wyndewalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wyndewalker) wrote2021-05-04 08:11 pm
wyndewalker) wrote2021-05-04 08:11 pm
April Fandom Bingo Card
So for the first time I haven't completed the goals I set for my bingo. I did read at least two stories in every fandom on my card and most of them I did manage to read three like I planned. I fell short on Harry Potter, due South, and The Sentinel.
I blame 9-1-1 entirely. And Jilly James because it was her story that got me started.
I was not looking for a new fandom or even a new show to watch. But April is a Rough Trade/NaNo month and Jilly wrote a 9-1-1 Buck/Eddie series and against my better judgement I decided to read it. 169 stories, 860,888 words, and having binge watched the entirety of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lonestar later I clearly have a new fandom.
It might also account for how I managed to read 2,022,608 words this month. It'll be interesting to see how May goes.
For anyone interested in the stats: https://tinyurl.com/yp76t6pk
As always check the tags.
Row 1:
Fast and the Furious
Title: Judas Kiss
Author: JoeLawson
Fandom: FATF
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian
Words: 47,695
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Summary: After Dom spends half a year moping over Brian in Mexico, Vince and Leon have finally had enough. One phone call later, and suddenly they're all heading to Arizona where Brian's family (and, for the moment, Brian himself) lives.
Comments: This story was actually my first introduction to JoeLawson’s writing and I was immediately hooked. I love the story in general. The exploration and expansion of the characters while still making them feel completely in character is exceptional. The story is interesting and engaging and could easily have worked as a sequel to the first two movies. What has always amazed me, and will probably continue to do so with each new work they produce, is how tightly written the stories are considering the sheer amount of world-building and characterization is done. The word count on this story is 47k but by the time you reach the end of it you’ll easily feel that you just read closer to 100k simply because the story just feels that big.
Title: Rewind
Author: Khaleesian
Fandom: FATF
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian
Words: 54,590
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation—Khalil Gibran
When Brian offers Dom the keys at the end of the first movie, Dom invites Brian along. Good thing, too, because Brian proves to be an absolute genius at going on the lam.
Comments: An alternate ending to the first movie that incorporates Rome and Brian’s background that we learn in the second movie. I like this because it’s excellent characterization work and feels like it could have easily been a continuation of the movie. I also like the way the UST is explored between Dom and Brian without them just falling into bed together or ignoring Dom’s relationship with Letty.
Title: The Fast and the NBTs series
Author: Jedibuttercup
Fandom: FatF/Transformers (Bay Movies) xover
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian, implied Sam/Mikaela
Words: 58,508
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Summary: Dom frowned, the lightness in his expression finally fading as his brows drew together. "What have you done to my car, O'Conner?"
Comments: A fun crossover/fusion in which Brian was undercover with Sector Seven during the events at Mission City (first Transformers movie). It puts a new spin on the events of Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 as well as the second Transformers movie.
Harry Potter
Title: Can’t Have It Both Ways
Author: RobSt
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character |Pair: Harry/Hermione
Words: 106,352
Rating: Teen and Up
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: If you are forced to participate in a competition that's reserved for adults only, doesn't that mean you should be considered an adult? Harry gets some much needed help and advice before having some fun by allowing his marauder heritage out to play.
Comments: It’s been awhile since I’ve read this and I definitely still enjoyed it. I can admit though that there’s a fair chunk of trimming could have been done to tighten up the story and speed up the pace which dragged a little in the middle. It’s Harry with some responsible adults in his life and a bit of Ron bashing.
Note: There is an attempted assault that gets stopped pretty quickly but beware if that's a trigger for you.
Title: La Vida Muggle
Author: Aramie.greyson
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character |Pair: Harry Potter, Original Characters, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape
Words: 55,900
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: None
Summary: Harry is found by an American muggle 'witch' before Petunia Dursley realizes he is there. This tale encompasses Harry's life until right before he begins his magical education. Rated 'T' for language. Covers muggle school, bullies, what being a muggle 'witch' is all about, finding family, and learning how to fight, ride, and fly. Accidental magic pops up every now and then, and Harry has a couple of talents that he didn't in canon.
Comments: It’s an interesting look at the idea of what if Harry was raised by someone other than the Dursleys? In this case an American woman from Iowa who happens to be a practicing Wiccan. I had intended to reread the entire series but ran out of time. This particular story is about Harry’s life leading up to him going to Hogwarts. The rest of the series, before the author stopped writing, follows Harry’s time at Hogwarts. One of the things I like about it in particular is that it does explore some of the changes that would result of Harry being raised by someone who actually cared about him and encouraged his intelligence.
Pacific Rim
Title: Porn Roommates AU series
Author: Achilleees
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Raleigh
Words: 17,044
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Hey man – it’s a two bedroom flat, utilities + cable are included in the cost, I’m a dude, there’s no catch. My last roommate wasn’t cool with my job (gay-for-pay porn star) so he ditched, thus the ‘no douchebags’ clause. If you’re that kind of asshole, respond with some homophobic slurs just so I know what I’m getting into. If you’re not, lemme know when you can come by so I can show you the digs. – Raleigh
Or: Chuck moves in with a guy he found renting out a room on Craigslist, who just happens to be a gay-for-pay porn star. And hey, Chuck could always use some spare cash…
Comments: It’s a pretty cracky plot but it’s fun and it’s hot and it’s two idiots falling in love as they make porn together. It just makes me smile every time I read it.
Title: Jaeger Pilots Can Sleep Anywhere
Author: chapstickaddict
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Mako/Raleigh
Words: 17,841
Rating: Teen and up
Warnings: None
Summary: "Pick a side, and start packing. Transport leaves in thirty," Chuck told him, pointing a finger in warning. Raleigh really couldn't take him seriously though, since he was delicately wrapping Mako's tiny collection of tea cups in bits of newspaper while he said it.
"Transport?" On the table, Chuck's mp3 player was rigged to a pair of speakers and a women was prompting him to get ready to die.
"Chuck suggested we leave. I agreed," Mako explained. Raleigh could point out the sheer improbability of just packing up and leaving. They had the most recognizable faces on the planet. Between the three of them, they had enough popularity to bedazzle a small European nation.
"Where are we going?"
"Where every solider goes when the war's over," Chuck replied. "Home."
Or
That one fic where Raleigh, Mako, and Chuck run away to Sydney and argue over music and pillow forts.
Comments: After Operation: Pitfall Raleigh, Mako, and Chuck are the only Jaeger pilots left standing and none of them really knows what to do. I think what I like most about this story is all three of them are broken in different but similar ways and they slowly fill in each other’s broken spaces until together they form a whole.
Title: Sunburst
Author: snack_size
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Raleigh, Yancy/OFC
Words: 28,193
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Yancy lives through the Knifehead attack, and the Becket Brothers recover to fight on in Gipsy Danger - though not without consequences. When the Jaeger program is decommissioned, they're packed off to Hong Kong with everyone else.
Mako restores a different Jaeger, and Operation Pitfall is much more of a success.
Cancelling the apocalypse doesn't mean that things are over, though.
Comments: Amusingly this was not the story I thought it was when I chose it but it’s still one of my favorites. It’s canon divergent because Yancy lives after Knifehead and they don’t lose most of the other jaeger pilots in the final push to Operation: Pitfall. It’s an interesting what if scenario and I think the author did a great job of keeping everyone in character.
Row 2:
due South
Title: A Modest Proposal
Author: Resonant
Fandom: due South
Character |Pair: Fraser/RayK
Words: 19,761
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Ray has the perfect solution to his romantic woes. Strangely, Fraser isn’t cooperating.
Comments: due South is one of those fandoms I haven’t really read in years so it was interesting trying to remember which stories I considered favorites. Luckily you can’t really go wrong with Resonant and I wasn’t disappointed.
Title: Enduring Distance
Author: Speranza
Fandom: due South
Character |Pair: Fraser/RayK
Words: 25,275
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: "Yes, it's about the freakin' sub!" Ray yelled, flinging his arms up in the air. "There's a fucking nuclear submarine not a hundred miles from here, Benny!" He pointed wildly, in the wrong direction as it happened.
Comments: This takes place between the capture of Muldoon and the “epilogue” in the final episode – Call of the Wild. It’s good because it nicely fills in some of the blank space left before the epilogue. I like the build of Fraser and RayK’s relationship and the raw emotion we see from Fraser at times. Speranza has long been one of my favorite authors.
Teen Wolf
Title: Smoke & Mirrors
Author: doodle
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 68,644
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: "Mirror twin, actually,” Stiles corrected automatically. “It’s a subset of identical, but we’re not identical in the normal way. I'm the mirror image of him, or him me, whichever way you want to look at it."
Stiles has spent his entire life in the shadow of JJ, his popular, captain of the lacrosse team, jackass twin brother. Now he only has to make it through the summer until JJ goes to college.
Easier said than done when JJ starts hooking up with Stiles' crush, Derek Hale, and there's a dead body in the preserve.
Comments: Interestingly, the day after I read this for the bingo someone posted to TeenWolfFicFinders looking for it and I found out it was no longer on AO3. Luckily it can still be found via the Wayback Machine. This is one of those stories that feeds my love of angst while still giving me a satisfactory amount of comfort and a believable happy ending. I’m not a big fan of Bad Parent Sheriff Stilinski and he’s not really a bad parent in this so much as absent and oblivious but he does finally get a clue before the end of the story. I love the way Scott and Mama McCall are fully supportive of Stiles throughout this, giving him the support he desperately needs. I also like the way Stiles relationship with Derek progresses. There is some miscommunication but it’s not ridiculous and isn’t dragged out the point that I wanted to yell at them to just talk to each other. Stiles’ brother JJ is a complete douche and never really redeems himself but that’s okay because Stiles got his happily ever after.
Title: Raised by Wolves series
Author: Survivah
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 24,242
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage, but there’s only a year difference between them
Summary: In which Stiles is raised by his best friend's family after his parents die. They just happen to be werewolves. NBD. But the Hales treat him well. Especially Derek, but that's probably because Stiles proposed when they were four and they never really broke off the engagement.
Comments: Derek and Stiles as childhood sweethearts. Utterly and completely adorable. Seriously. All the fluff. Except for the fires. Then there’s some angst, but then all the fluff again.
Title: Derek Hale, Baby Whisperer
Author: aussiebee
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 19,102
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Somehow, Stiles is unsurprised that Derek is great with random babies. That doesn't mean it's not cute as hell.
Or that it's really working for him.
Comments: Derek Hale and babies. Nuff said.
CSI: Miami
Title: A Son Discovered
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 11,620
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Speed had a son?
Comments: This used to be a favorite and I was having a hard time figuring out why I disliked it so much now. At first I thought it was because I’m not a huge fan of Horatio anymore but I realized it was the way he gets “scared” at one point in the story and ghosts Speed and his son and when he finally pulls his head out of his ass Speed takes him back with minimal apology. I think I’ve gotten to a point where adults who are unable to act like adults are generally a big turn off for me.
Title: Alternate Paths
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 19,355
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, attempted assault.
Summary: Some people are meant to meet no matter the path they take.
Comments: Still not a huge fan of Horatio but this was an interesting look at how people could take different paths and still end up in the same place. Okay, it’s kind of cracky that someone would hire Escort!Speed for Horatio and they’d fall in love but it was well-written crack. LOL
Title: Kiss of Death
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 9,929
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Summary: You can’t kill someone if they’re already dead.
Comments: This is the fic that started the Sylum Clan universe and launched a thousand fics. Admittedly I stopped trying to keep up with Sylum years ago it’s still a favorite fic because it gave us a way to keep Speed alive. Unfortunately the only place to find it these days is in the Sylum archive which is password protected and slow as hell. No site should take a solid 30 seconds or more to move from one page to another. If anyone wants to read this fic pm me and I’ll send you a copy.
Row 3:
The Sentinel
Title: Bakari series
Author: Alyjude_sideburns
Fandom: The Sentinel
Character |Pair: Jim/Blair
Words: 68,433
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Animal Cruelty.
Summary: Jim Ellison travels to Bwindi as a tourist to see the gorillas there, and meets the 'ghost man', who protects the forest. Revised 2009.
Comments: Essentially The Sentinel version of the Tarzan legend with Blair as Tarzan. Both stories in the series are very well written and do a great job with character work. Definitely heed the violence warning, particularly for the second story.
Title: Apache
Author: Shedoc
Fandom: The Sentinel
Character |Pair: Jim/Blair, Major Crimes Team
Words: 15,146
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: What if Blair wasn’t lying to Kincade’s pilot?
Comments: I really enjoy competent Blair fics and it’s nice to see a story where Blair is the one who has to do the rescuing instead of the other way around.
MCU
Title: The Only John Wayne Left in this Town
Author: gyzym
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Clint/Darcy
Words: 11,156
Rating: Teen and up
Warnings: None
Summary: Clint’s got a secret love, and it’s spelled b-a-n-j-o.
Comments: Weirdly this was one of the first stories I read in the MCU fandom even though I’ve pretty much always been OTP Steve/Tony. I happen to be a fan of the song the title came from so I gave it a try and I didn’t regret it. It’s more comic verse history for Clint than MCU but it meshes pretty well with the information we know through Iron Man 2. It’s a fun read overall and I really enjoyed Clint trying to explain to a SHIELD “tribunal” how he accidentally became a country music superstar.
Title: Enough Rope
Author: Amber_and_Ash
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Tony Stark, James “Rhodey” Rhoades, Pepper Potts
Words: 89,164
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Tony can't get himself back from Siberia, and it takes the night for him to be rescued. While waiting to see if he'll die of hypothermia, he realises something for the first time. It wasn't that he failed because he hadn't tried hard enough. He had failed because he had tried too hard. His so-called team-mates had formed the habit of blaming Tony for everything because he had let them. He had shouldered the blame, let them attack him without consequence, and cleaned up after their mess, all so they could continue to feel self-righteous in peace. But it wasn't just him they were attacking, and saving the world didn't give them a free pass to be the very bullies that Steve claimed to fight against.
Tony woke up in hospital, still sustained by the relief of his realisation. Things sucked, but they would get better. He was Tony Stark, and no challenge was too much for him. It was odd how much easier it was to plot when he actually did intend ways to manipulate the ex-Avengers into falling in line. And since that was what they seemed convinced he was doing all along, they didn't deserve a warning that it would now be true.
Comments: This is my absolute favorite post-Civil War fic. Tony stops being a victim and Steve and his group are not poor misunderstood freedom fighters.
Title: Ironsides
Author: copperbadge
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Steve/Tony
Words: 23,416
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Antonia Cart Stark takes no shit and no prisoners.
Comments: AlwaysAFemale!Character stories are fairly prevalent in fandom these days but most fandoms only have one or two in which it’s actually done well. This is the MCU’s. While Antonia’s life does heavily mirror Tony’s life it’s done in such a way that it doesn’t just feel like the author just switched the gender pronouns and a couple of facts here and there. There’s excellent character work
Stargate: Atlantis
Title: Lord John Sheppard Versus Earth
Author: LitGal
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard
Words: 61,696
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Canon diverged before Jackson found Atlantis. The IOC stepped in and decided to make things more efficient. A gene testing program brought Major John Sheppard into the program earlier, but budget constraints and international treaties have kept Dr. Jackson out of the Antarctic. So now John has to find his own team--and his own geek--or he's in danger of being stuck in the mountain forever as a light switch. However, as the universe changes, fate forces some things to return to proper form, and other things... they get wildly out of control. John isn't sure how he came to be Earth's enemy, but he's going to have to deal with the cards he's dealt.
Comments: Another one of my favorite authors because of all the world-building and characterization she puts into her work. This is full of a lot interesting What Ifs. What if Sheppard was brought into the SGC before Daniel found Atlantis? What if Sheppard ended up the host of a Goa’uld but not everything is what it seems? What if they still end up in Atlantis just not the way anyone expected? Toss in slow burn McShep and it’s a fun, interesting read.
Title: A Beautiful Lifetime Event
Author: Astolat
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard
Words: 29,191
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
Comments: It’s interesting how tastes change over the years. Typically I love Astolat and I love accidental baby trope and once upon a time I know this story was one of my favorites. Apparently not so much anymore. I think when it comes down to it I prefer a certain level of romance in my McShep stories and this felt too much like they ended up together out of convenience rather than real love. I still enjoyed the story in general but I think it’s slipped out of favorite status.
Title: Wraith Killers
Author: LadyRa
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard, Jack/Daniel
Words: 69,959
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Atlantis ends up with some unexpected new residents
Comments: John gets Rodney a kitten that turns out to be a wraith killing tiger. What’s not to love? Overall it’s just a fun story with fluff and lots of snark.
I blame 9-1-1 entirely. And Jilly James because it was her story that got me started.
I was not looking for a new fandom or even a new show to watch. But April is a Rough Trade/NaNo month and Jilly wrote a 9-1-1 Buck/Eddie series and against my better judgement I decided to read it. 169 stories, 860,888 words, and having binge watched the entirety of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lonestar later I clearly have a new fandom.
It might also account for how I managed to read 2,022,608 words this month. It'll be interesting to see how May goes.
For anyone interested in the stats: https://tinyurl.com/yp76t6pk
As always check the tags.
Row 1:
Fast and the Furious
Title: Judas Kiss
Author: JoeLawson
Fandom: FATF
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian
Words: 47,695
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence
Summary: After Dom spends half a year moping over Brian in Mexico, Vince and Leon have finally had enough. One phone call later, and suddenly they're all heading to Arizona where Brian's family (and, for the moment, Brian himself) lives.
Comments: This story was actually my first introduction to JoeLawson’s writing and I was immediately hooked. I love the story in general. The exploration and expansion of the characters while still making them feel completely in character is exceptional. The story is interesting and engaging and could easily have worked as a sequel to the first two movies. What has always amazed me, and will probably continue to do so with each new work they produce, is how tightly written the stories are considering the sheer amount of world-building and characterization is done. The word count on this story is 47k but by the time you reach the end of it you’ll easily feel that you just read closer to 100k simply because the story just feels that big.
Title: Rewind
Author: Khaleesian
Fandom: FATF
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian
Words: 54,590
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation—Khalil Gibran
When Brian offers Dom the keys at the end of the first movie, Dom invites Brian along. Good thing, too, because Brian proves to be an absolute genius at going on the lam.
Comments: An alternate ending to the first movie that incorporates Rome and Brian’s background that we learn in the second movie. I like this because it’s excellent characterization work and feels like it could have easily been a continuation of the movie. I also like the way the UST is explored between Dom and Brian without them just falling into bed together or ignoring Dom’s relationship with Letty.
Title: The Fast and the NBTs series
Author: Jedibuttercup
Fandom: FatF/Transformers (Bay Movies) xover
Character |Pair: Dom/Brian, implied Sam/Mikaela
Words: 58,508
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Summary: Dom frowned, the lightness in his expression finally fading as his brows drew together. "What have you done to my car, O'Conner?"
Comments: A fun crossover/fusion in which Brian was undercover with Sector Seven during the events at Mission City (first Transformers movie). It puts a new spin on the events of Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6 as well as the second Transformers movie.
Harry Potter
Title: Can’t Have It Both Ways
Author: RobSt
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character |Pair: Harry/Hermione
Words: 106,352
Rating: Teen and Up
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: If you are forced to participate in a competition that's reserved for adults only, doesn't that mean you should be considered an adult? Harry gets some much needed help and advice before having some fun by allowing his marauder heritage out to play.
Comments: It’s been awhile since I’ve read this and I definitely still enjoyed it. I can admit though that there’s a fair chunk of trimming could have been done to tighten up the story and speed up the pace which dragged a little in the middle. It’s Harry with some responsible adults in his life and a bit of Ron bashing.
Note: There is an attempted assault that gets stopped pretty quickly but beware if that's a trigger for you.
Title: La Vida Muggle
Author: Aramie.greyson
Fandom: Harry Potter
Character |Pair: Harry Potter, Original Characters, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape
Words: 55,900
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: None
Summary: Harry is found by an American muggle 'witch' before Petunia Dursley realizes he is there. This tale encompasses Harry's life until right before he begins his magical education. Rated 'T' for language. Covers muggle school, bullies, what being a muggle 'witch' is all about, finding family, and learning how to fight, ride, and fly. Accidental magic pops up every now and then, and Harry has a couple of talents that he didn't in canon.
Comments: It’s an interesting look at the idea of what if Harry was raised by someone other than the Dursleys? In this case an American woman from Iowa who happens to be a practicing Wiccan. I had intended to reread the entire series but ran out of time. This particular story is about Harry’s life leading up to him going to Hogwarts. The rest of the series, before the author stopped writing, follows Harry’s time at Hogwarts. One of the things I like about it in particular is that it does explore some of the changes that would result of Harry being raised by someone who actually cared about him and encouraged his intelligence.
Pacific Rim
Title: Porn Roommates AU series
Author: Achilleees
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Raleigh
Words: 17,044
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Hey man – it’s a two bedroom flat, utilities + cable are included in the cost, I’m a dude, there’s no catch. My last roommate wasn’t cool with my job (gay-for-pay porn star) so he ditched, thus the ‘no douchebags’ clause. If you’re that kind of asshole, respond with some homophobic slurs just so I know what I’m getting into. If you’re not, lemme know when you can come by so I can show you the digs. – Raleigh
Or: Chuck moves in with a guy he found renting out a room on Craigslist, who just happens to be a gay-for-pay porn star. And hey, Chuck could always use some spare cash…
Comments: It’s a pretty cracky plot but it’s fun and it’s hot and it’s two idiots falling in love as they make porn together. It just makes me smile every time I read it.
Title: Jaeger Pilots Can Sleep Anywhere
Author: chapstickaddict
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Mako/Raleigh
Words: 17,841
Rating: Teen and up
Warnings: None
Summary: "Pick a side, and start packing. Transport leaves in thirty," Chuck told him, pointing a finger in warning. Raleigh really couldn't take him seriously though, since he was delicately wrapping Mako's tiny collection of tea cups in bits of newspaper while he said it.
"Transport?" On the table, Chuck's mp3 player was rigged to a pair of speakers and a women was prompting him to get ready to die.
"Chuck suggested we leave. I agreed," Mako explained. Raleigh could point out the sheer improbability of just packing up and leaving. They had the most recognizable faces on the planet. Between the three of them, they had enough popularity to bedazzle a small European nation.
"Where are we going?"
"Where every solider goes when the war's over," Chuck replied. "Home."
Or
That one fic where Raleigh, Mako, and Chuck run away to Sydney and argue over music and pillow forts.
Comments: After Operation: Pitfall Raleigh, Mako, and Chuck are the only Jaeger pilots left standing and none of them really knows what to do. I think what I like most about this story is all three of them are broken in different but similar ways and they slowly fill in each other’s broken spaces until together they form a whole.
Title: Sunburst
Author: snack_size
Fandom: Pacific Rim
Character |Pair: Chuck/Raleigh, Yancy/OFC
Words: 28,193
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Yancy lives through the Knifehead attack, and the Becket Brothers recover to fight on in Gipsy Danger - though not without consequences. When the Jaeger program is decommissioned, they're packed off to Hong Kong with everyone else.
Mako restores a different Jaeger, and Operation Pitfall is much more of a success.
Cancelling the apocalypse doesn't mean that things are over, though.
Comments: Amusingly this was not the story I thought it was when I chose it but it’s still one of my favorites. It’s canon divergent because Yancy lives after Knifehead and they don’t lose most of the other jaeger pilots in the final push to Operation: Pitfall. It’s an interesting what if scenario and I think the author did a great job of keeping everyone in character.
Row 2:
due South
Title: A Modest Proposal
Author: Resonant
Fandom: due South
Character |Pair: Fraser/RayK
Words: 19,761
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Ray has the perfect solution to his romantic woes. Strangely, Fraser isn’t cooperating.
Comments: due South is one of those fandoms I haven’t really read in years so it was interesting trying to remember which stories I considered favorites. Luckily you can’t really go wrong with Resonant and I wasn’t disappointed.
Title: Enduring Distance
Author: Speranza
Fandom: due South
Character |Pair: Fraser/RayK
Words: 25,275
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: "Yes, it's about the freakin' sub!" Ray yelled, flinging his arms up in the air. "There's a fucking nuclear submarine not a hundred miles from here, Benny!" He pointed wildly, in the wrong direction as it happened.
Comments: This takes place between the capture of Muldoon and the “epilogue” in the final episode – Call of the Wild. It’s good because it nicely fills in some of the blank space left before the epilogue. I like the build of Fraser and RayK’s relationship and the raw emotion we see from Fraser at times. Speranza has long been one of my favorite authors.
Teen Wolf
Title: Smoke & Mirrors
Author: doodle
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 68,644
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: "Mirror twin, actually,” Stiles corrected automatically. “It’s a subset of identical, but we’re not identical in the normal way. I'm the mirror image of him, or him me, whichever way you want to look at it."
Stiles has spent his entire life in the shadow of JJ, his popular, captain of the lacrosse team, jackass twin brother. Now he only has to make it through the summer until JJ goes to college.
Easier said than done when JJ starts hooking up with Stiles' crush, Derek Hale, and there's a dead body in the preserve.
Comments: Interestingly, the day after I read this for the bingo someone posted to TeenWolfFicFinders looking for it and I found out it was no longer on AO3. Luckily it can still be found via the Wayback Machine. This is one of those stories that feeds my love of angst while still giving me a satisfactory amount of comfort and a believable happy ending. I’m not a big fan of Bad Parent Sheriff Stilinski and he’s not really a bad parent in this so much as absent and oblivious but he does finally get a clue before the end of the story. I love the way Scott and Mama McCall are fully supportive of Stiles throughout this, giving him the support he desperately needs. I also like the way Stiles relationship with Derek progresses. There is some miscommunication but it’s not ridiculous and isn’t dragged out the point that I wanted to yell at them to just talk to each other. Stiles’ brother JJ is a complete douche and never really redeems himself but that’s okay because Stiles got his happily ever after.
Title: Raised by Wolves series
Author: Survivah
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 24,242
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage, but there’s only a year difference between them
Summary: In which Stiles is raised by his best friend's family after his parents die. They just happen to be werewolves. NBD. But the Hales treat him well. Especially Derek, but that's probably because Stiles proposed when they were four and they never really broke off the engagement.
Comments: Derek and Stiles as childhood sweethearts. Utterly and completely adorable. Seriously. All the fluff. Except for the fires. Then there’s some angst, but then all the fluff again.
Title: Derek Hale, Baby Whisperer
Author: aussiebee
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Character |Pair: Derek/Stiles
Words: 19,102
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Somehow, Stiles is unsurprised that Derek is great with random babies. That doesn't mean it's not cute as hell.
Or that it's really working for him.
Comments: Derek Hale and babies. Nuff said.
CSI: Miami
Title: A Son Discovered
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 11,620
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Speed had a son?
Comments: This used to be a favorite and I was having a hard time figuring out why I disliked it so much now. At first I thought it was because I’m not a huge fan of Horatio anymore but I realized it was the way he gets “scared” at one point in the story and ghosts Speed and his son and when he finally pulls his head out of his ass Speed takes him back with minimal apology. I think I’ve gotten to a point where adults who are unable to act like adults are generally a big turn off for me.
Title: Alternate Paths
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 19,355
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, attempted assault.
Summary: Some people are meant to meet no matter the path they take.
Comments: Still not a huge fan of Horatio but this was an interesting look at how people could take different paths and still end up in the same place. Okay, it’s kind of cracky that someone would hire Escort!Speed for Horatio and they’d fall in love but it was well-written crack. LOL
Title: Kiss of Death
Author: BJ Jones
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Character |Pair: Horatio/Speed
Words: 9,929
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Summary: You can’t kill someone if they’re already dead.
Comments: This is the fic that started the Sylum Clan universe and launched a thousand fics. Admittedly I stopped trying to keep up with Sylum years ago it’s still a favorite fic because it gave us a way to keep Speed alive. Unfortunately the only place to find it these days is in the Sylum archive which is password protected and slow as hell. No site should take a solid 30 seconds or more to move from one page to another. If anyone wants to read this fic pm me and I’ll send you a copy.
Row 3:
The Sentinel
Title: Bakari series
Author: Alyjude_sideburns
Fandom: The Sentinel
Character |Pair: Jim/Blair
Words: 68,433
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Animal Cruelty.
Summary: Jim Ellison travels to Bwindi as a tourist to see the gorillas there, and meets the 'ghost man', who protects the forest. Revised 2009.
Comments: Essentially The Sentinel version of the Tarzan legend with Blair as Tarzan. Both stories in the series are very well written and do a great job with character work. Definitely heed the violence warning, particularly for the second story.
Title: Apache
Author: Shedoc
Fandom: The Sentinel
Character |Pair: Jim/Blair, Major Crimes Team
Words: 15,146
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: What if Blair wasn’t lying to Kincade’s pilot?
Comments: I really enjoy competent Blair fics and it’s nice to see a story where Blair is the one who has to do the rescuing instead of the other way around.
MCU
Title: The Only John Wayne Left in this Town
Author: gyzym
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Clint/Darcy
Words: 11,156
Rating: Teen and up
Warnings: None
Summary: Clint’s got a secret love, and it’s spelled b-a-n-j-o.
Comments: Weirdly this was one of the first stories I read in the MCU fandom even though I’ve pretty much always been OTP Steve/Tony. I happen to be a fan of the song the title came from so I gave it a try and I didn’t regret it. It’s more comic verse history for Clint than MCU but it meshes pretty well with the information we know through Iron Man 2. It’s a fun read overall and I really enjoyed Clint trying to explain to a SHIELD “tribunal” how he accidentally became a country music superstar.
Title: Enough Rope
Author: Amber_and_Ash
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Tony Stark, James “Rhodey” Rhoades, Pepper Potts
Words: 89,164
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Tony can't get himself back from Siberia, and it takes the night for him to be rescued. While waiting to see if he'll die of hypothermia, he realises something for the first time. It wasn't that he failed because he hadn't tried hard enough. He had failed because he had tried too hard. His so-called team-mates had formed the habit of blaming Tony for everything because he had let them. He had shouldered the blame, let them attack him without consequence, and cleaned up after their mess, all so they could continue to feel self-righteous in peace. But it wasn't just him they were attacking, and saving the world didn't give them a free pass to be the very bullies that Steve claimed to fight against.
Tony woke up in hospital, still sustained by the relief of his realisation. Things sucked, but they would get better. He was Tony Stark, and no challenge was too much for him. It was odd how much easier it was to plot when he actually did intend ways to manipulate the ex-Avengers into falling in line. And since that was what they seemed convinced he was doing all along, they didn't deserve a warning that it would now be true.
Comments: This is my absolute favorite post-Civil War fic. Tony stops being a victim and Steve and his group are not poor misunderstood freedom fighters.
Title: Ironsides
Author: copperbadge
Fandom: MCU
Character |Pair: Steve/Tony
Words: 23,416
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Antonia Cart Stark takes no shit and no prisoners.
Comments: AlwaysAFemale!Character stories are fairly prevalent in fandom these days but most fandoms only have one or two in which it’s actually done well. This is the MCU’s. While Antonia’s life does heavily mirror Tony’s life it’s done in such a way that it doesn’t just feel like the author just switched the gender pronouns and a couple of facts here and there. There’s excellent character work
Stargate: Atlantis
Title: Lord John Sheppard Versus Earth
Author: LitGal
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard
Words: 61,696
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Canon diverged before Jackson found Atlantis. The IOC stepped in and decided to make things more efficient. A gene testing program brought Major John Sheppard into the program earlier, but budget constraints and international treaties have kept Dr. Jackson out of the Antarctic. So now John has to find his own team--and his own geek--or he's in danger of being stuck in the mountain forever as a light switch. However, as the universe changes, fate forces some things to return to proper form, and other things... they get wildly out of control. John isn't sure how he came to be Earth's enemy, but he's going to have to deal with the cards he's dealt.
Comments: Another one of my favorite authors because of all the world-building and characterization she puts into her work. This is full of a lot interesting What Ifs. What if Sheppard was brought into the SGC before Daniel found Atlantis? What if Sheppard ended up the host of a Goa’uld but not everything is what it seems? What if they still end up in Atlantis just not the way anyone expected? Toss in slow burn McShep and it’s a fun, interesting read.
Title: A Beautiful Lifetime Event
Author: Astolat
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard
Words: 29,191
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: None
Summary: Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.
Comments: It’s interesting how tastes change over the years. Typically I love Astolat and I love accidental baby trope and once upon a time I know this story was one of my favorites. Apparently not so much anymore. I think when it comes down to it I prefer a certain level of romance in my McShep stories and this felt too much like they ended up together out of convenience rather than real love. I still enjoyed the story in general but I think it’s slipped out of favorite status.
Title: Wraith Killers
Author: LadyRa
Fandom: SGA
Character |Pair: McKay/Sheppard, Jack/Daniel
Words: 69,959
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Canon Typical Violence
Summary: Atlantis ends up with some unexpected new residents
Comments: John gets Rodney a kitten that turns out to be a wraith killing tiger. What’s not to love? Overall it’s just a fun story with fluff and lots of snark.