#over 25k

[chokopoppo]

Fandom: Band of Brothers (TV 2001) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lynn "Buck" Compton/Donald Malarkey Additional Tags: Post-War, Character Study, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Substance Abuse, Sharing a Bed, Compulsory Heterosexuality

So, they move to New York.

At the time, it feels much more complicated than that. At the time, they spend dinner talking about what it really means to move, to live together, and how long the train ride is, and how light you have to pack. And the expense, and what it costs to get an apartment, and to furnish an apartment, since you can’t take your furniture with you.

At the time, they don’t have the big picture, which is that the two of them, together, are no longer alone. They don’t understand, in 1947, that the complexity and the details that fit around this fact are semantics.

[fellow-travelers-fic-recs]

Fellow Travelers Fic Recs | Featured Fic: Feb 2024

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps It's Real by drabbleswabbles

NR | 34K | Hawk/Tim | Fix-It | Time Travel | Hurt/Comfort | Fluff

And then it happened. The metallic screech of the gate, the shuffle of men stepping out beyond the prison walls. And suddenly there he was. His hair was shorter than he’d ever seen it. And his glasses were different. But it was him. Their eyes met. Tim stared at him in wide-eyed shock before recognition melted his features into a confused outrage.

Basically a fix-it in which Hawk finds himself back in the early 70s.

✨✨✨ ✨

Reeling collectively as a fandom after that last kiss at the gala, and ‘make it easy on me…’, we search for ways to fill the Hawk & Tim sized void. This fic is that balm for your broken heart; a canon divergent universe to get lost in forever. I was never more thrilled for an email notification for a new chapter, and equally devastated when the last one came. This fic will be one that I rec to outsiders looking for a way to dive into the fandom, or to others as my go-to favorite: always top of list and top of mind.

It’s a feel-good divergence that gives our boys the happy ending they deserve, but more than that, the pacing, characterization and poetic prose are just truly beautiful. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s first work for this fandom. So, be sure to give it a read, tell a friend and share your abundant love by way of comments and kudos with the author. Happy reading!

[cynamonowo]

ok quick poll for fanfic readers:

what's your preferred length of a single chapter in a work in terms of wordcount?

less than 1k words

1k - 3k

3k to 5k

5k to 10k

10-15k

over 15k

Voting ended onSep 9, 2023

[dragonageficrecs]

Ship rec list: Fenris/Hawke, Canon and Canon AU

So this list was getting too long as there are a LOT of Fenris/Hawke fics; survey shows that it's the most popular DA2 romance. These are some of the fics I've enjoyed but I am definitely working on more FenHawke lists! Asterisks mark fics I've re-read in part or whole.

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WC <10k

Mrs. Teanettle & Friends* by jenny_of_oldstones. Gen, Fluff, Angst. Refreshing premise. Separate fic rec post here.

like the leaves after a long winter by JadeLavellan (Jadestone). F!Hawke. Breathtaking and atmospheric. Deals with the fallout after All That Remains.

The Smell of Desperation* by vivisextion. M!Hawke. Hold my beer! Humorous fic. Kirkwall gang shenanigans is strong in this one.

Not a Compromise* by firjii. Touch-starved Fenris, F!Hawke. An ex-slave re-learns touch as something that is gentle, as something that is given and not taken. My heart ached for Fenris.

Jealousy by astolat, sequel to The Rest of His Armor. When I saw the author for this fic I almost screamed with joy; Astolat's written some really good M/M fics in other fandoms. The turning point in the fic hinges on an ephemeral glimpse into Fenris' perception of his own personhood. DLC Mark of the Assassin spoilers.

that I ever did see by seventhswan. Oblivious!Fenris and Pining M!Hawke. Hawke gets Fenris a ring.

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WC 10-25k

Lateral Valence* by glisteningceruleaneyes. Fenris learns how to read, and how to make a home. Nonbinary Hawke, Trans Fenris. Separate fic rec post here.

A Little Bit of Ink by abstractconcept. M!Hawke. A light, funny fic. Good thing Hawke's not branching out into writing, romance or otherwise, because his love letter writing is truly awful.

Were We Not Called* by loquaciousquark. F!Hawke. Soulmate-identifying mark fic, explored in SUCH a satisfying manner because Fenris' given name is Leto and he can't read! Ugh it's like the game hand-delivers the premise! Mutual Pining, Romance.

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WC 25-50k

Did I Hear by MinionRipley. A fic exists to highlight Fenris' absolutely delectable voice. It is this fic. F!Hawke swoons.

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WC >50k

Worth Life* by loquaciousquark. F!Hawke. Mutual pining, reunion. Separate fic rec post here.

I Remain at Your Side* by Lourdes23. F!Hawke. Launches right after fleeing Kirkwall. Angst, depression, pregnancy. History of Anders/F!Hawke. Fenris' loyalty and thoughtfulness really shows.

By The Still Waters* by orphan_account. M!Hawke, DAI spoilers, mutual pining, reunion. Very strong character voices, including Varric, Merrill, Solas, and Lavellan. Separate fic rec post here.

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Bonus! WC >100k!

A Tangled Web by monkeycat. I do like the premise, that Hawke has learned to fight with daggers and not her magic.

Fire, Walk with Me by Khirsah. The fic that launched the Voice!Verse iirc. A good, long read if you're looking to be whisked away. M!Hawke wins a gold medal for pining in this fic.

October and April* by Roarkshop. F!Hawke. Separate fic rec post here. Was also rec'ed on r/dragonagefanworks.

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[lets-scream-about-fanfiction]

Qué Syrah Syrah by LoudLucy

summary: Asahi wants to be a Master Sommelier. It's the highest honor in wine service, and the certification would allow him to live the life he's always envisioned for himself. Too bad the certification test is notorious for being the world's most difficult.Most people fail their first time taking the exam, and Asahi is no exception, but he has more difficulty than most dusting himself off and getting back on his feet. Enter Nishinoya, a young man who shares his same dream, and who believes in their goals so fiercely it forces Asahi to embark on a delicious and sensuous journey of viticulture and validation.AKA The Wine Tasting AU that literally no one even knew to ask for. NOTE You Do Not Need to Know About Wine to Understand This Fic!

thought: I honestly couldn’t believe I hadn’t recced this before because I’ve definitely read this more than once! It gives a great look at how Asahi and Noya are always supporting each other, just in a context other than volleyball. It’s a really dynamic and terrific story and if you like wine ( I don’t really, I don’t really drink) Then you can learn a lot about tasting and such from here too! 

[dragonageficrecs]

A Man's Word is His Bond

Title: A Man's Word is His Bond

Author: howlsmovinglibrary

Rating: Mature

Words: 35,128 – Finished

Spoilers for: DAO

Admin’s assessment: 5/5

Admin L’s notes:

Soulmate name trope done so well. I was also delighted to read about a Warden who isn't the typical Barbie-slim attractive-to-everybody Warden that, arguably, DAO encourages you to create and imagine. Instead, this Warden is indeed a nerd who has excelled in studies in the Circle Tower, but carries quite a complex about her body shape. I adored Zevran's voice and felt for his frustration. The narrative also made it believable that Zevran would find competence very, very sexy.

Summary:

The Antivan Crows burned away Zevran’s soulmark long before he was old enough to read it.

What Zevran didn’t realise - until much later - was that the Crows did not invent this technique. It was a practice originally cultivated by the Circles. Mages had their soulmates erased, lest the connection make them yearn too much for the world outside tower walls.

--

A soulmates AU featuring a disaster bisexual hot assassin boi, and his hypercompetent nerd wife (who is bad at feelings).

[dragonageficrecs]

Fic Rec: The Fortress of Highever

Title: The Fortress of Highever

Author: howlsmovinglibrary

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Words: 36,265 – Finished

Spoilers for: DAO

Admin L’s notes:

Alistair/Warden, Alistair/Female Cousland. Alistair is the best emotional support himbo. Pretend relationship, friends to lovers. Author tags are entertaining and accurate.

I absolutely adore the dialogue and the use of dramatic irony in this fic. Tension flows in the snappy banter between Alistair and Cousland, and between them and everyone else. Throughout the fic, the reader becomes familiar with Cousland's prickly demeanor that belies the character's biased understanding of herself as deserving of love. Cousland's demisexuality, and Alistair's acceptance of it as a welcome part of her, warmed my heart.

This fic is also part of the Alistair/Warden Canon and Canon AU ship rec list.

Summary:

Ismene Cousland knows that the only way Alistair can win the throne is with her help. But after finally escaping the confines of her noblewoman’s life, is marrying him to guarantee his success at the Landsmeet a sacrifice she’s willing to make?

Particularly when she knows that, no matter how she feels, their union will never be anything more than a marriage of political convenience.

--

Arranged marriage AU, slight canon divergence, an angry Cousland with extreme first world problems.

[dragonageficrecs]

for who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being

Title: for who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being

Author: angel_deux

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Words: 37,142 – Finished

Spoilers for: DA2, DAI including Trespasser

Admin’s assessment: 5/5

Admin L’s notes:

Definitive Hawke/Anders redemption fic and therefore is pro-mage, pro-Anders. Secondary pairings are Cullen/Inquisitor and Alistair/Warden. After fleeing Kirkwall, Anders is made Tranquil.

The narrative deftly layers so many conflicts-- Hawke, torn between the city and the man she loves and the guilt she feels involving her failure to save both; Anders, reclaiming his identity while surrounded by those who regard him as more symbol than man; members of the Inquisition and their attempt to cope with the Rite of Tranquility-- in a richly plotted tale. Other characters including Dorian, Cassandra and Cullen shine here with glimmers of humor, and the story does not shy away from heavier discussions regarding consent and justice. I especially appreciated the due justice done to Cullen's arc, having played both DA2 and DAI. Above all, it is a tale about love in its various forms, with the heroes of the three DA stories and their romances. It is no wonder that it is a story I keep coming back to.

Mutual Pining, Reunion, hurt/comfort. The title is a quote from Paradise Lost.

Summary:

Not long after fleeing Kirkwall together, Anders and Hawke are separated. Anders is captured and made Tranquil, and is afterward handed over to Hawke by a sympathetic Cullen, who assumes she will kill him. Years later, when Hawke shows up to help the Inquisition with Anders still in tow, claiming that his continued presence is a penance for them both, Cullen finds himself in a better position to understand her. Which might be why he agrees to let Cassandra and the Inquisitor use Anders as a test subject when they discover a way to reverse the rite and restore the mind and magic of the man who sparked the rebellion.