Title:[that's] my oppurtunity, to feel brave
Fandom: Teen Wolf
Pairing: Gen (Derek/Stiles)
Categories: AU, Asexual, Domestic, Friendship, Romance
Length: Medium (15k)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: sa_kun
Website: Sa-kun's Ao3

Summary: After the events of season 1, Derek tries to come to grips with himself and where he stands. Basically, it's 15k of asexy fluff, with self-discovery and coming to terms with yourself and growing and stuff thrown in for good measure.

or: the one where Derek is an asexual potterymaker.

Review: This is a little bit shorter than my usual recs, but it is so rare to find an asexual romance of any length.

The story is an AU starting at the end of the first season where Derek walks away from werewolves and craziness and finds himself again.

Quiet, and sweet, the romance sneaks up on you, but never overwhelms the central theme of Derek's healing and growth.
[that's] my oppurtunity, to feel brave

Posting a little early this time, due to real life stuff. So nice to be early instead of late! Haha-ehh.

Title: run, run, fast as you--
Fandom: Welcome to Night Vale
Pairing: Carlos/Cecil Palmer, Carlos/OMC
Categories/Genres: Asexual, Romance, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kids,
Length: Super Epic (106978 words)
Warnings: Stalking, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Threats of suicide, Threats of murder

Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website: branwyn

Summary:

The night that his research partner (and sort-of ex) shows up at his apartment with a gun, Carlos decides to take a mysterious but exceptionally well funded two-year research posting in a town called Night Vale.

A story in which Night Vale is there for the people who need it, Cecil's propensity to wear his innocent heart on his sleeve is perceived as a threat (until it isn't) and no one is allowed to hurt the Scientist. No one.

Review:

I love branwyn's villain in run, run, fast as you--. Don't get me wrong though, I hate the character's goddamn guts. He's just one of those villains that you have such a visceral reaction to that you want to reach through your screen and wring his ugly neck with your bare hands. But I love the way branwyn has created him, a monstrous product of our world instead of Night Vale's, and the way he colors every single scene in the fic, present in mind if not in body. He's a malignant specter, a festering poison, and the perfect foil to the sweet purity of Carlos and Cecil's developing relationship.

And what a development it is. The story is told from Carlos' perspective, from the events leading to his decision to take the research position in Night Vale, deviating slightly from canon after the events of One Year Later, and culminating in the dramatic finale roughly one month later. It runs concurrent with the canon, a somewhat more realistic (by non-Night Valean standards) retelling of Cecil's slightly dramatized reporting. Through it all, Carlos struggles to move past the trauma of his previous relationships and their respective nasty fallouts, slowly coming to accept the sincerity of Cecil's feelings for him and learning how to care for Cecil in turn.

Some familiar faces make up the rest of the cast. Tamika Flynn is her usual stellar self. Old Woman Josie and Erika make a few charming appearances. Even Cactus June is fleshed out in the fic, beautiful as ever and bluntly forthright. But more notably, there are a few unique additions of branwyn's own creation, like the Orphanarians, the Librarian-like guardians of Night Vale's orphans. One of whom is a girl named Nijeia, who has been twelve for a long time and is only let out of the Orphanarium to work as one of Carlos' research assistants. She befriends Carlos and eventually Cecil, blunt and a little crass and very, very pre-teen, but still a child under her experience and bravado.

run, run, fast as you-- isn't without its weaknesses, though. The Carlos whump can seem overbearing to those who are sensitive to it, a byproduct of the narrated story actively focusing on all the worst experiences Carlos endures. Cecil is perfect, almost to the point where his perfection strains the suspension of disbelief. Also, the final defeat of the villain is rather anticlimactic, considering that it happens very thoroughly off-screen and was not nearly as violent a reckoning as I personally wished it had been.

But on the whole, branwyn's fic is one of the stellar works of the Welcome to Night Vale fandom. Don't let the tags scare you off, because this is definitely a must-read.

run, run, fast as you--

Title: Put a Pretty Polly in Your Pocket
Fandom: Adventure Time
Pairing: Gumball/Marshal Lee/Fionna/Flame Prince
Categories: Angst, AU, Asexuality, Genderswap, Polymory, Romance
Length:Medium (12,000)
Warnings:Body Dysphoria

Author on LJ: faorism
Website: Faorism's A03

Summary: in which Gumball finds himself, and a few other people too.

Review: This is one of the best 'real life' stories I've read in a long time. Which is really impressive coming from the Adventure Time fandom, since it takes place in a post-apocalyptic magical candy/vampire reality.

Gumball is so awesome and Faorism does a great job both taking into consideration what a pink and prim young human in our reality might experiences, and the timing involved with growing up as a teen in the early nineties.

Also awesome is the fact that she doesn't shy away from making the characters something other than traditionally attractive, while still keeping them to their original roots. Just wait till you run into LSP!

Even if you don't know much about Adventure Time, you might want to give the story a try. It's fairly self-contained. Though you might miss out on some of the fannish easter eggs.

Put A Pretty Polly in Your Pocket

It's Gen/Canon Pairings theme week!

Title: so you were never a saint.
Fandom: James Bond (Skyfall)
Pairing: Gen (Q & Eve friendship, growing Q & Bond friendship)
Categories: Post canon, Q-centric, life at MI6
Length: Medium (12,319 words)
Warnings: Just spoilers for the film

Author on LJ: paperclipbitch
Author Website: paperclipbitch

Author's Summary:
“I think Bond’s trying to be your friend,” Eve tells him.
“…well,” Q says slowly, “this is a new and disturbing development.”

Review:
This is one of those stories where I see a line I love and plan to quote here, but only a paragraph later I have a new favorite line, and so on, until I just give up. I want to quote it all. It's one long, fabulous Ode to Q. Here, he has depth and no shortage of memorable moments. He's so good at what he does that he gets bored and hacks into places he shouldn't, but he can't drive, aim a gun, or move seamlessly through Tesco self-checkout. He's a panromantic asexual, or (to oversimplify) he "fancies everyone" but is "not really a big fan of shagging."

I especially loved the tone of this story, with the friendships, oddities and stress. Paperclipbitch shows the less polished side of the job, and makes MI6 a believable workplace rather than a stop off between missions. The dialogue is terrific. Q and Eve's friendship might be my favorite part, or maybe it's the way Bond gets brought into the fold little by little, while remaining his issue-laden and frequently closed off self. M and Tanner are great in secondary roles.

so you were never a saint. (AO3)
On LJ

Title: love is for children, and other lies
Fandom: Avengers
Pairing: Gen (Maria Hill/Natasha Romanova)
Categories: Asexual, Domestic, Pre-canon, Prostitution
Length: Long (30,000)
Warnings:canon typical violence; prostitution of young women

Author on LJ:fahye
Website: Fahye's Ao3

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.)

Review: Natasha's voice in this is just amazing! Fahye manages to keep it solid, despite the fact that the story follows Natasha from a young age through when she joins up with S.H.I.E.L.D. and beyond.

She's paranoid but a realist. And her relationship with Clint is just so warm and fuzzy, without losing it's spy vs. spy edge.

love is for children, and other lies

Title: love is for children, and other lies
Fandom: Avengers
Pairing: Gen (Maria Hill/Natasha Romanova)
Categories: Asexual, Domestic, Pre-canon, Prostitution
Length: Long (30,000)
Warnings:canon typical violence; prostitution of young women

Author on LJ:fahye
Website: Fahye's Ao3

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.)

Review: Natasha's voice in this is just amazing! Fahye manages to keep it solid, despite the fact that the story follows Natasha from a young age through when she joins up with S.H.I.E.L.D. and beyond.

She's paranoid but a realist. And her relationship with Clint is just so warm and fuzzy, without losing it's spy vs. spy edge.

love is for children, and other lies

Title: Thermodynamics Series
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Categories: domestic, asexual, first time, romance, humor
Length: long (16,300)
Warnings: none

Author on LJ: entangled_now
Author Website: entanglednow

Summary: In which there's no heating and there's a dead owl in Sherlock's bed.

Review:
You know how, in many stories, the focus is on the action, and only brief mention is made of catching a night's sleep? In this series, you get the night's sleep, in glorious detail, with thrashing, cover pulling and what percentage of the bed is stolen from John. Hot beverage demands are a recurring theme.

Entanglednow captures John's deadpan exasperation and the sharp humor in Sherlock's inability to understand such social norms as not storing a dead owl in your room, not expecting to be welcomed unannounced at 2 a.m., and not dying of hypothermia because you couldn't be bothered.

I also like the moment when John catches on to what's been happening, and Sherlock illustrates that identifying as asexual doesn't mean he isn't, as usual, wholly obsessed by anything to do with John.

Thermodynamics Series (at AO3)

LJ: The Second Law of Thermodynamics, The Art of Negotiation, The Definition of Insanity, The Rules

Title: Thermodynamics Series
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Categories: domestic, asexual, first time, romance, humor
Length: long (16,300)
Warnings: none

Author on LJ: entangled_now
Author Website: entanglednow

Summary: In which there's no heating and there's a dead owl in Sherlock's bed.

Review:
You know how, in many stories, the focus is on the action, and only brief mention is made of catching a night's sleep? In this series, you get the night's sleep, in glorious detail, with thrashing, cover pulling and what percentage of the bed is stolen from John. Hot beverage demands are a recurring theme.

Entanglednow captures John's deadpan exasperation and the sharp humor in Sherlock's inability to understand such social norms as not storing a dead owl in your room, not expecting to be welcomed unannounced at 2 a.m., and not dying of hypothermia because you couldn't be bothered.

I also like the moment when John catches on to what's been happening, and Sherlock illustrates that identifying as asexual doesn't mean he isn't, as usual, wholly obsessed by anything to do with John.

Thermodynamics Series (at AO3)

LJ: The Second Law of Thermodynamics, The Art of Negotiation, The Definition of Insanity, The Rules

Title: Thermodynamics Series
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Categories: domestic, asexual, first time, romance, humor
Length: long (16,300)
Warnings: none

Author on LJ: entangled_now
Author Website: entanglednow

Summary: In which there's no heating and there's a dead owl in Sherlock's bed.

Review:
You know how, in many stories, the focus is on the action, and only brief mention is made of catching a night's sleep? In this series, you get the night's sleep, in glorious detail, with thrashing, cover pulling and what percentage of the bed is stolen from John. Hot beverage demands are a recurring theme.

Entanglednow captures John's deadpan exasperation and the sharp humor in Sherlock's inability to understand such social norms as not storing a dead owl in your room, not expecting to be welcomed unannounced at 2 a.m., and not dying of hypothermia because you couldn't be bothered.

I also like the moment when John catches on to what's been happening, and Sherlock illustrates that identifying as asexual doesn't mean he isn't, as usual, wholly obsessed by anything to do with John.

Thermodynamics Series (at AO3)

LJ: The Second Law of Thermodynamics, The Art of Negotiation, The Definition of Insanity, The Rules

Title: Thermodynamics Series
Fandom: Sherlock BBC
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Categories: domestic, asexual, first time, romance, humor
Length: long (16,300)
Warnings: none

Author on LJ: entangled_now
Author Website: entanglednow

Summary: In which there's no heating and there's a dead owl in Sherlock's bed.

Review:
You know how, in many stories, the focus is on the action, and only brief mention is made of catching a night's sleep? In this series, you get the night's sleep, in glorious detail, with thrashing, cover pulling and what percentage of the bed is stolen from John. Hot beverage demands are a recurring theme.

Entanglednow captures John's deadpan exasperation and the sharp humor in Sherlock's inability to understand such social norms as not storing a dead owl in your room, not expecting to be welcomed unannounced at 2 a.m., and not dying of hypothermia because you couldn't be bothered.

I also like the moment when John catches on to what's been happening, and Sherlock illustrates that identifying as asexual doesn't mean he isn't, as usual, wholly obsessed by anything to do with John.

Thermodynamics Series (at AO3)

LJ: The Second Law of Thermodynamics, The Art of Negotiation, The Definition of Insanity, The Rules

Title: What Buddies Know about Love
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Ronon (Asexual)
Categories: Asexual, Family, Friendship, Post-Canon, Romance
Length: Medium (5,400)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: busaikko
Website: Busaikko's Ao3 Page

Summary: Ronon's making his own future; John's there for him. Ronon thinks it's time to take the next step in their relationship; John has reservations. Neither of them wants to talk about it, but they do anyway. (Contains canon pairings).

Review: This is a moderately short get together fic for Ronon and John that is pretty much guaranteed to give you warm and fuzzies. Ronon is just so him. Trying to make sense of relationships and Earth customs and all the things that come with being stranded on an alien planet without knowing whether or not he'll be able to go home.

The build up to John and Ronon's relationship is believable and sweet without being unbelievably emotional. It's all just very  buddy/buddy. So the title is kind of perfect. So give it a try, it will be an awesome way to spend fifteen minutes.

What Buddies Know about Love

Title: What Buddies Know about Love
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Ronon (Asexual)
Categories: Asexual, Family, Friendship, Post-Canon, Romance
Length: Medium (5,400)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: busaikko
Website: Busaikko's Ao3 Page

Summary: Ronon's making his own future; John's there for him. Ronon thinks it's time to take the next step in their relationship; John has reservations. Neither of them wants to talk about it, but they do anyway. (Contains canon pairings).

Review: This is a moderately short get together fic for Ronon and John that is pretty much guaranteed to give you warm and fuzzies. Ronon is just so him. Trying to make sense of relationships and Earth customs and all the things that come with being stranded on an alien planet without knowing whether or not he'll be able to go home.

The build up to John and Ronon's relationship is believable and sweet without being unbelievably emotional. It's all just very  buddy/buddy. So the title is kind of perfect. So give it a try, it will be an awesome way to spend fifteen minutes.

What Buddies Know about Love

Title: What Buddies Know about Love
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Ronon (Asexual)
Categories: Asexual, Family, Friendship, Post-Canon, Romance
Length: Medium (5,400)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: busaikko
Website: Busaikko's Ao3 Page

Summary: Ronon's making his own future; John's there for him. Ronon thinks it's time to take the next step in their relationship; John has reservations. Neither of them wants to talk about it, but they do anyway. (Contains canon pairings).

Review: This is a moderately short get together fic for Ronon and John that is pretty much guaranteed to give you warm and fuzzies. Ronon is just so him. Trying to make sense of relationships and Earth customs and all the things that come with being stranded on an alien planet without knowing whether or not he'll be able to go home.

The build up to John and Ronon's relationship is believable and sweet without being unbelievably emotional. It's all just very  buddy/buddy. So the title is kind of perfect. So give it a try, it will be an awesome way to spend fifteen minutes.

What Buddies Know about Love

Title: What Buddies Know about Love
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Ronon (Asexual)
Categories: Asexual, Family, Friendship, Post-Canon, Romance
Length: Medium (5,400)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: busaikko
Website: Busaikko's Ao3 Page

Summary: Ronon's making his own future; John's there for him. Ronon thinks it's time to take the next step in their relationship; John has reservations. Neither of them wants to talk about it, but they do anyway. (Contains canon pairings).

Review: This is a moderately short get together fic for Ronon and John that is pretty much guaranteed to give you warm and fuzzies. Ronon is just so him. Trying to make sense of relationships and Earth customs and all the things that come with being stranded on an alien planet without knowing whether or not he'll be able to go home.

The build up to John and Ronon's relationship is believable and sweet without being unbelievably emotional. It's all just very  buddy/buddy. So the title is kind of perfect. So give it a try, it will be an awesome way to spend fifteen minutes.

What Buddies Know about Love

Title: What Buddies Know about Love
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: John/Ronon (Asexual)
Categories: Asexual, Family, Friendship, Post-Canon, Romance
Length: Medium (5,400)
Warnings:

Author on LJ: busaikko
Website: Busaikko's Ao3 Page

Summary: Ronon's making his own future; John's there for him. Ronon thinks it's time to take the next step in their relationship; John has reservations. Neither of them wants to talk about it, but they do anyway. (Contains canon pairings).

Review: This is a moderately short get together fic for Ronon and John that is pretty much guaranteed to give you warm and fuzzies. Ronon is just so him. Trying to make sense of relationships and Earth customs and all the things that come with being stranded on an alien planet without knowing whether or not he'll be able to go home.

The build up to John and Ronon's relationship is believable and sweet without being unbelievably emotional. It's all just very  buddy/buddy. So the title is kind of perfect. So give it a try, it will be an awesome way to spend fifteen minutes.

What Buddies Know about Love

This month inceptiversary is celebrating the two years since Inception came out, and their post on the common fan trope "Mal was right" inspired me to re-visit a few favorite fics.

Title: Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: gen, with Arthur/Eames, Saito/Yusuf
Categories: Meta!fic, Drama, Humor, Asexuality, Mal-was-right, Post-Canon, Projections
Length: Medium (2,105 words)
Warnings: Contains character death, in a weird sort of way; Complete spoilers for the film, and may make zero sense without seeing the movie first

Author on LJ: psocoptera
Author Website: psocoptera

Summary:
If the entire movie was Cobb's dream, what would happen to the rest of the characters (projections all) after Dom leaves them in the airport?

Review:
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this fic. It's one of the very earliest ones I read in the fandom, it plays around with the Mal-was-right trope in a quirky and unique way all of it's own. It's sad, it's funny, it's whimsical, and really explores ideas behind projections that few have: would they have their own rich internal life and how would they be affected by the dreamer? It really is all-around-fun, a strange meta-filled fic you can really sink your teeth into. It's strange, but in that good way that makes your brain hum (or is that just me?).

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures(AO3) (LJ)

This month inceptiversary is celebrating the two years since Inception came out, and their post on the common fan trope "Mal was right" inspired me to re-visit a few favorite fics.

Title: Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: gen, with Arthur/Eames, Saito/Yusuf
Categories: Meta!fic, Drama, Humor, Asexuality, Mal-was-right, Post-Canon, Projections
Length: Medium (2,105 words)
Warnings: Contains character death, in a weird sort of way; Complete spoilers for the film, and may make zero sense without seeing the movie first

Author on LJ: psocoptera
Author Website: psocoptera

Summary:
If the entire movie was Cobb's dream, what would happen to the rest of the characters (projections all) after Dom leaves them in the airport?

Review:
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this fic. It's one of the very earliest ones I read in the fandom, it plays around with the Mal-was-right trope in a quirky and unique way all of it's own. It's sad, it's funny, it's whimsical, and really explores ideas behind projections that few have: would they have their own rich internal life and how would they be affected by the dreamer? It really is all-around-fun, a strange meta-filled fic you can really sink your teeth into. It's strange, but in that good way that makes your brain hum (or is that just me?).

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures(AO3) (LJ)

This month inceptiversary is celebrating the two years since Inception came out, and their post on the common fan trope "Mal was right" inspired me to re-visit a few favorite fics.

Title: Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: gen, with Arthur/Eames, Saito/Yusuf
Categories: Meta!fic, Drama, Humor, Asexuality, Mal-was-right, Post-Canon, Projections
Length: Medium (2,105 words)
Warnings: Contains character death, in a weird sort of way; Complete spoilers for the film, and may make zero sense without seeing the movie first

Author on LJ: psocoptera
Author Website: psocoptera

Summary:
If the entire movie was Cobb's dream, what would happen to the rest of the characters (projections all) after Dom leaves them in the airport?

Review:
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this fic. It's one of the very earliest ones I read in the fandom, it plays around with the Mal-was-right trope in a quirky and unique way all of it's own. It's sad, it's funny, it's whimsical, and really explores ideas behind projections that few have: would they have their own rich internal life and how would they be affected by the dreamer? It really is all-around-fun, a strange meta-filled fic you can really sink your teeth into. It's strange, but in that good way that makes your brain hum (or is that just me?).

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures(AO3) (LJ)

This month inceptiversary is celebrating the two years since Inception came out, and their post on the common fan trope "Mal was right" inspired me to re-visit a few favorite fics.

Title: Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: gen, with Arthur/Eames, Saito/Yusuf
Categories: Meta!fic, Drama, Humor, Asexuality, Mal-was-right, Post-Canon, Projections
Length: Medium (2,105 words)
Warnings: Contains character death, in a weird sort of way; Complete spoilers for the film, and may make zero sense without seeing the movie first

Author on LJ: psocoptera
Author Website: psocoptera

Summary:
If the entire movie was Cobb's dream, what would happen to the rest of the characters (projections all) after Dom leaves them in the airport?

Review:
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this fic. It's one of the very earliest ones I read in the fandom, it plays around with the Mal-was-right trope in a quirky and unique way all of it's own. It's sad, it's funny, it's whimsical, and really explores ideas behind projections that few have: would they have their own rich internal life and how would they be affected by the dreamer? It really is all-around-fun, a strange meta-filled fic you can really sink your teeth into. It's strange, but in that good way that makes your brain hum (or is that just me?).

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures(AO3) (LJ)

This month inceptiversary is celebrating the two years since Inception came out, and their post on the common fan trope "Mal was right" inspired me to re-visit a few favorite fics.

Title: Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures
Fandom: Inception
Pairing: gen, with Arthur/Eames, Saito/Yusuf
Categories: Meta!fic, Drama, Humor, Asexuality, Mal-was-right, Post-Canon, Projections
Length: Medium (2,105 words)
Warnings: Contains character death, in a weird sort of way; Complete spoilers for the film, and may make zero sense without seeing the movie first

Author on LJ: psocoptera
Author Website: psocoptera

Summary:
What happens to the rest of the characters after Dom leaves them in the airport?

Review:
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this fic. It's one of the very earliest ones I read in the fandom, it plays around with the Mal-was-right trope in a quirky and unique way all of it's own. It's sad, it's funny, it's whimsical, and really explores ideas behind projections that few have: would they have their own rich internal life and how would they be affected by the dreamer? It really is all-around-fun, a strange meta-filled fic you can really sink your teeth into. It's strange, but in that good way that makes your brain hum (or is that just me?).

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Unclaimed Luggage and Unscheduled Departures(AO3) (LJ)