World Cup: feelings and fic edition
The World Cup rekindled my identity issues (as always) and need for football RPF. A lot of old LJ stuff is locked or deleted now, so I went hunting on AO3. Here are a few recs!
In no particular order.
Castizo y Generoso, Todo Nervio y Corazón by Rave
Real Madrid/Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, NC-17, 5680 words
"Maquina,” Pepe rumbles from across the room, “you just broke a league record. We think you need to unwind a little.” / “A lot,” Marcelo corrects. “You need to unwind a lot.” (Straight up Real Madrid locker room orgy.)
thoughts: Hoooooot. Damn. Hot, hot, hot, sexy, filthy, great. Tender, also, and Kaká/Cris end game, but really just Real Madrid taking care of their star. Pure smut, very well written.
Learning How To Wait by luxover
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, PG-13, 750 words
Cristiano Ronaldo has never been known to be a patient man, but he learns to wait for Kaká.
thoughts: Short and poignant; really love the repetitive structureand seeing the way Cris felt about Kaká, earnest and deep and so strange to him, unlike anything he'd known before, and so unexpected when Kaká is finally ready but so worth it.
5 People Who Taught Cristiano Ronaldo About Sex by luxover
Ricardo Quaresma/Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy/Ronaldo, Kaká/Ronaldo, Irina Shayk/Ronaldo, NC-17, 2100 words
5 People Who Taught Cristiano Ronaldo About Sex.
thoughts: As much as I ship Cris/Kaká, this was really perfect for the progression through Cris's life and the lessons he learns about love as much as sex. And I do love that he can learn from Kaká without them actually getting together in any way -- and it's really a hopeful ending for him and Irina, which is sort of a nice change of pace from most football fic, and is a really lovely culmination of Cris's journey.
I still believe in the phrases that we breathe by iiscos
Fábio Coentrão/Mesut Özil, Ronaldo/Kaká, NC-17, 42,400 words
The press is relentless, Cristiano is "sad," and it's only the beginning of the season, but they're already spiraling into disaster. Mesut and Fábio decide to settle their differences long enough to keep the team from falling apart.
thoughts: Oh god, I looove this fic. It's long, it's plotty, great pacing and really great characterization and development. The caveat is the author is prone to epithet use and the dialogue tagging is iffy, but for me the meat of the story really easily trumped that for me. The feelings! The humor! There aer hilarious team interactions here, great characterization and distinct voices for main and minor characters. I totally went into this eyeing the crack pairing, but the fic completely sold me on it. Ugh, entertaining, fun, sweet and thoughtful. Slightly prone to melodramatics/tropey shenanigans, but not in an egregious way. Also adlkgh my Ricky feelings, don't look at me. It's that distinct pleasure of seeing an OTP as a background pairing, through an outsider POV, and being validated. But seriously, the Fábio/Mesut was so wonderful too. There is also serious amounts of football in this fic, which serves to really anchor you in the fact that these are professional athletes, anchors you in the setting of Real Madrid. So fond of all the interactions in this fic, seriously.
This Bitch of a Country by Rave
Steven Gerrard/Xabi Alonso, NC-17, 8890 words
Stevie doesn't even know about the visit until they smack into each other on the stairs during halftime.
thoughts: GREAT, great, great dialogue - very distinctive Gerrard voice, lovely Xabi voice with what feels to be a pretty authentic sprinkle of Spanish and imperfect English. (I'm not your best judge.) The author's really fantastic with natural dialogue and voices, and capturing people who sound like the people you know. And the emotional themes really resonated for me here, the ache of Liverpool missing Xabi and at the same time resenting him for making them miss him. (Faaaabulous side character cameos. I love team dynamics.)
Ugh, then by the end, I was veritably dripping with feelings, because this fic does the rare thing in football RPF: it addresses, albeit obliquely, the existence, the importance, of wives and children - family, people who are vital to the central characters more than just each other. There's no moral lesson here, no anvillicious hints about which might be more important, or should be more important. Emotions are complicated, and this conveys that complicated sense of regret and nostalgia and love.
Four ways Kaká changed Cristiano... by pendules
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, PG-13, 1040 words
Four ways Kaká changed Cristiano (for the better) without knowing it, and one way Cristiano changed Kaká (probably not for the better) on purpose,
thoughts: Cute, short introspective piece that tied together well for its length. The ending, in particular, gets me though. The impact, I think, was deftly done: the understatedness of all that is implied, left blooming in your imagination, greater than anything that could be written out explicitly.
Bonding For Rivals by randomeliza
René Adler/Manuel Neuer, NC-17, 2040 words
René Adler hates Manuel Neuer. Pass it on.
thoughts: I shamefully confess to not knowing much about René Adler because, by the time I got into the German NT, Neuer was their goalkeeping god. But I was desperate for German NT fic and this was well written and fun - snarky narrative voice, peaceable Neuer, cameos by the rest of the people who make my heart clench and squirm a little in happiness. Yess. Great antagonism, great sex.
Set Me As A Seal Upon Your Heart by Rave
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, NC-17, 30680 words
Cris is a half-demon. Ricky is a priest.
thoughts: Surely this is a staple that I assume everyone the least interested in Cris/Kaká has already read, because it is glorious. Could there be a more fitting AU? Great atmosphere and tension, absolutely lovely Kaká who treads believability for me in his expression of faith. I really love the hints of everyone having a backstory, a bigger story than just this present we've been introduced to, but that isn't necessarily pertinent to the present story at hand. Great dialogue and interactions among all the characters too, all of whom feel real rather than like caricatures.
Really enjoyed the play on San Iker, and damn, the sex is hot.
Let me tell you, all these Ronaldo feelings leave me wrecked at Portugal's ignominous exit from the World Cup. And Stevie and England, Xabi and Spain, have gone too, so I guess I'll pour my love into the die Mannschaft and some dole out some questionable affection on Brazil.
No, but, seriously: GERMANYYYY. You guys, I have been drowning in a deluge of Thomas Müller feelings lately.
YES.
Have an introductory guide to Thomas Müller.
Enjoy his many gifable moments, like when he runs into a door and kicks a ball into his own face.
Also in a continuation of my above Cris feelings, here is him hugging children before the Portugal-Ghana match, where a kid goes, "Ronaldo! Can you give me your shirt?" and he laughs and says, "I can't, otherwise I can't play." Ugh, precious.
In no particular order.
Castizo y Generoso, Todo Nervio y Corazón by Rave
Real Madrid/Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, NC-17, 5680 words
"Maquina,” Pepe rumbles from across the room, “you just broke a league record. We think you need to unwind a little.” / “A lot,” Marcelo corrects. “You need to unwind a lot.” (Straight up Real Madrid locker room orgy.)
thoughts: Hoooooot. Damn. Hot, hot, hot, sexy, filthy, great. Tender, also, and Kaká/Cris end game, but really just Real Madrid taking care of their star. Pure smut, very well written.
Learning How To Wait by luxover
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, PG-13, 750 words
Cristiano Ronaldo has never been known to be a patient man, but he learns to wait for Kaká.
thoughts: Short and poignant; really love the repetitive structureand seeing the way Cris felt about Kaká, earnest and deep and so strange to him, unlike anything he'd known before, and so unexpected when Kaká is finally ready but so worth it.
5 People Who Taught Cristiano Ronaldo About Sex by luxover
Ricardo Quaresma/Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy/Ronaldo, Kaká/Ronaldo, Irina Shayk/Ronaldo, NC-17, 2100 words
5 People Who Taught Cristiano Ronaldo About Sex.
thoughts: As much as I ship Cris/Kaká, this was really perfect for the progression through Cris's life and the lessons he learns about love as much as sex. And I do love that he can learn from Kaká without them actually getting together in any way -- and it's really a hopeful ending for him and Irina, which is sort of a nice change of pace from most football fic, and is a really lovely culmination of Cris's journey.
I still believe in the phrases that we breathe by iiscos
Fábio Coentrão/Mesut Özil, Ronaldo/Kaká, NC-17, 42,400 words
The press is relentless, Cristiano is "sad," and it's only the beginning of the season, but they're already spiraling into disaster. Mesut and Fábio decide to settle their differences long enough to keep the team from falling apart.
thoughts: Oh god, I looove this fic. It's long, it's plotty, great pacing and really great characterization and development. The caveat is the author is prone to epithet use and the dialogue tagging is iffy, but for me the meat of the story really easily trumped that for me. The feelings! The humor! There aer hilarious team interactions here, great characterization and distinct voices for main and minor characters. I totally went into this eyeing the crack pairing, but the fic completely sold me on it. Ugh, entertaining, fun, sweet and thoughtful. Slightly prone to melodramatics/tropey shenanigans, but not in an egregious way. Also adlkgh my Ricky feelings, don't look at me. It's that distinct pleasure of seeing an OTP as a background pairing, through an outsider POV, and being validated. But seriously, the Fábio/Mesut was so wonderful too. There is also serious amounts of football in this fic, which serves to really anchor you in the fact that these are professional athletes, anchors you in the setting of Real Madrid. So fond of all the interactions in this fic, seriously.
This Bitch of a Country by Rave
Steven Gerrard/Xabi Alonso, NC-17, 8890 words
Stevie doesn't even know about the visit until they smack into each other on the stairs during halftime.
thoughts: GREAT, great, great dialogue - very distinctive Gerrard voice, lovely Xabi voice with what feels to be a pretty authentic sprinkle of Spanish and imperfect English. (I'm not your best judge.) The author's really fantastic with natural dialogue and voices, and capturing people who sound like the people you know. And the emotional themes really resonated for me here, the ache of Liverpool missing Xabi and at the same time resenting him for making them miss him. (Faaaabulous side character cameos. I love team dynamics.)
Ugh, then by the end, I was veritably dripping with feelings, because this fic does the rare thing in football RPF: it addresses, albeit obliquely, the existence, the importance, of wives and children - family, people who are vital to the central characters more than just each other. There's no moral lesson here, no anvillicious hints about which might be more important, or should be more important. Emotions are complicated, and this conveys that complicated sense of regret and nostalgia and love.
Four ways Kaká changed Cristiano... by pendules
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, PG-13, 1040 words
Four ways Kaká changed Cristiano (for the better) without knowing it, and one way Cristiano changed Kaká (probably not for the better) on purpose,
thoughts: Cute, short introspective piece that tied together well for its length. The ending, in particular, gets me though. The impact, I think, was deftly done: the understatedness of all that is implied, left blooming in your imagination, greater than anything that could be written out explicitly.
Bonding For Rivals by randomeliza
René Adler/Manuel Neuer, NC-17, 2040 words
René Adler hates Manuel Neuer. Pass it on.
thoughts: I shamefully confess to not knowing much about René Adler because, by the time I got into the German NT, Neuer was their goalkeeping god. But I was desperate for German NT fic and this was well written and fun - snarky narrative voice, peaceable Neuer, cameos by the rest of the people who make my heart clench and squirm a little in happiness. Yess. Great antagonism, great sex.
Set Me As A Seal Upon Your Heart by Rave
Kaká/Cristiano Ronaldo, NC-17, 30680 words
Cris is a half-demon. Ricky is a priest.
thoughts: Surely this is a staple that I assume everyone the least interested in Cris/Kaká has already read, because it is glorious. Could there be a more fitting AU? Great atmosphere and tension, absolutely lovely Kaká who treads believability for me in his expression of faith. I really love the hints of everyone having a backstory, a bigger story than just this present we've been introduced to, but that isn't necessarily pertinent to the present story at hand. Great dialogue and interactions among all the characters too, all of whom feel real rather than like caricatures.
Really enjoyed the play on San Iker, and damn, the sex is hot.
Let me tell you, all these Ronaldo feelings leave me wrecked at Portugal's ignominous exit from the World Cup. And Stevie and England, Xabi and Spain, have gone too, so I guess I'll pour my love into the die Mannschaft and some dole out some questionable affection on Brazil.
No, but, seriously: GERMANYYYY. You guys, I have been drowning in a deluge of Thomas Müller feelings lately.
YES.
Have an introductory guide to Thomas Müller.
Enjoy his many gifable moments, like when he runs into a door and kicks a ball into his own face.
Also in a continuation of my above Cris feelings, here is him hugging children before the Portugal-Ghana match, where a kid goes, "Ronaldo! Can you give me your shirt?" and he laughs and says, "I can't, otherwise I can't play." Ugh, precious.