It’s done! Ahh I’m already missing this recs week. It was challenging but super fun and rewarding. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did! As usual, here’s the masterlist that is now linked on my pinned/bio post. Thank you guys for your amazing support, enthusiasm and feedback - a special shout-out to @uphorie for giving me this idea and to @tackytigerfic for always helping me pick banners and providing reassurance through anxiety times lol. Happy readings!
I’m participating in the Phanfic Finder Fest and I’ve stumbled upon some absolutely awesome fics that deserve so much love! Go read and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
(i’m putting this under a read more because this post got long)
FT. DAN’S FAMILY
home is where the wifi connects automatically - by @oqua12 (ao3) (tumblr)
G, 8k
Summary:
The wifi at Dan's parents' house is utter crap, which is definitely why he's always so miserable when he visits his family for Christmas. Because of the wifi.
(Or at least, that's what he chooses to tell himself.)
My thoughts:
oof. i don’t even know where to begin.... there’s so much to unpack with this fic. on the surface there’s dan missing phil at christmas, and then there’s difficult family relationships and how people can hurt each other without actually realising nor meaning to and there’s love and thoughts of a better future and goddamn, this fic is beautiful.
HISTORICAL AU
Renegade - by @awesomesockes (tumblr)
M (beware of mcd - it’s not mentioned in the masterpost), 20+k
Summary:
It’s World War 2. Phil, a young German soldier, is stationed in Denmark. There he meets Dan - a rebellious Danish school boy who is intent on making his job hell. But before long, they realise they have more in common than they’d have thought. How do you hide a friendship when you come from two different sides of a war?
My thoughts:
HOLY SHIT. i read this months ago but it still makes me tear up when i think about it - and yes, i still think about it. because this fic is everything. it’s so heartbreakingly beautiful, full of longing and love and loss and the consequences of war... just... yeah, it’s a beautiful experience to read this fic.
FIC BETWEEN 1-5K
Marigold and Rosemary - by @esnesnonibila (ao3)
G, 3.6k
Summary:
Phil’s a strange child. His first word is ‘why’. He doesn’t speak much and cries a lot and never smiles. His parents take him to doctor after doctor who say that, despite that he’s intelligent for his age, there’s nothing wrong with him. Nigel gives his son fat plastic toy soldiers to wave about in his chubby hands and put into his mouth. Instead, Phil makes a stage out of a baby blanket and has two of the little men carefully hop around it; lines up the rest in rows as an audience and then knocks them over when he’s finished, his face crumpling.
My thoughts:
this fic... this. fic. y’all. I lovelovelove it and it’ll forever sit within my heart with such a bittersweet feeling. There’s so much to talk about with this fic; from parenthood and how difficult that can be, to childhood and growing up different from everyone else, to love and friendship and the beauty of it all. The writing is phenomenal - every word fitting together like puzzle pieces in this intricate and wonderful little universe.
TV SHOW PLOT AU
Stirring In Love - by @andthenshesaid-write (ao3) (tumblr)
T, 72k
Summary:
When Phil applied to be a contestant on the Great British Bake Off he didn't even expect to make the long-list, let alone make it into the actual tent. But make it he does and there he meets Dan, a baker unlike Phil in every possible way. After a rocky start, Phil realises that maybe he can learn some things from Dan after all, and the biggest things have nothing to do with baking.
My thoughts:
i still find myself thinking about this long after having finished it. the writing is captivating and beautiful and it’s such a fun and sweet slow burn fic about baking, rivalry, cakes (so many good cakes!!), and falling in love. yeah, i’m not doing this justice, but trust me when i say that this is a brilliant, brilliant fic and you should definitely read this!! it’s a classic.
WET DREAM
make me dream of you - by @capriciouscrab (ao3)
E, 1.5k
Summary:
He nudges at Phil's mind, creating the link that allows them to share thoughts and feelings with each other. Dan senses him opening up and gasps, the feeling just as erotic as when he slides himself inside Phil's willing body. They drift together now in this shared dream, breathless with excitement.
My thoughts:
this fic is built on such a unique concept and i love it so much, i could read thousands of more words in this universe!! it’s hot and sexy and warm and so full of love. it may be a bit of an unconventional take on a wet dream but as soon as i read this fic i knew i had to rec it! so well written and so good.
MARIO KART
Waiting Room - by meandmybrokenfeels (ao3)
G (beware of descriptions of injuries and such), 1k
Summary:
Prompt: a toddler broke your nose and I may or may not have snapped my thumb during a very intense game of Mario Kart and now we’re both sitting next to each other in the hospital waiting room
My thoughts:
this is an older fic but it’s such a fun and easy read. their banter is so very them and i how they’re both immediately connecting and teasing and it’s just... a little delightful gem of a fic.
SIXTY-NINE
in and out - by @iihappydaysii (ao3)
E, 1k
Summary:
Sex. It's one of the three things in life that make Dan happy.
My thoughts:
ashley is hella great and y’all probably know that but the way he managed to make sex like this so sweet and tender and loving is just amazing. this fic is about so much more than the hot sex and the characterization is just... spot on. it’s such a warm and hopeful and happy fic.
FT. MARTYN AND CORNELIA
go follow your gem - by @phanetixs (ao3) (tumblr)
T, 4.8k
Summary:
“B-but,” Kathryn spluttered. “You don’t? That’s not, that’s not...but you’re a woman.”The boys winced and Martyn looked close to an argument, hilariously enough, and all Cornelia felt was sadness that her gender was reduced to this, to a single-minded archaic Purpose.
Or, Cornelia decides not to have children.
My thoughts:
this fic handles such a delicate topic so wonderfully and carefully and i’m in love with the writing, it’s absolutely gorgeous. oh, and this quote is amazing:
“I’m proud of you,” she told him.
“What for?” Dan replied, turning his face towards her, smushing his cheek into the back of the sofa. He looked so young like this, and it’s altogether too easy to forget how much he’s been through, how much he’s had to fight.
“For being you. I think a lot of the time that’s the hardest to achieve.”
HOOK UP APP
best kept secret - by @alittledizzy (ao3) (tumblr)
M, 8k
Summary:
Bryony wants to introduce Dan to her friend Phil... the same guy Dan may already be dating.
My thoughts:
i love the focus on dan and bryony’s friendship and how the story flows with them. mandy’s a master and her way of writing feels so easy but important anyway and yeah... this fic is amazing!
FT. FANTASTIC FOURSOME
A Whisper of the Heart - by @pseudophan (ao3) (tumblr)
T, 4k
Summary:
Dan spends a little too much time in the school library, and one day he notices that all his books have previously been taken out by the same boy.
My thoughts:
such a fun read - a high school au with on-point banter and all the good things! I’ve read it multiple times and it’s still just as good and fun as the first time. (also, @ nora where’s the follow-up fic i need to know Miss Oliver’s reaction)
