Big Bang Recs!
Okay, I'm done with Yuletide reading. You RED fans can find a pile of interesting fics, both Victoria/Ivan and our pal Agent Cooper. My yuletide recs include Carol Burnett-Julie Andrews Actor RPF, Anne of Green Gables, The Apartment, Stoppard's Arcadia, Arrested Development, Austen (S&S and Persuasion), Brick, Calvin & Hobbes, Golden Girls, Great Gatsby, James Bond, The Runaways (2010), Ramona Series (Beverly Cleary), A Single Man, Victor/Victoria, Whip It, and Good Wife/White Collar.
Then at brunch yesterday I realized that I'd meant to make this post ofstartrekbigbang and rpf_big_bang recs, particularly as there are some of you out there looking for long fics to crawl into. The RPF fics are either Kradam or Chris/Karl Trek. I'm a Kirk/McCoy girl, so that's a lot of what you'll see in the ST recs, plus some Chekov/Sulu and Pike/Number One and a lot of Spock/Uhura in the background. Oh, and tons of AUs: regency romance, Inception-inspired, WWII, Indiana Jones-esque, even post-apocalyptic (and you know how I feel about that).
Homoville, story by withthepilot, art by paracaerouvoar. John Cho and Chris Pine work at an entertainment magazine. Fresh out of the closet after a bad divorce, John braves New York's gay dating scene with Chris' special brand of encouragement. After a few Craigslist disasters, John meets Zach Quinto, who seems like John's polar opposite but may be his perfect match after all.
Totally adorable AU, with bonus Chris/Karl and Kristen Bell as Quinto's BFF.
Fuck My Life, story by acquiescence_, art by chosenfire28. Kris was accepted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and as soon as he got there he realized that all his expectations for what college would be like have gone right out the door the minute he stepped into the lobby. This is a story of the many and varied ways Kris embarrasses himself, and how those little embarrassments lead him to Adam.
Couldn't be more adorable. Super fantastic AU.
Off With Your Head (We Started Nothing), story by moirariordan, art by acquiescence_. "So," he says dully, "basically, I have no control over my own life, I'm supposed to marry a man I barely know, for fucked up political reasons that I couldn't possibly care less about. What else is new?" In which personal is political and revolution is more complex than it seems.
Wherein the US is ruled by a monarchy and a series of aristocratic families, Adam may or may not be Black Prince, and Kris is a prize bride. But it's actually a lot better than I just made that sound!
This Business of Art, story by witblogi, art by dizilla, mix by shadowclub. Art culture modern AU murder mystery --- “Listen, Jim, I don’t know what you’re trying to do. Whether it’s taking the skeletons out of your closet or resurrecting some lost essence your father possessed…it’s not going to work.” He leveled his gaze upon Jim’s own, “It will only bring about more pain and upset everyone you love while you’re at it.” - the problem was, Jim thought, in this world of art and business who did he love, friend or foe?
I was really looking forward to this ever since I saw the summary on the list and it totally provided! Really thoughtful AU centered around the mystery of George Kirk's death, and the mix was one of the best of the entire big bang.
Tread Softly, story by fishspots, art by raggedy_edge, mix by mme_riphaldin. Inception!AU. After losing his father and his medical license in a cruel twist of fate, McCoy is approached by a mysterious character dressed in a sharp suit. From there, he falls down a rabbit hole filled with subconscious thievery, intricate secrets, and an infuriating forger.
Much less dependent onInceptionthan I was expecting, and gives an interesting twist on how the AOS crew would fit into the Inception universe. And most of all, the Kirk/McCoy romance was interesting and well done.
How to Say Yes to a Second Chance, story by moonlitelupines, art by gblvr, mix by echoinautumn. He’s a hero, but all it ever got him was gray hair, wrinkles, and a broken marriage. At the end of his first five year mission, Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Excelsior must return home to the man he loves and lost, and to the little girl he barely knows.
Really touching on how and why Hikaru and Pavel grew apart, and how they try to come back together, all told in tiny moments.
Bones McCoy and the Raiders of the Lost Temple, story and mix by abigail89 and weepingnaiad, art by flyingmachine. Leonard McCoy is the curator of a small, prestigious archaeological museum in San Francisco and enjoys the admiration of his colleagues worldwide for his contributions to archaeology. But his professional and personal lives are turned upside down with the arrival of a brash and dashingly handsome young, up and coming archaeologist named Jim Kirk. After a rugged start they pull together to lead an expedition to Sumatra, the place of McCoy's greatest accomplishment and his most tragic loss. When the expedition and his friends are threatened by natural disaster and betrayed by one of their own to a band of treasure robbers, Dr. McCoy must reach deep inside himself to find the courage to face his fears. But with Jim and his intrepid colleagues by his side, he finds he can overcome anything.
Does what it says on the tin-and really, really fun.
We'll Sleep Tonight, story by echoinautumn, art by littlewolfstar, mix by nextian. WWII AU; Two years after he left San Francisco for Britain to fight in the war, Sulu meets Chekova at Bletchley Park, where she works as a code breaker with Spock, an escaped German mathematician, Uhura, a civilian translator assisting them, Kirk and McCoy, aides-de-camp to Lt. General Pike. As the war rages on, changing their world even as they try to protect and reclaim what they know, each of them find out what can grow and what can endure.
Always-a-girl!Pavel and McCoy, which allows the author to sidestep the whole gay-in-the-WWII-military bit. However, does deal with certain racial issues with great sensitivity. Plus, an interesting, inventive plot.
A Matter of Time, story by sangueuk, art by paracaerouvoar, mix by leighblack. An AU set in the Trek universe which explores a different beginning for Jim and Bones. Leonard McCoy suffers from chrono impairment, a genetic disease which causes him to time travel against his will. When teenage McCoy travels back in time and meets Jim Kirk aged six, in a meadow in Iowa, it is the beginning of a close friendship which will mark both their lives forever. The story tracks Kirk and McCoy’s relationship, McCoy’s search for a cure and Jim’s path to finding himself.
I was specifically told not to read The Time-Traveler's Wife so when I tell you that I really enjoyed this story that's saying a lot.
Nine Years Later, story by circ_bamboo, art by theoreticalpixy, mix by echoinautumn. Regency AU; Pike (Baron Prescott) has returned home from the Napoleonic Wars, along with James Kirk (the Earl of Riverside) and Lieutenant Leonard McCoy, to claim the lady he left . . . nine years before. Will she be there? Also, Viscount Spockton meets an interesting woman when she performs at a musicale . . . And what is Miss McCoy’s governess hiding?
Not just a Pike/Number One regency AU with Spock/Uhura and Kirk/McCoy in the background, but a Star Trek regency AU that refers to books by Julia Quinn. Double your pleasure, for reals.
Spitfire Summer, story by amine_eyes, art by flyingmachine, mix by xlcatloveress. Jim's had easier summers than this - the rest of Europe being subjected to German Occupation, America refusing to get itself involved, flying with the RAF to try and stop the Luftwaffe from destroying them and ultimately Germany from invading Britain, and falling in love with his best friend - but he wouldn't be Jim if he went for the easy option, would he.
It shouldn't be surprising that I have a weakness for WWII AUs. I love the references to the first war, the realistic-as-it-can-be-for-a-romance sexuality, and just the way that they ultimately come together.
Same Ghost Every Night, story by withthepilot, art by gadgetorious, mix by loveflyfree. McCoy is thrown back in time to the year 2225 after a Romulan attack, injured and lacking any memory of the past five years of his life. He meets and befriends a young George Kirk, in the weeks before George plans to enlist in Starfleet. The crew searches for a way to harness the Romulans' advanced time-travel technology and retrieve McCoy before he inadvertently jeopardizes the future of Earth and the Federation. (Kirk/McCoy, Chekov/Sulu)
Deftly balances McCoy's thoughts on space, Jim's yearning for his dad, and the involvement of Chekov and Sulu.
Suggestions for Living Your Life in Spoken Verse, story by atomicskull, art by roachpatrol, mix by epershand. In October of 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis came to a head in the worst way possible - the world died. 25 years later, in what used to be the United States, Leonard McCoy is born. This, more than anything, is his story, from Atlanta to San Francisco with the broken prairies of Iowa in between.
Just think of it as a really deep road trip. Includes McCoy/Spock friendship and badass Uhura on a motorbike and Jim being, well, Jim.
Aftershocks, story by canis_takahari, art by chosenfire28, mix by peculiaritea. Jim Kirk turns down Pike’s challenge, and doesn’t get on the Starfleet recruiting shuttle. But neither does Leonard McCoy, who’s actually been in Iowa for six months already, doing fuck-all. Becoming drinking buddies seems like a natural progression.
Sometimes the path to the stars is just a piece-of-shit dirt road. You know, the kind that’s filled with potholes and surrounded by brambles and conveniently happens to be located in the bottom of a ravine. But every once in a while, when confronted with such a twisted mess of circumstance and cracked foundation, the universe still does its very best to fill in the holes.
One of those comes-back-around sort of AUs, and you can trust me on the ending.
So these next three fics, and I want to say this with piles and piles of respect, I haven't actually read all the way through because they contain various elements that I generally can't read (though I did skip to the endings because come on, I'm me). So if you read angsty adultery, kidnapping, or mirror-verse, then you should absolutely check out the following stories:
Les mots justes (les marques permanentes), story by blcwriter and sangueuk, art by paracaerouvoar, mix by roflolmaomg. Words and memories leave marks as deep as rings, tanlines, stupid hats and tattoos. It's those moments of pain and pleasure that add up in a love affair-- or whatever you call it-- until it's too much to bear, one way or the other. But some marks can't be erased, and some words, said or unsaid, can't be taken back once the moment is past. What happens as Chris and Karl go from friends to lovers, then nothing-- is their summation of moments all done, or does it add up to something-- come out as words-- worth holding on to?
Fortunate Son, story by mardia, art by littledivinity, mix by pearlstar178. When Leonard McCoy is kidnapped and held for ransom, Jim Kirk and the Enterprise crew have no idea that the kidnapping is connected to McCoy's past as a young doctor on Tarsus IV.
Infection, story and mix by emiliglia, art by lecri. On Delta Vega, Kirk learned about the fall of the Terran Empire in an alternate universe. This knowledge festered in his brain during his first five years as captain of the ISS Enterprise. With McCoy's help, he plans to overthrow the empire and save it from destruction. The start of their second campaign puts the wheels in motion, leading to a coup that will guarantee the security of the Terran Empire.
crossposted from Dreamwidth |
comments | comment at Dreamwidth
Then at brunch yesterday I realized that I'd meant to make this post ofstartrekbigbang and rpf_big_bang recs, particularly as there are some of you out there looking for long fics to crawl into. The RPF fics are either Kradam or Chris/Karl Trek. I'm a Kirk/McCoy girl, so that's a lot of what you'll see in the ST recs, plus some Chekov/Sulu and Pike/Number One and a lot of Spock/Uhura in the background. Oh, and tons of AUs: regency romance, Inception-inspired, WWII, Indiana Jones-esque, even post-apocalyptic (and you know how I feel about that).
Homoville, story by withthepilot, art by paracaerouvoar. John Cho and Chris Pine work at an entertainment magazine. Fresh out of the closet after a bad divorce, John braves New York's gay dating scene with Chris' special brand of encouragement. After a few Craigslist disasters, John meets Zach Quinto, who seems like John's polar opposite but may be his perfect match after all.
Totally adorable AU, with bonus Chris/Karl and Kristen Bell as Quinto's BFF.
Fuck My Life, story by acquiescence_, art by chosenfire28. Kris was accepted to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and as soon as he got there he realized that all his expectations for what college would be like have gone right out the door the minute he stepped into the lobby. This is a story of the many and varied ways Kris embarrasses himself, and how those little embarrassments lead him to Adam.
Couldn't be more adorable. Super fantastic AU.
Off With Your Head (We Started Nothing), story by moirariordan, art by acquiescence_. "So," he says dully, "basically, I have no control over my own life, I'm supposed to marry a man I barely know, for fucked up political reasons that I couldn't possibly care less about. What else is new?" In which personal is political and revolution is more complex than it seems.
Wherein the US is ruled by a monarchy and a series of aristocratic families, Adam may or may not be Black Prince, and Kris is a prize bride. But it's actually a lot better than I just made that sound!
This Business of Art, story by witblogi, art by dizilla, mix by shadowclub. Art culture modern AU murder mystery --- “Listen, Jim, I don’t know what you’re trying to do. Whether it’s taking the skeletons out of your closet or resurrecting some lost essence your father possessed…it’s not going to work.” He leveled his gaze upon Jim’s own, “It will only bring about more pain and upset everyone you love while you’re at it.” - the problem was, Jim thought, in this world of art and business who did he love, friend or foe?
I was really looking forward to this ever since I saw the summary on the list and it totally provided! Really thoughtful AU centered around the mystery of George Kirk's death, and the mix was one of the best of the entire big bang.
Tread Softly, story by fishspots, art by raggedy_edge, mix by mme_riphaldin. Inception!AU. After losing his father and his medical license in a cruel twist of fate, McCoy is approached by a mysterious character dressed in a sharp suit. From there, he falls down a rabbit hole filled with subconscious thievery, intricate secrets, and an infuriating forger.
Much less dependent onInceptionthan I was expecting, and gives an interesting twist on how the AOS crew would fit into the Inception universe. And most of all, the Kirk/McCoy romance was interesting and well done.
How to Say Yes to a Second Chance, story by moonlitelupines, art by gblvr, mix by echoinautumn. He’s a hero, but all it ever got him was gray hair, wrinkles, and a broken marriage. At the end of his first five year mission, Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Excelsior must return home to the man he loves and lost, and to the little girl he barely knows.
Really touching on how and why Hikaru and Pavel grew apart, and how they try to come back together, all told in tiny moments.
Bones McCoy and the Raiders of the Lost Temple, story and mix by abigail89 and weepingnaiad, art by flyingmachine. Leonard McCoy is the curator of a small, prestigious archaeological museum in San Francisco and enjoys the admiration of his colleagues worldwide for his contributions to archaeology. But his professional and personal lives are turned upside down with the arrival of a brash and dashingly handsome young, up and coming archaeologist named Jim Kirk. After a rugged start they pull together to lead an expedition to Sumatra, the place of McCoy's greatest accomplishment and his most tragic loss. When the expedition and his friends are threatened by natural disaster and betrayed by one of their own to a band of treasure robbers, Dr. McCoy must reach deep inside himself to find the courage to face his fears. But with Jim and his intrepid colleagues by his side, he finds he can overcome anything.
Does what it says on the tin-and really, really fun.
We'll Sleep Tonight, story by echoinautumn, art by littlewolfstar, mix by nextian. WWII AU; Two years after he left San Francisco for Britain to fight in the war, Sulu meets Chekova at Bletchley Park, where she works as a code breaker with Spock, an escaped German mathematician, Uhura, a civilian translator assisting them, Kirk and McCoy, aides-de-camp to Lt. General Pike. As the war rages on, changing their world even as they try to protect and reclaim what they know, each of them find out what can grow and what can endure.
Always-a-girl!Pavel and McCoy, which allows the author to sidestep the whole gay-in-the-WWII-military bit. However, does deal with certain racial issues with great sensitivity. Plus, an interesting, inventive plot.
A Matter of Time, story by sangueuk, art by paracaerouvoar, mix by leighblack. An AU set in the Trek universe which explores a different beginning for Jim and Bones. Leonard McCoy suffers from chrono impairment, a genetic disease which causes him to time travel against his will. When teenage McCoy travels back in time and meets Jim Kirk aged six, in a meadow in Iowa, it is the beginning of a close friendship which will mark both their lives forever. The story tracks Kirk and McCoy’s relationship, McCoy’s search for a cure and Jim’s path to finding himself.
I was specifically told not to read The Time-Traveler's Wife so when I tell you that I really enjoyed this story that's saying a lot.
Nine Years Later, story by circ_bamboo, art by theoreticalpixy, mix by echoinautumn. Regency AU; Pike (Baron Prescott) has returned home from the Napoleonic Wars, along with James Kirk (the Earl of Riverside) and Lieutenant Leonard McCoy, to claim the lady he left . . . nine years before. Will she be there? Also, Viscount Spockton meets an interesting woman when she performs at a musicale . . . And what is Miss McCoy’s governess hiding?
Not just a Pike/Number One regency AU with Spock/Uhura and Kirk/McCoy in the background, but a Star Trek regency AU that refers to books by Julia Quinn. Double your pleasure, for reals.
Spitfire Summer, story by amine_eyes, art by flyingmachine, mix by xlcatloveress. Jim's had easier summers than this - the rest of Europe being subjected to German Occupation, America refusing to get itself involved, flying with the RAF to try and stop the Luftwaffe from destroying them and ultimately Germany from invading Britain, and falling in love with his best friend - but he wouldn't be Jim if he went for the easy option, would he.
It shouldn't be surprising that I have a weakness for WWII AUs. I love the references to the first war, the realistic-as-it-can-be-for-a-romance sexuality, and just the way that they ultimately come together.
Same Ghost Every Night, story by withthepilot, art by gadgetorious, mix by loveflyfree. McCoy is thrown back in time to the year 2225 after a Romulan attack, injured and lacking any memory of the past five years of his life. He meets and befriends a young George Kirk, in the weeks before George plans to enlist in Starfleet. The crew searches for a way to harness the Romulans' advanced time-travel technology and retrieve McCoy before he inadvertently jeopardizes the future of Earth and the Federation. (Kirk/McCoy, Chekov/Sulu)
Deftly balances McCoy's thoughts on space, Jim's yearning for his dad, and the involvement of Chekov and Sulu.
Suggestions for Living Your Life in Spoken Verse, story by atomicskull, art by roachpatrol, mix by epershand. In October of 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis came to a head in the worst way possible - the world died. 25 years later, in what used to be the United States, Leonard McCoy is born. This, more than anything, is his story, from Atlanta to San Francisco with the broken prairies of Iowa in between.
Just think of it as a really deep road trip. Includes McCoy/Spock friendship and badass Uhura on a motorbike and Jim being, well, Jim.
Aftershocks, story by canis_takahari, art by chosenfire28, mix by peculiaritea. Jim Kirk turns down Pike’s challenge, and doesn’t get on the Starfleet recruiting shuttle. But neither does Leonard McCoy, who’s actually been in Iowa for six months already, doing fuck-all. Becoming drinking buddies seems like a natural progression.
Sometimes the path to the stars is just a piece-of-shit dirt road. You know, the kind that’s filled with potholes and surrounded by brambles and conveniently happens to be located in the bottom of a ravine. But every once in a while, when confronted with such a twisted mess of circumstance and cracked foundation, the universe still does its very best to fill in the holes.
One of those comes-back-around sort of AUs, and you can trust me on the ending.
So these next three fics, and I want to say this with piles and piles of respect, I haven't actually read all the way through because they contain various elements that I generally can't read (though I did skip to the endings because come on, I'm me). So if you read angsty adultery, kidnapping, or mirror-verse, then you should absolutely check out the following stories:
Les mots justes (les marques permanentes), story by blcwriter and sangueuk, art by paracaerouvoar, mix by roflolmaomg. Words and memories leave marks as deep as rings, tanlines, stupid hats and tattoos. It's those moments of pain and pleasure that add up in a love affair-- or whatever you call it-- until it's too much to bear, one way or the other. But some marks can't be erased, and some words, said or unsaid, can't be taken back once the moment is past. What happens as Chris and Karl go from friends to lovers, then nothing-- is their summation of moments all done, or does it add up to something-- come out as words-- worth holding on to?
Fortunate Son, story by mardia, art by littledivinity, mix by pearlstar178. When Leonard McCoy is kidnapped and held for ransom, Jim Kirk and the Enterprise crew have no idea that the kidnapping is connected to McCoy's past as a young doctor on Tarsus IV.
Infection, story and mix by emiliglia, art by lecri. On Delta Vega, Kirk learned about the fall of the Terran Empire in an alternate universe. This knowledge festered in his brain during his first five years as captain of the ISS Enterprise. With McCoy's help, he plans to overthrow the empire and save it from destruction. The start of their second campaign puts the wheels in motion, leading to a coup that will guarantee the security of the Terran Empire.
crossposted from Dreamwidth |
comments | comment at Dreamwidth