recs and links

Han, Leia, and the five first times there weren’t (plus the one there was). Exactly what it says on the tin. Hot and sweet and achy.

Sensing something wrong with young Ben, Leia takes him to visit her exiled bio-dad in the hopes that he can help. Sharp and painful but hopeful at the end.

Long, plotty, highly enjoyable AU where Luke meets Ezra (now an Inquisitor) and Aphra on Vrogas Vas, and goes with Vader when Vader finds him on the planet. I especially enjoyed the scenes where Vader finds out about Leia, and where Luke and Leia team up to do Force things. Plus Rex and Ahsoka and the Ghost crew have small parts to play, too.

"Miss Fisher," Jack said, unable to force the words out past a hoarse whisper. He made the mistake of looking up, and Miss Fisher's unperturbed gaze pinned him like a rabbit under a hawk. "People are beginning to talk." "Oh really?" she said, pulling Jack's tie out of his collar in a slow slither. "What are they saying?" Jack couldn't look away. "That I'm a kept man." Miss Fisher smiled as she fished the tie out of the box and looped it around Jack's neck. "And are you?" Jack's mouth was dry. "If you'll keep me." Phryne likes to buy Jack gifts. Jack likes to wear them. This is super hot even though nothing untoward happens.

Soft and lovely story of the beginning of Frank and Roberta's friendship.

before and after pics of the apartment

Exactly what it says on the tin. Hee!

Once upon a time, Katara and Sokka did not discover the Avatar trapped in an iceberg. Ten years later, the Fire Nation rules a world on the edge of destruction. But all hope is not lost... Really well done AtLA/SW fusion.

Really nice LoK/TFA fusion with Asami as Finn, helping Mako escape from the Equalists and finding the map to Master Katara (and, in the process, an Avatar stuck in the desert).

“You know what the reward is for a job well done?” she asks as he settles back in his seat. He snorts at the familiar question. “A harder job.” “Yes,” she says. “And when you’re the leader, it’s the reward for a job poorly done as well. Because the only other option is to step aside and pray someone else takes care of it.” She looks at him. “Could you do that?” He sighs. “And you’re absolutely sure we just can’t blow everything up?” She gives him a very speaking look. Poe and Leia discuss his choices in the aftermath.

AU of the author's ongoing Leia time travel story, in which TFA-era Luke is also back in the ANH-era in his 19yo body, and he gets to reveal himself to Vader. Brief but excellent Skywalker Family Drama ensues.

In which Bucky Barnes emerges from cryofreeze, gets therapy, buys a house, some chickens and a few horses, and finds himself under the care of a few capable women and one capable girl; and in which Steve Rogers comes home. This is really lovely - quiet and melancholy and achy and hopeful all at once.

In which Alfred appears on the Great British Bakeoff. Delightful!

Long, complicated, plotty story of Jason slowly coming back to Gotham, and coming home to the Batfamily. Lots of good Batfam interaction, plus, Jason Todd: orphan collector. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. And the adorable sequel: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12766956 ParentHood

Peter and Bucky end up roommates at ESU when Bucky goes back to school. The author calls this an odd couple buddy tragicomedy and they're not wrong. Oh Bucky. Oh Peter.

"How are you this consistently awful at calming me down? How come it keeps working?" "Sam has a theory that it stimulates the frustrated mother hen response in you," Steve told the ceiling. "Oh my god, Rogers," Bucky said, laughter taking on a tight note, rubbing his face and pulling his hair back a little more firmly than he might have in other circumstances. "You are a mess." Steve had his eyes closed, but his mouth curled slightly. “Your mess. I don’t know why you put up with me.” “Yes, you do,” Bucky huffed, closing his eyes tightly, and opened them again. Bucky gets amnesia again. Tony tries to fix it. Steve is of no help whatsoever and Natasha is silently judging them all. I laughed out loud more times than I can count while reading this.

Each member of Team Cockroach tries to seduce Michael. Hilarity ensues.

Amilyn used to say that there are leaders and there are heroes, and they are rarely the same. But even Amilyn had gotten to go out as a hero in the end. Han, Amilyn, Luke, dozens of others. Leia is the last one left. My turn, Leia thinks, watching Crait shrink in the distance behind them as the last remnants of the Resistance escape to hyperspace; when will it be my turn? Always the leader, never the hero. Always the survivor. Never the one who at last gets to set aside the fight. Hold the line, she tells herself. Just keep holding the line. She always does. ♥Leia♥ GROSS SOBBING.

Every time Eleanor and Chidi try to have sex, they get interrupted. This is sweet and hot and funny.

Spare, sharp, heartbreaking look at Leia over the years.

Sweet Kes/Shara.

Great look at Guleed. I love her so much!

Chidi and Eleanor talk themselves into admitting their feelings. Sort of. Oh heart.

Hilarious user manual for Janet.

This is a really great post-s1 story in which Time Team saves each other and, hopefully, the timestream, but which also does a great job with the individual relationships - Lucy and Rufus, Rufus and Wyatt, and of course, Lucy/Wyatt. I enjoyed it a lot.

After years away, Inej returns to Ketterdam. To Kaz. Lovely and melancholy.

D'avin gets de-aged into an infant and Dutch and Johnny have to take care of him. Aw.

Strike and Robin go undercover as a couple for a case and then Matthew shows up and almost ruins everything. I enjoyed this.

Excellent post-canon story that really gets the weirdness of Trista's situation, and the knotty dynamics between her and Pen and Triss and Violet. Lovely.

Lacey's stuck in a time loop. Luckily, Wendy knows how to help! Oh heart.