recs and links

The party don't stop, no. *draws ALL the hearts around this vid*

Lovely, meditative look at Toph as she helps rebuild the Earth Kingdom after the war.

Mai learns some of the subtler, less enjoyable responsibilities that go along with being the Fire Lady. Nicely done. "Mother, I put up with being a pawn for Father's career, but I am not going to do it for everyone else as well." Her mother gave her a quelling glance and held the earring box out to her. "Mai, don't you understand? This is power. Do you think I've been taking you with me to meet with all the families of consequence in Caldera so that you could enjoy the free pastries?" Mai blinked. "I thought...I thought you were just...gossiping."

The first time they met another air bender, the earth whispered under Toph's feet. Her feet stuttered still while she wondered what it meant, and then she realized it was Aang's heart, pulsing joy to the rock beneath them. Lovely, achy story of Aang and Toph traveling together after the war is over, and finding a home in each other.

Jim Gordon, remaking his family. Jim Gordon wanted his brother's wife, once. It was years ago and he moved away and she's dead now but he remembers the way her hair shone red against her bridal white that day when he was fresh back from the service in his uniform. She smiled at him, and kissed his cheek, and he was lost. He lost more, later: his brother, a friend, a hometown he can't visit or even think of without feeling sadness and a deeper shame. He gained something else when Roger and Thelma died, the night Roger drove drunk into the path of an oncoming semi. He's wanted his daughter in his life for fourteen years. She calls him "Uncle Jim." Jim's thankful for what he has. *sniffle*

"Love is a very powerful emotion. Real love--like your mother's love for you, or yours for her--is the finest feeling. But it comes at a cost: the price we pay for that joy is the pain we feel when we are separated from the people we love. "It is a hard lesson to learn when you are young," he continues, more softly, "but better to learn it now than when you are an old man like your uncle." Zuko stands and begins to pace around the edge of the pond. "I know it hurts. Everyone knows that. But knowing it doesn't help anything." "You are right, Prince Zuko. But I'm afraid I don't have any better wisdom to offer you in this situation." "It's okay," he says, "I didn't really expect any." The beginning of Iroh and Zuko's beautiful friendship. *sniffle*

Sulu takes up knitting, which slowly drives Kirk crazy. Adorable and hilarious. I love stories where people are unexpected knitters and this is a gem of the genre.

Utterly lovely Astrid/Olivia.

Hee! I love inventor Sokka and his belief in science and this story is so perfectly in character. *heart*

McCoy decides to stop pining and make some other friends. Kirk is oblivious until he's not. Aw, boys. *heart*

Really nice look at the Royal Family and Mai through Piandao's eyes.

"Write a book people will read,” CJ tells him. “Not likely,” Toby says. “People used to listen to your speeches.” “Because I didn’t deliver them.” [...] “And how do you propose I start?” he asks, clearly too tired to argue. “Use your words,” CJ says. “They are no more or less beautiful if you direct them to our children. You’re not saying you care less if you speak in public libraries or college campuses or shitty bookstores.” Beautiful story about CJ and Toby keeping in touch after the series. Have tissues handy.

FOR ME.

discussion of the difference between instant, active dry and fresh yeast and a conversion chart

SPN in the format of A Softer World. The one with weaponized manpain. *dies of glee*

“Come on,” Clark said. “Fetch me another setting, would you, dear?” Ma said. “I can't stay,” Batman said. “Sure, Ma!” Clark got Batman a mug, plate, and silver, and Ma poured the coffee and served everyone up a piece of apple pie for breakfast. Clark and J'onn sat down. Batman lurked. The perfect coda to "Comfort and Joy." Batman shows up at the farm, and even he can't resist Ma and Pa Kent. ♥

“Why is it,” Wendy says, trying to find the power button to switch it off, “that no matter where you go, even the far reaches of the galaxy, somehow, a society will find a way to make really annoying pop music?” He gives her one of those smiles she sometimes finds patronizing. “The universe works in mysterious ways, Dubbie.” Wendy and the Middleman get trapped in a warehouse by zombies (they're actually aliens, but whatever, they're totally zombies), and they do it! Wendy and the Middleman, I mean. Not the zombies. That would be gross. Adorable and hot, with a great Wendy voice.

Azula, afterwards, slowly finding a way to live in the world. The wings are small, but I know, suddenly, that dragons don't fly by wings. Those are only for direction. Dragons fly by existing. Dragons fly because fire leaps at the sky.

"You're staring at Agent Dunham," he says, slowly, enunciating too carefully. "I'm not." "Are too," he says, singsonging like they're on the playground together. She swats him in the arm, more gently than she'd like to. "Quit it, Castle. I'm not staring. I just want to know why they're so interested in this case." He arches his eyebrow and tents his fingertips under his chin. It looks ridiculous; he's clearly going for some kind of theatrical detective vibe. "You're totally staring," he says, putting on an accent that he probably thinks is British. "But why? Jealous of their cool FBI skills? Concerned that the murderer might be an undiscovered form of extraterrestrial life? Evil genius?" She stares at him, nonplussed. He gets the point. "If I didn't know better," he mutters, moving out of Beckett's personal space. "I'd say you had a crush. Beckett and Dunham, being hot and awesome together. Yes, please.

Ridiculously hot boys being hot and ridiculous. Jason is letting him hold him down and is obviously getting off on it. Dick wonders if this is a Robin thing; did Jason always have a thing for it too, or is it a natural result of being Robin? Oh, Dick, that is a question for the ages.

A brief story about one of the many things Olivia has to replace on her return home. Heartbreaking and perfect. She can’t lie in the bed. The sheets are clean now but she can’t lie down there and think of anything else but them. It’s stupid, she knows that. She could ask Peter where she can stand safely in this place, what she can touch; she won’t.

Oh, *Meldrick*.

Really fantastic futurefic where Logan and Veronica meet up again ten years later and take a shot at being friends, and maybe a second (third?) chance at romance. I don't even ship Veronica/Logan and I enjoyed this. The banter is spot on , and Logan actually grew up into a decent human being. "Too hungover to give as good as you get, now I know the apocalypse is nigh." "Can we just go inside, please," he says despairingly. "Where there's less sunshine and fewer flashbulbs, I hear it's a glorious place." "There's going to be organ music," she reminds him, and then she laughs as he groans and follows her to a pew, because she's deeply, impossibly cruel.

Really lovely missing scene where Astrid comforts Olivia after her return.

"Okay, but why me? They rescued almost four thousand people from Tarsus." Pike gives him a look like he's being particularly slow. "Try not to take this the wrong way, but of those four thousand people, some of them are dead, and most of the rest of them are boring. Seif is a poet, and Munroe has actually done some very interesting work on enriching dilithium that most of the viewing audience isn't going to understand, and then there's you. You saved the Federation. It means your name springs to mind." "What am I supposed to say to that?" Jim says. "That's up to you," Pike says. "I trust you to handle this. I just didn't want it to come as a surprise." Melancholy story of Kirk dealing with the anniversary of Tarsus IV, and how his crew makes it easier for him.

Once, when Sam was a kid, he’d gotten this cockeyed notion for them to send postcards to themselves, to the P.O. boxes so that when they’d get there, they’d have these postcards; Dean always figured Sam pictured it like cartoon mail, piles of postcards spilling out to bury their ankles. He remembers Sam talking a mile a minute, not stopping to breathe, notes from the past, Dean, to our future selves living in another state, and Sam made it sound like a country song, my cares on the wind, rollin’ on down the highway, nothin’ but the clothes on my back, and a flip of the coin makes my decisions. One more silver dollar. Sam and Dean and the road, making it all fit together, sometime in season 2.

“One of these days, Dean,” Sam warned. “You think you can get us outta everything?” Dean gave Sam his best trust-me grin and Sam shook his head, probably because he knew better, but he didn't let go of Dean, squeezing Dean’s finger almost painful between Sam's own freakish long ones, so Dean said, “Yeah, Sammy, you've got the brains, I've got the charm and we've got the car. Man, I betcha we could drive through hell itself.” Sam, Dean and the Impala, circa season 1. Oh, boys. *sigh*

Hot, sweet, funny, Danny/Kono.

This is a one-joke story, but that joke is deeply, deeply hilarious. Batman figures out the connection in a series of attacks. Clark is befuddled by his knowledge.