spatz | Entries tagged with recs:vids

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... )

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.]

August was far too hot, so I stayed inside and read fanfic! I’m too tired to pick out my favorites, but I’ve got The Untamed up front, then recs for Guardian, Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, KJ Charles’ Society of Gentlemen, and a Leverage crossover under the cut. Enjoy!

THE UNTAMED

CANON & CANON AUS

in this place where we don't have a prayer by Cerusee & Mikkeneko - REALLY interesting Qiongqi Pass AU where Wei Wuxian actually gets killed - but doesn’t stay that way for long. Very innovative, with an absolutely wild Jin Guangshan showdown, occasionally emotional gutting but ultimately happy. (gen+Wangxian)

Better, Greater, or Otherwise Different by ChloeBYoung - darling outsider POV from a teenaged visiting disciple who runs into a friendly weirdo in the back hills and makes friends with him, not realizing he’s the Yiling Patriarch. A great OC and outsider POV, plus some interesting stuff dealing with WWX’s depression post-canon. (gen, background Wangxian)

to each their own road (a lost sheep goes rogue) by yesterdaychild - fantastic Mianmian fic following her from leaving the Jin Sect through her daughter’s birth. Grounded and lovely, with just the right mix of happiness and regret. (gen)

A Purrfect Day in Gusu by DrJLecter - I am eternally weak for the ‘character [LWJ in this case] gets turned into a cat’ trope and this is a very fun one, combining lectures-era Wei Wuxian mischief and some neat casefile work. (Wangxian)

go where the stolen roses grow by @stratisphyre - in which Lan Qiren realizes that his brother’s wife is not in Cloud Recesses or married or having children willingly, and helps her escape with Cangse Sanren’s help. Definitely takes the worst scenario for that problematic marriage, so fair warning. Also this ship is totally out of left field but weirdly great. (Lan Qiren/Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze)

The First Siege | Safe & Sound by dangocheeked - oh boy, wanna be emotionally devastated by an animatic about Wei Wuxian hiding A-Yuan at the Seige of the Burial Mounds and then growing up as a Lan? Just click on this link! (vid, gen)

MODERN+OTHER AUS

The Right to Care by travelingneuritis - In which musician Lan Wangji and nanny Wei Wuxian fall in love but hit some major roadbumps on the way. This modern AU is just jam packed with tropey goodness, and it’s the rare story where a misunderstandings plot really worked for me. Be warned that A-Yuan does have a rough time on the way to the happy ending, if child harm is a no for you. (Wangxian)

Want the Lights On by Pip (Moirail) - hysterical funny and very thirsty modern AU where Jiang Yanli manuevers Meng Yao into Lan Xichen’s line of sight, Lan Xichen immediately calls his husband Nie Mingjue to alert him to a potential threesome sex partner, and Meng Yao demands a notarized waiver to ensure that this insanely hot married man’s spouse isn’t being cheated on. And that’s just the OPENING. (Meng Yao/Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue)

the place where you are by BlackWiresOnHerHead - space AU! In order to take on a time-urgent research mission, Lan Wangji’s team is forced to travel on Nie Huaisang’s beat-up deathtrap of a spaceship. Featuring Wei Wuxian as the brilliant but not very reassuring mechanic, tons of found family, lots of competence, and a dash of wonder. (Wangxian)

( Guardian, Sleuth, SoG, Leverage/Push )

Hello, I’m back on my Untamed streak again! I’ve got 8 Untamed recs, 1 Word of Honor rec, and 1 Nirvana in Fire vid rec. I’m putting my four favorites above the cut and everything else under, because everybody went in for extra long summaries this month for some reason.

THE UNTAMED

Always Light My Way by cqlorphan / @jingyismom

Lan Wangji looks down at his own hands, steadying himself. It is easier to think clearly when he is not looking into Wei Wuxian’s eyes. He takes the scroll from his pouch.
“Research has uncovered a method,” he says. He does not mention the forbidden nature of said research, nor does he elaborate on the method itself. He will not venture to speak it aloud. He hands the scroll over.
Wei Wuxian looks at him for a long moment as he takes it, and Lan Wangji holds his breath, waiting for him to decide. Waiting to see if he is at least interested enough in the possibility of a new core to read it.
Lan Wangji offers to help Wei Wuxian develop a new golden core via dual cultivation. He struggles to keep his feelings in check.

Exceedingly good pining-while-fucking post-canon CQL story, with some travelling battle couple action (feat. archer!WWX) in addition to some very hot smut. I’m very picky about this trope because it can easily tip into frustration with the characters being oblivious, but the author tuned this story beautifully, with LWJ’s determination not to hold on too tightly balancing against WWX’s fears of not being wanted or belonging, and the phantom of LWJ’s 16-year grief very much present.

Walking Back to You by mrsronweasley

They bring him in just before dawn. Wei Wuxian does not remember it, not really. He remembers nothing but pain.

Just some very very tasty post-canon hurt/comfort and get-together, featuring WWX’s trauma around obligation and debt and feeling useless. Mmmm, good stuff.

places under the sky by narie

Wei Wuxian braces himself for what might come next, the story of how this man died by the Yiling Patriarch's hand—at Nightless City, at the Burial Mounds, as the rest of the sects tried to bring that great villain to account. "What was his name?"
Uncle Gan sits back, twiddles his thumbs as he thinks. "Well, it'd be Wei something, of course."
"Wei Changze, wasn't it?" chimes in a new person, and if anyone agrees or disagrees, Wei Wuxian does not hear them. His wine bowl slips from his grip and the sudden clatter of it barely registers over the unexpected sounds of his father's name. Wei Changze, slipping so careless from a stranger's mouth here in small Taozi, here of all places under the open sky.
Wei Wuxian meets his grandmother. No, not the immortal one. The other one.

Wonderful WWX characterization and bittersweet in the best way, with lush and vivid prose.

hold your tongue and let me love by ilgaksu (Jin Guangyao/Lan Xichen)

There are a lot of things people don’t know about Lan Xichen. At least half of them, in Jin Guangyao’s estimation, hide in plain sight. He, as the focus of Lan Xichen’s sole and long-standing regard, is one of them. Zewu-jun’s honest opinions of his fellow gentry are another.

The joy and humor and trust of this scene in bed together, taking off their masks, becomes absolutely gutting when you think about canon, so enjoy that! But seriously, it’s a pleasure to read, to see this playful side of both of them - especially Lan Xichen.

( more recs this way )

Once again, mostly recs for The Untamed, plus two for Guardian and one original story! My favorite five-ish fics on top, and another seventeen below.

Friendly reminder to leave a comment or kudos if you’ve got the energy, or if you’re feeling shy you can try reblogging this post on Tumblr and tag which stories you liked so more people check them out! (I also like to see what stories people agree with me on, as well *g*)

a life without sun by thankgodforpandas

A great calamity fell upon Qishan Wen. It's said that some of the Wens still live, surviving on turnips and raw hope, but Jiang Cheng has not thought of Qishan Wen in years. He has enough on his mind with securing a lecture for Yunmeng Jiang, and somehow, dealing with Wei Wuxian's nauseating affection for Lan Wangji.

Compelling AU where even with no war, there’s still a lot of Jiang family emotional damage to deal with. Fantastic Jiang Cheng character study with a very different set of challenges for LWJ/WWX.

the final cut by wildehack

A boy is going to die.
The only question is: what is Huaisang going to do about it?

I cried during most of the fic and for about half an hour afterward, so, you know, save it for a time where you're emotionally ready for that -- but it is WORTH IT. Hands down the best Nie Huaisang characterization I've read anywhere, an incredible story following him and his complicated relationship with Mo Xuanyu over the years as he investigates and gets increasingly obsessed with his revenge on Jin Guangyao. Also the richest Mo Xuanyu portrayal I've read anywhere - he's so doomed (see: the summary), but he has depth and agency, and holy SHIT the ending is STUNNING and BRUTAL and BRILLIANT, I love it SO MUCH.

Call and Response by x_los

After three years of planning, the young Lan brothers play Inquiry for their mother. Unfortunately Inquiry compels answers and prohibits lying, and Madam Lan had plenty of secrets.

This obviously leans into the ugliest interpretation of the Twin Jades’ parental relationship (which I find sadly plausible), but it’s very powerfully written, and you can see the brothers’ different reactions to the information shapes their future characters. Also the bit about LWJ’s courtesy name (and their birth names) was sharp as hell.

I’m gonna cheat and also rec The Same Cloth here (linked by a series to Call and Response but per the author, it’s not technically in continuity), in which post-canon Lan Wangji meets Madam Lan's family for the first time while traveling with Wei Wuxian. It’s still full of edges but is much more healing and sweet, and has a great set of OCs and lots of feelings about family, for both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet by failedcharismacheck

Looking between Lan Zhan, so clearly pleased with himself, and the orange in his hand, Wei Wuxian cannot help but burst into a fit of poorly-contained laughter.
"Ah, what a hearty meal you've provided for me, Hanguang-Jun!" he sighs as the giggles subside. As far as Lan Zhan’s drunken preoccupation with giving away food goes, this is a bit of a downgrade from two whole, extremely fresh chickens. Or perhaps Wei Ying has simply become spoiled.
(Wei Wuxian comes back from his walkabout. Lan Wangji gives Emperor's Smile another try and worries for his friend's dietary habits.)

Again, not the first story to deal with WWX wanting to stay with LWJ but worrying he’s an imposition while LWJ feels he can’t ask for things like that from WWX, but a very soft and delicate and charming way to resolve that dilemma. Featuring Emperor’s Smile and adorable-drunk!LWJ, feeding your crush oranges, and hiding under the blankets from your hangover.

Look Not With The Eyes by Spodumene

Wei Wuxian returns from his travels to join Lan Wangji on a routine night hunt, but when things take an unexpected turn, Wei Wuxian will have to fight for what he's really looking for.

In which Lan Wangji gets hit with a love spell (in the ‘everyone who sees him falls in love’ mode) while on a nighthunt with Wei Wuxian, who is, SO MYSTERIOUSLY, unaffected by the spell. *g* (Yes, I love this specific trope variation, why do you ask?) Both a well-crafted casefile and a lovely get-together.

( More recs beneath the cut! )

con_txt posted: CON.TXT 2020 Vid Show Playlist

An excellent vid show with FOUR awesome Untamed vids premiering (I need to go watch Start a War a million more times) and a ton of other great watches - I Didn't Just Come Here To Dance was a charming Finn/Poe vid, I Will Go Down With This Ship was a nostalgia-blast for OTPs past but not forgotten, super fun sports-movie vid Game On, and Soldier single-handedly moved The Expanse to the top of my to-watch list because I must know more about those ladies.

Also, I am still laughing my ass off that there were two Nirvana in Fire vids in the show, both amazing but about as opposite tonally as you can get -- the first being Thousand Eyes, which I've recced before as it's a beautiful, epic, goosebump-inducing masterpiece of a vid, and the other was a hilarious cracky Fei Liu vid set to U can't touch this. <3

Have some hobbit birthday recs!

Meet Death Sitting by @bomberqueen17 (The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

“No,” Jaskier sighed. “This is the thing, Geralt. I’m middle-aged and tired and I just think I’d rather meet death sitting down and facing it rather than from behind while I’m running. You know?” He contemplated that a moment, and finally added, “Especially if it’s you.”

So I first encountered this series when @walburgablack linked me to the wonderful standalone Along Came This Song, wherein Eskel (a witcher from the books/games) encounters the effects of Toss A Coin and then meets Jaskier in person, aka everything I wanted. BUT THEN the whole series was fantastic - the first, central story starts right after S1 with Jaskier running into Ciri and Geralt in trouble, and there’s tons of h/c (attn @arsenicjade, very much your speed) and great characterization and worldbuilding. I’m very fond of how she writes them at different ages over the series, especially the more mature Jaskier of MDS versus the younger disaster Jaskier of Little Fishie, and Geralt’s varying emotional damage levels. (Also there’s a story where Yennefer pegs Jaskier, @stele3, I feel somehow this is relevant to your interests *g*)

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dragonslayers by coveredinfeels (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Bull)

Harmon knows how this goes. He’s from Nevarra, and he’s read books. Plural. If you want to fight a dragon you need to find a Kindly Mentor who can teach you all their Secret Strategies.
So all he needs to do is find this old Tal-Vashoth dragonslayer his cousin keeps going on about, get him to teach Harmon about dragons, convince everyone else to go along with his dragon-hunting plans, fight a dragon, and win.

AKA “The Old Marrieds Fight A Dragon”, per the author, which who among us could resist as a concept? I love this older retired version of Dorian and Bull, who are still super in love and also determined to protect these dumb children from themselves AND the dragon. Relentlessly charming and fun read.

World Without End by Sorted (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dorian/Bull)

Dorian always knew there was a Bad Ending coming for them. A Tevinter altus and a Ben-Hassrath agent–it was doomed, of course. He just didn’t expect the Bad Ending to be quite that Bad. Unacceptable, really.
Rewriting history? That’s the easy part.

Long, compelling fix-it for Bull’s bad ending in Trespasser. Usually I prefer my time-travel-to-the-past-to-fix-things AUs to cause big differences in the timeline, but I enjoyed how so much of the narrative tension is actually in Dorian trying to keep things similar (because Corypheus) while still trying to save Bull. Also, there are some EXCELLENT sparring scenes and tons of great characterization-driven sex and lots of pining, and you know how I feel about those.

Untitled Goose Vid by thingswithwings & eruthros (Untitled Goose Game)

Exactly what you think it is! But with effortlessly funny editing and a perfect song choice that I will not spoil. @doitninetimes and I laughed so hard over this one.

On the menu this round: ex-soldiers with feelings, dumbass superheroes with feelings, and vids! (please note there is some overlap between categories *g*)

Take My Whole Life Too by muccamukk (Band of Brothers, Lewis/Nixon)

After spending the whole war pining, Dick finally confesses his feelings. The trouble is, he doesn’t know what to do with Nix now that he has him.

In which they don’t have a great first time so Dick decides he must DO RESEARCH. *cackles* God, I love him so much. Sweet, funny, and (eventually) very hot.

Worthy of Trust and Confidence by Alethia (Generation Kill/West Wing, Brad/Nate)

“Mr. Vice President, I believe you might be familiar with Special Agent Colbert.”
The world stilled.
And in walked Brad. Black suit. Black tie. Perfect.
or: Generation Kill/The West Wing futurefic fusion. The Seaborn/Fick ticket sailed to victory in the 2016 presidential election. Amidst governing and getting the last of the troops out of Afghanistan, Nate’s daughter starts receiving threats. Naturally, it’s Brad to the rescue.

Once again, reading Band of Brothers fic slingshotted me sideways in GK fandom. It’s been a few years, so I finally found and read this one, which is a gorgeous story about grief and letting go as much as it is a romance.

The Department of Special Collections by @cesperanza & @albymangroves (MCU, Steve/Bucky)

It was a messy thing of leather and papers and rope. It looked like Phillips had carelessly thrown a bunch of documents onto an old piece of black leather and then rolled the whole thing up and tied it … The papers inside were all different sizes, everything out of order and haphazardly stacked, like someone had been in a hurry and just grabbed it all.

Outsider POV *and* archival porn *and* epistolary? With beautiful art? Yes please!

what’s up danger by @tempestaurora (MCU/Spiderman multiverse, gen)

Gwen snorted. “You and Miles would get along-” A smile appeared on her face, growing wider. “You wanna go on a trip?”
“A multi-dimensional trip.”
“The only fun kind,” she agreed. Gwen turned to him, her smile large and coaxing. “It’ll be great. I’ll get you back here as soon as you want – but it could be fun! Meet Miles, maybe another Peter if we have time.”
Peter really wanted to go to another universe, let’s be clear. But he a) had homework, b) didn’t need his brain to melt out of his ears, and c) had a dinner to get to in three hours.
He totally ended up going to another universe.

Admittedly I am 100% the target audience for this because I love all Peter Parkers forever and ever amen, but it’s also flat-out adorable and a fun, gossipy twirl through the various movieverses.

you keep me hanging on by @lamujerarana (Marvel 616, Peter Parker/Johnny Storm)

Johnny, reeling from his breakup with Medusa and the loss of his entire family, turns to Peter for comfort…that eventually involves casual sex that isn’t so casual for Johnny, since he just so happens to be in love with Peter.
Everything becomes incredibly complicated.

Ahh, mutual pining while actually having sex on a regular basis is a hard trope to pull off, but this was right on the mark. And super hot.

Stress by @findmeinthealps (vid, Iron Man)

I’ve seen this song vidded in other fandoms, but it’s a great choice for Tony. Zippily edited and damn charming - right up until the gutpunch of an ending. (no I haven’t been able to watch Endgame again, why do you ask?)

I Found A Reason by @trelkez (vid, The Eagle, Marcus/Esca)

Very simple, both in construction and music, but it really captures the intense connection (bad and good) between Marcus and Esca. I’m kind of annoyed at myself for only just finding it. *watches again*

( May recs )

( June recs )

( AO3 Bingo for 5 million works )

( January: Star Wars, Mad Max )
( February: Star Wars, Mad Max, POI, Hobbit )
( March: Deadpool, MCU, Captive Prince, HP, Push, fairytales )
( April: Miss Fisher, DCU, Teen Wolf, fairytales )
( May: MCU, Leverage, Marvel 616, Healer )
( June: MCU, The Eagle )
( July & August: Star Trek, Rivers of London, Goblin Emperor, MCU, Ghostbusters )
( September: Temeraire, Zootopia, Rivers of London )
( October: Queen's Thief, Devil's Cub, Kingsman, Star Wars, Mad Max, Due South )
( November: Les Mis, SGA, Night Vale, Burn Notice, Shawshank Redemption, Mad Max )
( December: Yuletide, Les Mis, Star Wars )

When

inmyriadbits gleefully abandoned me for her vacation, I sent her off with some of the fluffier end of Avengers/Captain America fandom, since she's been avoiding the angst fest in favor of Les Mis fandom. IRONIC I KNOW. But that fandom's all about the denial AUs, apparently. I don't judge, but I do try to kidnap her back into my current addiction. Because that's what sisters do, right?

Post-Winter Soldier stories

Clint Barton’s Home for Wayward Mind Wiped Assassins (gen)
In which Clint rents one of his apartments to a guy who's clearly a traumatized ex-assassin trying to go straight, but fails to connect him to Steve's missing friend Bucky. If it was any other Marvel character, this would not work, but Clint's unique mix of being a good guy and being painfully clueless at human relationships makes it perfect. It's also not cracky, as I initially thought - Bucky doesn't just show up at Clint's by coincidence, and the story deals with both of the boys' grief and trauma quietly and well - but it is funny and sweet as hell. (ETA: there's now a second chapter that is a little cliffhanger-y and abrupt? avoid as your taste desires)

Oasis (gen)
In which Bucky takes up rooftop gardening at Stark Tower. Oh my god, I need a million more stories where Bucky and Pepper make friends over being involuntarily experimented on, and choosing to create things instead of destroying them.

Bucky And Mister Rogers (gen)
Bucky accidentally becomes a surrogate brother to half the neighborhood, purely via the power of PBS. Right in my Bucky-as-protector feels, plus I know how most of ya'll feel about well-written small children.

Strike (gen)
Steve, Bucky and Sam take a break on their roadtrip to the Grand Canyon to go bowling. Any fic that takes sniper!Bucky and defies-the-laws-of-physics-regularly!Steve and applies both of them to bowling is just comic genius to start with, but it's also got a hysterically funny and perceptive Sam POV.

AUs of adorable

The Coffee Bandits of Greater Manhattan (Clint/Coulson)
I often get bored reading AUs where everyone has normal jobs, but this one has the great twist of Clint and Natasha being rogue unlicensed food truck operators in NYC, being chased by food inspector Phil Coulson, who really really believes in ~~heroes~~ good food. Adorable and well-written with some fun use of the background ensemble (Tony as high-tech parking mogul and coffee patron particularly kills me), and the Clint-Natasha friendship is just as important as the slash, which is important to me.

You Were Standing There (Steve/Bucky)
PTSD-suffering vet!Bucky accidentally breaks into the wrong house while drunk, and meets Steve Rogers, Natasha's seemingly-perfect neighbor. Hit right in the sweet spot of 'Bucky thinks he's worthless' and 'Steve is quietly fucked up' for me. Plus, the writing is vivid and atmospheric without being out of character for Bucky. (This annoys me a lot in the CATWS fandom, when people shovel their lyricism onto a character who's traumatized and has a lot of depth, but is fundamentally a practical, direct sort of person. It's that all-important distinction between 'observant sniper' and 'sounds like a hipster poet'. YMMV.)

*****

And a couple of utterly adorable Leverage vids, since I just re-watched the series and know some of ya'll are also enjoying the whole shebang being up on Netflix now. Spoilery for the whole run of the show, FYI:

Long After You're Gone (team)
Team vid of delight and warm fuzzies, with just a touch of OT3. Some uncut diegetic sound in a couple of places -- technical issues? deliberate choice? It's annoying but minimal, anyway. And I love how it encompasses the relationships, the competence and con shenanigans, *and* the failboat dorkiness of the characters, plus a dash of meta at the end. ♥

Parachute (OT3)
OMG YES. The song is perfect (can any other show match I don't need a parachute, baby, if I've got you to so many actual clips of people jumping off things and having trust moments? I think not), plus fantastic editing, structure, and full of delight. Ugh, I love their faces, Parker/Hardison/Eliot is the best fictional threesome, hands down. I will fight you. (Don/Cosmo/Kathy from Singin' in the Rain are a close runner-up, but they're not word-of-god canon)

Crossposts: http://spatz.livejournal.com/120602.html

Hey, all you people who have finished grad school: what would have cheered you up/helped you be less stressed around your thesis due date? I'm trying to put together a care package for an friend of mine.

*****

I'm feeling a bit old-fashioned today (let's blame having to mail a letter and getting a package of books), so let's have some old-fashioned recs:

Two Sleepy People by

icepixie (Thin Man movies)
A fanvid for Nick & Nora from the Thin Man movies. If you like them, run don't walk because it's a delightful, sweet celebration of how goofily in love they are with each other. If you don't know who they are: OMG, go watch because they are adorable, and then you can go watch the movies, where they are adorable *and* have amazing banter. William Powell and Myrna Loy's ridiculous faces are not to be missed.

A Partial Dictionary Of The 21st Century by

sam_storyteller (Avengers)
I admit, I've been on a Clint/Coulson kick lately, and they are my temporary favorites, but only until I read something like this and remember why Steve Rogers is my forever favorite in this fandom. The story's eventually Steve/Tony, but it's mostly an incredible exploration of how Steve views the new world he finds himself in, how he adapts in some ways and creates his own rituals and areas of comfort in others, and how his friendships develop with the team, with some awesome attention to historical changes and the details of culture shock. AND STEEEVE.

Sand Trap by

xparrot (Man From UNCLE)
"Injured and pursued by THRUSH, Illya and Napoleon must survive a trek through the Sahara to get vital information to U.N.C.L.E. in time." Classic h/c action-adventure, AND HOW. If you cannot appreciate Illya being a stubborn, crazy badass and Napoleon being equally insane and loyal, I don't think we can be friends.

Crossposts: http://spatz.livejournal.com/81888.html

First off, three points to whoever figures out the extremely oblique reference in my subject line.

Secondly, a couple of videos I've been hanging on to since South By Southwest:

From the Q&A at the screening of Being Elmo that I attended, to which Kevin Clash (Elmo's puppeteer) showed up with the actual Elmo and this deeply adorable thing happened:

( Tickling Elmo in real life )

The next one requires a little explanation for people who have never been to SXSW: before each movie, they screen a little micro-short (called a "bumper") for shits and giggles. Last year, this one about a girl going on an eventful hike in the woods was far and away the funniest, and the same director made all the new ones for the 2011 festival.

( This year, the fake Live Action Mario trailer stole the show )

*****

( That bag meme that everyone and their sister has done. Well, except my sister. )

*****

I have read the first six Dresden novels. Someone talk to me about how awesome they are! We can talk about the hilarity of demons who fling flaming monkey poo, or how Harry is such a classic example of the noir detective hero (right down to the whumping), or how much ass Murphy kicks. Talk to meeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Crossposts: http://thespatz.livejournal.com/69938.html

This animated video, adapted from a Hyperbole and a Half post, sent Lindsey and me into hysterical giggle fits. So you should watch it to! Paralyze yourself with laughter!

The "manly scent" section of that reminded me that I started massage therapy school. I told many, many people in real life - I told

junebug_waltz twice! (she laughed at me) - but I neglected to tell the internet. Sorry about that. It's delightfully fun, between my renewed anatomy geekery and spending half of my class time on Tuesdays *getting* a massage. My very own portable massage table arrives tomorrow, so I can practice on all the unfortunate souls who live near me ;)

Crossposts: http://thespatz.livejournal.com/64801.html

Observations from catching up at ?skip=400:

1 - feministhulk is AWESOME.

2 -

cherryice made an Appa vid! I just about died of glee! (Yumin, you need to watch this right now)

Even if you haven't seen Avater: The Last Airbender, you will enjoy watching this: Appa is a giant, six-legged fluffy white flying buffalo made of adorable, unless you threaten his people, in which case he will stomp you. ♥

3 - There's been an explosion of Doctor Who posts on my flist. Guess it's a sign I should catch up on that, huh?

4 - There is so much (fic) bingo on my friends page that I am beginning to suspect you lot are all secretly retirees.

5 - I've always skimmed past my flist's discussion of sports events, so it's weird now to be excited about the World Cup, and therefore talking about it online.

First of all, I haven't been getting some of my comments and replies - has anyone else had this problem?

The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender is streaming on Netflix, if any of ya'll haven't had the chance to watch it yet. I really can't stress how much I love this show - it's this wonderful, epic, delightful thing that spends three seasons telling exactly the story it set out to tell, and doing so many things right along the way - awesome characters that are both heroic and still children, kickass female characters, incredible world-building and continuity, beautiful animation.

Animator Vs Animation: An utterly hilarious and creative Flash animation, in which a stick figure and cursor do epic battle in Paintshop Pro. Laugh-out-loud funny, and make sure to turn the sound on.

I've been craving good Holmes/Watson/Mary fic since I saw Sherlock Holmes, and I finally found some I like. recessional on Dreamwidth has been writing prompt table responses and her Mary is most excellent, and the balance of the three in the relationship is pitch-perfect.

Is there HTML code to link to DW users from LJ? I feel like I've seen it somewhere, but I can't recall how to do it.

Speaking of Sherlock Holmes, I've been reading a book about Victorian London, which, hilariously, starts with a chapter called "Smells", describing the sewage situation in the mid-1800s. There's a map of the sewer system used to drain and upgrade the old lines, and I was tickled pink to see that if a boat was heading downstream from the Houses of Parliament, there is in fact a major sewer line crossing the river's edge just past the bridge, port side, approximately 100 yards. See?

AHAHAHAHAHA WHAT.

This appears to be one of the Jonas Brothers dancing to "Single Ladies". In spandex. And HIGH HEELS.

Dammit, I might have to like them now. Just on general, fellow-dork principle. Also, Joe has nice legs.

Greetings, fellow internet dwellers! I should be sleeping, but I'm not! A shocking, rare LiveJournal event, I'm sure. Warning: this post contains completely random topic jumps. Do not read if you have poor balance.

I've been working at my summer job, which has prevented me from posting as I wanted to. I'm a canvasser for an environmental group, which is fun and sucky by turns, so I'm looking for a nice boring job at a bookstore with better hours.

I have now seen Jaws and rectified my failure as a film fan. It was lots of fun, in a gory, totally scientifically-inaccurate, awesome way. I called the way that they killed the shark very early on. The music really made some of the scenes, I have to say. Major props to John Williams. Also, Matt Hooper really, really reminds me of Hodgins on Bones.

Random Links

for

researchgrrrl: Alkali metal explosions
British accents and exploding metals! What's not to love?

for

maribou413: Autopsy videos
More awesomely-accented science videos, this time autopsies and plastination with Gunther von Hagens and his AWESOME and NONSENSICAL hat. Warning for the non bio geeks: graphic depiction of human internal squidgy bits.

for, uh, everyone: Dean het vids
http://community.livejournal.com/the_dean_show/12013.html
The product of a vid contest over at

the_dean_show, these vids are basically Dean Gen!Porn in pretty packaging, set to "Heterosexual Man." Mmmm, Dean. (The one by

beluga is basically a slideshow with a Sam "voiceover" - I'd skip it. But the other two are very nice indeed.)

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Entries tagged with recs:vids

April recs

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August recs

Signal Boost: CON.TXT 2020 Vid Show Playlist

February recs

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Recs backlog

Tumblr recs 2016

beach reading & other recs

Question and answer

two videos, a meme, and a book series

Burst into flames from sheer excellence!

playing catchup

Linkspam and random

Your moment of zen

And now, a Very Special Post

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