spatz: sparrow perched on a branch (Default)

Slipping this in before the year ticks over - Happy New Year, everyone! All Batman fics (including three crossovers with MCU Spiderman and Leverage), I had a lot of downtime to read while I was sick in November and it was time for the annual binge, so I read my way through a lot of @cacchieressa's recs (thanks for having great taste!) plus wandered into some of my own finds. More miscellaneous recs at pinboard for Spiderman, Star Wars, The Untamed, and Nine Worlds.

Gotcha, Bug by Mgootd - AU where Jason survives Ethopia, but Tim's parents start behaving strangely and Tim's investigation throws him in with the Batfamily anyway. Crazy fun ride.

Once Upon A Kidnap Dreary by PlotlessWanderer - AU in which Tim and Jason get kidnapped together for ransom - but their parents react very differently.

A Bat and a Reporter Break Into a Warehouse by @hmslusitania - delightful romp where Tim and Lois team up for an investigation.

Jason, Take the Wheel by Miss_Lazy_Tuesday - "Jason finds a new coping mechanism post-resurrection, and it changes a few things." A++ Jason using his insane level of training to be an epic troll. Incredibly funny, but also so healing.

Dead Robins Stick Together by HermesDay - "Tim finds himself trapped in a universe where the Red Hood decided to finish the job in Titans Tower." OOF. On the very opposite tonal end of Jason-returns AUs from the last one, but a really good engaging read.

Penelophon by Telperien - Selina/Bruce through the years, with a lovely Selina POV.

We'll Have to Muddle Through Somehow by @pluckyredhead - soft, thoughtful Roy/Jason where Roy is struggling with the holiday season and Jason is there for him.

Blue Jay Down by byrambles - "8 years after his parents died and he escaped Gotham's foster system, Dick is just trying to survive. When he stumbles upon an injured, blue-clad vigilante child in an alley, though, he has to make some decisions." This one hit my id so hard, I wish there were 30K more words but these were all good.

CROSSOVERS

(MCU Spider-Man/Batman) Set Naked On Your Kingdom by sassydandelion - "At the end of No Way Home, Peter chooses to sacrifice his life in New York to save the multi-verse…by letting Dr. Strange send him to a world where no one has ever heard of Spider-Man. What kind of crazy place is this Gotham City, anyway?" Fantastic AU, and Peter is just such a darling as he struggles to get by. Loved how he meets and bonds with Barbara (who is always amazing) first.

(Leverage/Batman) sparring match by Ffwydriad - in which Eliot runs into Cassandra on a team job, and they have a past. Thoughtful look at their difficult histories, but still very gentle and kind.

(Leverage/Batman) The Cross Purposes Job by solomonara - "A con on the verge of success gets sniped by an unknown third party. The Leverage crew traces the interference back to Gotham. Now the con has a new target: shady billionaire Bruce Wayne and the highly suspicious Wayne Enterprises." COMPLETELY DELIGHTFUL, such good team presence and misunderstandings on both sides, and the resolution is so satisfying.

April recs

May. 13th, 2024 06:46 pm
spatz: cartoon bunnies on stilts with caption "dramatic character-driven stories... or stilts?" (Bunnies stories or stilts?)

About half and half Batman and Guardian recs this month (yeah, I don't know what my brain's up to lately either. They both...investigate crimes in weird fictional cities? I guess??). The Batfam fics are all gen, the Guardian fics are all Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. Enjoy!

BATMAN

cards on the table by @wesslan

Tim's parents faked their deaths and fled the country years ago, but neglected to take him with them. He spent some time on the streets, and now at 16, he makes a living as a fortune teller, stalking and hustling the shit out of Gotham's elite by telling them eerily accurate fortunes based on the information he gathers about them.
His life is peculiar but he wouldn't change a thing. When he gets booked for the big Wayne Halloween party, however, he finds himself getting all tangled up with the Waynes, and the more fortunes he tells, the tighter the snare becomes
.
or: Tim just wanted to scam Gotham's elite, not end up on the Batfamily's watchlist. But it seems they just won't leave him alone…

Completely delightful, except where it's heartbreaking. Oh, Tim.

when the man comes around by julodinae_sunsets / @pyrras

Alfred’s love is pressed shirts and warm food. And his love is a gleaming knife, too.
He would bleed for his boys. He would make others bleed for them. And so he does.
(Or: the Joker must die, and Alfred Pennyworth is not a man who waits on others to do his work.)

Sometimes a girl just wants to read about the Joker getting killed, you know? And Alfred's POV is so sharp and well-written in this.

nightcall by TheResurrectionist / @frownyalfred

Carter played the recording for a third time. Red Hood’s lips pursed.
“I don’t know what the fuck Nightwing was talking about,” he said. “That’s not a Thai dialect. He’s always had the worst ear for Kra-Dai languages.”
(or, the one where an enterprising GCPD member uses the batsignal to ask the local vigilantes for translation help, and the Batfamily knows WAY too many languages)

Ah, my darling weirdo nerds. ❤
 

GUARDIAN

Following the rhythm of indulgence and delight by naye

"Your messages were terribly inappropriate," Shen Wei tells him.

"Oh?" Zhao Yunlan asks on a rapid breath.

"Yes. You didn't say 'please'," Shen Wei admonishes. In his arms, Zhao Yunlan gives a full-body shudder of excitement.

Sweet, hot (with side of established kink play that I loved), and domestic.

Won't be waiting alone by velithya

"That was DCPD," Wang Zheng says. "A missing person matching our last ID has just been reported – from Dragon City University, a Professor Shen Wei."

I do love Shen Wei being vulnerable and hurt - which is hard to manage because he's such a OP badass - but this different-first-meeting AU nails it.

Support Network by Prosto_Dasha

Most Dixingren living in Dragon City know him as Lan-gege, the guy who one of the first welcomed them in this unfamiliar realm and helped them get their bearings. Zhao Yunlan is very careful about keeping his identities separate, but it's all useless when the Black Cloak Envoy appears just as he is trying to evacuate a newly-manifested Dixingren from under the SID's nose.

Charming AU with solid worldbuilding where Zhao Yunlun rebels against his father in an entirely different way - and runs smack into Shen Wei while he's at it.

spatz: sparrow perched on a branch (Default)

Whew, I read a lot of fic in December! My Yuletide recs are here and here, and I winnowed down the rest of them to a mere ten recs.

Click on for Batman, Murderbot, and Goblin Emperor fics!
Read more... )


 


spatz: Capable from behind peering over the edge of the Rig, silhouetted against the sunset sky (MMFR Capable back)

I hardly ever manage to do these before reveals, but I love the anonymous aspect of Yuletide, so I made an effort! Two prior recs here for Goblin Emperor and Nine Worlds, and these are in alphabetical order by fandom:

(Batman: WFA) It Takes a Village

Roy and Jason are pining from afar. Romantic strategery isn't Dick's forte. As per normal, it's a good thing the women are around.

Very cute WFA romcom. I especially enjoyed Lois's contribution.

(Breakfast Club) Mirror Mirror

In which Allison and Claire trade makeovers. Adorable!

(Biggles) In Step

Biggles and von Stalhein are taken prisoner together. Worse: they're handcuffed together.

Chock full of tropes: best enemies! handcuffed together! daring escape! adrenaline fueled sex! pining! Happy Yuletide to me!

(Jeeves & Wooster) Supporting Partner's Suit

Never let it be said that Bertie Wooster will abandon a pal in need, even if that pal is a woman who is temporarily in possession of his body and he doesn’t fully understand what’s going on.

In which Bertie bodyswaps with Honoria Glossop for maximum hilarity and inadvertent lesbian yentaing.

(Knives Out) the most riveting intermission

“Rough day, eh?” Phillip asked.

“Confounding. Absolutely confounding,” was how the man chose to answer. “The crux of the matter seems most certainly to be banquet, and yet not a hint of malice was cooked into any of the dishes. No poison in the duck, nothing slipped in the wine. For the life of me, I can’t parse it out.”

Phillip stared at him for a moment, before throwing out another handful of rice to the ducks. “I’m sorry, what?”

Adorkable first meeting.

(Princess Tutu) To Dream Upon Paper and Silk

While cleaning the practice rooms at the end of the day, Ahiru comes upon Rue preparing her pointe shoes for the week to come.

Vivid and wistful missing scene. Canon levels of pre-friendship - er, pining for friendship?

(Temeraire) Intercession

During the ragged flight from Istanbul, Granby and an injured Tharkay reach an understanding.

Lovely character piece.

spatz: Mr Tumnus and a probe at the lamp post, from <a href="http://xk3d.xkcd.com/665/">this XKCD comic</a> (winter lamppost)

Yuletide is coming - but this should tide you over until then!

IRIS Log #1548
by deadchannelradio (Batman, gen)

(01:25) Red Hood: (Mild static) (Out of breath, slurred) You motherfuckers. Put some fuckin-

(01:25) Batman: (Shaking) Red Hood-

(01:25) Red Hood: Shut up. Put some fucking respect. On my name. Start fucking copying me. I just got thrown fucking. Um. 40 feet. Into a fucking uh. What's it. Ditch. I'm still fucking conscious.

(01:25) Batman: Red Hood, do not move, we're en route-

(01:25) Red Hood: What'll I win if I stand up.

(01:25) Batman: (Loud) Do not stand up.

Absolutely hilarious slice-of-patrol-life story, featuring a VERY concussed Jason.

Easy as Pie by Ptelea (Batman, gen)

Five times Jason baked something for or with his siblings, and one time they baked for him. A drabble sequence of triple drabbles written for the Seasons of Drabbles Summer 2023 challenge emuxchange.

Soft Batsiblings story, with a lot of feels packed into a small space.

Cinema Verite by BoldlyNo (Murderbot, gen)

"Someday, Ratthi hopes, he’s going to run out of things to learn about Secunit that break his heart."

Making a documentary in five hours flat is an experience in and of itself, but making a documentary with some of your friend's worst memories as footage is something else altogether.

Will I ever be over them making a documentary FOR GREAT JUSTICE? Definitely not. This is a great Ratthi POV on it.

Reformation by LocalCryptid7 (BNHA, Midoriya/Todoroki/Shinsou)

After a failed suicide attempt, years of bullying, and his mother's death, Izuku Midoriya doesn't think he has any option besides joining the League of Villains. After all, foster care is no place for a quirkless kid like him. Plus, working as a hacker and analyst for the League doesn't sound like it would be too bad. But, after meeting a hurt little girl in Overhaul's headquarters, Toga and Izuku can't just sit back and take orders from Shigaraki anymore. With some careful consideration, Izuku figures a villain reformation program at UA doesn't sound horrible, even if it means having to put up with Bakugou.

Villain!Izuku is usually a hard sell for me, but this works! Mostly because it shows both how Izuku ended up isolated and needing, AND he immediately turns tail once a kid is in danger. And then good followup on the consequences.

The Warlock's Cat by Marchling (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec)

Pain raced up his arm. It was a sharp throb that radiated out. More than a broken bone. When Alec went to flex his hand to see how bad it was he couldn’t. His eyes snapped to his own hand and there was no hand.

A mission gone wrong leads to Alec being turned into a cat. Alone. Hurt. No one aware of what's happened to him.

If only there was a cat-loving warlock nearby to save him.

Hello, I am a sucker for turned-into-a-cat-&-taken-in-by-my-enemy-who-turns-out-to-be-loveable stories - which is a very specific trope, but thankfully people keep writing it! This is a fun exemplar and an interesting AU.

Burgeoning by Owlship (Mad Max, Max/Furiosa)

He smiles a little, an uptick of his mouth, plush lips exposed where he's shaved the mangy beard off in the process of cleaning off the wasteland. "Here," Max says, and nudges into her space, arranges the plant carefully so the roots are properly covered, the leaves brushed free of dirt.

Furiosa doesn't realize she's going to move until she does, leaning across the slight distance between them and pressing her lips to his.

Max-returns-to-the-Citadel PWP, featuring poor gardening etiquette and a lovely vulnerable Furiosa.

spatz: Joan Watson clutching her head in exasperation (Elementary Joan headache)
A meme, for I am sick and bored with everything.

1. Three ships: first three that came to mind are Tim/Kon, Dean/Cas, and Bruce/Diana. Feeling nostalgic!

2. First ship: Max/Logan from Dark Angel. My teenage ass had ALL the feelings.

3. Last song: Out loud? The Christmas carols I got stuck in my head from Love Actually and sang all the way home from the party Saturday night to keep myself awake, before waking up sick. :(

4. Last film: the collected Max Fleischer Superman shorts, which I had out from the library and watched while folding laundry. Brilliant animation, really before its time, and I enjoyed the documentary extra where Paul Dini and Bruce Timm talked about its influence on B:TAS. However, for all the fun mad scientist episodes and gorgeous pre-noir visuals, there were some appallingly racist episodes that I had to watch on fast forward: mostly Japanese and German caricatures starting after Pearl Harbor, but also some native Africans, and just for funsies, a Native American villain who was ALSO a mad scientist. *facepalm* Lois was unsurprisingly The Damsel on repeat, totally insane reckless (that's pretty canon at least), but she did have a few fun badass moments - my favorite being when she knocks out a train robber and then grabs his machine gun to fire at a chasing car. *chef kiss*

5. Currently reading: nothing new, just old fanfic re-reads. My brain is mush. Though I did finish the newest Murderbot a few days before getting sick! So great.

6. Currently watching: Batman: The Animated Series. Predictable!

7. Currently consuming: Thai delivery. Mmm, tom kha, defeater of clogged sinuses AND delicious.

8. Currently craving: not being sick anymore
spatz: (beach scarf)

*squeezes in at the last minute* Don't mind me, November was terribly busy and also I sprained my ankle - but here's some recs from before all that!

Galagar Gallivant
by Quasar (Nine Worlds, genish)

His Radiancy devises a way to fix an anomaly in time. No priest-wizards were severely harmed in the making of this fic.

Completely delightful pre-canon romp, featuring HR being whimsical in response to magical weirdness, Kip being oblivious but also trusting HR to the nth degree (*heartclutch*), and just general charming shenanigans.

A Contract's a Contract, No Matter How Small by @PenAndInkPrincess (Witcher, genish)

Unexpected side effect of Jaskier praising witchers far and wide: children making the logical jump that witchers can handle ALL monsters. Including such subspecies as the under-the-bed variety.
And, well, what are you supposed to say to a child who asks you to fight a monster for them?

Technically this is a WIP, but the chapters are pretty standalone and SO CUTE.

A Dangerous Game by @fabula-unica (DCU, Bruce/Hal)

"You know what I think," Jordan said. "I think you’re one of those people who think they can’t be pranked. That’s what I think.”
“Jordan. There is no conceivable universe in which you could ever successfully prank me – not in your wildest, most attention-deficit-disordered imaginings is that a thing that could possibly occur.”
Jordan gave a quiet laugh. “You wanna bet?”

I am weak for prank wars and this is an excellent one!

The Long Con by @acornsontheground (DCU, Bruce/Hal)

Hal is adamant that he's not going to spend Bruce's money. Bruce intends to change his mind about that. (A sort-of 5+1 fic)

*facepalm* Bruce why are you like this. But at least he's using his powers for good? Very domestic and funny.

Duty of Care by allonym (Harry Potter, gen)

Megwin is two-thirds done with roll call when she stumbles over a familiar name. Harry Potter. Strange coincidence. There’s a student in her muggle primary classroom with the same name as The-Boy-Who-Lived?
A canon-divergent AU in which Somebody Helps Harry Potter.

Creative and satisfying, though it does take Dumbledore's puppeteer tendencies to the worst conclusion, so maybe don't read if you're a Dumbledore stan.

If It's Me You Need To Turn To, We'll Get By by Linxcat (The Untamed, gen)

Zixuan would like to be closer with his half-brother. He would like to skip all the awkward fumbly beginning bit where they don't know each other and just magically arrive at fraternal harmony, where they can joke around like the Jiangs and look out for each other like the Nies and have that spooky synchronicity like the Lans, but the truth is that he's never had a sibling, and he has no script or example for what you're meant to do when you discover one as an adult. They don't have years of in-jokes and growing pains to fall back on, they're basically just strangers who happen to share a parent.
the sickfic fixit in which JGY discovers the Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known and Zixuan discovers the Mortifying Ordeal of Getting To Know Other People

Really great characterization, and I like how narrow of an escape the last scene is - JGY's damage goes very deep and I like how this author gets that.

spatz: sparrow perched on a branch (Default)

Okay, I've got a handful of miscellaneous recs, and then ten recs for Victoria Goddard's Nine Worlds series, which I'm putting under a cut because at least two of you I know are still reading and the recs are full of spoilers for At the Feet of the Sun. Enjoy!
 

MISC

The Long Way Home by itsnatalie (DCU, gen)

With Jason tentatively back in the Batfamily, things are going pretty well for him--except for the whole thing with Tim. But who gives a shit about Tim Drake?

But when Jason and Tim are pulled into a frightening race for their lives inside a labyrinth that's out to kill them, they may have to look past their differences just to stay alive. Maybe along the way, they'll discover they aren't as different as they thought, and family comes in many different forms.

Spectacular in every aspect: the horror, the action, the hurt/comfort, the brotherly devotion underlying their swarm of issues, and the ending. I really can't rec this one highly enough.

Late Night, North Station by raitala (Untamed, Wangxian)

Lan Zhan finds A-Yuan lost in the railway station. He maybe finds more than he bargained for. Some mornings you leave for the office and come back with a son (and possibly a husband too).

Sooooo sweet, with a lovely autistic LWJ POV. The sequel is still a WIP but is great so far.

Beginning at the End by WerewolvesAreReal (Temeraire, Granby/Little)

In many ways it seems that John's life revolves around William Laurence.

Lovely character study trilogy with Granby sorting out his unrequited thing for Laurence and his ongoing thing with Little.

 

thou, who art victory and law by The_Apocryphal_One (Goblin Emperor, Csethiro/Maia)

He couldn’t help his unintelligence, any more than she could help her father. And he was kind. She should try to remember that.

(Or: Csethiro Ceredin goes into her betrothal to Emperor Edrehasivar VII with assumptions, and has every one of them challenged.)

Great Csethiro POV as she works through her pride and preconceptions.

plus ten Nine Worlds fics (spoilers!) )

 

July recs

Aug. 31st, 2023 06:52 pm
spatz: Kazilik dragon flying among clouds (Temeraire Kazilik clouds)

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).

 


March recs

Apr. 26th, 2023 05:08 pm
spatz: Cyril Raffaelli leaping for a overhang (parkour leap)

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.

spatz: Brandt catching Ethan by his ankle, dangling from Burj Khalifa window (MI4 dive)

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.

spatz: Lex holding birthday cake and laughing maniacally, caption "Even Lex Luthor has birthdays" (Lex birthday crack)

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.

spatz: Cyril Raffaelli leaping for a overhang (parkour leap)

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... )

 


May recs

Jun. 10th, 2022 10:39 pm
spatz: Gene Kelly pantomiming ridiculously in period dress, caption "OH NOES!" (SITR oh noes)

Quite a hodgepodge this time around, since not having my computer for the first half of the month resulted in me plowing through to-read piles on my phone. Enjoy!

Standard Operating Procedures by @galateagalvanized (Star Wars, Cody/Obi-Wan)

“Sir, I need you to tell me what’s wrong,” Cody says, battlefield calm, and he can’t help his relief when Obi-Wan pulls the tattered remains of his usual dignity back over his shoulders.

“Right,” Obi-Wan says. “Of course. Commander, as far as I can tell, everyone besides you on this ship has fallen truly, madly, deeply in love with me.”

Where Cody is the exception to acting weird because of course he’s already in love with Obi-Wan. I LOVE THIS TROPE. Plays out mostly as you would expect, i.e. delightfully.

Fauna One by @avonya (Murderbot Diaries, gen)

On an otherwise tedious survey, Murderbot meets a cat.

Wonderful pre-canon fic that does that thing canon does where it’s hilarious and fun and also makes you want to scream about how fucked up its enslaved life used to be. But yes, mostly it’s about Murderbot making friends with a feral cat.

things to never give the devil by @fahye (Our Flag Means Death, Ed/Stede)

"Dark Fate?" says Stede, making sure to pronounce the capitals.

"Very effective for star-crossed lovers. And at a bargain price, if I do say so myself. A potent mixture of unspeakably rare ingredients, brewed under a new moon, which will drag you through the depths of your own soul in search of difficult truths, and leave the undeserving to drift forever in a dreamscape of torment and emotional agony!"

"What?" says Stede. "No! That sounds awful!"

Set post-S1, the path to Stede and Ed reuniting is full of obstacles. Fairytale-flavored and as delightfully bonkers/romantic as the show, with amnesia, aka my favorite trope!

The Song Remains the Same by @sholiofic (Agent Carter, Peggy/Daniel/Jack)

After a lab accident, Peggy wakes up in 1948, with no memories of anything since early 1946.

Did I mention I love amnesia? This fic is SO GOOD in that respect, and does a beautiful job with Peggy’s tendency to be kinda judgey - usually well deserved! but less good when she finds out her future self somehow ended up in a triad with Jack Thompson of all people, and starts fucking up her own life and future happiness. (don’t worry, they figure it out eventually) And all that on top of a really good casefile!

All Bets Are Off by Carmilla (Singin’ in the Rain, Don/Kathy/Cosmo)

Don will always say that he fell in love with Kathy at first sight.

It’s a good story. It doesn’t really matter that the truth is a little more complicated.

A good solid OT3 get-together, but with some good queer backstory feels for Don.

Things Floating Like the First Hundred Flakes of Snow by @beaarthurpendragon (MCU, Steve/Bucky)

In the summer of 1968, the Winter Soldier manages to break free of his HYDRA programming enough to get a message to SHIELD Deputy Director Peggy Carter that Captain America is still alive.

Or: How Bucky and Steve save one another, one more time.

Great AU with a fantastic older Peggy interacting with the Winter Soldier, and then some brutally good depiction of Bucky working through his brainwashing/trauma (guest-starring Charles Xavier) and a happy ending - or rather, a beginning.

5 Times Tim Spends the Night at Wayne Manor + 1 Time He Comes Home
by @motleyfam (DCU, gen) 

Tim is good at galas.

No, scratch that—Tim is great at galas. He’s been attending them ever since the age of three, when his parents first stuffed him into his little Gymboree tuxedo and gave him a stern lecture about ‘sitting quietly’ and ‘speaking when spoken to.’ He knows all the rules: what to wear, how to stand, when to smile, what to say, what not to say. He knows how to come across as polite and intelligent and charming, and on absolutely any other day, he would be rocking this.

Or, my take on a ‘Tim Joins the Family Early’ AU, told through a series of sleepovers—most of which are unplanned.

Directly in my favorite overlap of Wayne Adoptive Family Feels, Tim thinking his life is totally normal (no parental neglect here!), and good soft h/c.

spatz: Brennan petting a Pomeranian, caption "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." (Bones die Mr Bond)

Booting this out the door before Yuletide hits! Quite a hodgepodge of fandoms from November: three fics from Nirvana in Fire out of the annual NIF fic exchange, plus fic from The Mandalorian, The Witcher (no S2 spoilers), DCU, Supernatural, The Untamed, and an original superheroes fic.

NIRVANA IN FIRE

with honor by tciddaemina (Lie Zhanying/Jingyan)

For seven months, Zhanying watched his mother grow more thin and gaunt, watched his brothers grow more brittle, the bags beneath their eyes deepening with every long night spent in the workshop. For seven months, Zhanying watched his youngest siblings smile and laugh and try to pretend their stomachs weren't still rumbling when they went to bed, growing thinner every day, and in the eighth month Zhanying said no more and joined the army.

Not my usual pairing, but this slow burn backstory romance was fantastic, following Zhanying through his service in Prince Jing’s army and their changing relationship over the years. Fealty and pining and wordless chemistry, oh my!

Blackbirds by sandalwoodbox (vid, gen)

Cai Quan and Shen Zhui have been waiting for this moment.

This is a great vid for anyone who has feelings about our favorite ministers finding someone worthy to follow, and their friendship.

Lilies That Bloom by circumference (gen)

Liyang, after the trial.

Sweet short piece about Liyang getting some answers re: MCS, and starting to spread her wings again.

OTHER

Crash and Burn by Aureutr_Accoredge (The Mandalorian, Din/Luke)

There had been no Seeing Stone on Tython that Grogu could use to call for a Jedi. They had survived Gideon's light cruiser mostly by luck. And now Din Djarin is trapped between trying to resume his old life with Grogu in tow or facing what wielding the Darksaber truly means for him and his people. Mostly he just wants a nap.

Luke Skywalker is looking for Jedi artifacts he can use to help build a curriculum for the school he seeks to create. Not that he knows where it will be. Or how to find pupils. But then he runs into a shiny stranger whose beskar armor makes him a null space in the Force. And he doesn't know who Luke is.

Intrigued (and in need of parts to repair his ship), he Skywalkers his way into tagging along on the latest bounty.

I LOVED this: it’s very long and plotty dealing with Din becoming Manda’lor, with a great meet-cute to slow burn romance, but mostly this author gets Luke Skywalker in all his dorky-epic glory. Really interesting treatment of Luke’s trauma from his fight with the Emperor and the war generally, and the rare Din/Luke fic that really showcases Leia.

Silver and Copper by Heronfem (Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

Geralt is just supposed to pass through the quiet Lettenhove area. He's not anticipating being begged by its people to help save their viscount from a curse that keeps him from daylight. Lord Jaskier, they call him, and he's likely dying.

As Geralt struggles to untangle the ugly web of history that has lead to the increasingly complicated curse, he finds himself spending more and more time with the strange young viscount and wondering just what he might have been before the curse, and who he might be after. But things are not always as they seem, and as the curse tightens its grip on Jaskier, Geralt is forced to face the fear of failing yet another person whose choices were stolen from them.

Very AU, but a gorgeous dark fairytale with a strong backbone of hope and community. Mind the warnings - Jaskier’s father is a definite monster in this.

Exit Strategy by smilebackwards (DCU/Batfamily, gen)

Batman needs a Robin and Batman has a Robin. Tim is just extraneous now, vestigial. He’s a bandage over a healed wound. He doesn’t know what he’s hanging on to.

Or: Tim didn’t expect his exit strategy from the Batfamily to involve quite so much bonding time with Damian over Wayne Enterprises bureaucracy.

*rolls around in the Tim feels* *and the Tim-Damien brotherly feels* Mmm, delicious.

and you can use my skin by unicornpoe (Supernatural, Dean/Cas)

Cas comes back. Dean can’t stop touching him.

This doesn’t break any new ground plotwise for a S15 fixit, but it’s beautifully written: immensely tender and healing and romantic.

Revenge is a Side Dish Best Served With Tea by merakily (The Untamed, Wangxian)

Despite popular opinion, Lan Wangji is actually:
   1. Terrible at diplomacy
   2. Surprisingly vengeful
   3. A master of holding grudges

Five times Lan Wangji gets his petty revenge + one time Wei Wuxian calls him out.

Very fun! Like the summary says, it’s tea-based petty bitch LWJ revenge fluff, with a nice underlying thread of affectionate-and-protective Wangxian.

His Greatest Adversary Yet by architeuthis (original superheroes, slash)

Doctor Nowhere doesn't do the nemesis thing. But the Blue Beacon hasn't been seen in a while, and the more he learns about why, the more it haunts him.

Wonderful mad scientist/superhero piece - Max is such a distinctive and hilarious narrator right from the start, the older-person-figuring-out-they’re-queer feelings are strong, and there’s a lot of deft worldbuilding in the background. [For a little bonus fic-of-fic porn, please enjoy All Along The Watchtower (Or At Least Against The Men's Room Door) by PersianPenName as well, which is very hot and funny.]

spatz: Lex holding birthday cake and laughing maniacally, caption "Even Lex Luthor has birthdays" (Lex birthday crack)

I apparently had two reading settings in October: gen family fic and (mostly polyamorous) porn. Triads were in the air? So today I have 7 Batman/Batfamily fics, 1 Batman/Leverage crossover, 1 for The Untamed, and then three miscellaneous polyamory fics for Singin' in the Rain, comics Spider-Man/Fantastic Four, and Love & Friendship (in addition to the one DCU poly fic). Mostly gen except for the ones that are VERY not, I've marked pairings where needed.

DCU (in order from shortest to longest)

Clockwork by @heartslogos

“Do you even hear yourself when you talk?” Tim wrinkles his nose. “Also stop trying to hide the coffee. I’ll always find it. You just put it out of reach or opposite the peanut butter. I am on to you.”

Charming and detail-driven fic about Bruce and Tim, that really drives home how well and closely they know each other. (Also that they’re a couple of weirdos.)

sweet child o' mine by Nokomis/ @nokomiss

Steph said cheerfully, “Bruce, from now on, consider yourself in possession of one Steph-mom.”

“Absolutely not,” Bruce said.

Steph took a bite of her cake, undeterred.

I was howling with laughter reading this. Nokomis always writes Steph and pranking and comedy so well, and this one lands perfectly. Mom notes! Playdates! Snacks! So adorable and funny.

World’s Saddest Breakfast Club by @motleyfam

Following a couple of Very Bad Weeks™ (which may or may not have involved being kidnapped and mildly tortured), Jason decides the best way to cheer himself up is to break into the Manor for a 3 a.m. snack.

Turns out he isn’t the only one awake.

Chaotic and sweet, highly recommended to anyone who has feelings about food and family.

The Rule of Three by Zoeleo (Jason/Tim/Stephanie)

“Yeah. Um. Thanks, but I don’t wanna interrupt you guys or third-wheel you or anything so I’m just going to—” Jason tries to shrug on his jacket but one of the sleeves is turned inside out and his arm gets stuck.

“Well, technically you would be a third wheel. But like a structurally integral third wheel, one that’s an intentional part of the design. Like on a Polaris Slingshot or a—” Tim rambles until Stephanie smacks him again.

Jason loses the battle with the jacket. It drops to the floor with a heavy thump from too many gadgets hidden in secret pockets. Is Tim really proposing what he thinks he’s proposing?

Jason came for the pizza and MST3K, he may just stay for the face-sitting and multiple orgasms.

Pure threesome porn on the way to a relationship, plus great banter. Fittingly in a trilogy format.

The Last Someone by FabulaRasa/ @fabula-unica (Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne)

I decided that what the fandom really needed was yet another object of Pussygate 2021 discourse, so here is my contribution, in which Bruce gets humiliated, Hal gets curious, and they both get what they're looking for.

In case you were (blessedly) living under a rock the last few weeks and don't know what any of this is about, here is your starter kit.

The first chapter of this is hysterical - Batman is ranked last on an internet article rating superheroes by how good they are at oral, and Green Lantern first, and then MORE shenanigans ensue - and then it takes a sharp swerve into feelings and some moderate angst. So ideal, really!

best laid plans by Valkirin

Tim Drake knows that Batman needs a Robin. When Bruce and Dick aren't interested in what he has to say, Tim makes his way to the cemetery to say a few words to the boy he's trying to replace.

Tim has the chance to say far more than he expected when Jason digs himself out of his grave that night. Tim does his best to get Jason home to Bruce. The League of Assassins finds them first.

Lovely hurt/comfort-y AU where Tim gets kidnapped along with Jason, and all the complications of that.

Recollect, re-collect by Ptelea

A spell gone wrong leads to Jason hashing some things out--with himself, with Dick, and with the rest of the Batfam. Featuring: rather a lot of thoughts and conversations about memory, change, damage, love and trust, accountability, family, hurt, lies, death, Spyral, pedestals, cases, memorials, stories, and Robin.

I am a sucker for amnesia fic, and this one is a terrifying variant where a spell makes people start to forget Jason. The resolution involves a truckload of feelings about Robin and Jason's place in his family, especially his relationship with Dick.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Gotham Job by Hinn_Raven/ @secretlystephaniebrown (Batman/Leverage, gen)

Generally, thieves of their caliber avoid Gotham. There are always exceptions that prove the rule, however.

(Or: five times that a member of Leverage met a member of the Batfamily, and one time that they teamed up.)

Fantastic read, with a creative set of character intersections and friendships between the two fandoms.

Knight Hunt! Phoenix Mountain by travelingneuritis (The Untamed, Wangxian)

 "Contestants get paid by the week. The longer you stay in the running and the more you charm the fans, the bigger your paycheck after the season wraps. People compete on Knight Hunt for fame, fortune and love. In that order."

I know, getting Lan Wangji onto a reality show convincingly is a big buy, but this one manages it, AND has peak Wei Wuxian gremlin action, modern cultivation, and a lovely romance. The author tagged it ‘low stakes pining’ and it’s just that - an engaging and emotional but easy read.

The Lockwoods & Mr Brown by @onlythegeste (Singin' in the Rain, Kathy/Don/Cosmo)

The continuing adventures of Kathy, Don and Cosmo in their house on Sunset and Camden.

Involving a camera, several pianos, scheming, dancing, and a magic trick.

Adorable look at their queer household and growing family across the decades. Well-written and perfectly satisfying.

A House in the Hills by @traincat (Spider-Man comics, Peter/Mary Jane/Johnny Storm)

   “Anyway, did you ever think I might want to sleep with him?”

   Peter sat straight up in bed and turned on the bedside light. Mary Jane was still sitting up, her arms crossed defiantly over her chest, staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall, twin angry spots of color in her cheeks.

   “You want to sleep with another man?” he demanded.

   “Well, ideally you’d be there, too,” she said, scowling.

Johnny is getting married. Peter is having a problem. Mary Jane has the solution. (Or, the Watson-Parkers homewreck their way to Johnny's happiness.)

I'm normally not a fan of any form of infidelity, but I'll make an exception for this situation (read the a/n for a brief overview), absolutely. Funny, sexy, and actually terribly romantic.

A Divinely Attractive Arrangement by @fahye (Love & Friendship, Lady Susan/Sir James/Manwaring)

A selection from the Private Diary of Sir James Martin of Martindale. Concerning Peas, Friendship, the state of Blessed Matrimony, and several wonders of Modern Medicine.

I’d argue that you don't even need to have seen the movie to enjoy this fic about the absolute dumbest golden retriever of a himbo to ever marry a manipulative woman so she might have cover to carry on with her lover, except since it's Fahye so of course things go poly instead in the FUNNIEST way possible. Bless his heart, I'd say Sir James has a pea brain but he doesn't even understand how peas work.

spatz: (NIF Consort Jing silhouette)

Bit of a sparse set this month (but full of longfic!), as I went down a nostalgia and fandoms-I-don’t-bother-with-canon-for and re-reading binge. 3 for The Untamed, 2 Boku no Hero Academia, 1 Nirvana in Fire, 1 Chronicles of Narnia, and 1 DCU/Batfamily fic.

THE UNTAMED

Stay With Me by Toshokanin

Lan Zhan has been working at the public library for three years the first time he meets the most beautiful man he has ever seen.

Wonderfully romantic and tropey - librarian AU! homeless WWX! fandom-related identity porn! and they were roommates! - but grounded in a realistic portrayal of modern libraries and their initial friendship. A really lovely read.

Half Agony, Half Hope by @queenklu

Wei Wuxian examined his jittering nerves and admonished himself to feel less. Five years, five years had passed since all had been given up: engagement, relationship, friendship, acquaintance, all severed, all carved away and discarded. How absurd to be once more wracked with emotions which should never have been nurtured in the first place!

A Persuasion/Jane Austen AU - five years after their broken engagement, now widowed with a child, Wei Wuxian must navigate the re-entry of Captain Lan Wangji into his life.

I'm sure no one is surprised that I would be into a regency AU with strong pining and a side of espionage, but I would like you all to enjoy it with me! Who doesn't love a good Persuasion AU? The fic doesn’t quite reach the pining heights of the original, but it makes up for it with plot.

a series of firsts by Pip (Moirail)

It should be said that Nie Huaisang really shouldn't be trusted to do anything, but it can't be denied that he really gets results where they count.

An extremely pure and well-executed dose of fluff in series form, starting with a Wangxian blind date and proceeding through their relationship landmarks. I really cannot overstate how cute they are in this, oh my god.

BNHA

How to Win the Sports Festival: A Step by Step Guide by mhwright (gen)

Short re-imagining of the Sports Festival Arc if Shinso had planned a little better and worked a little harder to win the Sports Festival and if the match-ups had been slightly different. Self-indulgent fic of watching him succeed.

Mmmm, competence porn and BAMF Shinsou. I'm also super enjoying the sequel where Shinsou interns with Aizawa, which is a WIP but has cool worldbuilding around hero work & Shinsou's quirk and more great action writing.

Razzmatazz by xylophones / @xyloophones​​ (gen)

Izuku has plans for everything.

He plans out what to say to the cashier when ordering coffee, he plans out his homework before even opening his textbook. He has a whole ten-year plan for how he’s going to get into UA’s hero course and get his hero license fully quirkless. He plans for every wild, unlikely scenario he can think of because his anxiety gets so bad if he doesn’t go through every possible outcome, every way his life could landslide into disaster–– but Izuku never planned for this.

Izuku doesn’t think. He just moves.

(Or: Izuku saves the number one hero, gets a hero license way earlier than anyone wanted, realizes that maybe hero society isn’t as great as he thought it was, and everything just kind of falls apart from there.)

Fantastically original revisioning of canon, where Izuku meets Yagi and starts on his path earlier. I loved how the author hit a lot of the big setpieces and emotional arcs but shuffled and reimagined them into completely new things, AND jam-packed them with friendship and banter and frank discussion of the flaws of heroes/media/society and cool worldbuilding for how the hero business works. Very long and very satisfying.

OTHER

Venenum ex machina by @nemainofthewater (NIF, gen)

The Poison of the Bitter Flame is the most mysterious poison in the world.

Or five times that Mei Changsu got poisoned (and one time he didn't).

Come for Mei Changsu trolling people with his poison resistance, stay for the angst and historical poison nerdery.

Carpetbaggers by cofax (Narnia, gen)

The day after Aslan left, taking the magic with him, just about everyone else left, too.

After the coronation festivities, the real work begins.

Holy shit, this fic is so epic and good: following the Pevensies as they roll from one crisis to the next in the early weeks of their reign, confronting the realities of Narnia and the Winter they ended and their role as leaders, while still holding onto their family and the magic of their story. I've literally had this in my TBR pile for a decade, I'm kicking myself for taking so long, but it is still amazing.

Reconciliation by @envysparkler​ (Batman, gen)

You cannot restore what was never there.

OOF. Emotionally brutal fic where Tim doesn't (can't) forgive Jason for attacking him, and Jason has to face and live with that.

spatz: baby Temeraire cozied up in a hammock (Temeraire in hammock)
Just getting over a cold, so this is barely in under the wire, go team.

DCU

Favorite Strangers by SpiritsFlame (DCEU crossover, gen)

It’s been six months since Bruce’s actions led to the death of Superman. Six months, two weeks, four days. He could count it to the hour. He’s handling it as well as could be expected when he finds himself in a Batcave that is unfamiliar to him, a world that is unfamiliar to him. Superman is still alive, Dick is still talking to him. The Justice League has been around for years, not months. And there is another Batman, who wants more answers than Bruce is willing to give.

When Batman v Superman!Bruce ends up in the comics world, he’ll have to navigate another version of himself, his family and the man he tried to kill if he wants to get home.

Just the *concept* was already very satisfying, but it’s also well-executed.

Satisfaction Brought It Back by SpiritsFlame & slippin_into_darkness (gen or Clark/Bruce depending on how you squint)

Bruce always thought that Superman’s cute shtick of rescuing cats from trees was a bid for publicity—until a confrontation with a magic user leaves him stuck as a cat. He learns how mistaken he was when Superman not only rescues him, but takes him back to a small Metropolis apartment. The opportunity to learn more about the alien can’t be ignored, but is Bruce ready for everything he will learn about someone he has only ever regarded with distrust and dislike?

Extremely charming use of this trope.

all each riddles, when unknown (Clark/Bruce)

Post-MoS AU: Clark, struggling to deal with the events of Black Zero Day, is assigned a straightforward human-interest piece—on Wayne Enterprises. Then Batman catches Superman’s attention, Clark Kent starts investigating Batman, Bruce Wayne spends a lot of time arguing with hitting on Clark Kent, and Bruce’s best efforts to find a way to hurt Superman start to bear fruit.

And then things get complicated.

A smart fix-it of a dumbass canon.

Cor et Cerebrum by audreycritter (gen)

Bruce Wayne deals with a serious illness, one that threatens the most crucial part of himself. He and the family try to cope with their own fears and expectations about it and then the aftermath.

A long (VERY long) and wonderful series about family and healing from trauma of various kinds, featuring an amazing OC in Dev, the neurosurgeon who works of Bruce and then gets drawn into the Batfamily. Despite the medical stuff, the story leans towards emotional h/c more than physical, imo, but both sides are great.

If You’ll Have Me by Mithen (Clark/Bruce)

In the wake of Lois Lane’s death, Bruce finds himself Superman’s lifeline to humanity.

A delicate, sweet story about friendship, grief, and falling in love again, with a touch of Bruce being a badass even in his old age.

MISC

even if it hurts by @pollyrepeat (Star Wars, vid)

It’s darkest before the dawn.

I already reblogged this vid separately, but it’s SO GOOD, and really draws out the cost and bravery of the Rebellion and Resistance. Beautiful editing, and it makes me cry every time, especially the time I made @inmyriadbits watch it before going to TRoS and we both cried :)

Adrenalin Trap by @philomytha (Vorkosiga Saga, Simon/Aral)

Simon Illyan likes to live dangerously. It’s a bad habit for the Chief of ImpSec.

Only Philomytha could successfully turn a prompt about watching pornography together into a thriller about conspiracies and polyamory. <3

let none be content with me by @mizzy2k (Marvel 616, Steve/Tony)

After Detective Michael O'Brien learns Iron Man’s real identity, Tony invites him to stay in the Avengers’ mansion while he fixes the flaw in the Guardsman armor that led to Michael’s brother’s death, an incident that Tony still hasn’t properly dealt with.

The Avengers take to Michael, and they might like him more than Iron Man, which Tony… isn’t too surprised about. People should like Michael more than they like him. And when new threats and villains just start piling up, Tony has to seriously consider Iron Man’s future. Or lack thereof.

A wonderful, long, old-school Iron Man identity porn fic. Jeez, Tony’s self-esteem issues need a whole truckload of warning signs. I’m not at all familiar with this corner of 616 canon, but it was still perfectly comprehensible, and there’s a ton of great team content in addition to the Steve/Tony slow burn.
spatz: book cracked open over armrest, caption "happiness is" (book happiness)

Kicking these out the door so that people can avoid/recover from their families over Thanksgiving with some good reads if they so desire!

Tiptoe Through Our Shiny City by @dsudis (Generation Kill, Nate/Brad)

“If you don’t let me come to Boston because the kids will think I’m your boyfriend then the kids who think I’m your boyfriend have already won.”

I wrapped up my recent GK binge by catching up on Dira’s work (from like 6 years ago, shut up I know I’m slow), and this is a great fake-dating piece in which Nate adopts a study group of kids fellow students who are all convinced he’s secretly dating Brad. Just the right mix of funny shenanigans and oh-god-right-in-the-feels.

On the Island of Misfit Toys by @librationpoint (GenKill/SGA, Nate/Brad)

Being a story in which Nate attends grad school at Georgetown instead of Harvard, beginning a chain of events in which gets him recruited by Elizabeth Weir for a top secret, hush-hush program in another galaxy. Features social scientists, the once and future queen of life after death, interstellar trade deals, and the genetic benefits of being an inbred hick. Also, Nate eventually gets some.

As a devotee of @primarybufferpanel’s Rock Happy ‘verse, I’m always excited to see this particular crossover! This one’s got a great setup, a smart and wry Nate voice, and puts some minor SG-1 characters to good use.

Inbox by audreycritter (DCU, gen)

When Jason Todd died, Bruce Wayne had a hard time letting go or dealing with any reminders of his son.

When Jason Todd came back, what he needed to know was how much he had mattered. Fortunately, these things overlapped.

Or, the story in which Jason listens to some voicemails for a dead boy— the boy who was him.

Bring kleenex for this one, god. A great look at Jason and Bruce’s complicated and messy love and grief, and a hopeful ending.

The View From Jade by lowflyingfruit (DCU, gen)

Being transported to the past is not the sort of thing one normally expects. But this having happened, and with no easy way back, Jason’s determined to make the most of it. Though the Bat still stalks Gotham’s streets, the city’s crime is run by the mobs instead of the rogues. There’s no Joker yet.

There’s no Robin.

Maybe there shouldn’t be.

Jason is an AMAZING character to play the time travel game with, because it is 100% believable that he would immediately go “yeah, fuck the timeline” and start trying to fix things. His interactions with tiny!Dick in this are fantastic. (Two Dead Birds is another great take on this trope)

Without Question by lowflyingfruit (DCU, gen)

There is something very wrong with Dick at the moment. He’s doing everything Bruce says without a hint of protest. Tim’s going to get to the bottom of this.

Tim and Damian and their mutual worry for Dick in this is both hilarious and heart-clutch-inducing, and I love the ending. (For a more h/c take on this trope, I also liked Obedience, featuring Tim in a dire Ella Enchanted style situation, though it needed more comfort at the end.)

May 2025

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