Entries tagged with female-male friendship

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Broadchurch: Cargument, by damalur

FANDOM: Broadchurch
FIC LINK: Cargument
AUTHOR LINK:

damalur
RATING/WARNING(S): G | Spoilers for Series 1, mild spoilers for Series 3
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1200 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ellie Miller, Alec Hardy

FIC SUMMARY: Hardy, Miller, the not-so-open road, and an abundance of opinions.

RECCER'S NOTES: Possibly the best Broadchurch fic I've read. Granted, that's a small superlative given the size of the fandom, but were it bigger I'd still say it and mean it. The voices are perfection - Ellie's in particular stands out - and the push and pull of the ~~argument~~ dialogue is so true to their relationship in the show I'd swear I was in the car with them. I was grinning all over my face when I finished. Don't miss this one.

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MCU: tomorrow, the world, by maidenjedi

FANDOM: MCU
FIC LINK: Tomorrow, the World
AUTHOR LINK:

Maidenjedi
RATING/WARNING(S): Not rated/no warnings (canon character death)
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 6395
MAIN CHARACTERS: Natasha Romanoff, Peggy Carter, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Nick Fury, Tony Stark, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes

FIC SUMMARY: Peggy Carter asks Natasha Romanov to join S.H.I.E.L.D., and Natasha's life changes.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This fic is amazing. It fills in so much background and creates a wonderful, believable relationship between Peggy and Natasha, and gives weight to SHIELD and its beginnings and its eventual failings, and how it impacts Natasha and the people around her. Peggy leading the way and Natasha coming right up behind her -- yes please.
There are ships tagged but they're definitely minimal focus. The characterisation is amazing and believable and I want more of this so, so badly.

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Attack on Titan: wound deep in your chest, heartless, by 100demons (and one more for luck)

Given two W fics for the same fandom, I refuse to choose. Have both, and may they serve you well.

FANDOM: Attack on Titan
FIC LINK: wound deep in your chest, heartless
AUTHOR LINK:

100demons
RATING/WARNING(S): T | swearing, canon-typical violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 4,400
MAIN CHARACTERS: Levi, Hange Zoë, Erwin Smith

FIC SUMMARY: Be good or Levi will carve you up with his knives. Eat your greens or else Levi will come and cut your eyes out while you still breathe.

RECCER'S NOTES: A delightful, believable fic about Levi's early days in the Corps. (It also begins by quoting a Margaret Atwood poem, and how can you go wrong after that?) The language is vivid, precise, and humorous, and Levi and Hange's interactions are a thing of beauty.
Horse shit and sunrises.

FANDOM: Attack on Titan
FIC LINK: We Are The Lost, We Are The Hunters
AUTHOR LINK:

PresquePommes
RATING/WARNING(S): G | Mild spoiler for the first episode of Season 2 (ch. 35)
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2,700
MAIN CHARACTERS: Levi, Sasha Braus

FIC SUMMARY:
"He realizes very quickly that of all people he could have been lost in the forest with, Sasha Braus is, without a doubt, the most preferable."
Because if the 104th was a graduating class, Sasha is the one who'd be voted "Most Likely To Survive Under Extreme Circumstances," and everybody who writes this scenario seems to forget that the extent of Levi's wilderness survival skills is made evident by one simple statement:
"Look at all these big-ass trees."

RECCER'S NOTES: This fic made me crave more Sasha-and-Levi stories. There aren't any, of course, and this is hardly surprising since I'm not sure the two have even spoken in canon, but despite (or perhaps because of) how dissimilar they are, here they come together wonderfully. Sasha's voice in particular is a joy.

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mcu: a glossary of the 21st century, by kinky_kneazle

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe/The Avengers
FIC LINK: A Glossary of the 21st Century
AUTHOR LINK:

kinky_kneazle
RATING/WARNING(S): T
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 17402
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Logan (X-Men), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Wade Wilson

FIC SUMMARY: Steve's sick of not understanding what's going on, and the team are not all that helpful, so he starts keeping an illustrated notebook for further research. With the help of wiki, google and Logan he starts to settle in and find his place in the twenty-first century.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I loved this -- it's not just a fic about Steve trying to adjust to the 21st century, it's a fic about Steve trying to adjust to the Avengers, and how he fits in with them. His relationships with Tony and Natasha are particularly well done, and the little glimpses of his backstory and time during the war are beautifully woven through Steve's efforts to establish himself in his current situation.

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mcu/the avengers: oasis, by sholio

FANDOM: Captain America, Iron Man, The Avengers, Marvel Cinematic Universe
FIC LINK: Oasis
AUTHOR LINK:

sholio
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 8595
MAIN CHARACTERS: Pepper Potts, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Avengers Team (MCU)

FIC SUMMARY: "There are bees on my roof. Bees, Pep."
"I think you mean my roof, as the building belongs to Stark Industries, of which I am CEO."
"The important word in that sentence was bees."
(Or: the one in which Pepper accidentally introduces Bucky to gardening therapy.)

RECCER'S NOTES:

Who else is already sick of this week? :( Work has been super busy and draining and I've barely had time to read anything lately, so on a Monday night after an especially tiring day, I wanted something especially feel good.
When I first read this I expected it to be much crackier than it is. It's definitely still fun but there's a little thread of seriousness all the way through it as well, and Bucky's recovery is lovely to watch. There are some minor pairings floating around in there but for the most part this is definitely a fic about Pepper taking charge in a very accidental sort of way and guiding Bucky along on a project to help him get back on his feet. Bucky & Pepper friendship turns out to be one of my most favourite things - who knew?

The Flash: Zero-Sum Game by Rokesmith

FANDOM: The Flash with Arrow cameos
FIC LINK: Zero-Sum Game
AUTHOR LINK:

Rokesmith
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 67 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Barry Allen, Iris West, Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Joe West

FIC SUMMARY: Three months after the singularity, a wave of impossible robberies strikes Central City, and there is one obvious suspect: the Flash. But as Barry and his friends unite to track down the real culprit, they find themselves facing a dangerous new enemy in a pursuit that may cost them everything.

Post season 1.

RECCER'S NOTES: An epic, plotty imagining of what might have happened after the season one finale. If you spent the summer hoping Iris would finally get to be part of the gang, or wondering what DCU villains might make an appearance, this is the fic to scratch that itch. Plus: friendship and teamwork! So many feels.

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MCU/Agent Carter: Columbia by CourtneyCourtney

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe / Agent Carter
FIC LINK: Columbia
AUTHOR LINK:

CourtneyCourtney
RATING/WARNING(S): General Audiences
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 1700 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark

FIC SUMMARY: Edwin Jarvis learns to navigate in the wake of Steve Rogers.

RECCER'S NOTES: An interesting look at Edwin Jarvis. Captures the determination and melancholy of Season 1, as Jarvis navigates around the legend of Captain America, and his friends' lingering grief for a fallen hero.

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Life: The Closest Door May Be Behind You by throughadoor

FANDOM: Life
FIC LINK: The Closest Exit May Be Behind You
AUTHOR LINK:

throughadoor
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete / 2400 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Charlie Crews, Dani Reese, Ted Earley, Rachel Seybolt

FIC SUMMARY: Ted tries to dispense parental advice when Rachel encounters the lurking existential dread of the college application process. There's a dead body on an airplane and Dani hates the FBI. And Charlie is probably going to buy UCLA a building.

RECCER'S NOTES: If you've ever wondered what Charlie and Dani and company might have gotten up to after the cancellation of Life? This is a surprisingly convincing answer to that question, full of adorable Charlie-isms.

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Elementary: Out of Hand by Eva

FANDOM: Elementary
FIC LINK: Out of Hand
AUTHOR LINK:

Eva
RATING/WARNING(S): G, no standard content warnings apply
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 461 words, complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Marcus Bell, Joan Watson

FIC SUMMARY: Could have been a knife!

RECCER'S NOTES: This is a brilliant call back to a certain mid-season 1 episode, featuring Joan getting revenge and Marcus along for the ride. It's marked ship, but there's nothing here that can't be read as friendship.

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The Goblin Emperor: Passage by bigsunglasses

FANDOM: The Goblin Emperor
FIC LINK: Passage
AUTHOR LINK:

bigsunglasses
RATING/WARNING(S):Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 15 000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Idra Drazhar & Paru Tethimin
FIC SUMMARY: Released from his role as Prince by the birth of a son to the Emperor and Empress, Idra is allowed to attend university. But he can't escape his past so easily, or perhaps at all, particularly not when he meets someone who walks under a similar shadow ...

Three years post-canon.

RECCER'S NOTES: The novel The Goblin Emperor is full of intricate world-building and intriguing minor characters. This story makes interesting stars of Idra and Paru, while still dealing wirh some of the fallout that events in the novel may have caused.

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Elementary: Creatures Great and Small by IrenaK

FANDOM: Elementary
FIC LINK: Creatures Great and Small
AUTHOR LINK:

IrenaK
RATING/WARNING(S): general
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2000 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Joan Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Marcus Bell

FIC SUMMARY: Between the bees, the chickens and Clyde, it's practically a menagerie in the brownstone.

OR

Five times Sherlock brought home a stray and one time Joan did.

RECCER'S NOTES: Elementary has made a recurring theme of Sherlock's fun, odd habits. One of which is the tendency to bring home random animals, including fandom favourite Clyde the tortoise. This fic does a great job of recreating the really, Sherlock? comedy the show is built around, as well the unique type of friendship that Sherlock inspires.

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TW: Geek Gifts, by adina_atl.

FANDOM: Torchwood
FIC LINK: Geek Gifts.
AUTHOR LINK:

adina_atl
RATING/WARNING(S): PG
WIP?/WORD COUNT: one-shot | ~ 7,750 words
MAIN CHARACTERS: Ianto Jones, Toshiko Sato, Jack Harkness

FIC SUMMARY: Tosh and Ianto bond over tech and their respective pasts. - Set first season.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Oh, I love Ianto and Tosh together. They just fit in a way the other characters on the show rarely do. I love how they interact here, bonding over their past and their relationship to Jack.

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daredevil: any little thing that makes us feel better, by igrockspock

FANDOM: Daredevil (TV)
FIC LINK: Any Little Thing That Makes Us Feel Better
AUTHOR LINK:

igrockspock
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 3317
MAIN CHARACTERS: Matt Murdock, Karen Page, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson

FIC SUMMARY: Matt knows better than to give a name to anything he can't keep, even if it's just a mangy cat who keeps showing up on his fire escape to beg for leftover tuna.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Hell's Kitchen is not an easy place to be, and Matt and Karen bond over their own troubles with it. It's not a fluffy read, but the comfort is wonderful. (And so is the hurt.)

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sense8: a kick in the teeth is good for some, by shadowkeeper

FANDOM: Sense8
FIC LINK: A Kick in the Teeth is Good for Some
AUTHOR LINK:

shadowkeeper
RATING/WARNING(S): G | choose not to warn | spoilers, canon-typical violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1234
MAIN CHARACTERS: Sun Bak, Wolfgang Bogdanow, Nomi Marks

FIC SUMMARY: Solitary confinement makes Sun twitchy.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Another fantastic example of how the cluster works. I love the comparison between Sun's sense of violence and Wolfgang's, and the little moments shared between them, as well as the reminder that so long as she has the cluster, prison for Sun can't be the same punishment it is for everyone else.

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sense8: accommodation, by story_monger

FANDOM: Sense8
FIC LINK: Accommodation
AUTHOR LINK:

story_monger
RATING/WARNING(S): G | canon-typical violence, spoilers for S1
WIP?/WORD COUNT: complete | 2571
MAIN CHARACTERS: Capheus, Sun

FIC SUMMARY:

Capheus still sees the expressions a man makes when a machete rips through his chest. He knows what lungs sound like when they’re popped open. He knows that blood is hot when it sprays from a jugular and he knows that it tastes salty when it lands on his lips and tongue.

Capheus, after the battle.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is amazing. It captures the connection of the cluster in a very real sort of way, and it's a wonderful exploration of the way Capheus seeks to find a balance between who he is and what he has done. The discussion he has with Sun, and the way they relate to one another and talk through what they've just shared, is like a missing scene from canon. This is a fic very true to the characters, and my favourite to come from the fandom so far.

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marvel/iron man: almost no one makes it out, by atrata

[* sly mod note: banner posts for May & June will be up this weekend, I promise! I'm so sorry for the delay; work has been crazy busy lately. Keep on gensploding, gensploders ♥ *]

FANDOM: MCU/Iron Man
FIC LINK: Almost No One Makes It Out
AUTHOR LINK:

atrata
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 28,101
MAIN CHARACTERS: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes

FIC SUMMARY: What would have happened if Tony hadn't been born filthy rich? A military AU.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This rec has been floating around my flist lately, though it's not a new fic. I haven't seen it posted here yet (?) so -- enjoy! This is a fabulous, gritty, well researched story. I'm very picky with my AUs and this is absolutely one of the best I have ever read. I love Tony and Pepper's friendship here (you can maybe read a little more into it, but affectionate friendship is pretty much the limit of it, and it's tagged as gen). The other details of the fic, including how Iron Man ends up fitting into the world, are wonderfully done.

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voyager: A Suitable Gift by sophiegrace

FANDOM: Star Trek: Voyager
FIC LINK: A Suitable Gift
AUTHOR LINK:

sophiegrace
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 1,349, complete
MAIN CHARACTERS: Kathryn Janeway, Tuvok, Seven of Nine

FIC SUMMARY: Kathryn, Seven, Tuvok, and the inefficient pleasure of the codex book.

RECCER'S NOTES: This is a short, lovely story about some of my favorite things -- books, friendship, giving. It has great Seven and Janeway interaction, and a perfect moment between Tuvok and Janeway as well.

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marvel: love is for children and other lies, by fahye

FANDOM: MCU | The Avengers
FIC LINK: Love is for Children and Other Lies
AUTHOR LINK:

fahye
RATING/WARNING(S):
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 30,095
MAIN CHARACTERS: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Maria Hill

FIC SUMMARY: War is the child's emptiness, the surrender of identity, the transformation into a simple system: purpose goes in, action comes out. (Natalia Alianovna Romanova, and everything that she became.)

RECCER'S NOTES:

Oh how I love an excellent back story ♥ I love the patchwork history given to Natasha here, and the way she comes to each decision that brings her to SHIELD's door. There are some fleeting pairings, but Natasha and her journey is right at the heart of this story, and it's so, so well done.

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Midnight Is A Place - Joan Aiken: The Curse of the Blue-Eyed Tiger by vanillafluffy

FANDOM: Midnight Is A Place – Joan Aiken
FIC LINK: The Curse of the Blue-Eyed Tiger
AUTHOR LINK:

usernamegoeshere
RATING/WARNING(S): G | None
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 2707
MAIN CHARACTERS: Lucas Bell, Anna-Marie Murgatroyd, Julian Oakapple, Eulalia Murgatroyd

FIC SUMMARY: Anna-Marie's new friend stirs up unhappy memories for Lucas.

RECCER'S NOTES: This has just the right feel for an Aiken fic, which is no small achievement in itself – full of small, vivid details, and the things they reveal, and the power of a story that explores some of the sadness of these characters’ past (in this case, particularly Lucas), together with the humour of Anna-Marie’s endless pragmatism, and their unconventional new life together as a found family, post-book. It’s lovely.

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Doctor Who: The Spartans by JJPOR

FANDOM: Doctor Who
FIC LINK: The Spartans
AUTHOR LINK: JJPOR
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen | Violence, Slavery
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 69,883
MAIN CHARACTERS: Second Doctor, Polly Wright, Jamie McCrimmon, Ben Jackson

FIC SUMMARY: Greece, 480 BC: As the vast armies of the King of Kings prepare to battle the outnumbered defenders of the Hot Gates, the Doctor and his friends find themselves where they often find themselves at times like this – caught in the middle.

RECCER'S NOTES: As I’ve said, I have a weakness for Doctor Who historicals, and this is one of the very best. The author is amazing (consider this also an author rec: JJ is an incredible fanfic writer and pretty much never puts out a duff fic) and also has a clear love of history, which shines through. It’s an all-out action-adventure piece at novel length, although that’s not to say there’s not some great characterisation, with the TARDIS team being split up (as ever) but into two lesser-explored combinations, which allows for some lovely development between the still-new group, as Polly and the Doctor have to work together while Ben and Jamie find themselves in some surprising situations, not always easy for a 20th century English seaman and an 18th C Scottish Jacobite.

(There’s a tiny bit of canon-typical Ben/Polly at the end, and a little bit of slightly more unexpected Ben/Jamie along the way because of plot, but nothing to render it non-gen.)

Anyway, it’s long, fabulous, enthralling, and novel-style (and length) enough to be read on its own strengths if you’re not all that familiar with this TARDIS team (who have after all been especially unfairly hit by burnination).