Uffish Thought

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

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

STAR WARS

To Climb by Nock_and_Bolt

“Climb,” Kino urged others to escape a prison he never would.

“Climb!” Nemik screamed past multicolored explosions and his own crushed spine.

“Climb!” K-2SO’s voice juddered out over the intercom, punched from mechanical lungs by blaster fire.

And what else could Cassian do but be borne up by the bodies of those that had gone before him?

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

Coping Mechanisms by mosylu (Cassian/Jyn)

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

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

Kino Lives by ad_asterism

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

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

No Survivors by elwenyere (Cassian/Melshi)

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

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

Personal Effects by mosylu

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

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

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

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

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

DCU

Inscribed on Body & Soul by drowningfire

Jason Todd died knowing he was loved. His resurrection took even that from him. Turns out he came back to life needing saving just as much as he did when he left it. Thankfully the Bats and Birds have always specialised in impossible rescues. And while love can't fix everything having proof of it can't hurt.

AKA In a world where the names of those who love you inscribe themselves upon your skin, Jason's resurrection plays out a little differently.

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

of crime lords and literature by adelfie

Gloved fingers close over Tim’s throat and slowly begin to squeeze.

“Jason!” he gasps, choking. “Have you ever read Macbeth?”

The Red Hood stares at him like Tim just slapped him with a fish.

With his grades slipping, Tim worries Bruce will take Robin away. So when the Red Hood breaks into his room with the intent to kill him, Tim decides it's a good idea to ask him for help on his English homework. It works. And then it doesn't. And then Tim solves a mystery and almost dies anyway.

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

Little Red and the Big Bad Hood by CrzyFun

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

Then Hood had shown up on the scene.

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

For the Sick and Dying by GoAwayOlivia

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

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

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

The Fountain of Youth Job by BazinMousqueton

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

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

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

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE ADVENTURES

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

In one moment, James T. Kirk is the acting captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, on his way home to Earth after stopping the Narada. In the next moment, without explanation, James T. Kirk is an Academy cadet on academic probation again, barely a day before Nero will destroy Vulcan.

He dares himself to do better. And with a planet on the line and no proof but his own memories, he knows that "better" means he'll need some help.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INVESTIGATIONS

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

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

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

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

“You want us to go to a house party? Really?”

“I hate to ask it of you,” Daniel said, voice muffled in that queer way one got with the telephone. "But I need someone I can trust to look after things there until then. Would you?”

Fen and Pat attend a house party and encounter: poison (pen letters); poison (literal); perilous dinner conversation; potential friendship; and physics.

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

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

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

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

UNEXPECTED MEETINGS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Terrence Cee had spent most of his life feeling like a jumpship caught in the gravity well of a blackhole. Engines on full bore. Only able to keep out of the crushing center, but never able to escape. Now in his new life on Athos, he found himself unsure of how to find a new pace.

Ethan wondered if there was a way to get his love life gestating again. Not frozen like zygotes stored in a bio-freezer against some eventual future.

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

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

She picks up her cup and sips delicately of the chrysanthemum tea she brought. It is cooling and calming. She doesn’t need calming, but Mei Changsu might. She is about to administer a medicine that the patient will find disagreeable.

The patient looks fevered, at the moment. “What is wrong with Jingyan?”

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

PORN WITH FEELINGS

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

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

Privacy by Resonant (Due South, Fraser/RayK)

“Guess it’s a while since you had a door with a lock on it?”

“I’ve never had a door with a lock on it."

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

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

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

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

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

NEW STUFF

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

Below the observation deck, the Marshal Commander of the Third Systems Army is being divested of his armor and weapons, shackles heavy on his wrists. He doesn’t struggle, only a mulish stubborn twist to his jaw showing his displeasure at the situation.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes, steps back from the observation window. “I need a week.”

OR: In which Cody wasn’t trained for a Sith sliding into a moral dilemma because of him.

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

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

“How you feeling, sir?” he asked, eyeing his General. They’d, at least, managed to all evac back to the shuttles without losing anyone, leaving the noxious-smelling laboratory where they’d found a pack of Seppy scientists working on new biological weapons behind.

“I’ll be fine, Commander,” Obi-Wan said, without opening his eyes, his voice thick and hoarse. “But comm ahead, would you, and make sure the medics are ready for me.”

OR, the one were Obi-Wan gets dosed with an especially nasty toxin, and Cody helps him survive the following hours.

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

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

Lan Zhan’s new liaison at the Caiyi Municipal Cultivation Department is an enigma – ridiculously talented, yet somehow content with mopping up spiritual pests for barely above minimum wage. Wei Ying is slapdash and irresponsible, and Lan Zhan doesn’t like him at all… but then he meets A-Yuan, who loves music and longs for a piano his father can’t afford.

Forced into cautious friendship by a four-year-old's music lessons, Lan Zhan soon realises Wei Ying is more than he seems. The single father is a man of many secrets – including, perhaps, the key to Lan Zhan's life's work. And in the meantime, the background resentment in Caiyi Town is rising to dangerous levels…

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

More tropey recs under the cut!

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

ROGUE ONE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PREQUELS/CLONE WARS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Extremely fluffy, cute, and fun modern AU.

OTHER

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

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

It should be enough.

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

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

The woman in the bathroom is not human.

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

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

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

Originally posted by echo-my-cyare

STAR WARS

an ice cream-covered screaming hyperactive thought by @adiduck

Cody is fairly certain he is not going to get his security deposit back.

There are three new stains on his carpet, and a patch by the door has been roughed up enough Cody’s pretty sure the weave’s come loose. The door itself has scratches in the paint all the way up to the door knob, and the curtains covering the windows on either side of the door are shredded, showing the metal grating over the transparisteel on the street side. The caf machine, the dish rack, and the soap dispenser are all in a collapsed and soapy heap on the floor. Cody’d managed through reflexes honed by war to save his favorite caf mug, but had sadly lost two of his plates and a bowl before he’d managed to wrap the perpetrator in three towels and shove the whole bundle up against a shoulder.

The towel bundle, very put out by this turn of events, is yelling.

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

sanguine by @glimmerglanger​

Everyone said synth was just like real blood.

The Healers in the Temple had said so from the time Obi-Wan became aware that his dietary requirements did not align with those of his crèchemates. That realization had coincided neatly with an awareness of the fact that, perhaps, his crèchemates met his dietary requirements.

OR, the one where Obi-Wan faces a reckoning about himself and his relationship with blood while in the middle of a war.

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

Recollection by @elwenyere​

CC-2224 had been compromised.

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

Or, Eternal Sunshine of the Reconditioned Mind

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

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

When Obi-Wan chose to fight for the Young, he left behind the only life he'd ever known, and the only dream he had ever wanted. On Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Child of No Clan, finds purpose and finds family, and begins a journey which will change the shape of his life and the galaxy in ways he'll never fully understand.

Or, the one where Obi-Wan is adopted by True Mandalorians off Melida/Daan. Featuring: teenage shenanigans, pet strill, Force teleportation, first love, and found family.

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

More fic under the cut!

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

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

STAR WARS

Cody/Obi-Wan

Worth a Thousand Words by @glimmerglanger

“You need to show him what you have to offer,” Fives said, which sounded shockingly like relevant advice. Cody blinked over at him.

“What?” he asked, because, honestly, he’d take any advice he could get, at this point. The war had been over for nearly six months, and he’d made no progress on his own.

Fives slammed back a shot of his own and then--kind of leered over. “You need to give him a look at the goods,” he said, and then, pointedly, dipped his gaze down.

OR, the one where Cody takes some very bad advice and has to deal with the consequences.

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

Strong Bones by missmollyetc

We must all start as we mean to go on.

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

Din/Luke

Blood Ties by scheidwrites

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

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

Pragmatics by Derkish

Admittedly, this is not the first time Luke has wound up at someone else’s kitchen table in someone else’s clothes. But it’s not breakfast, Luke’s not an undergrad scarfing down bacon and eggs to cure the common hangover, and Din doesn’t strike him as the kind of guy he’d meet at a house party. The baby is definitely a first.

Luke is a grad student trying to finish his linguistics PhD after an unexpected leave of absence. His neighbor, Din, is a single dad and delivery guy at Pizza Parsec. (Actually, Pizza Parsec is just a front for the bounty hunters' guild. But Luke doesn't need to know that.)

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

A Warrior Dance by twoseas

Luke reacts strangely to Din’s bared face and an overheard conversation leads the Mandalorian to believe the Jedi thinks he’s ugly. Things spiral out of control from there.

Featuring Mandalorian combat without armor, Han and Leia being a little into Din, and Luke being so much into Din he accidentally makes him think he’s unattractive.

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

Obi-Wan/Anakin

if i only knew by wanderlove

Newly knighted Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, have been sent to Ryloth on a simple diplomatic envoy. While there, an unsettling incident causes Obi-Wan to look at Anakin in a new light and re-evaluate...everything.

The Galaxy will never be the same.

aka: "come for the obikin, stay for the tzai and deep emotional discussions that dismantle every single misunderstanding in the prequels."

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

More recs below!
 

THE MANDALORIAN

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

Din Djarin has served Mand'alor the Ruthless as Alo'prudii for nearly a decade. It hasn't been easy, the Mand'alor is even more mad than the stories say. And he seems to be slipping.

Dragged along to Tatooine for the Mand'alor's vengeful whims, Din ends up skirting his vows to make another promise.

He doesn't expect much in his life to change. Everything does.

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

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

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

They use Din to hurt him instead.

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

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

“Your pilot’s dead,” he says when the comm clicks through.

“What--”

“No more jobs with pilots who don’t know when an engine is about to blow.”

He clicks the comm off, tosses it into the corner of the room, and sleeps for two days.

Nice slice-of-life backstory piece.

PREQUELS/CLONE WARS

In Want of a Hyperdrive by Tassos (gen)

In an AU where as a boy Obi-Wan never met Qui-Gon Jinn and was instead abducted by slavers, the events of The Phantom Menace take a different turn when Queen Amidala's ship lands on Tatooine in want of a hyperdrive.

Qui-Gon and Padmé meet two Force-sensitives, find a way to raise money for the hyperdrive that doesn't involve a podrace, and get caught between the powerful forces of Tatooine's slave-owners and the Dark Side pursuing them.

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

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

Anakin wasn’t sure how to ask, so he didn't.

Instead, he waited until Master Kenobi fell asleep and stayed up to tinker in the dark, building his own scanner out of parts stolen from the trash.

The chip was in his right thigh.

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

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

After touching a mysterious artifact, Cody's general is suddenly a child with the memories to match. Cody has to coax a suspicious adolescent back to base without alerting the nearby Separatists of their presence.

Reversing his general's age an easier fix than Cody thought it would be, but he didn't factor in the possibility that Obi-Wan might not want to give up his self in order to become General Kenobi again. It'd be easier to think if he didn't have an insidious voice in his head, whispering to him to distrust the Jedi.

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

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

Obi-Wan had gotten to within an arm’s length of him. But it wasn’t...really Obi-Wan. He wore robes similar to his usual style, true enough. But they were splattered with something dark and wet. His hair was longer. His face was clean-shaven. He frowned across at Anakin, tilting his head to the side, and started, “Anakin, are you--”

OR, the one where Anakin gets lost in a universe that isn't... quite right and has to find his way home.

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

Managed to post these on Tumblr just under the wire (despite Tumblr's best attempts to eat my post), but I’m a bit late crossposting this month. March started with binge-watching The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty with @inmyriadbits, so there’s ten recs for that, seven for The Untamed, and four miscellaneous (Supernatural, Star Wars, Avatar, and BNHA), all under the cut because I couldn’t be bothered sorting them a second time.
 

Happy International Fanworks Day, everyone! Have some fic recs for Star Wars, The Witcher, The Fugitive, Knives Out, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and Shadowhunters.

STAR WARS

what good are the stars above by fabrega (Rey/Finn/Poe)

“I don’t want to lose you guys,” Poe says quietly.

Post-TRoS OT3 coda of cuteness. <3

a much better dream by rain_sleet_snow (Zorii/Rose)

 “Who are you?“ Zorii asked.

 "Rose Tico,” said clipboard girl, “and I asked you first.”

 Zorii said that this was Babu Frik, and he was an excellent droidsmith, and she was Zorii - just Zorii - and she was good at fighting things and flying things, in-atmosphere for preference, and she’d already parked her yacht, thanks.

 “You’ve landed it on top of a navigation sensor and I’m going to have to ask you to move it,” Rose Tico said.

In which Zorii joins the Resistance and gets a massive crush on Rose. Charming romp with two characters who were neglected in the movie, with some great worldbuilding and background OT3 slipped in for a bonus.

MISC

home is nowhere, therefore you by Ark/@et-in-arkadia​ (The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

“Right, well,” Jaskier says, when he halts before Geralt. Up close, he looks much more nervous. There is sweat on his brow and his collar is damp with it, and his teeth keep catching on his lower lip. “True love’s kiss. There's—ah—there’s nothing to it.” And he bends, the utter imbecile, and kisses Geralt full on the mouth.

*heartclutch* Chock full of fae and their shenanigans, true love, banter, Geralt’s skill at feeling a lot and having no idea how to say most of it, and a good deal of very hot smut.

The Hunter From the Field (The Fugitive, Kimble/Gerard)

He didn’t keep in touch with ex-cons, even innocent ones. He didn’t befriend them and he sure as hell didn’t sleep with them—it was him and them and never the twain should meet.

I didn’t even know I wanted this, but it’s a fantastic follow-up to one of my id’s favorite movies. Great character voices all around, the slow reveal of Sam’s attraction was beautifully handled, and I loved having more closure for Richard’s trauma and grief as well.

If I’m Haunting You, You Must Be Haunting Me (Knives Out, Marta/Ransom)

It seems horribly fitting that when Marta’s soulbond arrives, it’s in the most absurdly ridiculous, horrible way imaginable. It involves the Thrombeys, so of course something that should be wonderful just ends up being terrible in the end.

INCREDIBLY fun and smart remix of the movie, where Ransom is still terrible (I appreciate she didn’t gloss over Ransom’s major flaws) and Marta is still the best but things go rather differently due to their soulbond. But don’t worry, there’s still murder! Also, porn!

Safety First by Haicrescendo (ATLA, gen)

Zuko’s used to feeling unsafe. Zuko is also used to sleeping like shit. Somehow, he’s never considered that these things are connected.

Or, Zuko figures out where he stands with Toph and almost immediately falls asleep on her.

Sweet and soft and right in the feels. I can never have too much of their friendship. <3

you who have come from my old country by paperiuni (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec)

A century later, Magnus returns to the city he loves to find it changed for the better.