[ Bleach, Cardcaptor Sakura, Junjou Romantica, Katekyou Hitman REBORN!, The Simpsons, Southland ]
SHARING TIME:
ღ - So, with the announcement of a new sequel Avatar: The Last Airbender series, of course there is already wank about it and it is delicious.
ღ - Shut up, I am not behind on comments, I don't know what you're talking about. :|
AND ONTO THE RECS:
Bleach - 1 Fanfic
Cardcaptor Sakura - 3 Fanfics
Junjou Romantica - 7 Fanfics
Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - 1 Fanfic
The Simpsons - 1 Fanfic
Southland - 2 Fanfics
Bleach: bright by alice hattercandy - Lately, I've been wanting to read more Bleach fic, so I finally just sat myself down and did it, starting with this semi-short piece about Ichigo and Orihime not really quite getting there with each other for years, each of them not quite saying anything and not realizing the other feels the same way. It works for me because they're both a little stupid and, yet, when things finally start moving again, they're older and still recognizbale, but a little more tempered, and I like the author's writing style. It might not be for everyone, but I was absolutely smiling by the end of this fic and really just quite delighted at it. (Ichigo/Orihime.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Dessert Deficiency by Aoife-hime - Okay, I'm a sucker for Touya and Yue interaction. The premise is cute--the idea that somehow, despite being amazingly good at everything else, Touya just can't bake to save his life, and Yue is condescending about it and Touya is half-amused at the faces Yue makes and half-supremely patient boyfriend--is delightful. It's just a cute moment between them, very laid-back and peaceful even when they're not quite bantering back and forth, mostly because Touya never really gets annoyed or Yue never really goes beyond making faces over everything. Instead, it captures the CCS feel nicely, which I adored about it. (Touya/Yue.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: Card Master Touya by moonstone glows - I'll admit upfront that the beginning of this fic is rather rough and I can't say I was buying the characterization or reactions Touya had to everyone else in the first few chapters, but... honestly, I wasn't reading for that. I was reading it because it was completely Touya-centric and one of those ideas (the Cards and the Guardians are passed on to Touya and he becomes their new Master, after tragedy strikes Sakura and Fujitaka, he inherits the magic they left behind, which is enough to vault him into the stratosphere magic-wise) that I ate up with a spoon with nary a hint of irony about how delicious I found it. Yue and Keroberos as Touya's Guardians! The Cards being loyal to Touya now! Touya as one of the strongest magicians in the world! Completely Touya-centric! What is not to love?
By the midway point, though, once the Harry Potter crossover kicks in, the writing gets a lot stronger (though, I admit, I skimmed the HP-only scenes, I was here for CCS) and everything smooths out--there's even actually a plot going on! There are other CCS characters showing up (Eriol and Syaoran mostly, but Sakura's ghost appears in later chapters) and, while it's unfinished and unlikely to be picked back up, while I wish I could read the rest of the fic, I found that what was really satisfying. I think you need to go into this fic with the mindset of reading for Touya-glorifying, but it turned out to be immensely satisfying for me, given what a Touya fangirl I am. Though, I really do think the second half of the fic stands really well on its own, even aside from that! I would love to see where this author would have gone with this one. (Touya/Yukito/Yue.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: A Guardian's Heart by Morgan D - Since many of my CCS recs are embarrassingly old (and cringe-worthy to read when I go back over them), along with how I've been rereading them simply to enjoy them again, I'm going to re-rec a lot of my old favorites, starting with A Guardian's Heart. This is one of the first fics I read that dealt with the Touya/Yue side of the whole situation and it really vaulted me into a fascination with the whole Yukito/Yue & Touya dynamic, because there was such potential for internal conflict and such potential for fun with both sides of him. And that's what still stands up about this fic even years after I first read it, that it takes all these various elements (Yue's feelings of abandonment, the fear he has for the future, the relationship he has with Keroberos, the way Touya has to kind of drag him out of his shell) and picks up right before the very end of the series (before the tea party the next day) and... it doesn't neatly solve everything, but it gets Yue's head screwed on a little straighter and certainly helps things settle a little better. It's one of those fics that... it combines all the elements and character interactions that are right inside my wheelhouse, that I'll keep rereading it as long as I'm in the CCS fandom. (Touya/Yue.)
Junjou Romantica: Lessons in Cooking and Love by penguin474 - You know, for all that Egoist is my usual pairing (especially since Hiroki is the character that kind of connects all the different couples in the series), I find that stories like this one--where Akihiko/Misaki and Miyagi/Shinobu interact together--are really interesting, for the potential they have and because they're simply just fun. They're not precisely the same dynamic, but there's enough similiarities and points of connection that it makes sense to put them in the same room and the author captures that beautifully. I actually really like seeing Misaki and Shinobu interacting, I could definitely see them as being friends--and Akihiko and Miyagi are just as interesting, both being so deeply involved in the literature world. The emotion of the piece is also nicely done and, throw in a reference to Misaki finding out about Demon Kamijou = Akihiko's childhood friend, and we're all set for something that I enjoyed immensely. (Akihiko/Misaki, Miyagi/Shinobu.)
Junjou Romantica: Nervous Issues by deecherrywolf - Yet another thing I never get tired of (especially for a series like Junjou Romantica) is when one partner overhears the other getting hit on and hearing how they react--given that it's Nowaki, of course he gently turns the girl down and says he has someone else that's very important to him and of course it's so adorable and sweet that I could pretty much explode from it. This was a really wonderful little read today. ♥ (Nowaki/Hiroki.)
Junjou Romantica: Leave Me Breathless by deecherrywolf - This is another one that's pretty much pure porn, it's hardly even got any dialogue or anything, but that's not the point. And, despite that, they're still recognizable as Hiroki and Nowaki, which is always nice, especially the way Nowaki reacts to the little noises Hiroki makes and how sweet he is towards Hiroki even when it's obvious he really, really wants him now. It's one of those that I totally ate up when I needed just a little bit more from the fandom and bless this author for providing it. <3 (Nowaki/Hiroki, NC-17.)
Junjou Romantica: Hand Fetish by miko_no_da - Yet another thing I never tire of in this fandom! Well, besides the light porn implications. When Hiroki is just as ridiculously gone on Nowaki as the other way around, because Hiroki really is that kind of person--he'll never admit it, but the way he's completely turned on by Nowaki's giant yet gentle hands? What they can do to Hiroki, how they feel on him? Sure, I totally clicked onto this one for the porn, but I think I wound up enjoying it for the emotional stuff more. I love a ridiculously in love (even if he won't admit it) and turned on Hiroki. ♥ (Nowaki/Hiroki, R rating.)
Junjou Romantica: Hardly At Home by deecherrywolf - So, I'm clearly in a mood for more Hiroki POV and more porn with these two--which this fic provided very nicely. It was wall sex, god knows I'm weak as hell to that, but also Hiroki being his usual cranky self, even when he clearly wants Nowaki as much as Nowaki wants him. It doesn't have to be complicated, I like that this fic is more about getting straight to the sex and adding in little details along the way, rather than anything else, it's a nice way to finish up the month of 31_days prompts indeed. *g* (Nowaki/Hiroki, NC-17.)
Junjou Romantica: Wish by CheyanneChika - I never know what I'm going to get into when I pick up an AU fic like this to read, especially since I'm satisfied with the way canon went with Nowaki and Hiroki working their relationship out. (Well, as much as they'll ever be able to work out their shit communication skills.) The idea is that Nowaki accidentally mails one of the letters he wrote to Hiroki while in America, which sends everything spiralling off in a new direction, as Hiroki reads and and reacts to it. What I like about this new direction is that it doesn't forget that they still have shit communication skills, that there's still problems to be worked out between them, and one of my favorites! Hiroki addressing the fact that, yes, Nowaki may have told him, but he clearly did it while Hiroki was distracted and didn't actually mention anything before he was leaving. Nowaki has his reasons for that, but... it's still an issue to be addressed! And the fic touches on that! Plus, it's one of those fics where it's just... it's inside my wheelhouse (Hiroki chases after Nowaki to America, there's sick!Hiroki, there's communication issues between them, there's ups and downs and makeouts in the relationship) and I enjoyed it for what it was! Though, I would really like a new chapter for it soon, too. (Nowaki/Hiroki.)
Junjou Romantica: Forever the Uke by PurificationArrow - Another time where I never quite know what I'm going to get is when you have a title like this one has, which... honestly, could have gone either way. But what I liked about this fic was that it wasn't precisely about sex (though, there is sex as well) so much as it was about Hiroki being the recipient of feelings being sent his way. It's a rather simple premise--a girl confesses to the teacher she likes (Kamijou) and Nowaki happens to walk in on it, they have their usual communication problems, they work it out in the usual way, and then there's sex--but the mood of it works with the Egoist couple, they're both nicely in character (I especially liked Hiroki and his stupid pride at all times), making it a nice little read. (Nowaki/Hiroki, somewhat NC-17.)
Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: Familiare by ka0richan - I don't know what made me click on the link to this fic, I was just browsing the newsletter and saw a new D18 fic and thought, eh, well, I'll at least open it into a new tab for later. Somehow, I found myself reading it anyway and got a really lovely piece for it. It's hard to explain what happens in the fic, because it's simple on the surface--Dino is back for a visit, Hibari watches him, because Dino's a little different somehow, and Hibari can't quite figure out why that is yet--but it's in the little details (Hibird! Dino visiting the Sawada house! Hibari tailing Dino!) and the Hibari voice that really make this a lovely piece. It doesn't need much to happen to be beautifully done. ♥ (Dino/Hibari.)
The Simpsons: Idle Playthings: From The Devil's Mind by wasabi_girl1 - One more The Simpsons fic from the meme because I can't resist it when it's this well written! I adore this piece, because it's all about Maggie and the ridiculous adventures of this series and growing up, about how Maggie was just a little too little to really remember all the crazy things they did back in the days and how she's not really part of that as much as everyone else is, but she's going to have her own ridiculous adventures. I love the little detail of how she doesn't really talk around the others, but when she gets around her own friends and has her own adventures, then she does, it's one of those things that makes this work for me. I love how well this fits with the series and, ahhhh, who knew fic for this series would wind up being so good? (No warnings/pairings.)
Southland: Name by maurheti - Any fic that starts out with John giving Ben crap about his motorcycle and then has, when Ben offers him a ride: "A ride? What am I, a fucking preschooler at the merry-go-round? Get off the damned bike, Sherman." and just... comandeers Ben's own bike! THAT IS JOHN COOPER FOR YOU. And I love it for the dialogue, but also for the sex, where Ben really, really wants it and John tries to hold back just a little, but it's only a matter of time when Ben Sherman is begging a person like that. Which kind of makes it even hotter, I gotta say. Porn at its finest! (John/Ben, NC-17.)
Southland: 911 Call by romanticalgirl - Speaking of porn! And fics where John tries to hold back while Ben begs him to fuck him, but you can only resist someone like Ben Sherman for so long! Which is a lot of what made this fic really hot, the dynamic between them and Ben's total determination and John trying to not get swept away by it all, but in the end? Of course it's going to be intense and just... it's complete porn and the kind that I wanted at least once or twice in this fandom (though, this fandom seems to be rather generous with the porn, which is excellent), the kind that shorts out your higher brain functions and makes you write a truly terrible rec. (John/Ben, NC-17.)
ღ - So, with the announcement of a new sequel Avatar: The Last Airbender series, of course there is already wank about it and it is delicious.
ღ - Shut up, I am not behind on comments, I don't know what you're talking about. :|
AND ONTO THE RECS:
Bleach - 1 Fanfic
Cardcaptor Sakura - 3 Fanfics
Junjou Romantica - 7 Fanfics
Katekyou Hitman REBORN! - 1 Fanfic
The Simpsons - 1 Fanfic
Southland - 2 Fanfics
Bleach: bright by alice hattercandy - Lately, I've been wanting to read more Bleach fic, so I finally just sat myself down and did it, starting with this semi-short piece about Ichigo and Orihime not really quite getting there with each other for years, each of them not quite saying anything and not realizing the other feels the same way. It works for me because they're both a little stupid and, yet, when things finally start moving again, they're older and still recognizbale, but a little more tempered, and I like the author's writing style. It might not be for everyone, but I was absolutely smiling by the end of this fic and really just quite delighted at it. (Ichigo/Orihime.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Dessert Deficiency by Aoife-hime - Okay, I'm a sucker for Touya and Yue interaction. The premise is cute--the idea that somehow, despite being amazingly good at everything else, Touya just can't bake to save his life, and Yue is condescending about it and Touya is half-amused at the faces Yue makes and half-supremely patient boyfriend--is delightful. It's just a cute moment between them, very laid-back and peaceful even when they're not quite bantering back and forth, mostly because Touya never really gets annoyed or Yue never really goes beyond making faces over everything. Instead, it captures the CCS feel nicely, which I adored about it. (Touya/Yue.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: Card Master Touya by moonstone glows - I'll admit upfront that the beginning of this fic is rather rough and I can't say I was buying the characterization or reactions Touya had to everyone else in the first few chapters, but... honestly, I wasn't reading for that. I was reading it because it was completely Touya-centric and one of those ideas (the Cards and the Guardians are passed on to Touya and he becomes their new Master, after tragedy strikes Sakura and Fujitaka, he inherits the magic they left behind, which is enough to vault him into the stratosphere magic-wise) that I ate up with a spoon with nary a hint of irony about how delicious I found it. Yue and Keroberos as Touya's Guardians! The Cards being loyal to Touya now! Touya as one of the strongest magicians in the world! Completely Touya-centric! What is not to love?
By the midway point, though, once the Harry Potter crossover kicks in, the writing gets a lot stronger (though, I admit, I skimmed the HP-only scenes, I was here for CCS) and everything smooths out--there's even actually a plot going on! There are other CCS characters showing up (Eriol and Syaoran mostly, but Sakura's ghost appears in later chapters) and, while it's unfinished and unlikely to be picked back up, while I wish I could read the rest of the fic, I found that what was really satisfying. I think you need to go into this fic with the mindset of reading for Touya-glorifying, but it turned out to be immensely satisfying for me, given what a Touya fangirl I am. Though, I really do think the second half of the fic stands really well on its own, even aside from that! I would love to see where this author would have gone with this one. (Touya/Yukito/Yue.)
Cardcaptor Sakura: A Guardian's Heart by Morgan D - Since many of my CCS recs are embarrassingly old (and cringe-worthy to read when I go back over them), along with how I've been rereading them simply to enjoy them again, I'm going to re-rec a lot of my old favorites, starting with A Guardian's Heart. This is one of the first fics I read that dealt with the Touya/Yue side of the whole situation and it really vaulted me into a fascination with the whole Yukito/Yue & Touya dynamic, because there was such potential for internal conflict and such potential for fun with both sides of him. And that's what still stands up about this fic even years after I first read it, that it takes all these various elements (Yue's feelings of abandonment, the fear he has for the future, the relationship he has with Keroberos, the way Touya has to kind of drag him out of his shell) and picks up right before the very end of the series (before the tea party the next day) and... it doesn't neatly solve everything, but it gets Yue's head screwed on a little straighter and certainly helps things settle a little better. It's one of those fics that... it combines all the elements and character interactions that are right inside my wheelhouse, that I'll keep rereading it as long as I'm in the CCS fandom. (Touya/Yue.)
Junjou Romantica: Lessons in Cooking and Love by penguin474 - You know, for all that Egoist is my usual pairing (especially since Hiroki is the character that kind of connects all the different couples in the series), I find that stories like this one--where Akihiko/Misaki and Miyagi/Shinobu interact together--are really interesting, for the potential they have and because they're simply just fun. They're not precisely the same dynamic, but there's enough similiarities and points of connection that it makes sense to put them in the same room and the author captures that beautifully. I actually really like seeing Misaki and Shinobu interacting, I could definitely see them as being friends--and Akihiko and Miyagi are just as interesting, both being so deeply involved in the literature world. The emotion of the piece is also nicely done and, throw in a reference to Misaki finding out about Demon Kamijou = Akihiko's childhood friend, and we're all set for something that I enjoyed immensely. (Akihiko/Misaki, Miyagi/Shinobu.)
Junjou Romantica: Nervous Issues by deecherrywolf - Yet another thing I never get tired of (especially for a series like Junjou Romantica) is when one partner overhears the other getting hit on and hearing how they react--given that it's Nowaki, of course he gently turns the girl down and says he has someone else that's very important to him and of course it's so adorable and sweet that I could pretty much explode from it. This was a really wonderful little read today. ♥ (Nowaki/Hiroki.)
Junjou Romantica: Leave Me Breathless by deecherrywolf - This is another one that's pretty much pure porn, it's hardly even got any dialogue or anything, but that's not the point. And, despite that, they're still recognizable as Hiroki and Nowaki, which is always nice, especially the way Nowaki reacts to the little noises Hiroki makes and how sweet he is towards Hiroki even when it's obvious he really, really wants him now. It's one of those that I totally ate up when I needed just a little bit more from the fandom and bless this author for providing it. <3 (Nowaki/Hiroki, NC-17.)
Junjou Romantica: Hand Fetish by miko_no_da - Yet another thing I never tire of in this fandom! Well, besides the light porn implications. When Hiroki is just as ridiculously gone on Nowaki as the other way around, because Hiroki really is that kind of person--he'll never admit it, but the way he's completely turned on by Nowaki's giant yet gentle hands? What they can do to Hiroki, how they feel on him? Sure, I totally clicked onto this one for the porn, but I think I wound up enjoying it for the emotional stuff more. I love a ridiculously in love (even if he won't admit it) and turned on Hiroki. ♥ (Nowaki/Hiroki, R rating.)
Junjou Romantica: Hardly At Home by deecherrywolf - So, I'm clearly in a mood for more Hiroki POV and more porn with these two--which this fic provided very nicely. It was wall sex, god knows I'm weak as hell to that, but also Hiroki being his usual cranky self, even when he clearly wants Nowaki as much as Nowaki wants him. It doesn't have to be complicated, I like that this fic is more about getting straight to the sex and adding in little details along the way, rather than anything else, it's a nice way to finish up the month of 31_days prompts indeed. *g* (Nowaki/Hiroki, NC-17.)
Junjou Romantica: Wish by CheyanneChika - I never know what I'm going to get into when I pick up an AU fic like this to read, especially since I'm satisfied with the way canon went with Nowaki and Hiroki working their relationship out. (Well, as much as they'll ever be able to work out their shit communication skills.) The idea is that Nowaki accidentally mails one of the letters he wrote to Hiroki while in America, which sends everything spiralling off in a new direction, as Hiroki reads and and reacts to it. What I like about this new direction is that it doesn't forget that they still have shit communication skills, that there's still problems to be worked out between them, and one of my favorites! Hiroki addressing the fact that, yes, Nowaki may have told him, but he clearly did it while Hiroki was distracted and didn't actually mention anything before he was leaving. Nowaki has his reasons for that, but... it's still an issue to be addressed! And the fic touches on that! Plus, it's one of those fics where it's just... it's inside my wheelhouse (Hiroki chases after Nowaki to America, there's sick!Hiroki, there's communication issues between them, there's ups and downs and makeouts in the relationship) and I enjoyed it for what it was! Though, I would really like a new chapter for it soon, too. (Nowaki/Hiroki.)
Junjou Romantica: Forever the Uke by PurificationArrow - Another time where I never quite know what I'm going to get is when you have a title like this one has, which... honestly, could have gone either way. But what I liked about this fic was that it wasn't precisely about sex (though, there is sex as well) so much as it was about Hiroki being the recipient of feelings being sent his way. It's a rather simple premise--a girl confesses to the teacher she likes (Kamijou) and Nowaki happens to walk in on it, they have their usual communication problems, they work it out in the usual way, and then there's sex--but the mood of it works with the Egoist couple, they're both nicely in character (I especially liked Hiroki and his stupid pride at all times), making it a nice little read. (Nowaki/Hiroki, somewhat NC-17.)
Katekyou Hitman REBORN!: Familiare by ka0richan - I don't know what made me click on the link to this fic, I was just browsing the newsletter and saw a new D18 fic and thought, eh, well, I'll at least open it into a new tab for later. Somehow, I found myself reading it anyway and got a really lovely piece for it. It's hard to explain what happens in the fic, because it's simple on the surface--Dino is back for a visit, Hibari watches him, because Dino's a little different somehow, and Hibari can't quite figure out why that is yet--but it's in the little details (Hibird! Dino visiting the Sawada house! Hibari tailing Dino!) and the Hibari voice that really make this a lovely piece. It doesn't need much to happen to be beautifully done. ♥ (Dino/Hibari.)
The Simpsons: Idle Playthings: From The Devil's Mind by wasabi_girl1 - One more The Simpsons fic from the meme because I can't resist it when it's this well written! I adore this piece, because it's all about Maggie and the ridiculous adventures of this series and growing up, about how Maggie was just a little too little to really remember all the crazy things they did back in the days and how she's not really part of that as much as everyone else is, but she's going to have her own ridiculous adventures. I love the little detail of how she doesn't really talk around the others, but when she gets around her own friends and has her own adventures, then she does, it's one of those things that makes this work for me. I love how well this fits with the series and, ahhhh, who knew fic for this series would wind up being so good? (No warnings/pairings.)
Southland: Name by maurheti - Any fic that starts out with John giving Ben crap about his motorcycle and then has, when Ben offers him a ride: "A ride? What am I, a fucking preschooler at the merry-go-round? Get off the damned bike, Sherman." and just... comandeers Ben's own bike! THAT IS JOHN COOPER FOR YOU. And I love it for the dialogue, but also for the sex, where Ben really, really wants it and John tries to hold back just a little, but it's only a matter of time when Ben Sherman is begging a person like that. Which kind of makes it even hotter, I gotta say. Porn at its finest! (John/Ben, NC-17.)
Southland: 911 Call by romanticalgirl - Speaking of porn! And fics where John tries to hold back while Ben begs him to fuck him, but you can only resist someone like Ben Sherman for so long! Which is a lot of what made this fic really hot, the dynamic between them and Ben's total determination and John trying to not get swept away by it all, but in the end? Of course it's going to be intense and just... it's complete porn and the kind that I wanted at least once or twice in this fandom (though, this fandom seems to be rather generous with the porn, which is excellent), the kind that shorts out your higher brain functions and makes you write a truly terrible rec. (John/Ben, NC-17.)