2018 Sheith Fic Rec Post Pt. 1
This is the first installment of several rec posts I’m planning to make in conjunction with the new year and with @sheithfictioncatalogue’s reclist/follower celebration! I keep a spreadsheet of fic I read in a year, and I read over 500 last year alone (I read fast, and I have a commute). So, when I went through and looked even for just the fics I’d marked for myself with 5 stars, there were… a lot of them.
I’ve tried to select ones that might be somewhat less widely known, though there are a few classics mixed in. Please note these are based on my taste alone, and thus ymmv! Hopefully you’ll find something new and enjoyable here!
she's cheer captain kissing him under the bleachers | akaiiko, onehornyunicorn | T/E | 4,035 (2 fic series) @akaiikowrites
Falling in love with Keith Kogane hurts. Everyone knows that. But it’s easy to fall in love with her, anyway.
I enjoy trans!keith or nb!keith stories a lot, though I don’t personally headcanon him that way in the actual series, and I’m also a sucker for HS/College AUs, so this little series hits me in a couple good places. That said, this wouldn’t be half as enjoyable if it weren’t so well-written. Keith as a high school ice queen? Shiro as the sweetheart athlete who knows what he wants when he sees her it? It’s delightful, and sweet, and I would read so much more in this verse.
control: see (me) | arcadenemesis | T/E | 20,326 (2 fic series) @copilotsheith
“I just can't believe you found me,” he whispers. It's nothing short of a miracle to Shiro too. When Keith had first changed course unexpectedly, he had been concerned. They were already battling against time to get back to Earth. The last thing he could have ever expected was a gut-wrenching sense of deja vu as Black tenderly collected up a tiny, dying Altean ship, floating in the vacuum of space. Not all the clones perish. A sole survivor threatens to tip the balance of Voltron.
I know in the series Kuron… basically stops existing once Shiro’s put into his body. Or something. But I find stories exploring the clones and their relationships to Shiro himself and the other paladins really fascinating, because there are just so many ways they can go. This one I really love, because Shiro and Keith’s reactions feel very real to me, and the clone becomes a fully realized person, especially in the sequel. The first one stands alone well, the second one is delightfully NSFW, but will also punch you in the gut at the end, so be forewarned.
i told the moon to never let me go | pumpkinless | E | 57,035 @disloyalpunk
Sometimes the best decisions are the most reckless, and Shiro's recklessness is inspired.
I love me some pre-kerberos fic. IDK that I could even tell you why, other than that I like a good origin story, but I do. I also love, love, love established relationship/married fics. This is both of those, and also it’s long, and also it is so full of intelligent emotional writing, and hope, and joy, and grief, and… this is my go-to fic for “I Have Too Many Emotions Right Now And Need Catharsis”. It will fuck you up, and you will thank it for the privilege.
a god big enough for your love | xerampelinae | M | 8,387 @xerampelinaekiss
When the universe was empty, there was only quiet. Then out of nothingness came the first of the Five Gods: the Black Lion, Guardian of the Sky, and the Red Lion, Guardian of Fire. The First God and the Second came together in the great dark and brought forth light.
Who loves a good mythological AU??? raises hand and waves it around So, consider this a blanket rec for all of xerampelinae’s work, because it is all fantastic, and it varies a lot, which is fun as a reader. But this particular Greek Mythology AU/Crossover Thing is particularly wonderful imho. 10/10, do recommend.
laws of the beast | tagteamme | E | 100,871 @phaltu
Under the scorching desert sun, Shiro picks up a hitchhiker who ends up saving his life— and claims to know him.
I can’t write a suspenseful plot to save my life, and I respect the hell out of anyone who can, let alone someone who can sustain one over the length of a novel, plus include gut-twisting emotional scenes, and develop genuine stakes for the characters and readers. This fic is a hell of a ride, and absolutely worth your time. One of my favorite long-fics.
toast the snow that fell | p0rth0s | E | 31,126
Keith leans forward a little further, puts his weight on his arms and kicks his socked feet in the air a few times, like paddling water. “I’ll be your friend, Shiro.”
Shiro pauses where he’s bent over the couch, meets Keith’s gaze dead-on and stares. “Aren’t you generous.”
“I’m so good,” Keith chirps. “So drunk,” Shiro mumbles. He’s not wrong. TL;DR a first meeting, a snow in, a Holt, and two lonely boys
A thing that I think is very hard to find in fics is believable and extended sexual and romantic tension. It’s hard to write! It’s very easy to either fall into tropes or to drag things out too long, or make them too soft (I love soft, but that lessens the edge of the tension usually), or whatever. This fic? Keeps you on tenterhooks. Also, it’s got a real sweet underpinning of found family and excellent Keith&Pidge and Pidge&Shiro friendships, which I always love.
negative spaces | lysapadin | T | 2,294 @lysapadin
What does it mean to be the clone of a man like Takashi Shirogane? Here are some things you don't have: A prosthetic where your right hand and arm should be; a scar crossing the bridge of your nose; any hair that has been stripped of color by quintessence; a patchwork of scars across your skin, the roadmap to your nightmares; any real right to those nightmares.
As far as Shiro!clone fics go, this is probably my favorite. The writing style is experimental, but it really, really works for the story. I love the way it deals with the loss of entities/beings/people that were never known, but were so closely tied, and the accompanying sensations of guilt and sorrow, along with the inevitable identity crises.
and we could touch the sun | miaoujones | T | 3,147 @miaoujones
"Why did you do it?" The tightness in his chest makes Shiro feel short of breath but he pushes on, holding Keith's gaze. "Why did you save me, after." Keith doesn't interrupt him, but Shiro stops there anyhow. His gaze slips from Keith's eyes to his cheek, to the scar burned into his face.
Non-sexual intimacy fics are a rare breed, and even rarer when they’re done well. This is an excellent example of the genre, and I highly recommend it, as well as the rest of this author’s works.
of glass hearts and gold | arcadenemesis | T/M | 31,019 (3 fic series) @copilotsheith
Keith is an up and coming figure skating prodigy with an image problem. Shiro defies traditional belief as the undisputed Champion of his discipline. It's only a matter of time before fate draws them together.
I’m a sucker for a good AU, and this is a Good AU. Keith and Shiro are Olympic Figure Skaters, chasing each other on the ice and around the world. They do (not really a spoiler) get together, but it’s not always easy, and this fic carries an authenticity in their relationship both as competitive teenagers and devoted friends, and eventually as lovers in an adult commitment.
Riftwood | neyasochi | M | 56,128 @neyasochi
In the year since Takashi Shirogane went missing on the trail, national park ranger Keith has spent all the time he can spare searching the rugged terrain for his boyfriend. But Shiro’s sudden return one summer night brings as much uncertainty as it does relief— amid dark discoveries deep in the woods, Keith finds himself questioning just how deeply Shiro changed during his lost year.
I do not do horror. Do. Not. Do Horror. Which means I genuinely have no idea how or why I started reading this - I think I was just cruising through the author’s other fics, and started reading without checking the summary? Suffice it to say, I got partway in and was reading through my fingers, but it was too good to put down. It’s the rare horror that avoids gore and ends well, and I love it - very creepy, well characterized, and exceptionally well written.
sand and stars | neyasochi | T | 22,203 @neyasochi
Keith’s no stranger to shit going sideways, but mistakenly assaulting and robbing a crown prince is definitely the peak misfortune of his considerable criminal career. Suddenly in the custody of the royal guard and slated for a swift and unceremonious execution, he figures his short life is over. Imminently.
But then Prince Takashi offers him an alternative.
Hands down my favorite Sheith Fantasy AU. This has a sequel, which I think was actually written first, and which was also very good, but I prefer this one. Wonderful character moments, beautifully constructed world, excellent storytelling.
that chaste mouth open like | pumpkinless | E | 9,643 @disloyalpunk
There is fire dancing underneath Keith’s skin, and all he can think about is burning hotter underneath Shiro.
I read widely. If I like the author, I’ll give just about anything a chance, regardless of whether it’s a kink or genre I’m usually into. Which, thank you, pumpkinless, is how I ended up reading Daddy!kink w/ a side of humiliation. Now, it helps that the author (whom you probably already know from their incomparable Frat AU) is a maestro at writing scorchingly hot and deeply emotional smut, but there’s an undercurrent of love and trust and safety in this fic that made me able to enjoy these particular kinks in ways I wouldn’t usually.