Hihihihi what's your fave trope to read and what are your Barson recs?
Ohhhhh. It's actually a little tough to think of specific tropes? I read pretty much anything, so I never really focus on tropes in particular.
I love a good Rivals to Lovers or Enemies to Lovers. I like tension and angst and pining. A Jealous! character too, though I don't know if that's an actual trope. I do love a Fake Relationship trope too, those are always fun!
But mostly any trope can work for me as long as it's well written and the characterisations feel true to character.
Barson recs under the cut! All on AO3. I'm so sorry if I'm reccing any fics you've already read but these are some of my faves. The list also got longer than I intended, whoops! Also, I'd encourage you to check out the writers other fics too if they have them. There's a lot of good stuff around, this is just a list of some of my favourites.
Okay, I'm so sorry but I'm starting y'all off with a heartbreaking one. That I may have inspired and absolutely loved. It does involve Major Character Death.
at your best, you were love by twentyfive_acts
By the same writer, it's a bit of a slow burn and it's only 4 chapters right now but still a great read! Honestly, any fic by twentyfive_acts I recommend. Warning: the first chapter does involve some 🤢Benson/Stabler🤮
Unlove You by twentyfive_acts
The next one is a fun, light-hearted AU of season 22 involving a Fake Relationship between Olivia and Barba. It's a nice contrast to most of the angst that comes out of the Barson fandom. Also just really enjoy most of what praxidikai has written for Barson.
Wicked Game by praxidikai
A complete AU and more pre-Barson than Barson but absolutely devastatingly emotional and poignant. Also wonderfully well-written. Check the tags and warnings before reading though!
Echoes of the Act by KelpieLurks & MargoBlack
A fun and sexy Five Times fic in essence! There's only 3 chapters of 7 so far but it's so, so funny and it's another by MargoBlack who is a fantastic writer! I'd recommend checking out any of their other Barson fics too.
All the Good Things by MargoBlack
The next is a plane crash and survival fic with lots of mutual pining and undertones of love. Barson aren't exactly together but it's still very Barson.
Sky Above, Ground Below by iridiumflower
Anything by adrianna_m_scovill is Barson gold in my opinion. Set during the show and is essentially a baby!fic. I love a surprise baby/child in fics and this one is a brilliant one.
Making a Family by adrianna_m_scovill
This one may not be to your liking since it's a crossover with Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. It's very fun and slightly angsty Barson fic. But seriously, read pretty much anything by adrianna_m_scovill.
About Time by adrianna_m_scovill
One of the very first fics I ever read of Barson and it was so good and so beautifully well-written. It's a Barson slow-burn and one of the best in my opinion. I would suggest checking the tags and warnings though.
A Hand On Your Face In The Dark by rosehips
Another by rosehips. It's an Established angsty Barson fic but is unfortunately unfinished and will remain so. But it's still very, very much worth the read! Once again, check the tags and warnings.
Reasonable Doubt by rosehips
Long and hilarious Marriage of Convenience fic with kids! Pining galore! I think about this one so often and reread it cause it makes me giggle. Great appearances by Rita Calhoun too if you're a fan.
light becomes what it touches by awkwardspiritanimals
Another by awkwardspiritanimals. Long oneshot about a truth spell that wreaks havoc on Barba and Benson. It's delightful but also a little sad in my opinion. Very, very good read though and I kind of love the characterisations in this one.
and we found our song and we found our truth by awkwardspiritanimals
A very fun AU where Barson meet when they're much, much younger. If you like alternate versions of their story, this is definitely a good fic for you. Lewd_Intentions is a very good writer with some really interesting characterisations with a ton of Barson fics.
Wear the Same Crown by Lewd_Intentions
One of my favourite Barson fics I've ever read! A Witness Protection AU set in the timeline of the show complete with angst, mutual pining, slow burn and sex. Just a great all round read!
Broken Compasses by immen_sity
Another by immen_sity! This one is an angsty slow burn Barson cheating fic with a smidge of Tuckson. I honestly love it though and go back to reread it quite often.
Leave No Trace Behind by immen_sity
Another Barba with a child fic (which is like, probably my favourite situation to see him in apparently!) but this one is full of angst and a slow burn. One of the first Barson fics I read. Not complete but one off of finished, so still definitely worth reading. It does deal with Abuse pretty heavily so definitely check the tags and warnings before reading.
you can run (but only so far) by bcofl0ve
An immediate follow-up to 19x13 The Undiscovered Country where Barba doesn't just disappear into the ether without a word. A really, really lovely story about healing and becoming a family. One of my favourites.
The Rediscovered Country by theoofoof
This one is long but very worth it. An AU where Barson meet during 1.0 time and fall in love. It's really, really good. Very human and a little heartbreaking at times but still worth the read.
Inevitable by scintillatingtart
The last is a sort of funny one set during the 1.0 era where Olivia and Barba are married long before Olivia joins SVU and Stabler is an idiot. Very funny if not exactly in character. Not completely finished but still definitely worth the read.
HIM?! Really? by AnneOwl2803
Would it be incredibly self-serving to rec one of my own fics? I'm going to anyway because even though this one isn't tagged Barson, it is absolutely a Barson fic in my soul! Set post season 23 and just complete angst but deals with the unresolved feelings between Olivia and Rafael, in a fashion.
Too Close To The Sun by me! LittleTayy
EDITED ADDITION:
Apparently the underlying theme here is Barba with a Baby which really shouldn't be a surprise for anyone that knows me. Haha. I apparently enjoy that trope so much I've contributed to it. I'm surprised this list isn't all just Barba with a Baby fics tbh.
This one is another fun one that features baby daddy Barba, jealous Olivia and a history with Rita Calhoun. Not finished but still very worth the read in my opinion!
Realising that as much as I want to write right now I do not have the capacity to focus on it.....damn. Just know I'm thinking about it though! It's percolating!
unfortunate truth of reality is that oftentimes 15 year olds will say/do/believe some stupid bullshit because they are 15 but telling them that they believe that because they are 15 is probably the most counterproductive thing in the entire universe
When you are posting on tumblr, do not add your commentary to the text of the post, in case others disagree with you and the original poster may come and say to you, "Make your own post," and then you will be in disgrace. But when you post, add your commentary to the tags, so that when the original poster sees them, they may say to you, ‘Friend, do not hide this in the tags'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who blog with you.
this girl was showing all the signs of being a secret mermaid so i pushed her into the pool and she turned into a forty foot long mosasaurus which is tbh way cooler
for those of you asking why i pushed her into the pool in the first place: i work for a duplicitous small town aquarium and i'm trying to kidnap mermaids to jump through hoops and shit to entertain tourists and make money. fucking obviously. now that i know she's actually a mosasaurus though i Have fallen in pure-hearted love with her
There are many people who don’t share this sentiment, but I have an appreciation for when a fanfic is so separated from canon that it could’ve easily been its own original novel, and yet the author was only ever going to put that much energy into it if their favourite characters got to be there
I think there’s a difference between “the author stripped the media of everything it had to replace it with something easy” and “the author thought up a concept they really really like and are bestowing it upon the character like a medal”
Well, I was having a conversation with another SVU and Barson fan and came to the conclusion that Olivia isn't and wasn't that interested in Barba as a person in canon. Like, at all.
She only knew private or personal things about him when he offered them up or when his personal life somehow intersected with a case. She pretty much never asked him anything about himself or his life of her own volition.
We know Barba talked to his mother about her. Barba was the one that always initiated the more friendly aspects of their relationship - asking her to drinks/dinners. And Olivia's track record of keeping and maintaining friendships with people once they stop working with her is bad. So it's reasonable to assume that they only stayed in contact after Barba left because Barba was the one to reach out to her.
Plus, the most damning. She spent 12 years heavily invested in the Bald Dickhead's life and wanting to know things and being apart of his family..... She didn't do that with anyone else in her life - not to the extent she did with the Dickhead. Not to mention she so easily and readily puts Baldy above everyone else in her life - everyone else's friendship be damned.
Ergo, I've come to believe Canon Olivia really didn't care about Barba all that much and that conclusion makes it really hard to even want to write any of my Barson fics because they are predominately about how much Olivia and Barba care for each other.... And I just don't believe that's true anymore.
So, I really don't know when I'm going to be in the mood to write for my Barson fics. I don't think it'll be any time soon unfortunately.
