July Fic Recs

[miya_morana]

Here are the fics that I’ve really liked this past month. All of these are complete. Enjoy!

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (3), Baldur's Gate 3 (1), Boku no Hero Academia (8), Harry Potter (2), Merlin (1), Percy Jackson & Related Fandoms (1)

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Title: Amateur Theatrics
Author: Haicrescendo
Pairing: None
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 2,540
Summary:
[“Draw a portrait, Sparky,” she says, “It’ll last longer.”

Zuko does not draw a portrait. Zuko gets up and disappears to wherever he’s been sleeping (alone and far away, like he’s hiding, even though sound carries too well in this temple for him to keep his screaming nightmares to himself), and Toph thinks for a moment that she’s run him off. She hasn’t run him off.

Zuko returns in a matter of minutes, holding what’s clearly a book in his hands.

“Hasn’t…” he begins, anxious without fail every time he brings attention to himself, “Hasn’t anyone ever read to you?”]

Or,

Toph thinks books are stupid. Zuko disagrees.

 

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Title: Make No Apology
Author: Haicrescendo
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 6,909
Summary:
[Aang’s the one who brings it to him. It’s tea, obviously, but it doesn’t smell like any tea that Zuko’s ever had. Spicy but also kind of...sour?

Zuko stares down at his cup with a sort of vague concern. He doesn’t want to drink this.

Aang’s staring up at him so earnestly, though, and Zuko’s never been able to say no to cute, googly eyes. It’s not right. He doesn’t want anything to do with Aang’s weird, spicy tea.]

Or,

In which Zuko isn’t poisoned, but in fact finds himself at the tender mercies of a truth serum. In retrospect, maybe being poisoned would have been more pleasant.

 

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Title: Foundations of Good Diplomacy 
Author: Haicrescendo
Pairing: Hakoda/Zuko
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 15,571
Summary:
[Zuko doesn’t know how he got here.

Actually, that’s a total lie—he knows perfectly well how he got here. Fire Lord Zuko hasn’t slept in anything longer than a quick catnap in three days— the first two because of a somewhat routine, but excessively bloody, botched assassination attempt and the third because of the envoy from the South Pole. Relations between the other nations have warmed drastically since the end of the war, but Zuko will be apologizing for his country until the day he dies, and matters still need to be handled delicately.

And if said matters involve his best friend’s father, well.

There are some secrets that should be kept to oneself.]

Or,

Sokka’s dad’s got Zuko down bad.

 

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3
Title: Perceived Impressions
Author: Acinonyx1
Pairing: Astarion/Haslin
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 45,260
Summary:
When Astarion awakens in the aftermath of the Nautiloid crash, it is not to a friendly face but the press of goblin steel against his cheek.

Now a captive of the Absolute, he is left starving and huddled in the corner, waiting for the beast that shares his cell to finally strike.

Bears, after all, are not known to be the most gracious killers.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: Q. A. B.
Author: jihnari
Pairing: Kaminari Denki/Toga Himiko (mostly background)
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 21,050
Series: Part 1 of how to (accidentally) start a cult (Words: 149,807 - Works: 4)
Summary:

One month after @hawks_unofficial's initial viral post, the blog titled "Quirk Analysis Blog for the Future", otherwise known as "Q. A. B.", has gone from an average of 10 views per post to an average of 20,000 views per post.

Midoriya Izuku does not know how to view the impressions analysis for his suddenly popular blog, and only notices that sometimes, people actually comment on his posts now. He does not google himself or his moniker and thus does not see the rise in online articles and speculation.

He is unaware that the "kyuu-ei-bee" he begins to hear about in passing refers to his own blog. He does not have a Twitter account.

At the time, Midoriya Izuku is 15 years old.

Izuku (accidentally) starts a cult.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: the shadows on my wall don't sleep
Authors: achievingelysium and the_crownless_queen
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 2,589
Summary:
“Sensei! Please don’t move!”

Shinsou’s voice snapped him back to attention, and Shouta forced his eyes open despite the pain.

“What happened?” he croaked out.

Shinsou’s face came into blurry focus. “The building came down on us,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m beginning to think your class is cursed, sensei.”

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: class pets 
Author: beeclaws
Pairing: None
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 1,362
Summary:
“Right now there are three cats to a ratio of four people,” Todoroki says. “Any more, and we all get less time per cat.”

“That’s not a very heroic attitude, Todoroki,” Tsuyu points out.

Todoroki continues scritching his favourite kitten’s chin: the black one with white feet, mentally dubbed ‘boots cat.’ (There had been a sub-meeting about naming the kittens, which determined it would be too heartbreaking to do this until they were reasonably sure they weren’t going to be made to give them away tomorrow). “It’s just math,” he adds softly.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: testing, testing
Author: beeclaws
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 10,646
Summary:
Izuku swallows. “My plans would have…gotten civilians killed?”

Aizawa stares at him for another long moment, then breaks off and rubs at his eyes. “Your plans had an excellent chance of preserving civilian lives.”

Izuku waits, uncomprehending.

“However,” Aizawa continues, “I’d say on average, there was about a 30% chance your suggested course of action would have gotten you killed.”

Izuku fails a test and Aizawa issues an ultimatum.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: to work, to rest
Author: beeclaws
Pairing: None
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 2,797
Summary:
Three times Eri falls asleep on Aizawa.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: Memezawa 
Author: RayShippouUchiha
Pairing: Aizawa Shouta/Yamada Hizashi
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 2,177
Summary:
Shōta slumps his way out of bed, the top sheet draped over his head and clutched together underneath his chin, and drags himself to the kitchen.

“Stop,” Shōta mutters as he does his best to avoid Bastard and Trash as they wind around his ankles, “I coulda dropped my croissant.”

Shōta pauses for a split second, something about that sentence not sitting right with him, before he shrugs and continues to ooze his way towards the fresh cup of coffee he knows Hizashi will have waiting for him.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: belonging 
Author: beeclaws
Pairing: None
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 3,596
Summary:
Izuku is hit by a quirk that temporarily erases more than two years of his memories. Aizawa helps him fill in some missing pieces.

 

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia
Title: The Future Forged in Our Palms 
Author: nolov (louscr)
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 14,725
Series: Part 1 of our trust shot full of holes (Words: 27,879 - Works: 4)
Summary:
The deep breath Izuku takes is steadying, a comfort. Hope newly fostered in his heart is too difficult to stifle.

mightdoriya [4:27]
want to play again tomorrow?

There is so much fear in asking, shredding and heavy at his lungs, and it only grows as minutes pass. Izuku has been alone for so long and wariness, in all the forms he knows it, has been etched into his very bones and soul.

 

Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: passageways to windows that don't close
Author: basketofnovas (slashmarks)
Pairing: None
Rating: Mature
Word Count: 11,567
Series: Part 1 of what's holding up her face (Words: 19,290 - Works: 2)
Summary:
After Tonks is kidnapped by Walburga as a child, certain relatives are determined not to let history repeat itself. But the aftermath doesn't end with the kidnappers' deaths. A thank you gift for a beta.

 

Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: i won't just survive (no you will see me thrive) 
Author: EclipseWing
Pairing: None
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 77,395
Summary:
In which James Potter isn't as dead as everyone thought and Harry has a strong mistrust of all adults.
Reconnecting with his son isn't going to be easy, not just because Harry's in Slytherin.

 

Fandom: Merlin
Title: Empty My Heart 
Author: athena_crikey
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Word Count: 10,401
Summary:
The dragon stares down, gaze heavy. “Understand this, Arthur. To find the strength to save you, Merlin has shaken the foundations of this world. He has drawn from nature that which does not belong to him, has filled himself to bursting with the magic of this land. That can only be put right by returning it.”

 

Fandom: Percy Jackson Series, The Kane Chronicles
Title: Summer Heat and Gentler Love 
Author: ShadeCrawler 
Pairing: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson/Carter Kane
Rating: General Audiences
Word Count: 37,50
Summary:
The time has come for Carter Kane to take on the crown of Egypt. With that and his GED looming in the background, Carter has no time for any distractions. Enter Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson; the world's best distractions.

Or: Five times Carter Kane was asked on a date and one time he asked his partners on one.