due South, The Hands of the Emperor, and Star Trek AOS. Enjoy!

Acceptable Mission Cost by i_have_loved_the_stars_too_fondly (Murderbot, gen)

The planetary leader of Preservation is taken hostage by a corporation and held for interrogation. Lonely and homesick, she starts talking to the SecUnit assigned to guard her cell. When it's ordered to kill her, it can't bring itself to follow through.

Yessssss, awesome alternate first meeting where Murderbot is assigned to guard Mensah! Some heavy plot reliance on coincidence but the feels are excellent.

@Perihelion: Fuck you ART by Sparrowlicious (Murderbot, gen)

And that's how I accidentally started a social feed account with a cult following. It's not my fault humans have an obsession with my opinions.
aka Murderbot discovers space twitter and commits crimes against corporate entities (ART is helping!)

I’m not usually a fan of social media fics done this far from their origin (i.e. Space Twitter is just like modern Twitter!), but Murderbot and ART’s friendship in this story is impeccable and hilarious.

Iterative User Testing by Ostentenacity (Murderbot, gen)

Murderbot's buffer is becoming a problem.

Funny but sweet story about Murderbot working on its social interactions (and also reprogramming its brain a little with ART? Friendship is magic!).

The Peter Tingle by igrockspock (MCU, Peter/Yelena)

Yelena's bored and she's got three options:
(1) Start a fire.
(2) Start a brawl.
(3) Talk to Peter Parker.

Completely unexpected but completely delightful pairing! Shenanigans, banter, grief, Peter being a nice young man who does math in bars and also dresses up in spandex, and Yelena finding someone she can be a little vulnerable with. (set after Hawkeye and No Way Home)

This Canadian Life by SpaceTimeConundrum (Due South, Fraser/RayK)

Today on our program we’re bringing you a three act investigation into a true Chicago legend. It’s a larger-than-life tale of murder, exile, culture shock, and the incredible power of human kindness as we ask the question: did Chicago have its own Canadian superhero in the ‘90s? The answer may surprise you. From WBEZ Chicago, it’s This American Life.

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! Great outsider POV in a way, and fun post-canon content that also follows up on some minor characters and the ripple effects of Fraser being Fraser.

Absurdly Discreet by breadandroses (The Hands of the Emperor, Artorin/Kip)

"Being seduced by someone who turns out to be a spy isn't a crime," Ghilly said.
"It is when you're the Sun-on-Earth's personal secretary," Cliopher replied dryly.
— The Hands of the Emperor, Chapter 63

Sharp look at that barely mentioned incident from the book, and the DEVOTION. The PINING. GAH.

the ship in port is the safer one (but it's not the reason it was made) by KiaraSayre (Star Trek reboot, gen)

The Enterprise's first mission is a boring one. Luckily, the ship more or less makes its own trouble, including: stills, toilet paper, lighting issues, awkward crewmembers, lunchroom seating politics, and, of course, the Admiralty.
Or: How Jim Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Chain Of Command.

Very fun and creative story about the Enterprise going on a shakedown cruise, Jim learning some valuable lessons about personnel management, and the dangers of a genius crew with too much time on their hands.

December was pretty busy with Yuletide - writing, and then reading, which I already recced some of here - and traveling, and holidays. So I am just reccing my five favorite non-Yuletide stories today.

a kind of dwell and welcome by @leupagus (Ted Lasso, Trent/Ted)

from: trent.crimm@theindependent.co.uk
to: lassoteed@yahoo.com
subject: Re: what the heck spell check
Coach Lasso,
I can assure you that my transfer has nothing to do with your club's relegation, nor is there anything that Richmond has done in error. Rather, I have spoken with my editors and we’ve agreed that this is the most appropriate course of action.
I wish you all the best in the season.
-Trent Crimm

I am late to catching up on Ted Lasso, so I suspect everyone has already read this - but if you haven’t, PLEASE DO. Leupagus has such a talent for writing these gorgeous soaring romances that are grounded in everyday things and humor. Also her voice for Ted is so perfect I could scream. (For more stories, go here)

trust and verify by mardia / @themardia (Ted Lasso, Trent/Ted)

“I’m sorry, you’re what?” Rebecca’s staring at him as though he’s announced his plans of robbing a bank. “You’re going out to dinner with Trent Crimm? Trent Crimm, formerly of The Independent? That Trent Crimm?”
In retrospect, sharing his dinner plans when Rebecca asked what he was doing tonight might have been a slight mistake on Ted's part.

Really great followup to the end of S2.

We'll All Be Fine (we will) by @rejectscanon (gen, BNHA)

Upon first glance, the park seems empty and devoid of any people whatsoever. Shouta walks through slowly, eyes open for anything out of place. It’s as he’s walking to the nearest bin that he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. There, laying on one of the benches deeper into the park, is a kid. A teenager, if the way they take up the whole bench is anything to go by. Shouta is a few feet away when the kid shifts, trying in vain to get their lanky form comfortable on the too-small bench, and the hood they have pulled over their head shifts, ever so slightly, revealing a shock of purple hair.
Or, Aizawa finds Shinsou sleeping in a park after getting locked out of his foster home. Aizawa takes issue with this.

Hellooooo, all of my favorite tropes! Soft and hopeful and good.

Think of me kindly by Shookspeare (gen, BNHA)

During the hellish first week of his final year of middle school, Hitoshi meets a green-haired boy who offers to buy him a coffee. He didn't think he'd gain a friend in the process.

Wonderful, heartwrenching AU where Izuku remains quirkless and befriends Shinsou as they both train for UA. REally lovely friendship, but strong trigger warnings for portrayal of a suicidal character and a suicide attempt. (everyone's okay, though)

For Want of a Bookman by phoenixflight (Band Sinister/Society of Gentlemen, genish)

“Lord Richard! Just the man I was hoping to see."
Richard turned. “Lord Corvin. To what do I owe the pleasure?” They had known each other their whole lives, moving in the same circles, and Richard had always disapproved intensely of the man.
Perching himself uninvited in the empty chair, Corvin said, "I wanted to inquire about your bookman."
“My bookman?” Richard raised his eyebrows. “Has that become a euphemism of which I am not aware?”

A fantastic idea for a crossover between these two KJ Charles crews! It’s hard to get anyone other than Silas across that social divide, but he’s a fun guest to the Murder. And then just perfectly executed, full of friendship and the canon relationships in lowkey appearance. The sequel is much more cracky - sex pollen orgy! - but also great if that’s your jam.

MY GIFTS

An embarrassment of riches this year!

step by step (planet by planet) [Ethan of Athos] - a Yuletide Madness treat! Charming little bit of pining with Ethan being oblivious, set in the gap between Kline Station and returning to Athos. (Ethan/Terrence)

On the Threshold [Biggles] - delightful AU where an injured von Stalhein shows up on Biggles’s doorstep, and Biggles is very Biggles about it. I am extremely for the ‘bad guy goes to his honorable enemy for help (and is not disappointed)’ trope, and this one was executed perfectly. (Biggles/von Stalhein)

The Arrangement [Biggles] - in which von Stalhein ventures out into a storm to get Biggles medicine. Lovely h/c. (Biggles/von Stalhein)

RECS

I tend to go by fandoms when I binge Yuletide, and also I slept until 1 (I think I’m still run down from my horrible cold last week, and this was my first day with no work and no family obligations), so it’s just The Goblin Emperor/Witness for the Dead fic today.

it gets okay to praise the day - beautiful tag to The Grief of Stones, with some much-needed comfort and healing for Thara, and some clever resolution of a few plot threads, and a brief and lovely appearance by Maia. (Thara/Iana)

dear fellow traveler - nifty story that starts with an academic piece about a tradition of the emperor crossing the Wisdom Bridge, and then increasingly closer POVs peeling back to the truth of how it started. A great look at the future of Maia’s reign from several vantages. (mostly gen, background Csethiro/Maia)

Need To Know - in which Csethiro tracks down Maia after the assassination attempt, with all of her fierce cleverness at work. Great POV for her. (Csethiro/Maia)

COMMENTS

And finally, my comment total for @justleaveacommentfest was 11.

I received TWO fics this year, both of them for Biggles, so I've been delighting in the foe-yay h/c of it all. I read The Arrangement first this morning, on the very scientific decision of it being the first email I got, and it's a wonderful post-Hatchet adventure where Biggles has a malaria recurrence mid-mission and von Stalhein ventures out in a storm to get him medicine. Oh, them ♥

[Then I had to stop reading and make two (2!) pies and attend family dinner, which was lovely. I've apparently perfected my cherry pie, which was already very good, and the accolades make all the fuss worth it. The food was delicious, the wine was plentiful, and my cousin's kids have gotten absurdly cute since the last time I saw them. Merry Christmas to me! I hope ya'll all had beautiful days if you celebrated. ♥]

My second present was the fantastic On the Threshold, an AU where von Stalhein shows up injured at Mount Street and Biggles is VERY Biggles about it :DDDDD Absolutely lovely, and jam-packed with my favorite tropes! (almost like they know me.... ;)

Between Thanksgiving and Yuletide canon review, I didn't do a ton of fic reading in November, so I've got a nice short batch of five superhero fics: mostly DCU, one BNHA.

Frame the halves (and call it a whole) by tucuxi (gen)

Jason gets it, gets the space between them, the way Red Robin keeps his distance. Of all the ways Jason fucked up when he first got back to Gotham, Pit-mad, green-tinted, and chock-full of Talia’s half-truths, breaking into the Tower and nearly killing a kid is the one he regrets the most. Dick or B probably would say something pointed about regretting committing multiple homicides and putting heads in duffel bags, but Jason doesn’t regret any of those deaths one bit. Maybe he’d choose a different duffel bag, but that’s about it.
OR: The one where Oracle calls Red Hood and Red Robin in to deal with a Crane-shaped incident at the docks, a brand new strain of fear toxin is released, and Jason is horrified to discover that he’s NOT Tim’s worst fear.

Tim and his abandonment issues, oh my heart. Also really nice work getting Tim and Jason over the hump into a better relationship without them really talking about things, which is hard to do well but the author nailed it.

To Eat Well by SilverSkiesAtMidnight (gen)

“Here,” Jason says, passing the tray over to Damian. “Go bring Dick this.”
Damian redirects his scowl, but the furrow in his brow looks more curious than angry now. “What is it?”
“Papanasi,” he answers. “It’s, uh. It’s something his family used to make.”
Damian accepts the tray, holding it as carefully as he would delicate electronics. “And this will…make him happy?”
He doesn’t laugh at him. “Nah, kid,” he says wearily. “He’s not going to be happy until he knows his family is safe. But it’ll help."
The ransom call comes the following morning.

In which Tim is kidnapped and Jason stress bakes because he was present but too injured during the kidnapping to go out looking. Lovely character work.

buy back the secrets by sundiscus (Tim/Kon)

He takes a long, slow breath. Ignores the glares from the other students. “Superboy,” he murmurs. “It’s me. If you’re listening, I could use some help.”
Or: 5 times Superboy saves Tim Drake, and one time Tim Drake saves Superboy.

I hardly ever rec WIPs, but this one is SO GREAT and the two chapters so far are standalone so it's easy to hop in. Definitely a loose relationship with canon/timelines, but creative and smart and feelsy, good with the classic problem of h/c vs Tim’s independent streak, with generally amazing voices for Tim and Kon.

Freefall by sage (Tim/Kon)

Kon is asleep, all of his homework finished for once and the farm quiet and peaceful around him, when Tim screams.

In which Kon catches Tim. Harrowing, and then sweet.

One Percent by redrobin1989 (BNHA, gen)

Midoriya Izuku is a boy who stands on the crossroads of many potential realities. In one percent of all realities, he meets All Might and accepts an impossible offer. In others, very different fates await him. A man with the ability to see those alternate lives catches a glimpse of Deku and sees what could have been.

A sharp collection of what-ifs from an outsider POV.

I’d like to say I was saving these recs for Thanksgiving - to read while digesting food, or while avoiding your family, or to recuperate afterward from all that socializing - but really I was just procrastinating as usual. Although I did sort them by length, to better select something for all the reasons above. Mostly comedy and almost entirely DCU fic again, except for one lone hilarious fic for The Untamed. Enjoy!

UNDER 5K

A Chips And Dip Kind Of Night by whaleofatime (1.8K, gen)

Bruce is working undercover at a 7/11.
Dick does not know this.

Short and funny and adorable.

Truth Serum is the Worst by JackHawksmoor (3K, gen)

Batman gets dosed with a truth serum and unexpectedly spends most of the time talking about how desperately he loves his children, how awesome they are, and how he wishes he was better at being a father.

Whumpy and skims across the surface of some serious trauma (ah, Bruce and his repression), but with a wonderful dynamic between Bruce and Dick.

5K-10K

Runaway by sardonic_sprite (6K, gen)

"There's easier ways to run away, y'know, kid."
"I don't know what you’re talking about."
"Really?" The boy raised an eyebrow, giving Damian a meaningful appraisal. "Rucksack, clothes that don't fit, no parents or anyone around, lying your way places?"

AU in which Damian runs away from the League and bumps in Tim in civilian guise. Kinda handwavey timeline-wise, but a fun alternate meeting.

In Case of Catastrophe by swampbebe (8.5K, gen)

Well, Tim is resourceful, even if he’s a cat now. Bruce is still on patrol and won’t be back for a while, but Dick and Damian are both at the manor. Tim will make his way there, tap out morse code to explain what happened, and then they’ll get him turned back into regular ol’ Tim.
All in all, this will just be a minor setback.
Tim gets turned into a cat by magic nonsense. His family doesn't figure it out as quickly as he'd like.

I'm weak for 'character gets turned into a cat' stories anyway, but this one is hilarious.

10K-20K

know your enemy by Valkirin (12K, gen)

Jason Todd thought he was ready for anything when he headed to Titans Tower to have a talk with Robin. He was not ready for Stephanie Brown.

In which Steph is still Robin during the Tower attack and things go VERY differently, and amusingly. Stephanie Brown: Sassmaster vs Jason's Overdramatic Schtick is only the beginning.

brilliant (like a confession) by kathkin (14K, Lois/Clark)

After years of pining after an alien demi-god who is, much as she hates to admit it, miles out of her league, Lois realises she's caught feelings for her co-worker. Unsure whether or not to tell him, she seeks advice from the most sensitive guy she knows - Superman. Things don't go as she expected...

I adored this Lois voice and all the identity mess, and admired how the fic manages to be both incredibly funny and genuinely tender.

Veritas by trickybonmot (19K, Wangxian)

Wei Ying needs a fake terrible date. Lan Zhan volunteers.

*wheezing with laughter* I can never go back to WWX as Troll Disaster Date for this trope again, Lan Zhan is CLEARLY the master. Ye gods, the shenanigans and horniness in this are amazing.

20K-30K

tell me your name, is it sweet by dexdefyingstunts (26K, Tim/Jason)

There's a pretty girl in this bar who won't stop looking at Jason.
Or: Jason meets med student Caroline Hill.

Normally I don't rec WIPs, but this one is pretty much pure porn with some genderfluid Tim, so while I am looking forward to the last chapter it's not gonna cliffhang you or anything.

Getting It Right by FabulaRasa (27K, Bruce/Hal)

Hal and Bruce spend an unexpected weekend together in Star City. Along they way they grapple with PTSD, internalized homophobia, financial instability, drug addiction, and physical abuse, but on the plus side they clean house at Blaster Bouncer.

Despite the summary's ominous (albeit accurate) listing, this is a shockingly soft story about Bruce having a panic attack at Ollie's birthday party, followed by an accidental sleepover with Hal, and then a sorta-accidental day-long date around town. So lovely.

OVER 60K

Proof by Westgate (66K, gen)

A Batfamily AU where Jason, Dick, Tim, and Damian meet first on the streets of Gotham, before they ever meet Bruce Wayne. Some details will feel familiar, and some will not. The end result, as it always should be, is family.

Mmm, found family + street kids + hurt/comfort. A cozy, tropey, hopeful read.

Under Vitrine Glass by galkyrie (67K, Tim/Jason)

Tim Drake is undercover investigating a potential serial killer who's using Gotham as their hunting ground when Jason returns from an off-planet mission with the Outlaws. The only problem? The investigation has put him thoroughly into The Red Hood's territory and blowing his cover or bringing him in this investigation is not worth the risk.
The last thing Tim expects after their first run-in with each other is Jason's interest in the person he's pretending to be.

I loved this as a casefile and as a slow burn romance.

Time Bomb Town by Moxibustion (112K, Tim/Jason)

In a world of scientifically proven psychic abilities, the practitioners - the so-called Talents - are called on to serve the public good. This is never more true than in Gotham, where the Wayne Parapsychic Institute works diligently for justice and peace in what is otherwise a mecca of rogue Talents. Bruce Wayne is one of the most powerful Talents on record; a Prime. So are all his children. All, that is, except for Tim Drake; a winged donkey to their high-flying Pegasus. Fed up with the constant reminders that he will never be able to catch up to their flight into the stars and beyond, he leaves.
Trying to put the shattered pieces of his life together, he comes across Jason Todd; former member of the Wayne Parapsychic Institute and a powerhouse in terms of Talent, alive in an asylum years after everyone assumed him dead.
Tim is determined to help Jason find a way back. Jason might end up teaching him a way forward.

Set in a world inspired by a series of Anne McCaffrey books, but you don't need to have read them (I haven't!) - it's a fun and plotty and angsty cyberpunk-ish adventure.

Whelp, I've started my annual fall DCU binge. I don't know what it is about this time of year, but every October for the last three years has been Batfamily Time in the Spatz household. I just started a little early this year!

Five DCU fics above the cut, plus four more DCU and five other fandom recs underneath.

DCU

Like a Hinge, Like a Wing by Ultrageekatlarge/ @bonesbuckleup

The problem is that Tim’s spent the past month or so slowly getting murdered.
(AKA, An AU where Jason never went to Ethiopia, and Tim takes a different road home to the Waynes.)

SO GREAT. I went absolutely feral about this fic, which I have already read twice and have open in a tab for reccing so I'll...probably go read it again after this. Just A++ Tim h/c where he's being poisoned for his trust fund after his parents die, and tries desperately to rescue himself before finally reaching Bruce and telling him he needs Batman's help, and then the fallout of all that. Wonderful!

Send to All by kerosceene

I, ___________________________, hereby acknowledge that this form represents my wishes should I contract phytoaphrodisiac-induced delirium (hereafter referred to as “PAID”) during engagements with or while apprehending Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley (“Poison Ivy”).
The bats have a sex pollen release form. Because of course they do.

Hilarious and extremely chaotic Batfamily epistolary goodness, and Barbara is the absolute best and does not deserve this shit.

two against the world by carolinaa / @officialratprince

“I’m Tim,” he says, though introducing himself to a puppy makes him flush in embarrassment. “Are you hungry?”
The dog blinks at him, all scared eyes.
“Where’s your family?” Tim asks. “Did they leave you?”
(Or: Tim Drake finds a friend.)

This is a sweet and achy AU, but Tim is also a feral little goblin boy, so it's basically perfect.

Immersion by @smilebackwards

Father’s Day is going to be a disaster. What precisely is Tim supposed to get Bruce? The man has everything—cars, planes, a space station—and millions of dollars to buy anything he doesn’t.
Or: Tim is this close to calling Bruce ‘Dad’ when life takes an unexpected turn.

The final part of the Surveillance series (my beloved)! Absolutely love this story where something objectively miraculous happens to Tim but it is actually The Worst, because that's how Tim's life is. <3

Aftermath by ivy_and_ivory

Now: Batman is in Paris, pulled there by a case that extends beyond Gotham’s borders, when circumstances lead him to a badly injured Red Hood – who might hold the key to Batman’s investigation.
Then: The Red Hood storms into Gotham, begins to stake his claim on the criminal underground, then abruptly disappears – but only after he breaks into Arkham Asylum and leaves the Joker dead in his own cell.
Or: A study of why Bruce couldn’t kill the Joker, what would happen if someone else could – and how you move on from the aftermath.

Really fascinating AU with some brilliant identity porn and wrenching Jason-Bruce interactions, plus a dash of casefile for your plotty pleasure.

More DCU recs under the cut, plus recs for Murderbot Diaries (more amnesia fic!!!), 9-1-1, Star Wars, and Biggles.

( Read more... )

August was too hot to live and weirdly stressful, so I've only got a handful of new stories plus a whole lot of my favorite tropes (so much amnesia!) and fic from fandoms I'm technically not in.

NEW STUFF

I Got My Head Checked by @frostbitebakery (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

Below the observation deck, the Marshal Commander of the Third Systems Army is being divested of his armor and weapons, shackles heavy on his wrists. He doesn’t struggle, only a mulish stubborn twist to his jaw showing his displeasure at the situation.
Obi-Wan opens his eyes, steps back from the observation window. “I need a week.”
OR: In which Cody wasn’t trained for a Sith sliding into a moral dilemma because of him.

So apparently I AM weak for a Sith!AU when it's an amazing enemies-to-lovers with a redemption arc? Awesome story with beautiful art by the author. It's written in an unusual vignette format that might not be for everyone, but I thought it let the author cover a wide ensemble and scope of story and tonal shifts very effectively.

To the Letter by glimmerglanger (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

“How you feeling, sir?” he asked, eyeing his General. They’d, at least, managed to all evac back to the shuttles without losing anyone, leaving the noxious-smelling laboratory where they’d found a pack of Seppy scientists working on new biological weapons behind.
“I’ll be fine, Commander,” Obi-Wan said, without opening his eyes, his voice thick and hoarse. “But comm ahead, would you, and make sure the medics are ready for me.”
OR, the one were Obi-Wan gets dosed with an especially nasty toxin, and Cody helps him survive the following hours.

The first chapter of this story was originally a standalone that I remember thinking was incredibly hot but emotionally unresolved, but glimmerglanger just posted a second chapter where Cody gets into a mirrored situation and it really balances out the whole piece.

Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (The Untamed, Wangxian)

Lan Zhan’s new liaison at the Caiyi Municipal Cultivation Department is an enigma – ridiculously talented, yet somehow content with mopping up spiritual pests for barely above minimum wage. Wei Ying is slapdash and irresponsible, and Lan Zhan doesn’t like him at all… but then he meets A-Yuan, who loves music and longs for a piano his father can’t afford.
Forced into cautious friendship by a four-year-old's music lessons, Lan Zhan soon realises Wei Ying is more than he seems. The single father is a man of many secrets – including, perhaps, the key to Lan Zhan's life's work. And in the meantime, the background resentment in Caiyi Town is rising to dangerous levels…

I've already recced this by reblogging the fic notice, but it's so great! Plot and romance and feels all well-balanced and creative, with adorable kid content, plus I loved Lan Zhan's research into reconstructing musical cultivation, the modern cultivation worldbuilding generally, and the Lan brothers dynamic.

More tropey recs under the cut!

( Read more... )

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.

Mostly Star Wars this month, again, with my favorites above the cut! (all Codywan unless otherwise marked) The rest are roughly sorted by diminishing levels of plot and increasing levels of porn because it amused me - plus a handful of recs from other fandoms at the end (The Goblin Emperor, Murderbot, Knives Out, and 9-1-1).

STAR WARS

an ice cream-covered screaming hyperactive thought by @adiduck

Cody is fairly certain he is not going to get his security deposit back.
There are three new stains on his carpet, and a patch by the door has been roughed up enough Cody’s pretty sure the weave’s come loose. The door itself has scratches in the paint all the way up to the door knob, and the curtains covering the windows on either side of the door are shredded, showing the metal grating over the transparisteel on the street side. The caf machine, the dish rack, and the soap dispenser are all in a collapsed and soapy heap on the floor. Cody’d managed through reflexes honed by war to save his favorite caf mug, but had sadly lost two of his plates and a bowl before he’d managed to wrap the perpetrator in three towels and shove the whole bundle up against a shoulder.
The towel bundle, very put out by this turn of events, is yelling.

Post-war AU in which Cody rescues a tooka kitten and then Obi-Wan rescues him from the kitten in turn. Extraordinarily cute, but also a beautifully written look at Cody trying to navigate civilian life and friendship (and maybe more) with Obi-Wan.

sanguine by @glimmerglanger

Everyone said synth was just like real blood.
The Healers in the Temple had said so from the time Obi-Wan became aware that his dietary requirements did not align with those of his crèchemates. That realization had coincided neatly with an awareness of the fact that, perhaps, his crèchemates met his dietary requirements.
OR, the one where Obi-Wan faces a reckoning about himself and his relationship with blood while in the middle of a war.

aka a canon AU with vampire Obi-Wan Kenobi detailing the events of the Clone Wars. I had such a great time reading this series over the spring: it starts off with shorter h/c-centric stories about Obi-Wan and his clones trying their best to take care of each other, and then starts getting plotty and increasingly AU around the Zygerria arc. Long, satisfying angst-with-a-happy-ending that deals with a lot of crunchy trauma and bigotry and pining and grief along the way.

Recollection by @elwenyere

CC-2224 had been compromised.
That had been the assessment delivered by Lieutenant Piett, the Imperial officer who met the returning Purge Troopers in the landing bay, and CC-2224 had accepted the new parameters and applied them to his current situation. He had been compromised in the field, and that was why his heart rate was tachycardic, his vision was blurred, and he was currently being dragged down the hall by the armpits, his wrists cuffed behind his back so that every step wrenched against his shoulders.
Or, Eternal Sunshine of the Reconditioned Mind

Trippy and beautiful and tender, with a very unique look at Cody’s memories of the war and Obi-Wan. (and don’t worry, a happy ending! As happy as post-Order 66 gets, anyway.)

Strangers Like Me by K_R_Closson (mostly gen, Obi-Wan/Jango)

When Obi-Wan chose to fight for the Young, he left behind the only life he'd ever known, and the only dream he had ever wanted. On Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Child of No Clan, finds purpose and finds family, and begins a journey which will change the shape of his life and the galaxy in ways he'll never fully understand.
Or, the one where Obi-Wan is adopted by True Mandalorians off Melida/Daan. Featuring: teenage shenanigans, pet strill, Force teleportation, first love, and found family.

Fantastic Jedi Apprentice-era AU that does a great job negotiating Obi-Wan’s trauma and balancing his identity between his old family and his new one.

More fic under the cut!

( Star Wars, Goblin Emperor, Murderbot, Knives Out, 9-1-1 )

A bit late this month since I had to send my computer off for repairs (RIP my stickers, but at least it was mostly cosmetic damage), but I made it! I'm putting the 7 Star Wars fics of various pairings above the cut, and the 5 miscellaneous fandoms (Nirvana in Fire, Life 2005, Lord Peter, The Untamed, Our Flag Means Death) underneath.

STAR WARS

Cody/Obi-Wan

Worth a Thousand Words by @glimmerglanger

“You need to show him what you have to offer,” Fives said, which sounded shockingly like relevant advice. Cody blinked over at him.
“What?” he asked, because, honestly, he’d take any advice he could get, at this point. The war had been over for nearly six months, and he’d made no progress on his own.
Fives slammed back a shot of his own and then--kind of leered over. “You need to give him a look at the goods,” he said, and then, pointedly, dipped his gaze down.
OR, the one where Cody takes some very bad advice and has to deal with the consequences.

*wheezing with laughter* AKA the one where Cody sends a dick pic. Post-war, no Order 66, very funny and sweet. Also, it didn't really hit my embarrassment squick despite being tagged for that, because it's not mean-spirited about it, and has some good perspective about how there's a huge gap between the clones' life experience and their socialization for things outside of fighting a war.

Strong Bones by missmollyetc

We must all start as we mean to go on.

Triptych of stories about Obi-Wan and Cody set post-Order 66, with absolutely GORGEOUS prose. The first two will break your heart (especially #2, how DARE), but the last one will gently patch it.

Din/Luke

Blood Ties by scheidwrites

A few things are slightly different, which means everything is different. Boba and Fennec arrive just a bit later, Din takes his jetpack back up to the temple, and so he and the child are both taken prisoner by the Empire.

Fascinating AU and a lovely h/c series that deserves a lot more hits than it currently has.

Pragmatics by Derkish

Admittedly, this is not the first time Luke has wound up at someone else’s kitchen table in someone else’s clothes. But it’s not breakfast, Luke’s not an undergrad scarfing down bacon and eggs to cure the common hangover, and Din doesn’t strike him as the kind of guy he’d meet at a house party. The baby is definitely a first.
Luke is a grad student trying to finish his linguistics PhD after an unexpected leave of absence. His neighbor, Din, is a single dad and delivery guy at Pizza Parsec. (Actually, Pizza Parsec is just a front for the bounty hunters' guild. But Luke doesn't need to know that.)

Fantastic modernish AU that hit the sweet spot for me regarding Luke being a emotional mess with disaster family issues but ALSO a very smart and competent person in his field. I also really enjoyed how the Skywalker family drama was translated into this setting.

A Warrior Dance by twoseas

Luke reacts strangely to Din’s bared face and an overheard conversation leads the Mandalorian to believe the Jedi thinks he’s ugly. Things spiral out of control from there.
Featuring Mandalorian combat without armor, Han and Leia being a little into Din, and Luke being so much into Din he accidentally makes him think he’s unattractive.

This one has been widley recced already, but I finally read it and it's just as charming as promised without the secondhand-embarrassment I feared.

Obi-Wan/Anakin

if i only knew by wanderlove

Newly knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, have been sent to Ryloth on a simple diplomatic envoy. While there, an unsettling incident causes Obi-Wan to look at Anakin in a new light and re-evaluate...everything.
The Galaxy will never be the same.
aka: "come for the obikin, stay for the tzai and deep emotional discussions that dismantle every single misunderstanding in the prequels."

Very satisfying fix-it AU on many levels, with lots of time and detailed work on building their relationship in a healthier way.

More recs below!

( Read more... )

All Star Wars again! I did a lot of reading-by-author last month, so for a few I’ve fully-recced my favorite and then listed other reads below. Cheating, I know, but I do what I want! Five recs (+ author bonus recs) above the cut, seven underneath.

Flotsam and Jetsam by @glimmerglanger (Cody/Obi-Wan)

A creature had not washed out of the sea to garner the hungry attention of the birds. A man lay sprawled across the sands, though he was not, Obi-Wan noted, cold spreading down his arms to his hands and through his guts, quite a man in the way Obi-Wan had grown to expect.
He looked...as expected from perhaps the waist up, though he was face-down in the sand, so it was hard to be sure. His back was broad; he had one arm stretched out across the sand, fingers - webbed fingers - curled loosely, sand sticking to his dark skin.
OR, the merman!Cody with shell-shocked and living-by-the-sea Obi-Wan fic.

I loved this so much I’ve already read it twice! It really struck the perfect balance between ‘make this character suffer’ and ‘make this character competent’ that I crave as a h/c aficionada, on top of being a gorgeous romance and wrenching story about war and trauma and loneliness. I would honestly recommend this to anyone, as it’s quite accessible even if you’re unfamiliar with canon.

also by this author: glimmerglanger has a TON of great work, especially if you like h/c, kink, and AUs (canon and otherwise), and I did plow my way through ALL of their backlog last month with delight, but some favorites:

(hit me) with your heart - in which Cody accidentally walks in on Obi-Wan and figures out some of his kinks; hilarious, then hot, and then an unique Order 66 fix-it
A Treatise on Breaking and Repairs - very good but brutal AU post-ROTS where Vader captures and tortures Obi-Wan using mind-controlled Cody and the 212th, but with plenty of catharsis and comfort to balance the hurt
Make Your Bed (Lie in It) - Cody/Obi-Wan bedsharing during the war: pining, hurt/comfort, and then an Order 66 AU (but not full fix-it)
For Safekeeping - this is probably not to exeryone's tastes but I'm mildly obsessed with this weirdly sweet Sith AU a/b/o Obi-Wan/Cody/212th gangbang? embrace your id, give it a try
Standing Vigil - lovely five-things character study by way of Obi-Wan doing bedside vigils over the years

Dielectric Breakdown by @jessepinwheel (gen)

Cody had always believed the best of his General--strong, steadfast, and loyal. That is, until Obi-Wan suddenly assassinated the Supreme Chancellor and vanished without a trace, leaving the Republic scrambling in the fallout.
Five years later, Cody is still trying to pick up the pieces and understand why Obi-Wan betrayed them all.

Prepare to get emotionally wrecked in all the best ways by this story, which is part casefile as Cody investigates and part gorgeous look at the complicated brotherhood of the clones, and their Jedi. Definitely on the bittersweet side since even with the massive tragedy of canon averted, the war left plenty of smaller ones in its wake, but the ending is hopeful and just right.

also by this author - Parallel Processing (gen), in which Obi-Wan from another universe where he stayed in the Agricorps shows up during the Clone Wars. For a story that’s all about kindness and comfort, the differences between the universes will absolutely gut you with feelings.

Melt by @smilebackwards (Din/Luke)

“You haven’t given him your clan signet,” the Armorer says bluntly when Din visits her. Of course the latest episode in his faltering courtship has reached her ears. “Anyone is free to make an offer until a signet is given and accepted.”
“I know,” Din says.

The sequel to Thaw (by @andthepeople) that I 10000% needed in my life! If you have not read Thaw, first PLEASE go treat yourself to that AU where Vader captured Luke after their Cloud City duel, and THEN read this gorgeous followup where Luke has space to heal, rescue Han, and get the best proposal from Din that you could possibly want. <3333

also by this author: first choice, AU series in which the clones get to choose their Jedi generals at the start of the war. SO charming.

The Longest Distance by SpaceWall (Cody/Obi-Wan)

A series of strange dreams lead Cody to question everything he thinks he knows about his past, his present, and his future. Trusting in himself, and those around him, may be the hardest part.

Fix-it by way of Cody getting prophetic dreams! Really good and unique, with the dreams serving as mini-AUs along the way. I loved the friendship that develops between Cody and Anakin in this, which surprised me in the best way.

also by this author: Lost and Found (Cody/Obi-Wan + various), a fun soulmate AU where objects that one soulmate loses show up in the vicinity of the other. This plays out in particularly interesting ways with the clones.

Spring in Hell (and everything's blooming) by blackkat / @blackkatmagic (Rex/Jon)

Jon Antilles has spent most of the war keeping his head down and staying out of the fighting. But when he and Fay find evidence of a new bioweapon going to production on a Separatist planet, they move to destroy it rather than let it be deployed against the clone armies. Dooku's presence is an unexpected complication, and rather than break cover, Jon lets himself be captured and thrown in the Count's personal dungeon.
He's not the only one there, however. Rex and his men have also been captured, and they're not about to trust a stranger in their midst. Jon has to pick between keeping out of the war the way he has been or rescuing the clones, blowing his cover and losing the freedom he's fought so hard for.

All I know about Jon Antilles comes from Wookiepedia - apparently he was in one comic? yeah - but this author latched onto him as their h/c darling and I support them because he’s excellent in that capacity and my favorite kind of competent disaster. This particular story is a well-tuned slow burn of trust and care between prisoners as they try to make it through with bodies and souls and family intact.

( and many more )

Well, I'm back on a Star Wars kick (again? always), as you may have noticed, so everything is Star Wars this month.

THE MANDALORIAN

Shadow and Apprentice by @aureutr / Aureutr_Accoredge (Din/Luke)

Din Djarin has served Mand'alor the Ruthless as Alo'prudii for nearly a decade. It hasn't been easy, the Mand'alor is even more mad than the stories say. And he seems to be slipping.
Dragged along to Tatooine for the Mand'alor's vengeful whims, Din ends up skirting his vows to make another promise.
He doesn't expect much in his life to change. Everything does.

Mildly obsessed with this AU where Maul kept control of Mandalore, and Din has been raised to be loyal to him but is miserable about it, and starts questioning things (and falling in love) when Maul kidnaps Luke.

bright centers of the universe, in orbit by CaroGolden & EmilianaDarling (Din/Luke)

After one of his first solo jobs goes sideways, Din meets Luke ten years early in a holding cell on Tatooine. Luke's buyer, someone powerful enough to threaten the Hutts, has left strict instructions not to lay a hand on him.
They use Din to hurt him instead.

MIND THE WARNINGS on this one, it was brilliantly hurty but pretty rough going. Lovely hopeful ending, though.

Five Things Din Djarin Learned from the Mandalorians and One Thing he Didn't by @orockthro (gen)

“Your pilot’s dead,” he says when the comm clicks through.
“What--”
“No more jobs with pilots who don’t know when an engine is about to blow.”
He clicks the comm off, tosses it into the corner of the room, and sleeps for two days.

Nice slice-of-life backstory piece.

PREQUELS/CLONE WARS

In Want of a Hyperdrive by Tassos (gen)

In an AU where as a boy Obi-Wan never met Qui-Gon Jinn and was instead abducted by slavers, the events of The Phantom Menace take a different turn when Queen Amidala's ship lands on Tatooine in want of a hyperdrive.
Qui-Gon and Padmé meet two Force-sensitives, find a way to raise money for the hyperdrive that doesn't involve a podrace, and get caught between the powerful forces of Tatooine's slave-owners and the Dark Side pursuing them.

I looooved this! Amazing read, fantastic AU premise and plotty action-adventure ensemble piece, and the characterization is wrenching and complex and so good. Special love to her inclusion of fialleril’s Tatooine slave culture worldbuilding, Qui-Gon’s hubris being called out, Obi-Wan’s trauma and love and badassery while having to fight monsters in gladiator pit cage matches, and Artoo being the chaos gremlin we all love.

stars sing my name, scars tell my story by whymylife (gen)

Anakin wasn’t sure how to ask, so he didn't.
Instead, he waited until Master Kenobi fell asleep and stayed up to tinker in the dark, building his own scanner out of parts stolen from the trash.
The chip was in his right thigh.

In which Anakin holds onto the lessons of his enslaved childhood more tightly, and thereby changes the path of canon and the fate of the clones. Satisfying fix-it. (also reminds me of ain't no life to live like you're on the run, which is sadly gone off AO3 but still available archived.)

The More I Live the More I See this Life is Not About Me by K_R_Closson (gen)

After touching a mysterious artifact, Cody's general is suddenly a child with the memories to match. Cody has to coax a suspicious adolescent back to base without alerting the nearby Separatists of their presence.
Reversing his general's age an easier fix than Cody thought it would be, but he didn't factor in the possibility that Obi-Wan might not want to give up his self in order to become General Kenobi again. It'd be easier to think if he didn't have an insidious voice in his head, whispering to him to distrust the Jedi.

There's a fair number of de-aged Obi-Wan fics out there, but this is the rare one that really balances 'this traumatized kiddo needs to be protected' feels against 'this prickly suspicious stubborn teenager has superpowers and a nose for trouble.' (pour one out for Cody, poor man. this one's gen but he's so devoted to Obi-Wan here, it's great) Plus, solid fix-it plot!

Through a Glass, Darkly by glimmerglanger (Obi-Wan/Anakin)

Obi-Wan had gotten to within an arm’s length of him. But it wasn’t...really Obi-Wan. He wore robes similar to his usual style, true enough. But they were splattered with something dark and wet. His hair was longer. His face was clean-shaven. He frowned across at Anakin, tilting his head to the side, and started, “Anakin, are you--”
OR, the one where Anakin gets lost in a universe that isn't... quite right and has to find his way home.

Excellent mirrorverse story where canon!Anakin swaps with Anakin from a universe where the Sith took power years ago. Balances the personal and the plotty aspects well as the switch causes big ripple effects in both universes, and glimmer’s strong characterization really nails that tropey pleasure of ‘what is essential and what is not in this character’ that I love with people meeting alternate selves. (there’s also a number of related snippets in a prompt collection here)

Happy Valentine’s Day!

After some feedback, I’ve decided to start limiting these to 5-10 fics, especially since I’m back at work full time now. This month, I present five 9-1-1 fics, one BNHA fic, and one CQL/The Untamed fic!

Just a Concerned Citizen by @domoz (BNHA, Midoriya/Shinsou)

Midoriya Izuku is a normal, quirkless, college drop-out. He's not a vigilante. Everything he does is perfectly above board and totally legal -- He's double checked.
It would be nice if everyone else could see it that way, though.
(Izuku becomes an informant, sort of. Trouble follows.)

Fantastic casefile that does a heartbreaking job with Izuku's quirklessness and depression, while respecting his intelligence and unstoppable heart. I also loved this author's other quirkless!Izuku AU, The UA LARPing Club (in which Izuku, Shinsou, and other GenEd students use a LARPing club as cover for their Sports Festival training) but this one has a CASEFILE and good adult hero worldbuilding and I have a weakness for those things.

Buck's Lack of Baby Steps by knittersrevolt (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

For Buck realizing he's Bisexual in his 30s sucks. Realizing he's bi and hopelessly attracted to his straight single dad best friend? Reeaally sucks.
Buck has some self reflection to do and some hard realizations to face. He's also trying to get better at taking care of himself. He's not great at it.

A little rough in spots but with an effervescently charming ADHD Buck POV, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, and great use of his therapy sessions with Dr. Copeland.

tell the whole wide world and this room by @hattalove (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

"I talk a lot. It’s probably not fun to sit through for something you’ll just instantly forget."
Eddie tilts his head. “Who’s forgetting?”
In which we learn about fermented milk products, discover that dolphins are sex fiends, and realize that sometimes, it really is all about knowing and being known.

I'm still slowly working my way through hattalove's backlog, but she's so good at capturing this sense of tender romantic domesticity between the boys, with pitch-perfect characterization. This one won my heart a little more than the others I've read, with its focus on Buck's trivia spirals, but honorable mention to i don't swim and you're not in love (the surpassing rare jealousy fic that worked for me) and your summer sun forever (food feels!).

a little less war torn by @renecdote (9-1-1, pre-slash Buck/Eddie)

“I gotta be honest,” Eddie says quietly, “you’re not really reassuring me here, Buck.”
Buck bites his lip hard. He can’t tell the truth. He can’t. Christopher is here, and Eddie will probably leave, and then he’ll be alone again, again, again. Tears blur his eyes and he blinks quickly, trying to hold them at bay.
“Hey.” Hand on Buck’s shoulder now, squeezing just a little too tight. “I’m serious—do I need to take you to a hospital right now?”
Set right after 5x06 ends. In which Buck is all kinds of not okay but Eddie helps.

Gorgeous piece of hurt/comfort, with a lot of things unsaid but felt very strongly.

you're my whole house by hammersmiths / @henswilsons (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

Eddie shrugs. “Christopher mentioned to Daniel that Buck and I are partners. I mean, sure, it’s a little weird that she invited him over as well, but—”
“Partners,” Hen interrupts, “like work partners?”
Eddie and Buck glance at each other. “Uh, yeah?” Eddie says. “What other type of partner?”
Hen stares at them for a moment, before she bursts out laughing. “You dumbasses. She thinks you’re together.”
or, Eddie joins the PTA.

This is one of those fics where I was a little dubious and then it completely turned me around on the concept. Of COURSE Eddie gets suckered into the PTA via advocating for accessibility. Of course he makes a nemesis. Of course he and Buck are super married and everyone else on the planet are facepalming about their obliviousness. <3

Full Hearts by @not-really-a-guest (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

“Every year LAFD and LAPD have a flag football game.” Bobby explains. “The past few years we’ve been either on shift or coming right off of it, but this year the A shift is free. Firefighters from every house sign up, and it’s a nice Saturday afternoon.”
In which Maddie reveals a hidden talent of Buck’s and Eddie decides he will spend the rest of his life cheering his boyfriend on.

Takes that throwaway mention of Buck playing football in high school and (hah) runs with it. Fun, immensely cute and a little feels-y, especially about family.

inevitably, indubitably by friedkiki (The Untamed, Wangxian)

For as long as he can remember, Lan Wangji has been cursed to die at the hands of someone who loves him. Enter Wei Wuxian, rogue sorcerer, who a desperate Lan Xichen has hired to save his brother.

Charming and sweet fairytale/royalty AU, good curse mystery. I always like it when someone nails that specific mix of competence and chaotic-mischief for Wei Wuxian, and this story does.

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