Some Fic Recs

[jennickels]

This is going to be another tough challenge from snowflake_challenge because I tend to read stuff and then immediately forget about what I read even with bookmarks. My memory is shot thanks to the brain fog from the Chronic Fatigue.

I basically went through my list of bookmarked fics at AO3 and chose the ones I could recall the plot to without rereading anything. Those were the ones that obviously stood out to me and deserve recs. Of course, I only recently started making an effort to bookmark stories so the list is limited and doesn't take into account stuff I read and loved ten years ago but no longer have links to (and probably can't remember names).

Anyway, here's a short list of memorable stories (in the order they appeared in my bookmarks):

1. Prometheus by nogoaway

Fandom: Red vs Blue
Last Updated: 2015
Chapters: 3/3 (finished)
Words: 17,326
Rating: T
Summary: He's not sure until the day he loses the eye, but afterwards York's certain: The Director is trying to kill him.

My Thoughts: The summary for this one does not do it justice. The story is York-centric and takes place during the Freelancer episodes of the show, following him through the events from his POV as he pieces together what he considers to be a plot by the Director to get rid of him. I loved the way the wove his thoughts and experiences into the canon without distorting things, and they got York's voice just right.

This fic also had my favorite line of any fic. It was enough that I printed it off, and it's still hanging on my wall: What he does remember is being 0 for 8 in paintball, sore and not a little humliated, but having what almost amounted to a good time because watching Agent Texas move was a fucking religious experience.

2. Recover None by RenaRoo

Fandom: Red vs Blue
Last Updated: 2017
Chapters: 61/61 (finished)
Words: 334,356 
Rating: T (I would up it a little for the violence and occasional gore)
Summary: [Canon Divergence AU] When the Mother of Invention crashed, Project Freelancer was in shambles, its surviving agents scattered, its equipment stolen, and an impending investigation into the crash from the UNSC was on the horizon. To regain control of the deeply corrupted program, the Director established a new unit from his remaining supplies -- the Recovery Unit.

 

Three former Freelancers were chosen for particular tasks: Zero is to hunt down and destroy the Meta, One is to investigate and recover stolen or missing equipment, and Two is to take down AWOL former agents.

 

Of course, no one’s motivations are truly what they seem...

My Thoughts: This is a LOOOOOOONG Fic, but it's oh, so good. I will admit, I haven't finished it. I got to a part that was really graphic and needed a break then never went back to it because I didn't wan it to be over because it was that good. 

The story is told from six (yes, six) points of view, rotating through two at a time by chapter. There's York and Carolina, Wash and Tex, and then North and South. Each chapter features a pair with each one getting a bit from their POV. Over the 61 chapters you follow the six characters through events from the show and into the future as they chase after each other and avoid being captured. The author does a great job weaving the original plot through the events of the show (some of my favorite scenes were from Tex's POV as she arrives in Blood Gulch to deal with the Reds and Blues) then taking it farther and father. The writing in this is superb, detailed (sometimes graphic), and gripping from every single POV. I will eventually finish reading this because it was just so good.

3. Always Send Knives Series by Overlord_Bethany

Fandom: Girl Genius
Last Updated: 2020 (unfinished)
Parts: 11

My Thoughts: This series was really funny and sweet about Tarvek and Gil during their time in Paris while in university as they start to develop feelings for each other and don't know how to deal with it. The title comes from Bang's constant advice to just send knives because those are the best gifts. There are eleven stories in the series--each complete, but the series itself is, unfortunately, unfinished and the author seems to have moved on to other things. I think the finished stories are still worth the read as are her other Girl Genius series. I also really enjoyed Unreliable Narrators (Gil/Agatha/Tarvek) and Blundering Onward (also Gil/Agatha/Tarvek).

4. Sin and Duty by catie_writes_things

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra
Last Updated: 2020 
Chapters: 13/13 (finished)
Words: 84,689
Rating: T
Summary: As a child, Bumi knew: his mother was a waterbender, his father was an airbender, and he was a firebender. Something about these facts did not add up, but it would take him a long time to understand.

Or: One choice can have a lot of consequences.

My Thoughts: This story was so good. It's told through Bumi's POV as if he were writing his memoirs later in life and follows him as he grows up knowing he's a firebender when that should be impossible, through his adulthood as his family deals with the fallout of that revelation, and far into the future as he learns what he wants from life. This is a complete AU and doesn't follow any of the plot from Legend of Korra. Bumi follows his own path that sometimes lines up with facts from the show, but mostly it's independent. The story is beautifully written and made me cry so many times. It also inspired my own ideas for stories about firebender-Bumi (that I probably will never write because they could never compare to this story). Well worth the read for Bumi's voice in the memoirs and the family drama that develops because of his situation.

5. Fate Deferred by catie_writes_things

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender
Last Updated: January 2021
Chapters: 30/55 (unfinished)
Words: 223,107
Rating: T
Summary: At the south pole, Katara and Sokka returned to their village with only a few small fish to show for their trouble. “Stupid magic water,” Sokka grumbled, while Katara fumed silently.

Aboard his ship, the banished Prince Zuko admitted with a tired sigh that his search of the southern seas had proven unfruitful. “Tell my uncle...we’re going to try the eastern Air Nomad territories again.”

Underneath the waves, within his frozen cocoon, the Avatar slept still, and the world continued to move on without him.

-----

Aang remains in the iceberg ten years longer. He awakens to a very different world.

My Thoughts: This story, despite being unfinished, really swept me away with its writing style and worldbuilding. It explores how things might have turned out had Aang not been found within the timeframe of the show so he could stop Ozai from taking over the world. The story is Zutara focused as they are the main characters and end up married, but it's really the worldbuilding that steals the show. It takes place ten years in the future but also weaves in events of the past, showing how Aang's absence completely destroys everything. Zuko and Katara wander the Earth Kingdom alone until they find each other and eventually return to the South Pole to be a family, but when they find Aang, the war calls them back. The author does an amazing job of creating an original plot that weaves in events from the show but in a completely different light as the characters are older and more mature (except for Aang). Despite it not being finished (and looking like it probably never will be), it's still well worth the read. 

6. Fragments of Rose Colored Glass by sciathan_file

Fandom: Ouran High School Host Club
Last Updated: 2021
Chapters: 1/1 (finished)
Words: 6,239
Rating: T
Summary: Loss reveals itself differently in each individual. No real tragedy has only a single facet.

My Thoughts: This story was so bittersweet and heartbreaking. I can't count the number of times I cried while reading it. I really liked the way Kyoya was portrayed along with his complicated relationship with Tamaki who, in the story, has lost his mind. It hints at there being deeper feelings from Kyoya, but is otherwise a gen story (unusual for me to read). The writing was good and the portrayal of someone with memory loss was solid. It reminded me so much of having to deal with my grandmother's dementia and how it hurt when she no longer remembered me. We went through the same thing with my mother-in-law and her Alzheimer's. This story, though, is really about Kyoya and the depth of his friendship with Tamaki. Read at your own risk--it's a tearjerker.

---

These are just a few recs. I'm so bad at this. I barely remember reading anything so my thoughts are all jumbled on some of the stories. I really need to start leaving more detailed notes in my bookmarks. And maybe actually bookmark stories I like instead of immediately forgetting about them as soon as I read them, lol.

Comments

[goddess47]

Those are amazing recs... and nicely done, each of them.

They aren't my fandoms, I have to admit, but I do like your comments, especially on the unfinished fic. Sometimes an unfinished fic is worth reading for the worldbuilding and the story... one can come up with their own ending, if it's needed.

Thank you so much for sharing these with us!

[mithun]

Oooh! That Gil/Tarvek series sounds extremely relevant to my interests - many thanks for the link! <3

[mesotablar]

oooh, definitely marking those RvB fics for later!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I tend to read stuff and then immediately forget about what I read even with bookmarks. My memory is shot thanks to the brain fog from the Chronic Fatigue.<<

Alas!

When I realized that this challenge repeats each year, I started keeping a list of "Best Fanfic Found in (Year)." All I have to do is copy and paste the title, author, summary, and link from the header; and then when this challenge comes up, copy and paste that list into a post. No digging through bookmarks or saved files required.