Fanfic recs

FIFTH ACT FIFTH ACT WOOT WOOT
as a longtime ff7 fic reader and frequent fan of timetravel i can confirm it's among the best out there
cloud alternates between bewildered and scatterbrained, and bewildered and lethally focused, as one could hope



I'd like to offer I Am In The Past, Never In The Future, an AU Undertale fic based on two premises: Papyrus is Gaster and doesn't know it, and he gets the bright idea to go back to find Flowey post-pacifist, and help his flowery friend by finding some way to give him a soul. A very common criticism of "what if one or both of the bros was actually Gaster!" fics is that they erase or undermine their characterization. I think this one works really well: despite everything, it's still Papyrus.

 

The Fifth Act is the best timetravel fic I have ever read and it was the best piece of timetravel fiction, period, I'd read until I read Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. Now it's second best. REC IS SECONDED.

(I also knew, like, nothing about FFVII coming into that fic but I ended up buying Advent Children after that fic pulled me down the rabbithole; if I had the patience for long RPGs like that I might even consider actually buying or renting the games too.)

 

@swirlingflight Aaaah I just read I Am In The Past, Never In The Future and it's so good, thanks for the rec! The characterization is amazing, what a great Papyrus!!

 

it feels more like a memory by saffron612

Pairings: Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr/Theodosia Prevost Burr, Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens/Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, Aaron Burr/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler, Honestly almost everyone with everyone at this point

Summary:

 

There Are Worse Things I Could Do

Help I wish it was canon

 

i have come to rec an undertale chara/asriel au fic series, you can only use your own by feralphoenix.

Spoiler: spoilers for at least one ending of undertale

Spoiler: it's really spoily, seriously

Spoiler: turn back now if you don't want undertale spoilers

the first story in the series is someone else's fire.

anyway, i just - i love this series a lot. i love the relationship between chara and asriel and their character development, the way transness and disability are integrated into the setting and the story, and how the underground of this fic is reminscient of many of the best things about kintsugi. and lots of other things but i'm trying not to be spoilery!

 

Auggh yes, feralphoenix has my absolute favorite Chara stuff.

More Undertale: Trick Question, a really cute fic with excellent Undyne p.o.v. about her and Papyrus' first meeting and getting to know each other.

 

Even more Undertale: Fake It Till You Make It, a Mettaton pov from when he and Alphys first concocted their schemes, to shortly before his first appearance in the game. God damn does it sting in fabulous ways.

 

You Shall Become (Me), by jedipati: To become a True Sith Lord, you must kill a Sith Lord. It turns out that this is also sufficient to become True Sith Lord, as Obi-Wan Kenobi finds out. And then shenanigans.

 

Yes I love that one

 

they updated 13 hours ago holy shit

 

OH GOSH I THOUGHT THAT ONE WAS DEAD

The author's been writing Avengers fic for years holy heaven who bribed them to come back to it and how do I repay that person

 

Not to toot my own horn too much (even though I'm about to), but I have a fic with nb Riku over here. It's not done yet, but it talks about gender stuff a lot, and I've been very careful to keep it pg13 for wider accessibility. And as a bonus, Xion will be a trans girl when she shows up later (which is canon, as far as I'm concerned).

 

SO i already recced the Sacrifice Arc series at the beginning of this thread, but today i discovered that it was completed in january 2007, which means that it was finished just over 10 yrs ago. holy shit.

in celebration i'm gonna rec it again to try and spread the good word!

The Sacrifice Arc is a series of seven HP fics (link to first fic) set in an alternate universe in which Harry's not only a Slytherin, but also a twin. His brother, Connor, wears the mantle of the Boy Who Lives, while Harry is devoted to protecting him by making himself look ordinary - but certain people won't let Harry stay in the shadows.

The main pairing is Drarry, though there are a few others. It's incredibly long (the first fic is 81k words; the longest is 786k), and the author has probably put more thought into the worldbuilding than JK herself. Includes a lot of Alternate Character Interpretations, but part of that is because this series' Potterverse has a different history from canon. The worldbuilding is amazing, the original characters are great & very fleshed-out... all in all, an amazing series.

There are more than a few things that need to be warned for, however:

Spoiler: warnings

child abuse/neglect, emotional manipulation/abuse, graphic violence, gore, torture, and death; the abuse and the effects of it are a long-running theme throughout, and the violence/gore/etc. are usually warned about before the chapters they occur in.

...It gets dark. But it's also one of the best fanfic series I've ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone who can spare the free time to read it.

 

LES MISERABLES IN SPACE!
It's still in progress but it's only one chapter away from being completed.

 

kylo ren space wangst and family feels is my new favorite thing

In short, Han Solo's space ghost sticks around after his death to tell his son what a tool he's being.

 

Theoretical Battle Scenaros, an Undertale fic exploring some what-ifs for filing in gaps in canon. The fics in the series bounce around in the timeline, filling in things here and there. There haven't been any more for several months, and it doesn't feel like a wrapped up story, so... be aware of that before reading.

Spoiler: Some spoilers, some content warnings

Features a Papyrus who remembers resets and has very him reasons for pretending otherwise, a neat idea of him and Flowey conspiring together, partially amnesiac skeletons after the retconned scientist's retcon, and Chara haunting Frisk and then having some conversations.

It does the same delightful thing that I Am In The Future does, of Papyrus struggling with amnesia and trying to remember things.... when they're still living in Hotland, and the hot crowded steam transportation's awfulness is so mingled with his disorientation that he hates it forever. Does a lovely take on him and Undyne first meeting, having her see him pensive in Waterfall and thinking of Alphys and weight intervening. I like the idea that Papyrus is trying to help Flowey get a soul to be happy again, that's a lovely touch. The idea that part of why Papyrus and Sans struggle to TALK is due to them remembering very different versions of the past, too, is pretty great.

Content warnings include: time bullshit, panic attacks, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts in at least three characters, and at least one suicide attempt. (Alphys' situation in some neural runs is probably also...)

 

Back again with more Ben Solo space wangst, this one still with the Han ghost too, but less of him and more suffering.

 

goddammit i don't know what to say about this one except that it's the most cathartic thing I've ever read. Force Awakens AU, Rey/Ben Solo.

 

We have a fic rec thread. I must:

A Forfeit of Dreams by KL Morgan
-- Labyrinth fic, just so you know what kind of atmosphere, and I will get on my knees to whatever you hold holy to get you to read this fic. I don't even like Labyrinth, but for a while this was insanely popular in circles I ran around in on livejournal, so I thought I'd glance at it to have an idea what the fuss was about. Now I read it yearly, in the summer, with specific food and drink ritual. It is hands down my favourite fanfic of all time. It's probably my favourite piece of writing of all time. Destroy me with feelings.

Break My Heart, Break Your Heart by thesilvergoddess
-- Overwatch fic. And then this beautiful lima bean of an author made something that is ENORMOUS in terms of even epics and is the only fic to date to compete with A Forfeit of Dreams by KL Morgan on my unbeatable stories list. I laughed, I cried, I related, I was super gay, and it's still in-progress if you like the torment of waiting for your friday update. Trying to condense BMHBYH into a summary is a monumental task and is currently I think described as "the story of Overwatch" and really that's about as good as I could do, either.