superborb | Entries tagged with recs

There are many fics from that era that were memorable for me, the way that something you read when you're young can stick with you forever. Here are the six that float to mind for me. I would love to hear what yours are!

I've roughly sorted this by first encounter:

freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, by

synecdochic. Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
I was never actually in SGA fandom, but years later, I read what was left from its heyday. This was, of course, one of the most popular fics in the fandom, and the first time I read it, I was too young to really understand the ending. Rereading a few years later, I realized that somehow I had come around to it being a happy ending in a way that I hadn't understood before. It was also one of the first extended DVD commentaries of fic that I had read, and the insight into how the story was constructed was /fascinating/ to me.

Database Unavailable, by

unrequitedangst. Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment
There are many fandom AUs: this is the only one that stuck with me because of the sharp insight into ridiculous fandom drama. Fandom AUs tend to be mundane in a high school AU sort of way; this one is so rooted in what fandom felt like in certain circles that it escapes the generic trap. I have since asked myself about many an unreadable style, IS [THEIR] BRAIN LOWERCASE 6 PT FONT?

Another Story, by

yhlee . Fandom: Princess Tutu

yhlee kindly reuploaded this just now! This was the first encounter I had with this kind of mixed meta/fic. It's a genre I really like, and I'm so glad I could discover that.

Wings to Fly, by

abyssinia . Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
I think this sort of quiet gen fic, about the unexplored backstory of a character-- it's still some of the most satisfying fic to me. Something about the idea of a Ms. Watson, a teacher who cared and changed the life of a child, quietly stayed with me.

Jeu-Parti, by Macedon. Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
This skirts towards original work, in the sense that Jake is a minor character and the other member of the pairing is an OC, but mostly this is so memorable because it was the first time a fic from literal decades ago still felt recent to me. Due to style and trope drift over time, older fics (and original works) are inevitably of their era; there's that trivia game someone put together about trying to identify the year a fic came out by its summary and it works because of this. Yet this fic felt like something that could have been written now (well, a decade ago lol). It made me start to more seriously seek out old Star Trek zine fic to try and see what styles and tropes had shifted and what had stayed the same.

When I Look in the Mirror I See Double, by

etothepii. Fandom: BBC Sherlock
This one is memorable in the sense that the central conceit, one mind in two bodies, is one that I pondered for quite a while after. (And Ancillary Justice brought it to mind again, which prompted this list in the first place!)

I have to preface this by saying that my vocabulary around vids and general fluency in vid culture is seriously lacking, since I have historically mostly hung out on the fic side of things. As a result, I am less well equipped to appreciate the meta or broader trends in vids, and this recs list is necessarily more biased towards my own idiosyncratic tastes than an already inherently biased recs list of any flavor might be. But I have enough vid recs that I want to talk about them with people!

Bury a Friend by Rhea
I love the use of silence here, and how well timed the cuts and song are. The contrasts between sound / silence and motion / stillness also were really enjoyable. I think because the song choice has multiple layers of action that the vid teases out, I rewatched several times to get more of the clever cuts. I also liked the use of (not sure the technical term?) cutting short scene clips into an unrelated clip to place them in juxtaposition.

double knot by by pingvi
I think by pingvi's sense of timing and repeated motifs are excellent. I find the flashiness of the edit and the rhythmic layering of sound from the source really appealing.

the fault by Pteryx Videos
So there must be schools of vid thought and trends, right? I think Pteryx Videos must belong to the same one as by pingvi, with the emphasis on elaborate cuts and sound layering. There is a sense of -- urgency and motivation through the vid that makes me want to rewatch.

The Black Parade: An Untamed Vid Album by helcinda
First: this is a series of vids to a whole album. As a result of the length, it felt very different to watch, with more space to explore almost? There was much more a sense of storytelling, which -- and this is probably a personal failing on my part -- I am usually too impatient to sit through in a vid format. I guess it just needs to be 45 mins long for me to invoke the sense of falling into a story? I especially enjoyed the WWX one, which gave me more JFM as father feels than I think I've ever had previously.

Fuck this shit I'm out by shati
OK this is only 25 s long, BUT I liked it a lot! Perfectly represents Mianmian's POV lol.

So What. by NKZephyr Edits
Right, so possibly I love this because I love Jiang Cheng, which -- valid crit. But I loved the premise of WWX as uh, the cheating husband, and all the many, many angry JC expressions, interspersed with angsty retrospective scenes of their brotherhood.

Three is enough for a recs list right?? I sure hope so, bc this is kind of an esoteric theme and could not find more haha. I am excluding any canon sports here. Please link me more, it turns out that I have a predictable weakness for sports AUs, but sometimes you don't want to read about a Real Sport.

I feel like I win when I lose by so_shhy
The Untamed/MDZS, 26k, T
Competitive cultivation as a fight either solo or bw pairs! I liked how the canon magic was incorporated into the sport, and the details in LWJ's observations were fascinating.

Stargazer by Fahye
Yuri!!! on Ice, 22k, T
This is a sports AU of a sports canon, which is hilarious. The sport here is more of a performance (like skating). TBH, it's actually a bit more scifi!sport than fantasy!sport, but it hits the same button for me! I enjoyed how it handled the wider cast of characters and situated the sport in the wider universe.

and so my heart beats wildly by lily_winterwood
MDZS, 106k, E
As the length might imply, this goes more in depth compared to the other two in describing the mechanics and technical components of the fantasy sport, nighthunting. (It also does have social media bits.) I liked the descriptions of how the sport worked, and how the behind the scenes politics affect the in-sport event.

I am unabashedly unashamed that genderswap is my all time favorite trope. I love it. I love when it's a ~commentary on society~, I love when it's an excuse for porn. I love when it's an always-a-different-sex AU, I love when it's a sudden change.

We'd roll and fall in green, 27k / 2 works, ongoing series, by x_los
x_los has such a deft touch for immersing the reader into the world, and the two fics here really showcase that strength. The world feels so real, and wider than just the pair, even when you're looking from LWJ's POV (tightly focused on WWX of course). The second fic, when you get to the case-fic part of it... whoo I loved how creepy/scary it was and how, despite their experience, LWJ and WWX are still teenagers.

The life and times of a bad idea bear, 20k / 5 works, ongoing series, by houselesbian
This modern!AU series has a very scene by scene feeling. I really like how imperfect Jiang Cheng is, where his flaws are clear, but so are his feelings, and I especially loved the image of LWJ as hm, that kind of icy cold hot lesbian? This series is what definitely sold me on lesbian LWJ anyway!

my heart is kept as pure as ice in a jade vase/一片冰心在玉壶, 21k / abandoned?, by daledesu
This one is more of an unconventional rec. It was originally written in Chinese, and this is the translation by the original author. As such, the trope choices are different than English fandom would make, so I find that and the chapter endnotes really interesting.

A Troublesome Charge, 70k / 4 works, ongoing series, by Moonsheen
Another unconventional one, since the genderswap happens after a reincarnation. I've recced this before, so I won't go on about it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this post-canon series and especially the NHS characterization here.

Coming Back to Yourself, 22k, by acernor
To finish this off (hehehe), a fic that's just porn. I... don't know what else to say. It's hot?

I find YZY a very fascinating character. I think she is unambiguously a terrible mother, and definitely caused some serious issues in her children. I think it's rare for a character to be a bad mother while still being portrayed as loving her children and wanting what's best for them, and I wish that was explored more! I can see arguments for her being more and less levels of abusive, especially considering how normal physical discipline is in their society and how much tougher having a developed golden core makes you.

After reading through all the fics on AO3 tagged with YZY in a day long frenzy, I come with five recs, all quite short:

Numbing by nekokoban [3k, G]
Food as a divider and a connector between YZY and the family she married into. I love this perspective on YZY's motivations: she feels like a real person, pushing against the constraints of the society she lives in. This fic was what caused me to become so interested in YZY.

MDZS short fics, Chapter 33 by nirejseki [1k, NR]
This is a much more forgiving view of YZY. Starting from the idea that YZY's actions are ultimately protective of her family and takes it to the logical conclusion.

纸鸢 • paper kite by ewagan [3k, T]
Second person YZY. I'm always fascinated by how YZY views JFM and how bad at communication they are; their "love languages" are so clearly incompatible.

unblemished by mud, Chapter 4 by chomrafy [1k, NR]
Short snippet of the women of the YZY generation as teenagers. Cute, and some fun lines.

Drowning Depths Blazing Blue by ExtraPenguin [1k, T]
A short nighthunt while WWX and JC are children. I loved the kid!logic here.

The theme is: less than 500 kudos! For the express reason that I had a couple dozen to rec, and this cutoff leads to a nice round 10 recs of presumably less widespread knowledge.

hear my voice and it’s been here by souridealist [56k words, E]

Jiang Yanli POV, and not an easy story. This is the fifth part of a series, and the one I loved the most; the others tell the story from other POVs. It can be read first. There had been two months between part 4 and 5, and I think not remembering the details of what happened in the previous parts immersed me in the limited view that JYL has in a more engaging way.

the final cut by wildehack [20k words, E]

This explores Nie Huaisang’s use of Mo Xuanyu, and is as dark as you’d expect from such a subject. Huaisang is complicated and so, so determined.

Call and Response by x_los [9k words, M]

The Lan brothers play Inquiry for Madam Lan, and what is revealed is, of course, tragic. There is one line, that Xichen thinks about Wangji, that punched me in the gut and made me gasp out loud. It’s not my headcanon, but it makes a seriously convincing argument on the backstory and relationship between the brothers.

The Same Cloth by x_los [8k words, T]

Lan Wangji reluctantly brings Wei Wuxian to see a merchant family. I love backstory and worldbuilding and this had both in spades. The descriptions of the textiles were amazing and so immersive. This one is much less dark than Call and Response; they are in the same series but not necessarily related.

A House on Fire by nirejseki [10k words, G]

Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao raise Jin Ling. It sometimes goes smoothly and sometimes... not so much. It’s quite episodic in the scenes described, which makes it move along very quickly. Each scene is a perfect gem of an interaction.

Warm in the Sun by 50artists [29k words, M]

Fix-it Jiang Yanli/Wen Qing. IMO this fic’s strength is the Yanli characterization: she’s strong and determined.

Rule 3001: Do Not Blink by EHyde [4k words, G]

It’s a Doctor Who fusion, which may seem absurd, but is executed so well. It’s from the Juniors’ perspective, as they investigate a mysterious statue. The perfect length to get a taste for the world in the fusion.

Sprout by EHyde [6k words, G]

Crack taken seriously is one of my absolute favorites, and this is such a fun one. Jingyi is a plant, and Jin Ling discovers this secret. Wen Ning’s final line in this fic is absolute GOLD.

I Don’t Get Paid Enough For This (But I’d Still Do It Anyway) by Quixiote [25k words, T]

This is technically a WIP, but I loved what was there. Someone made the joke that the Untamed could be a shonen anime from Jin Ling’s perspective... but what if it was a shojo instead! It’s a Cardcaptor Sakura fusion, and it fits so well. Fairy makes for an excellent Keroberos. Sizhui and Jingyi as Shaoran and Meiling! So good. So perfect.

something wrong with this (you know it) by myliobatis

Truly the fact that only ONE woman doesn’t get fridged is absurd, and Mianmian is rightly angry about it.

I'm sooo excited that I'm seeing familiar names posting YOI fic! I feel a little out of touch with the fandom because I guess it's mostly on tumblr... But I still can't figure out how to navigate tumblr properly. So I'll just babble about it here.

My current top five list:
1. Home by Pteryx Videos, one of the few vids that I've really enjoyed ever! It was so well cut.
2. Unimaginable by emilyenrose, a short fic that I thoroughly enjoyed and keep coming back to. Teenage!Victor shows up a few years post-YOI and is a bit of a brat. I really loved the Victor characterization in this. (A fic I'd consider in the same genre is Those Second Thoughts You Asked For by akisazame, where Victor can go backwards in time.)
3. Blood In The Water by Mhalachai, a series where Victor's mom is a rusalka. I think Mhalachai tends to abandon some of their long fics, but the fics that are complete in the series are great and standalone.
4. A Roe By Any Other Name by

mousapelli seriously made me crave sushi and want to go to Japan just to have sushi.
5. Stargazer by Fahye is a sports AU of a sports anime, and has excellent art to go with the fic.

I am also slowly reading the Nirvana in Fire web novel, but it's going... slowly.