Lost to the world - caught up in super-long X-Men fics
I'm very sorry for the delay with Merlin recs, I'll be back soon, along with the merlin-holidays stories, but for now... MORE X-MEN FEEEELZ.
Bound And Determined series by Cesare and helens78
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 271,610 | Explicit| AU with powers | NOT COMPLETE!
Summary: Thousands of miles apart, Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier form a soulbond. But when that bond is severed five years later, they have to spend the next ten years trying to rebuild their lives alone.
Why I rec: I have literally lost my mind to this series. LIKE WHOA. I don't remember being this crazy about anything since Falls Chance Ranch madness last year. I read it once. Then again. And once again parts only with Erik/Jason Wyngarde who in this series is the most fascinating, beautiful character ever and I've fallen in love with him and can't stop thinking about him. (I totally blame asya-ana for this! <3 btw - here is HER rec of the series).
The story is set in an universe in which the majority of people are bonded to each other in dominant/submissive couples. Erik and Charles start to feel their bond early on while they are still teenagers but then the bond is broken and Erik lands with Sebastian Shaw. Next 10 years are a history of fighting for survival, loneliness, trying to redefine life (for both Erik and Charles), trying to live a somewhat happy life without the whole part of one's soul. This is beautiful and heartbreaking and just... perfect.
I love how relative is everything in this story - how the focus is shifted from male/female, heterosexual/homosexual to dom/sub and bonded/unbound. I have to say that I loved (GASP!) het relationships in this story, which is very unusual for me as I rarely read and enjoy any women in stories. I also love how Erik and Charles grow up over the years, how they change, how various life events make them what they are in the end.
There is pain, there are tears but there's also beauty and love in this series. I am honestly obsessed with it. I can't stop thinking about it and I can't wait for the updates of any parts of this universe. No review can do it justice. If you read please come join me in flailing and feels because this amount of emotions must be unloaded somewhere!
Just a few warnings and advises:
The series is not complete and it doesn't look like it will be completed any time soon (if ever). BUT. The second part of the series (Determination) ends in a place that is quite satisfying for me and I could imagine what happened next so it's ok.
There is a second "fork" of the story, starting after chapter 42 of the Unbound (part 1 of the series), so if you feel heartbroken and not fulfilled enough after reading the main series you can jump to Asked You First where there are hearts and rainbows and all the sex (plus a good dose of angst too (!), even if it's less intense than in the original series).
If after reading this series you find yourself in love with Jason (like I did) there is more of him in the Acetylene series or you can do as I did (following asya-ana's advise) and read again parts with Erik/Jason - this is a totally different story then, more intense, more heartbreaking even but absolutely gorgeous. And Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasonnnnnnnnn. <3 <3 <3
(PS. Don't forget to read the warnings before some chapters)
I have two more recs that shattered me, too.
Father Charles series by Yahtzee
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 75,278 | Explicit | AU with powers |
Summary: "It's still the early 1960s. Charles grew up devoutly religious, went to seminary and took orders.
And for the few years he's been a priest, he's been a good one. He coordinates volunteering and assistance for several charities in New York City, where his parish is, and doesn't mind the life of poverty he leads (though his sister Raven sometimes comes in from upstate to ask him if he doesn't miss champagne at all.)
Then he comes up with the idea of partnering with a Jewish organization that helps the poor, which meets with some resistance from the Catholic brass -- but Charles is firm that all children are God's children and they should do what's right.
Then he meets Erik Lehnsherr, the devout Jew and Holocaust survivor who runs that other charity, who is so fiercely protective of his charges that it moves Charles' heart -- and the first time their eyes meet, Charles has to confront the greatest temptation he'll ever know, and the church's teachings about what love is."
In this AU, Charles has powers - he just doesn't know it.
Why I rec: I love and admire Yahtzee's writing and I've read quite a few of her stories now, but this one, oh this one might be my favorite. It's deep and conflicted and it grabbed my heart with huge force. I love every part of this series -- the first one with Charles struggling so hard and trying to choose right. The second one with Erik's painful past overshadowing the present. The third one (THIS ONE BROKE ME WHY DO YOU AUTHORS DO IT???) with war and all the tragedy and poor, poor Charles, and the final one, with faith and so much love.
The problem of God, religion and feith is dealt with so well in it. I'm a Catholic so for me it meant even more probably but do not fear philosophy and theology in this fic because its focus is on love and relationship and emotions. Such an amazing story. So good.
Curve Fitting series by kianspo
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 23952 | Explicit | AU no powers
Summary: The weird thing is, Charles always introduces Raven as his sister, but he never calls Erik his brother. Erik would be bothered, except he prefers not to think of Charles as his brother, either. He can’t figure it out for four years, and then suddenly he can.
Or. A non-powered AU in which Sharon Xavier never remarries, and Charles 'adopts' not only Raven, but Erik too.
Why I rec: I don't know how Kianspo does it but each and every time I read anything of hers my heart feels like being squeezed. And this one was no different. God, I loved it so much. Nothing gets to me as much as misscommunication, pining for years for someone who is evasive, hurting for years, trying to move on when moving on is not possible. It hurt in the most perfect way. All my love to this story and to this author as usual.
I've also read another over 250k+ words long d/s universe with Erik and Charles - All the Rest is Rust and Stardust by spicedpiano and tahariel, but since it's still a WIP and updating rn I need to read a bit more before I can properly review it! :)
Bound And Determined series by Cesare and helens78
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 271,610 | Explicit| AU with powers | NOT COMPLETE!
Summary: Thousands of miles apart, Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier form a soulbond. But when that bond is severed five years later, they have to spend the next ten years trying to rebuild their lives alone.
Why I rec: I have literally lost my mind to this series. LIKE WHOA. I don't remember being this crazy about anything since Falls Chance Ranch madness last year. I read it once. Then again. And once again parts only with Erik/Jason Wyngarde who in this series is the most fascinating, beautiful character ever and I've fallen in love with him and can't stop thinking about him. (I totally blame asya-ana for this! <3 btw - here is HER rec of the series).
The story is set in an universe in which the majority of people are bonded to each other in dominant/submissive couples. Erik and Charles start to feel their bond early on while they are still teenagers but then the bond is broken and Erik lands with Sebastian Shaw. Next 10 years are a history of fighting for survival, loneliness, trying to redefine life (for both Erik and Charles), trying to live a somewhat happy life without the whole part of one's soul. This is beautiful and heartbreaking and just... perfect.
I love how relative is everything in this story - how the focus is shifted from male/female, heterosexual/homosexual to dom/sub and bonded/unbound. I have to say that I loved (GASP!) het relationships in this story, which is very unusual for me as I rarely read and enjoy any women in stories. I also love how Erik and Charles grow up over the years, how they change, how various life events make them what they are in the end.
There is pain, there are tears but there's also beauty and love in this series. I am honestly obsessed with it. I can't stop thinking about it and I can't wait for the updates of any parts of this universe. No review can do it justice. If you read please come join me in flailing and feels because this amount of emotions must be unloaded somewhere!
Just a few warnings and advises:
The series is not complete and it doesn't look like it will be completed any time soon (if ever). BUT. The second part of the series (Determination) ends in a place that is quite satisfying for me and I could imagine what happened next so it's ok.
There is a second "fork" of the story, starting after chapter 42 of the Unbound (part 1 of the series), so if you feel heartbroken and not fulfilled enough after reading the main series you can jump to Asked You First where there are hearts and rainbows and all the sex (plus a good dose of angst too (!), even if it's less intense than in the original series).
If after reading this series you find yourself in love with Jason (like I did) there is more of him in the Acetylene series or you can do as I did (following asya-ana's advise) and read again parts with Erik/Jason - this is a totally different story then, more intense, more heartbreaking even but absolutely gorgeous. And Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasonnnnnnnnn. <3 <3 <3
(PS. Don't forget to read the warnings before some chapters)
I have two more recs that shattered me, too.
Father Charles series by Yahtzee
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 75,278 | Explicit | AU with powers |
Summary: "It's still the early 1960s. Charles grew up devoutly religious, went to seminary and took orders.
And for the few years he's been a priest, he's been a good one. He coordinates volunteering and assistance for several charities in New York City, where his parish is, and doesn't mind the life of poverty he leads (though his sister Raven sometimes comes in from upstate to ask him if he doesn't miss champagne at all.)
Then he comes up with the idea of partnering with a Jewish organization that helps the poor, which meets with some resistance from the Catholic brass -- but Charles is firm that all children are God's children and they should do what's right.
Then he meets Erik Lehnsherr, the devout Jew and Holocaust survivor who runs that other charity, who is so fiercely protective of his charges that it moves Charles' heart -- and the first time their eyes meet, Charles has to confront the greatest temptation he'll ever know, and the church's teachings about what love is."
In this AU, Charles has powers - he just doesn't know it.
Why I rec: I love and admire Yahtzee's writing and I've read quite a few of her stories now, but this one, oh this one might be my favorite. It's deep and conflicted and it grabbed my heart with huge force. I love every part of this series -- the first one with Charles struggling so hard and trying to choose right. The second one with Erik's painful past overshadowing the present. The third one (THIS ONE BROKE ME WHY DO YOU AUTHORS DO IT???) with war and all the tragedy and poor, poor Charles, and the final one, with faith and so much love.
The problem of God, religion and feith is dealt with so well in it. I'm a Catholic so for me it meant even more probably but do not fear philosophy and theology in this fic because its focus is on love and relationship and emotions. Such an amazing story. So good.
Curve Fitting series by kianspo
Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier | Words: 23952 | Explicit | AU no powers
Summary: The weird thing is, Charles always introduces Raven as his sister, but he never calls Erik his brother. Erik would be bothered, except he prefers not to think of Charles as his brother, either. He can’t figure it out for four years, and then suddenly he can.
Or. A non-powered AU in which Sharon Xavier never remarries, and Charles 'adopts' not only Raven, but Erik too.
Why I rec: I don't know how Kianspo does it but each and every time I read anything of hers my heart feels like being squeezed. And this one was no different. God, I loved it so much. Nothing gets to me as much as misscommunication, pining for years for someone who is evasive, hurting for years, trying to move on when moving on is not possible. It hurt in the most perfect way. All my love to this story and to this author as usual.
I've also read another over 250k+ words long d/s universe with Erik and Charles - All the Rest is Rust and Stardust by spicedpiano and tahariel, but since it's still a WIP and updating rn I need to read a bit more before I can properly review it! :)