Fanfic recs

Spoiler: Oh, but is she appealing awful.

One of my favorite things, and this is behind a spoiler tag for a reason, is that the last water avatar was Hama.

Yes, that Hama. So when Azula's partway into learning water, and Hama calls her out to play one full moon? Well. Azula really takes to blood-bending.

 

Argh, my heart, oh no. Oooooh no. I knew, I knew this would hurt and I did it anyway, oh god. ; w ; It's so good tho

 

I didn't resist the temptation. I'm brainstorming another motherfucking longfic, jsut what I needed.

(Not into azulafic, though. She's just... not nearly as interesting to me as her brother, and also has a lot of the same reasons I'm not interested in Vriska going for her.)

 

Paths Outside the Garden, a Mad Max Fury Road/Sandman crossover. Pretty fuckin lovely.

 

Also while we're here on the subject of ATLA fics, in my binging I discovered this one which is pretty great. TLDR: Tiny Zuko is found on board a fire nation ship by the southern water tribe after a battle, Hakoda takes him home, now there are three water tribe siblings including the most out of place firebender ever, of all time.

 

ANOTHER BROTHER AHHHHHH I was so bummed when they discontinued it, it is one of my favorites ever.

*Edit Actually, not sure if it's officially discontinued, but that author hasn't been updating older fic. They tend to write where their inspiration's at, and jump from project to project.

 

yeah I noticed that when I looked at their page, they haven't written any atla fic since '12. :[ It's still worth reccing even as a deadfic though just for the water tribe worldbuilding.

 

I feel obligated as the world's biggest unapologetic Sacrifices stan to second this rec - Sacrifices has all the depth of world building JKR wishes she could pull off, a Lord-level magic system that explains Dark vs Light magic in detail and is integral to the plot, an amazing cast of OCs, Voldemort actually being a competent villain who does things to directly counter Harry instead of dicking around...so good. The only downsides:

Spoiler: trigger stuff

Child abuse is a very prominent running thread throughout the series, as well as the occasional instance of graphic gore, torture, and death. Most are warned about in some way before the chapter it occurs in.

And

Spoiler: plot stuff

Some people have objections to reading stories where Harry has a sibling who's the real Boy Who Lived. Well,

Spoiler: 2x spoiler combo

Harry is still the real Boy Who Lived. It takes until the third book to confirm this.

 

@coldstars @garden nooooo the urge to read that fic is SO STRONG rn, I need to do college apps, whyyyy
I can feel the good writing and drarry calling to meeee.....is it the kind of fic that you're able to put down after a chapter or two and then come back to it later? Or is it a I STARTED AND NOW IM FINISHING IT ITS HAPPENING I CANNOT STOP READING kind of fic

 

Haha, I tend to be able to stop and start at will, but that's because I've read all the books through at least ten times in the past 2-3 years (when I say 'stan,' I mean goddamn I am a missionary bringing the good word of Sacrifices to the unsuspecting and unprepared). The first book is fairly short compared to the rest and follows the plot of Philosopher's Stone more closely than the later books where the AU really kicks in, so you could maybe read through it with minimal interruption to college app stuff to see if you like it or not. But I make no guarantees that you'll be able to stop once you've begun...

 

@rats @coldstars
Yeah, uh, I had to make a rule for myself:
I'm only allowed to read Sacrifices during winter break.

Because otherwise I just get sucked in repeatedly during the school year.
(Why winter break in particular?
I first read it over winter break in 8th grade.)

It's INCREDIBLY GOOD but uh, on the other hand, in total it's approximately three times as long as the combined Harry Potter books.

Still probably my favorite fic ever - definitely my favorite HP fic ever. The Dark-Light magic system and worldbuilding is incredible. The OCs are good enough that I find myself missing some of them when I read other HP fics.

I know college apps, and procrastinating on college apps, caused me a lot of stress last year, though. So I guess... maybe try to get your college apps done, and then read Sacrifices?

 

noted. thanks for the rec!! ive never been a huge fanfic reader but im a sucker for good hp fic :p

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 4 chapter 17 (21 according to the automatic ffn numbering)

i'm really liking that series a lot, even though i haven't finished it yet. as the spoiler indicates i'm in book 4.
anyway, i'm making this post 'cause, well, the word avuluchia, for the anxiety of being stuck between two choices one likes equally and not being able to choose either of them, is perfect. i love that there is a word for that now.

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 4 chapter 23 (28) spoilers

whoa... the giants seriously think voldemort, of all people, is their vates?
voldemort? seriously, him?
apart from his power level and the disruption to magical society he brings, he's the farthest from a vates there can be.
he is not someone that can be trusted to give anyone their freedom.

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 4 chapter 30 (37)

omfg harry is so oblivious
like... it's pretty obvious that draco's crush is on you, dude - he doesn't focus very much on anyone else, you know
no wonder draco is so exasperated with him

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 4 chapter 44 (54)

"weird incestuous crush"
i cackled so hard and loud at that part

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 4 chapter 70 (85)

whoa... that was an intense ending!
i didn't expect harry to lose his arm. or talk to lily again. or to be so hurt in the graveyard. or give up snape as his guardians.
but even though a lot of bad stuff happened to him, the very last chapter does seem to suggest that it might be alright, eventually, that he'll be okay!

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 5 chapter 2 (2)

omfg snape did it! he did it!
harry's parents and dumbledore have been charged, and harry and the wizarding world will have to face up to the truth of how he was abused soon.
and yet harry is trying to protect them, still unable to acknowledge that he was abused.
a firestorm indeed.

 

Spoiler: sacrifices arc book 5 chapter 4 (5)

oh yeah skeeter!
i think that's the most ethical thing she's ever done, probably.

 

I greatly enjoyed this fic, where we see Steve Rogers from the perspective of his infinitely frustrated publicist. Though while I'm here it seems I'm going to start reading the Sacrifices Arc. As if I didn't have enough to do... :-)