recs and links

Lovely look at Kaz post-Crooked Kingdom.

citeIn some ways, his entire relationship with Crowley is just a conversation that’s been going on for six thousand years, one that’s ranged over every topic and idea except those that they, by agreement, Didn’t Talk About. And that’s beautiful and it’s brilliant, of course, but it’s difficult, too; it means there are pockets of ground where past disagreements and slights and agonies are buried, ready to explode the minute either one of them steps wrong. Aziraphale thinks the average human, wonderful creatures though they are, would probably melt down into eternal hysterics after the first thousand years or so. Honestly, some days he feels like he might./cite Long, lovely read in which Aziraphale and Crowley do some thinking and talking after averting the apocalypse.

The Wayne kids do a puppy interview. Adorable!

citeSome years down the road, an assassination attempt is leveled against Kaz. Inej absolutely does not take it well./cite This is fun - the first story is about the assassination attempt and the second a coda about their wedding night. Lovely.

citeOver the course of his life, Hob has been more than well acquainted with despair. Comes with the territory, a bit. Not even immortals have infinite strength. It took some centuries, though, before he became acquainted with Despair. In the flesh, as it were. Is it strange to find a degree of comfort in the personification of abject misery? Probably. But there've been times when she's been there, and that made all the difference./cite Oh, lovely!

cite"Did you not hear me, Richard? My class will be putting on a talent show, and participation is mandatory." "Okay," Dick said, putting a bowl of last night's stew in the microwave. "What are you thinking of doing?" "That's the problem. Father will undoubtedly refuse to allow me to do anything related to combat, which means I have no options left."/cite Oh heart! #we were the best richard

Anakin and Obi-Wan bodyswap and...nobody really notices the difference? This is a lot of fun.

citeInej needs a powerful man dead. Kaz, busy conducting 'renovations' across the West Stave and feuding with famous stage actors, is glad to have the opportunity to eliminate a threat./cite I enjoyed this a lot!

Jesper and Kaz go swimming. Oh heart.

Really lovely Endgame-AU where Steve stays in the present with Bucky. 3

citeSarah is rarely if ever inclined to take advantage of having a brother who’s a superhero, and she definitely doesn’t often ask her superhero brother’s superhero partner for any big favors. Sarah’s got principles, and she’s not going to use a connection to the Avengers for her own sake. She is absolutely gonna use it for the sake of saving Christmas in Delacroix though. With Sam away on a mission, Bucky's her best bet for finding the Spirit of Delacroix, the stolen boat that traditionally leads the Delacroix Christmas Boat Parade. As they embark on Operation Save Christmas together, Sarah's determined to preserve the Christmas magic for both Delacroix and Bucky, and maybe herself too, if she's willing to take a chance on Christmas romance./cite This is really lovely.

citeThe thing was…it wasn’t actually the worst idea. (The bombs in the gauntlets part; Jason had vocally disapproved of every aesthetic decision Dick had ever made since they were teenagers, Dick wasn’t going to start listening to him about that now.)/cite Hilarious! #siblings!

citeRed Hood Jason and 15-year-old Jason swap timelines, landing one week before 15-year-old Jason is supposed to die./cite Oh my heart!

Jesper finally sees Kaz's hands. This is hilarious.

citeWhen Bruce Wayne is in danger and people start wondering why Batman isn't coming to his rescue, Stephanie Brown has a plan just crazy enough to work./cite I love Steph and Jason being friends and working on their relationship with Bruce together. 3

Really fantastic look at Inej - and Kaz - in her first year as captain of the Wraith. #i'm not crying you're crying

Snippets of Grace and Frankie piecing their lives back together, together. Oh heart.

citeHe's been going about it the wrong way. Or, what if Halbrand took Galadriel with him?/cite This is so good with the tension between them and Halbrand's rationalizations.

citeInej acquires a rather valuable political prisoner. Kaz acquires a burning hatred for him./cite This is a fun outsider POV (mostly) on Kaz and Inej.

citeShe knew that he was spending this holiday alone. As they all were. Seeing Oliver looking almost deflated at Charles’ rebuke of this latest idea, she knew that this wasn’t about ratings or staying relevant or the thing that had brought them together in the first place. It was about keeping them together now instead of having to let go of yet something else./cite Oh heart.

citeNothing lasted forever. That was why Mabel would never see the point of marking milestones. Wasn’t the constant flux of the surrounding world enough of a reminder that time was passing? Did anyone really need a card with a kitten and a punny greeting to drive home that they were another year older? Or a cake with candles, more and more of them as the years passed until it was more fire hazard than celebration? Mabel certainly didn’t need anyone wishing her happy birthday as a reminder of anything. Her phone rang. Not that people didn’t insist on doing it anyway./cite Oh Mabel, oh heart.

citeYarrow finds a lost creature in a storm./cite This is funny and sweet and warm in the way of the books. 3

citeMace Windu has traveled the galaxy since the fall of the Republic, keeping out of the Empire's sight and teaching where he can. Upon the request of a ghost of an old friend, Mace finds himself instructing Luke Skywalker, who is still reeling from the truth of Vader's identity./cite this is a really neat look at Luke through Mace's eyes.

cite“Roy?” Keeley says, frowning at him from the screen of his phone, “Did you marry my ex-boyfriend last night? Without me?”/cite Hot and sweet and fun!

citeSpec ops is like any other world. Hang around for long enough, and it has a culture, fucked up as it may be, and it has stories. Some of them are about ghosts./cite Jake Jensen runs into Joe and Nicky. Oh heart.

cite"No, I've beat around the bush enough, I'm just going to come out and say it. You should accept the coronation, and at the same time announce that you are happy to announce a political union with the Coal Hills Mine, and you are marrying the daughter of their respected engineer, Jolly Littlebottom. Which is, um, me." Carrot ran through that plan a few times, before he was confident he got the relevant details. "Marry…you?"/cite Carrot and Cheery get fake engaged and it leads to real feelings. Oh heart.

citeNile’s world is upended. But she doesn’t lose family. Not all the way./cite This is a really nice look at Nile settling into the team and coming to grips with her new life.

cite“Inej,” Marya started, placing her cup and saucer down carefully on the side table. “I wonder if you would consider sitting for a portrait for me. Have you ever had your likeness taken before?” “I... no, I haven't,” she said, heart fluttering at being paid such a high compliment. Having a portrait of herself had never even crossed her mind. She knew that the process took time and effort and usually a lot of money. It was a frivolous thing that the wealthy and important would commission to line the walls of their grand staircases so they could watch over their future generations. Paintings were not for someone like her. “I wonder...” Marya began, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Do you think we could convince Kaz to join you?”/cite This is really lovely. (It's marked 1/2 but it appears to be complete)

Or: Alfred & Bruce throughout the years./cite Exactly what it says on the tin. #i'm not crying you're crying

citeBetween 2004 and 2023 Saira loses a sister, starts a band, gets and regrets a social media presence, breaks up the band and puts it together again, writes her first love song, headlines(ish) a music festival, listens to the worst song in the world over four hundred times, and falls in love for real. But this story is not about that. This is about music./cite This is a really excellent look at Saira and the band, and a wonderful slow burn romance between her and Amina (so much pining!). highly recommended.