do you have to live quite so relentlessly in the real world?

Title: Fortunate Son by mardia
Fandom: Star Trek (Reboot)
Rated: Explicit
Pairing: Kirk/McCoy
Word Count: 50k
Author's Summary: When Leonard McCoy is kidnapped and held for ransom, Jim Kirk and the Enterprise crew have no idea that the kidnapping is connected to McCoy's past as a young doctor on Tarsus IV.

Why I loved it: I have absolutely torn through this fic last night and today, and been completely gripped. The premise itself is really interesting - I've seen a lot of fics on how reboot Kirk would (fail) to deal with Tarsus but the whole point here is that maybe he was never there in this universe. Maybe a young, green, wet-behind-the-ears but still recognisably Bonesian Leonard McCoy was instead.

It's a wonderful, occasionally harrowing look at the outcomes of that possibility, and is told in alternating sections between now, when McCoy has been kidnapped, ostensibly for ransom, and Tarsus. There are a ton of wonderful OCs, and you know it's good when you cry over OC deaths. Which I did. A ton, so be warned on that front, I guess.

Really good, plotty, intrigue type fic, with many a TOS reference (Harry Mudd!) including an explanation of where TOS McCoy's baby blues got to. Go forth and adore.

can you guess which ao3 tags i have been trawling for fic recently? >.>

Title: A Lopsided Symmetry of Sin and Virtue by language_escapes
Fandom: Elementary
Rated: Teen
Pairing: Joan/Sherlock
Word Count: 25610
Author's Summary: "Joan thinks she should be less surprised by his sudden, “Watson, we’re getting married!” and yet, here she is, cooking her egg and trying not to be astonished."

Infants are vanishing, and Sherlock and Joan go undercover as a married couple to find their kidnappers.

Why I loved it: Okay so first of all, I was as pleased as anyone when the Elementary writers said that a romantic relationship was not their goal with Joan and Sherlock. But then they say things like "I think what you do is amazing" and "You already know I favour you" and "The thing that's different about me, empirically speaking, is you" and my brain catches on fire. Basically, I am in love with this show, and I am in love with the dynamic between Joan and Sherlock and tbh if they keep on doing what they're doing, I don't care if it eventually becomes a love relationship or remains a BFFs and awesome colleagues relationship. And honestly, I felt similarly through reading this fic. Whether the author had ended it with a romance or not, I would have been equally happy with this fic.

The case is, at times, harrowing, but I feel that that shows a lot of their strengths (particularly Joan's - her response was exactly the kind of classy and insightful behaviour the show has led me to expect), and as with the show, it's the relationship that makes it.

Okay, so as the summary says, they are undercover as a married couple, so they have all the best elements of that trope (closer contact, bed sharing etc) but it is done with the same level of respect for each other, and boundary negotiation that they demonstrate on the show. One of the things I really loved was how they differentiate certain touches and thoughts and feelings as belonging to their cover-selves, and some belonging to their true selves. There is a very lovely scene where Joan touches Sherlock's wrist, as she does often in the show (including in some of my favourite scenes) and that is their moment.

PLUS! Bonus Ms. Hudson. Run, don't walk.

sidebar: any other good Elementary fics out there? Shippy or gen, I am just in the mood because for anyone who doesn't follow my tumblr: I. AM. OBSESSED.

Title: We Are Built From Broken Parts by missbecky
Fandom: Avengers x Doctor Who crossover
Rated: Mature
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Word Count: 36146
Author's Summary: On his first day in office, Britain's new Prime Minister unleashes an alien terror upon the Earth. The Avengers are first formed to fight this threat - only to fail. Now the survivors are prisoners on board the Master's ship. And he has plans for them.

Why I loved it: YOUSE GUYS. So this is a crossover with the episodes Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords which are among some of my favourite episodes (weird floaty Time Lord moment aside *snerk*) but for those of you with minimal or no Who knowledge, I think you could totally still read and enjoy it, as it is from Tony's POV, not from that of a DW character.

Essentially, when The Master (bad guy) unleashes the Toclafane (killer...alien..sphere..things? Go with it), The Avengers are scrambled to deal with it. And they fail mightily and epically and what's left of them end up The Master's prisoners on The Valiant (couldn't help a giggle at the description of that ship as 'a poor man's helicarrier') for 'the year that never was'. Naturally The Master tries to enlist Tony in arming his ships, and Tony's response and rebellion fits so well with the DW story that I confess I squealed a little in glee.

Do pay attention to the tags on the story (temporary character death, and torture in particular) but I do recommend this one a lot. As I said to the author, I would pay actual cashmonies for Natasha and Martha's story because please. Who run the world, etc. The ending is not what I was expecting, but it works and I wouldn't describe it as an unhappy ending. Go, flist, go. Awesome fic.

Title: We were emergencies by gyzym
Fandom: Avengers
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Clint/Natasha

Author's Summary: It's not about being unmade; it's about remaking, one aching step at a time.
Word Count: 37154

Why I Loved It: Augh. I feel like this is probably one of those fics that ruins me for all others. I don't always ship this pairing but when it works it's amazing. I would suggest you read the author's note at the end, as there are, as the author states, some parallels with a rape narrative. Basically the story is about the aftermath of brainwashing and memory-futzing. Post-Loki, Clint finds that he wasn't the only one whose mind was messed with - Natasha really does believe love is for children (again) and she doesn't remember their relationship.

This is a really gorgeously done look at how they might start to get past that, how they might mesh up their pasts when they're so full of gaps and times they've been taken apart. As well as the premise, and the obviously excellent writing (because it's gyzym) I really love the fact that this story is about two dangerous, slightly scary people in love.

Also! Not one but two podfics available for this one.

Title: Teethe and Suffer Well by laufeyette
Fandom: Being Human (UK)
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Hal Yorke/Tom McNair

Author's Summary: Tom helps Hal resist his instincts // The evening before the night after
Word Count: ~3300 // ~3700

Why I Loved It: It's really hard to find fic for this fandom, and it's even harder to find fic which is a) in character, b) SUPER-HOT, and c) actually believable within canon. This ticks all the boxes for me, and I really have to admire an author who can keep Tom a sweetie but also a werewolf with hangups, and Hal painfully awkward and ritual-obsessed but also a deadly Old One. Oh, and if it makes a difference to anyone, they're both set in S4, so Annie is the resident ghost :) Adorable.

Title: Mistakes of Our Youth by candle-beck
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Ritchie movies)
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Holmes/Watson

Author's Summary: It's the backstory; it's how they got here.
Word Count: 31000

Why I Loved It: This fic is stupendously, beautifully written. The dialogue is wonderful and the messy emotions are so perfectly realised, and the story fits perfectly into and around canon.

Caveat: YOU WILL CRY LIKE A BABY. Well, you might not, but I did. It's one of those fics where you reach the end, keep frantically page-down-ing for a while, then you reach for the blankets/strong alcohol and you cry and cry while realising that this heartbreak was the most beautiful thing. (I have actually only read this twice, which is unusual for the fics I'm reccing for 100 things, but it is agony in the way that great writing can be.)

Additional fair warning (which is totally an incentive and goes to show how awesome the writing is): this fic has become an irreversible part of my movie-head-canon and I sometimes cry at stupid moments during the first film now. Hey ho.

Come on, flist. I know you love fics that rip your heart out with emotion and heartbreak and I-want-to-shake-you-roughly-by-the-throat character moments that just work so perfectly.

(Comfort blanket: Go read The Greek Problem by the same author aftwards.)

Title: keep your heart around (you might need it some day) by llassah
Fandom: Avengers
Rated: G
Pairings: Tony/Pepper, but it's mostly gen

Author's Summary: Tony Stark finds himself as a de-aged Loki Odinsson's temporarily designated parental figure, through no fault of his own. Responsible superhero co-parenting doesn't just involve feeding, housing and clothing a tiny Asgardian, it involves rubber ducks, transdimensional vortexes at bathtime, fruit parties, pictures of robots that draw other robots and hoverboards (eventually), as the team keep Loki safe while they look for a solution.
Word Count: 34000

Why I Loved It: Aw man, this is freaking adorable. I like de-aged fics when they're done well, which this definitely is. There are some really adorable moments (bathtime! Aunty Nick!), some lovely, touching dialogue, and a scene with Odin that didn't make me want to throw him off a cliff? That is an achievement!

Mainly, I love that this fic absolutely doesn't labour the point of Tony's issues. Howard is never mentioned, and Tony's own childhood is barely referred to, but it all fits so well and this line? This line is my absolute favourite: "He damn well stuck to his cardinal rule: don't send a child away because you're busy."

Seriously guys. Rubber duckies, blanket forts, cuddles, trying to explain the whole Jotun deal to bb Loki. Shoo, go read, it is exceptionally feelgood weekend reading :)

Title: Clueless, or: How I Learned To Stop Being a Selfish Prick and Love a Capsicle by withthepilot
Fandom: Avengers
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Tony/Steve, Clint/Phil, Jane/Thor, Bruce/Pepper, with bits of other pairings in there too.

Author's Summary: Okay, so you're probably thinking, This guy seems like a total douche.

You're half right. But seriously, I'm a completely normal teenager. A normal genius-billionaire-philanthropist-playboy teenager. Who goes to a school for government agents and superheroes in training. Every morning, I get up, trim my goatee, take a shot of Jack Daniels (which Ke$ha totally stole from me, by the way), and pick out my school clothes.

A Clueless AU, starring Tony Stark.

Word Count: 37k

Why I Loved It: COME BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT. Yes I said Clueless AU. I love Clueless, okay? A lot. So as soon as I saw this I clicked with mixed hopes because it just seemed so out there, you know? But then out there AUs are golden when they work. And this so, so completely worked for me.

Obviously, Tony is Cher and Steve Josh, but I'm not going to say who everyone else is because I want people to giggle-snort the same way I did when various bits became clear. There's a smattering of dialogue lifted from the film (I was most disappointed that my life motto – I'm totally buggin'! I feel like such a bonehead! – was not there, but still, minor detail) which also works well.

Mainly, I love this fic because it cracked me the fuck up during a fit of insomnia the other night, which is just what I needed. The dialogue sparkles in both a Tony-esque and a Clueless-esque way. Also! I don't listen to podfics so often, but for those of you so inclined, there's a link to a recording in the author's notes.

Title: Aripâ by foxxcub
Fandom: Avengers
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Clint/Phil, Clint/Natasha

Author's Summary: "I wish I could fly," he whispers.
Word Count: 11.7k

Why I Loved It: !!!!! OKAY. First of all, I am assiduously avoiding any and all Clint backstory fic until I've finished my own. I made an exception for this one, because foxxcub's Avengers fics are AMAZING. And also, in all honesty, I was expecting to only like this for the writing. Because wing-fic. Which, even though I've pretty much ALWAYS been in fandoms where wing-fic makes total sense, it has never, ever done it for me. I'm just like eh, wings.

ANYWAY, ignore that, clearly I was some kinda stupid because this fic is AMAZING. The parts about Clint's life before he came into SHIELD are largely comic canon (so watch out for potential triggers in the forms of physical and emotional abuse) and they encapsulate so, so well all the reasons I am fascinated with this dude. Particularly fantastic are the scenes with Natasha and the way Clint's puppy love turns into the BroTP of my fucking heart okay. (Headcanon all over the place oh god.)

The way that both Clint and Natasha grow into their places within SHIELD is brilliantly done, and Coulson's presence is, again, just total headcanon for me, in that he's this source of calm that Clint doesn't quite understand and probably would never have imagined he needed but augh *hands*

LOVE THIS FIC/PAIRING/WRITER/POINT IN PRE-MOVIE-CANON.

Go go go!

Title: The Elko County Adventure by candle beck
Fandom: Supernatural x Tremors crossover.
Rated: Explicit
Pairings: Dean/Sam

Author's Summary: Mutant snake monsters, rooftop confessions, and a big-ass Howitzer strapped to the back of a pick-up truck.
Word Count: 35.5k

Why I Loved It: FUCKING TREMORS OH MY GOD. Okay, let me tell you a story. Last night I was watching Tremors for the kajilionth time and started trawling the tag on tumblr looking for a gif of the "we killed that mother-humper!" moment. Instead I found a passing reference to a SPN crossover fic and went scrambling for AO3 so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. Then I found it was by Candle Beck and my excitement just escalated. (Incidentally, this is not the Candle Beck fic I intended to rec on this list – there will be another one later on, but for now: read. everything.)

Okay, so if you haven't seen Tremors, I feel terribly sorry for you, but you don't need to have to read this fic. Basically: GIANT EVIL KILLER UNDERGROUND SNAKE-WORM-THINGS. Right up SPN's alley. The characters involved from Tremors are Burt, Earl and Mindy (the kid on the pogo stick). I'm sure if you've seen Tremors you will have the same "oh my god, that's fucking genius and perfect and oh wow, gold star, author" reaction when you find that Burt and his wife Heather are basically arms suppliers to hunters across the country. There's more backstory to it too, which is lovely.

I don't really read SPN fic these days, and Sam/Dean was never my pairing of choice, but guys, it's a Tremors crossover fic! You don't even know. It's one of my favourite bad!movies of all time. Soooo funny. So there was no way I wasn't going to read it, and actually, the Wincest worked for me this time. It's set 8 months after Papa Winchester died so there's references to demons etc but there's no apocalypse storyline, and it works really well at expressing the conflict between the two of them because god forbid they have a conversation where they're talking about the same things. Ugh, boys. *thwaps and hugs them*

(ngl, I mainly read this because TREMORS. BURT. EARL. YESSS. And unsurprisingly for a c_b fic, it turned out more awesome than I could have imagined.)