#also you can tell how indecisive i was about my cas background

[lotuswhim]

wanted to share with you all my favorite sims i've made this year. i made a lot of sims but these are my ultimate fave ones. i wanted to thank y'all for all your support throught this year, i had a lot of fun posting my silly little sims here. thank you for everything and i hope to see you guys in 2023 too!! happy holidays!!! ily <3

[starring-movies]

Killing Eve: Episode Analysis

*SPOILERS*

Season 2, Episode 6 - I Hope You Like Missionary!

The episode begins with Niko returning from Oxford, after Villanelle came to visit him to try and make him doubt Eve. Niko asks Eve “do you want me to love you or do you want me to frighten you?”, to which she replies “I don’t know”. Eve’s indecisiveness about what life she wants is also a problem that we saw between Eve and Villanelle in S2E5. As soon as Eve had Villanelle caring about her and helping her, she was cold and uncaring towards her; so it might also be the case with Villanelle that Eve doesn’t know if she wants her to love her, or be frightened by her.

The song playing over this is ‘(Sigh)’ by Unloved. Usually this song is played in scenes associated with Villanelle, however, it is being used in this scene with Eve and Niko. Through this choice of song and it’s usual association with Villanelle, we can see that it’s the dominance that Niko is exerting (just like Villanelle does) which is the “something about the way you are” that makes Eve “sigh”.

A small note is that Carolyn can be seen putting earrings in when John from Nairobi is visiting. This is something which she is also seen doing in S1E8, when she was with Konstantin and again when she was preparing to meet Henrik in S3E3. The continued repetition of Carolyn putting her earrings in shows us that it’s something she always does when she is reuniting with her ‘old friends’.

In the next scene we get a parallel to a scene to S2E4, used to show us Villanelle’s short attention span and boredom. In both scenes Villanelle is bored in her hotel room and waiting for something to do, she is lying on the bed listening to the TV in the background. She does the exact same thing as this in S2E4, while she is waiting for another assignment after the Amsterdam kill. In both of these instances it is notable that Villanelle chooses to do something related to Eve in her boredom, in Amsterdam she goes to wait for Eve to arrive at the crime scene, and in this episode she goes to Eve’s home to meddle with her belongings.

The song ‘Dangerous Charms’ by The Delmonas is used over this scene. The lyrics are:

“I’ve been lookin’ at you for quite some time,

Should come at no surprise,

I’ve been wanting you at mine,

I’ve been lookin’ at you,

Your dangerous charm,

Seems it’s you,

Who’s been causing all those harms,

I’ve seen you darlin’,

Want your dangerous charm,

Oh dangerous charm,

I’ve been your darling’ glancing at me”

The song is applicable for both Villanelle and Eve, who are both attracted to each other’s “dangerous charm” and have both “been looking at [each other] for quite some time”.

In this episode there are a few parallels made between Eve and Villanelle, through their behaviour. Villanelle sneaks into Eve’s house and messes with her things, just like how Eve messes up Gemma’s things when she goes to see Niko. When Gemma finds Eve rifling through her possessions, Eve asks Gemma “are you scared?”, which is the exact same wording that Villanelle uses in S2E5, when she’s asking the same question to Eve in the kitchen.

However, although Eve tries to imitate Villanelle, with the messing up of Gemma’s things, we can see that there is still a difference between. Villanelle sneaks into Eve’s house when no-one is home and messes up Eve’s things in subtle ways, mainly by hiding and switching things that will only be found later but not immediately. Whereas Eve goes into Gemma’s bedroom, while Niko and Gemma are in the house, blatantly and messily ruining Gemma’s belongings.

This difference foreshadows what happens at the end of Season 2, in that Eve is beginning to embrace her darkness but has not come far enough to be able to accept it’s existence completely; and so when Villanelle tries to push Eve too much by manipulating her into killing Raymond in S2E8, she is rejected by Eve who can’t yet accept her “monster” which Villanelle has tried to open her eyes to.

A small detail is that the camera specifically pans onto Eve’s toiletry bag, drawing our attention to the fact that later in S3E4, Eve uses the toothbrush that Villanelle brushes her teeth with in this episode.

When Eve goes to speak to Villanelle about the job they want her to do (to get information from Aaron Peel), Villanelle tells her “I don’t like to be challenged”. This shows how much Villanelle goes on to change from this season, into Season 3. In this Season Villanelle is comfortable with her situation and doesn’t wish for it to be disrupted; however, when she becomes discontented and unfulfilled in Season 3, she tells Carolyn in S3E8 “I’m looking for a new challenge”.

When they’re discussing how Villanelle should disguise herself with Aaron Peel, Villanelle chooses an American accent which she says is “really, really, really annoying”, just as a way to annoy Eve (who also has an American accent). Villanelle chooses to give herself the name Billie, which is the female version of the name Bill. Villanelle does this not only to irritate Eve, but also to show how Villanelle has replaced Bill inEv’s life, who was probably the closest friend she had - not only has she replaced Bill as Eve’s friend, but also as her work colleague, so she has managed to insert herself as a person of importance in Eve’s personal and private life.

Before Villanelle’s first AA meeting, Eve tells Villanelle “you will never understand how much harder it is to be nice and normal and decent than it is to be like you”, and Villanelle says “like us, you mean”. Eve says this because she does know “how much harder it is to be nice and normal and decent”, because she puts that mask on and does it everyday.

Villanelle repeats what Eve said to her in the AA group and is only met with the reaction of “boohoo, poor me” and told to “be careful with the self-pity”. As this is the reaction to what Eve actually said, and she is listening in, Eve herself is also being indirectly told how she’s being in denial and acting self pityingly about her situation.

Villanelle saying “like us, you mean” again emphasises how she can clearly see that Eve is like her, but Eve is still in denial and won’t admit it, until Season 3. The fact that Villanelle can see what Eve won’t admit to yet, is also shown when Eve tells her “aren’t you always a different person” and Villanelle says “aren’t you, at least I’m good at playing someone else” - Villanelle is making it clear that she can see Eve’s darkness and that Eve isn’t very good at hiding it.

When Villanelle speaks in the AA meeting again, she gives her speech about boredom. She says “most of the time, most days, I feel nothing, I don’t feel anything”, but she tells Eve in S2E7 “I feel things when I’m with you”, again showing us one of the things that makes Eve “special” to her. Villanelle is always in search of something (like killing) or someone (like Anna and Eve) who peaks her interest and makes her feel something, which shows us why she’s so obsessed with Eve - not only is Eve like her (she tells Konstantin in S2E8 “we are the same”), but Eve is someone who makes her “feel things”, a sensation she finds herself constantly seeking.

Most of the things Villanelle says in her speech about how she’s “just so bored” and how “what I really don’t understand is why everyone isn’t screaming with boredom too”, is also applicable to Eve. Eve had a boring and normal life until Villanelle came into it, which is something that Villanelle recognises too, as she tells Eve “don’t forget, the only thing that makes you interesting is me”.

When Eve goes to see Carolyn to try to tell her about Villanelle killing Amber Peel’s assistant, she is fencing. This is probably one of the “hobbies” she partakes in when she tells Eve in S2E6 that “I have hobbies”.

The dinner scene of Villanelle with Aaron and Amber is shot with the same angles and in the same way as the assessment scene from S1E2. The decision to use the same shots show us how Villanelle is being uncomfortably interrogated and probed by Aaron, in the same was as she was by the psychologist.

During the after-dinner game of Dixit, Aaron tells Amber “I wouldn’t classify as a friend someone I once sat next to in a toilet stall”. This is amusing because it’s reminiscent of how Villanelle and Eve met in the hospital toilets, highlighting how ordinarily you wouldn’t usually consider someone you met in the toilets to be your friend, yet that’s how Villanelle and Eve came into each other’s lives.

In the scene in the kebab shop after Villanelle hits Aaron Peel with the psychology book, she is thinking about killing Aaron when she is speaking to the man behind the counter about how people will eat any meat you put into a kebab.

However, Villanelle is then distracted by the two girls that come in and order chips. She looks at the two sheep’s heads and two kebabs, and she follows the two girls.

The specific camera pans to these things (two kebabs, two sheep’s heads, two girls) makes us think that she is going to kill them. But in the next episode our expectation is not met and we find out that Villanelle slept with the two girls instead.

The decision to do this is to display how the line between wanting to kill people and wanting to have sex with them is a bit blurred for Villanelle - just like when she contemplates killing Sebastian after sleeping with him, in S1E2. It also conveys how it’s most likely that she gets the same gratification from both sleeping with or killing someone.

You can read my previous Killing Eve posts here:-

First Introduction to Villanelle

First Introduction to Eve

S1, E1 - Nice Face

S1, E2 - I’ll Deal With Him Later

S1, E3 - Don’t I Know You?

S1, E4 - Sorry Baby

S1, E5 - I Have a Thing about Bathrooms

S1, E6 - Take Me to the Hole!

S1, E7 - I Don’t Want to Be Free

S1, E8 - God, I’m Tired

S2, E1 - Do You Know How to Dispose of a Body?

S2, E2 - Nice and Neat

S2, E3 - The Hungry Caterpillar

S2, E4 - Desperate Times

S2, E5 - Smell Ya Later

S2, E7 - Wide Awake

S2, E8 - You’re Mine

S3, E1 - Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey

S3, E2 - Managment Sucks

S3, E3 - Meetings Have Biscuits

S3, E4 - Still Got It

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 1]

S3, E5 - Are You From Pinner? [Part 2]

S3, E6 - End of Game

S3, E7 - Beautiful Monster

S3, E8 - Are You Leasing or Am I? [Part 1]

——————————————————————————

[hunterburke]

{ cess, 29, she/her } at a glance [ HE ] may look like [ JORDAN FISHER ] but in reality they’re just [ 26 ] year old [ HUNTER BURKE ], a [ WITCH ] here in Barton Hollow. They are a [ MEMBER ] in the [ NO COVEN ]. They work as a [ BARTENDER @ RADCLIFFE HOTEL ] here in town and are known for being [ HONEST ] AND [ INDECISIVE ]. I’d watch my back if I were you...

GOOGLE DOC CAN ALSO BE FOUND HERE

GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Hunter Burke

NICKNAME(S): HH

DATE OF BIRTH: April 24, 1994

PHYSICAL AGE: 26

ACTUAL AGE: 26

NATIONALITY: American

OCCUPATION: Bartender at Radcliffe Hotel

RELIGION: Catholic (Non-practicing)

ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic Heterosexual

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Jordan Fisher

HEIGHT: 5′9″

WEIGHT: 135 lbs

HAIR COLOUR: Brown

EYE COLOUR: Brown

DOMINANT HAND: Right

DISTINGUISHING FEATURE(S): Piercings on both ears

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: San Diego, CA

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Barton Hollow

FINANCIAL STATUS: Middle Class

EDUCATION LEVEL: College Undergraduate

DEGREE(S): History ( On-pause )

ESTIMATED IQ: 127

SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English, Spanish, Latin

MISC: N/A

RELATIONSHIPS

FATHER: James Williams

MOTHER: Caroline Burke

SIBLING/S: ( WC )

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: N/A

CHILDREN: N/A

OTHER FAMILY: ( WC )

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP(S): ( WC )

ABOUT

Hunter was a product of irresponsible barebacking. His parents were too young to have a child and by the time he was actually born, her mother knew he was going to be a burden. His father already bailed on them, pulling out quickly this time. His mom, not knowing who else to turn to, left Hunter to his grandparents. But it wasn’t long before she left too, not wanting to be associated with a child she didn’t want. His grandparents are witches of great esteem, something his mother was never proud of. She never practiced her abilities and preferred to deny anyone or anything remotely supernatural. It was no surprise that they were going to teach their grandchild their way of life. His mother never cared.

He always showed great potential, even at a young age. Whether it was his magic or his school, Hunter’s grandparents were proud. Prouder than they were than their own daughter. He took pride in that. Hoping that maybe one day when his mother came back home, she’d be proud of his accomplishments. But until the day he left home, she never once set foot at home. Not even a letter or a phone call, it was like she disappeared — fell off the face of the earth.

( BULLYING TW ) But being a gifted child also had its downsides. At school he was made fun of, bullied, as he preferred to read books than playing with the other kids. He had his face shoved into his own book, on the toilet and had his stuff dumped all over the field. He had a few friends, children of other witches his grandparents knew. They took comfort and made excuses for each other when sudden sparks of magic happened during school. They were careful with their magic, but sometimes it was almost uncontrollable.

School and learning magic was hard to juggle. But Hunter managed to do it with flying colors. It was something that ended up something he could be proud of. It wasn’t about his mother anymore, or making her grandparents proud of him, it was about him and what he accomplished on his own. He could get cocky about it but a few words from her grandmother would definitely humble him right away. When it was time for college, he preferred to study close to home, near some of his friends and family. He took up History because he didn’t exactly know what his life was going to be like after high school. He preferred studying magic further but his grandparents were adamant that he should also have a proper education other than learning the ways of magic.

In college, he fell for a girl ( WC ). She was human and had no idea of the supernatural. While he couldn’t tell her anything about his lineage, he was willing to keep an integral part of his being a secret to her in fear of rejection. He didn’t want to subject her to the consequences. But then, his girlfriend started hanging out with the wrong crowd. What used to be a sweet girl he knew became someone else. He tried to talk her out of it. He ended up going with her to these parties just to keep an eye on her. But she was becoming more and more different, making him break things off. He hated doing it, being still in love with her, but he was getting distracted ( as family and friends pointed out ) and it was becoming an unhealthy relationship for both of them.

( ASSAULT TW ) For a while, it was hard to get by for him. Hunter had to drag himself to classes and do homework. But just when he thought he was okay, she showed up at his door. Even before he could take a look at her, she lunged at him. That’s when he noticed the fangs and the red eyes. Immediately knowing who — or what she was right away, he made a run for it. Using his magic to momentarily put her unconscious, he ran away, putting much distance between him and her until he was cornered in an alley. 

She told him how she became a vampire and just wanted to see him. He pointed out that trying to drain him of blood wasn’t the best impression of wanting to see him. When she made another lunge at him, he used his powers on her. That was when she realized that he was a witch. She begged him to make her a daylight ring to which he refused. He wasn’t just going to let her walk under the sun with uncontrolled bloodlust.

( DEATH TW ) Then to his surprise, she offered him a life to be with her forever. While his grandparents were all for living in harmony with the supernaturals, he agreed with their philosophy that they never become one of the others. As soon as he refused, she lunged at him again. There was a scuffle and a passerby came by to see them. Thinking he was beating her up, Hunter was shoved away. Before he could explain himself, his ex sank her teeth to the man’s neck. Not knowing what to do, he used it as a distraction to run away. Luckily for him, the whole alteration lasted the night and it was morning once again. He quickly packed his bags and left for home. He hoped that it would be the last time he would see her. A small part of him is still terrified of her finding him, but he hoped she would live for the best and probably wouldn’t drink from humans anymore. So far, they haven’t crossed paths. 

Going to Barton Hollow wasn’t part of his plan. It was supposed to be college and probably doing odd jobs here and there while being a witch and going about his learnings with magic. But his grandmother’s sister had gotten ill. So him and his grandmother went to visit her in Barton Hollow. After a few weeks, it seemed that his great aunt was not getting any better. Especially when she refused any magic to aid her, even if it was for pain. Then pressing matters had to be attended back home. Hunter persuaded his grandmother to return while he stayed behind to take care of his grand-aunt and be with her in her final days.

NOTORIOUS TIDBITS

Has only been in town for a month.

Is aware of the other factions living in harmony in Barton Hollow.

Is coven-less because he belonged to a coven back home. He doesn’t know how to go about being a proxy member when he doesn’t know how long he’d be staying.

Runs in the early morning with a dog named Whiskey. He doesn't own Whiskey. He’s just a dog that follows him around during his runs. He just appears out of nowhere to follow or run alongside Hunter. He doesn’t mind.

When not at home taking care of his grandaunt, he can be found bartending at Radcliffe Hotel, or reading books in the town square.

Knows how to bake. The house usually is filled with the smell of baked goods. Would give out to neighbors and passersby when he baked too much.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Family

Co-workers at Radcliffe Hotel

People from his old hometown

Neighbors

Friends

Ex-girlfriend

[beaniegender]

Fandom Fic Rec Days - My Personal Favorites Fic Rec List!

In honor of #ficrecdays (happening Feb. 10th, 11th, and 12th), and my stupidly long ao3 bookmarks page which is a pain to go through, I want to make this list of the best of the the best of my favorite fics - the ones that make me gasp or laugh or cry and just generally ache at their beauty each time I read them. I hope you’ll read and enjoy them too! I encourage you to try something even outside a fandom you know well because all of these works are great fiction in their own right.

This list includes a total of 24 fics or series from nine fandoms: James Bond (3 works), The Martian (1 work), Marvel which is mostly Captain America (5 works/series), Soccer RPF which is all FC Barcelona RPF (4 works/series), Star Trek (2 works), Star Wars (1 work), Supernatural (2 works/series), True Blood (1 work), and The West Wing (5 works).

Some of these fics are already wildly popular, but in order to promote less popular fic a bit more, within a fandom works are sorted from least to most ao3 kudos. Read on and discover my absolute favorite fanfics!

James Bond

Search and Seizure by @kryptaria00q and @stephrc79 (16670 words, James Bond/Q/Alec Trevelyan) - After two assassination attempts on MI6 executives, the British Secret Service now requires self-defence training for all high level employees. Bond and Alec have taken it upon themselves to help keep their lover safe, no matter how much Q might hate them for it. Too bad they never seem to be able to stay on track. (a.k.a. frisking porn with plot)

basically trust porn along with being real porn. everyone’s POV gets shown off and it’s just so much fun watching these boys interact when they so obviously care for each other!

Treasons, Traitors, and Treachery by kryptaria and @zooeyscigar (63245 words, James Bond/Q) - All James Bond wanted was a quiet holiday on his luxury motoryacht on the Costa del Sol. Time to recuperate and think about his future with MI6. But his plans get hijacked when a traitor to the crown returns, bringing news of an even greater threat to MI6. And the traitor isn’t working alone. Thankfully, neither is James.

every single character in here is written flawlessly, and the OC is one of the BEST OCs to ever OC. There’s sass and hilarity, believably written government intrigue, and a very realistic level of depth in all the characters.

so you were never a saint. by @paperclipbitch (12319 words, gen) - “I think Bond’s trying to be your friend,” Eve tells him. “…well,” Q says slowly, “this is a new and disturbing development.”

the asexual!Q epic that defined a lot of my Q headcanons. also a lot of my MONEYPENNY IS AMAZING headcanons! it’s sort of an ensemble fic and sort of a character study and it just makes me like MI6 so much.

The Martian

You Know You Have a Permanent Piece of My Medium-Sized American Heart by tricatular [on tumblr but I’m not able to tag them, sorry!] (9151 words, gen) - “Hey Hermes!” The ambient suspicion level in the Rec ratcheted up significantly. Kapoor was disturbingly cheerful. “We’ve sent you some mission updates in the data dump, but Mitch and I wanted to personally let you know—” Mitch visibly rolled his eyes in the background. “—That thanks to some…strong suggestions from the White House, and on Annie and Director Sanders’ recommendation, we’ve started releasing Watney’s Mars logs to the public.”

deftly mixes standard narration, transcripts of recordings, and social media posts to show what Mark’s journal back to Earth would have been like both for him and for everyone who cared about his story (ie. the whole planet).

Marvel / Captain America

Walking Far From Home by TaleWorthTelling (6222 words, various Sam-centric pairings) - Sam’s relationship with birds starts early and inexplicably.

basically, Sam Wilson’s whole life. as the author’s note says, “Sam is the only person with his shit together, but he got there the hard way.” and then we’re treated to 6000 words of what that path was like, including stellar input from Sam’s OC family and the familiar MCU favorites. and Sam can talk to birds!

The Murder Ballads by BetteNoire (160839 words, 3 works, Steve/Bucky) - Something wicked is coming for Steve Rogers. Luckily for him, something even more wicked stands in its way: the unrepentant, unbroken Bucky Barnes. A murder-mystery/action thriller with violence, magic, and several big MCU guest stars.

like most CA fans I’ve read a stupid amount of post-winter soldier fic, so the first praise for this series is that it has a completely original take on that subject. and that take - the plot complexity, the multi-layered characterizations, the sequel - made me fall in love with Bucky all over again and permanently changed the way I think of him.

your blue-eyed boys by Feather (123233 words, 4 works, Steve/Bucky with sides of Pepper/Tony, Bruce/Betty, and Clint/Natasha) - Steve has no plan. Not because he hadn’t tried to make one. He’d tried to make lots of plans. Plan, adapt, plan again, tried to think of every contingency. And then he’d thrown them away, because there wasn’t much point. What could you plan for? He couldn’t guess the possible contingencies, the situations, the potentials. And he sure as sure hadn’t figured on what’s happened now, on coming back to his place and finding Bucky here. He hadn’t even hoped for that. He hadn’t realized he could. [post-Winter Soldier recovery fic]

if you’d like a slightly more typically-plotted approach to your post-WS fic than “The Murder Ballads” you absolutely can’t go wrong with “your blue-eyed boys”. it’s the most realistic version of Bucky’s recovery that I can imagine - heartbreaking and sickening and real. and the love between Steve and him and the team as a whole is obvious. DON’T MISS the associated verse, which is 450000 words (and growing) of shortfic in the same timeline, and which incidentally has the best OCs in the entire fandom.

Hollow Your Bones Like a Bird’s by @scifigrl47 (95514 words, Clint/Phil) - In the wake of the Chitauri invasion, Clint Barton wakes up in a world that he very nearly had a hand in destroying. And confronting a loss he might not be able to cope with. The Avengers always needed something to avenge, but once the crisis is past, what keeps them together?

I have yet to see a better representation of grief in fanfic, and that’s only maybe half of Clint’s problems in this fic. maybe you’ve noticed I like realism when fic deals with hard topics, and this shies away from nothing - and Clint will treat you to excellent analyses of his friends, as well as many bird facts, along the way!

Ain’t No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down) by spitandvinegar [on tumblr but I’m not able to tag them, sorry!] (107076 words, Steve/Bucky) - It’s six in the morning, and Steve is heading out on a run when he nearly trips over a bouquet of sunflowers on the front steps of his brownstone. For a second paranoia takes over, and he kicks the flowers a little, waiting for them to explode. They don’t. They also came with a card, which he picks up. The front of the card has a tasteful picture of the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It’s very nice and sedate, like the kind of card you would buy to give to your boss. On the inside someone has written a short message in big, shaky block letters. I AM SORRY FOR SHOOTING YOU. Steve sits down hard on the steps.

ok yet more wonderfully detailed post-ws Bucky trying to recover fic, except in this one Bucky is homeless and a drug addict and ADOPTS THE BEST OCS with the BEST POVS EVER, oh my GOD. also Steve is smart and kind, Sam is long-suffering (and smart and kind), and the whole thing is hilarious.

Soccer / FC Barcelona RPF

only the children (know what they’re looking for) by therestisdetail (7253 words, gen) - I drew a picture of him, later, but I shall not show it to you for it is a sad demonstration of what will happen if you stop drawing when you are six, and certainly much less charming than its model. He wore a shirt that was too large and had soft dark eyes hiding beneath dark, indecisive hair; it did not seem to know if it was short or long, or what shape it wanted to be. He was very pale, very slight, had no shoes, and held a battered football beneath one arm with an air of pride. (Le Petit Prince redone feat. FC Barcelona)

a young Andrés Iniesta meets an even younger Leo Messi, and they quite simply tear my heart in two. no knowledge of The Little Prince required, but the fic is just as understatedly beautiful as the original.

Like a Hand Grenade by @meretricula (20430 words, 2 works, Cesc/Messi) - Cesc Fabregas is born a girl. She still loves football.

full disclosure, I do not care about Cesc Fabregas. I didn’t care about Cesc Fabregas even before his career got, frankly, weird and dispiriting. but BY GOD these works make me care about genderbent!Cesc and everything she could have been. the sequel is particularly nice for some cameos from other well-loved players!

Go Gentle by @ferritin4​ (20977 words, eventually Xaviesta) - Things change, but only some things. In which Barça is indeed més que un club, no one stays on top forever, and it all comes back to Andrés in the end.

hands down my favorite football rpf. uses the A/B/O trope and the idea of pack dynamics to tell the story of the last decade of Barcelona football, which makes a hell of a lot of sense, and although Andrés is quietly the star, the different POVs let a lot of people shine.

It’s Going to Take a Lot to Drag Me Away from You by meretricula (31296 words, 10 works, Xaviesta, Fabregas/Messi/Pique, and Messilla) -  Everybody knows Barcelona’s midfielders are psychic anyway. (Soulbonding AU)

try to tell me that a soulbonding AU isn’t the most logical thing in the world for Xavi and Iniesta, just try to tell me that! there’s also a good look at how the politics of this system could get messy quick, which, let’s be real, just makes sense for barça-centric fic.

Star Trek

How Many Roads? or, 27 Times Jim Kirk hit on Nyota Uhura by Deastar (8806 words, Uhura/Spock) - After the bar fight, Nyota thinks to herself that if this is what being hit on by Jim Kirk leads to, she’s very glad she’s never going to have to see him again.

Uhura and Kirk’s relationship goes from the dumpster fire it was in Iowa to the professional respect we get throughout the movies, but we never really see how it happens. this fic shows all of that and much more, and oh my god, I just like these characters so much.

Counteractive Measures by rikke_leonhart (9159 words, loosely Kirk/Spock) - The thing is – giving Jim Kirk a dare will never ever work. “Enlist,” she repeats to herself as Pike’s back disappears out the door. She snorts. It’s one of those things that just keep getting funnier.

Jim Kirk’s whole life - if Jim Kirk were a girl, and slightly less cliche about her motivations and psychology. and if Spock and especially McCoy were just as awesome as ever, because of course they are!

Star Wars

The Last Poem of Jedha by @schweinsty (15486 words, gen) - How Bodhi Rook temporarily misplaced the two most important things in the galaxy, and how he found them again (with a little help).

literally every fic on this list is amazing, I promise, but this one is my favorite out of them all. if you’ve ever cared about star wars for five seconds, please read this. the world-building, the characterizations, the plot structure, the family and team relationships: all stellar!

Supernatural

In His Image by @whitmerule (153067 words, Gabriel/Sam and Castiel/Dean) - Kali can breathe life back into a corpse, but what exactly is Gabriel now? Gabriel flits around various centuries trying to work that out, Dean has another powered-down angel and a little brother to look out for, Castiel has forgotten how to trust, and someone keeps sending Sam annoying little notes on his laptop. Oh, and Bobby would like to remind you all that there’s an Apocalypse still going on. Covers season 5 from Gabriel’s death to the finale.

half season 5 AU, half historical fiction, it feels like one story thread should distract from the other but instead it all works together to make the definitive Gabriel-centric story!

Sammyverse by shangrilada (249230 words, 42 works, gen) - It’s an AU, but not a deep one, until season 4 or thereabouts, where it starts to get kind of weird. Basically, Sam has really hideous asthma, and the boys are both pretty excellent at dealing with it and each other. They’re [not] all from Dean’s POV, and even though I’m branching now into later stuff, I’m going to keep doing pre-Stanford–Season 2 for a long time because that makes me happy. Honestly it’s a lot of H/C porn of the boys just being friendly and affectionate towards each other, because that’s how I like them. It is, to put it simply, gen. To put it more honestly, it’s as fucked up as I see it in canon and not a bit more or less. You can read into it as much or as little as you like.

it’s just like the show, except Sam is chronically ill and also the boys like each other. based on the show you might think the boys already like each other, but my friends, this ‘verse will show you just how much was missing. Dean’s internal monologues are things of beauty, and I love how much Jess is featured in the Stanford-era fics. (note: this master list includes most but not all of the fic in the verse, so if you’d like the rest be sure to check the author’s page or ask me for links!)

True Blood

We Who Are Alive And Remain by @branwyn-says (10448 words, Sookie/Eric) - Terrified by changes she witnesses in herself, Sookie hides from the world and everyone in it. When Eric finds out her secret, she will either find that he is worthy of her trust-or she’ll be dead.

the non-linear timeline makes this fic shine, and from the very beginning the plot is intriguing. before the plot is resolved we get to see a lot about who Sookie is who Eric is to her, and the dynamics between Sookie and nearly everyone in her life.

The West Wing

We Don’t Notice Time Pass by pene (1304 words, gen) -  “I’d no idea you’d even met her.” It’s friendship and it’s women.

focusing on female friendship within The West Wing is annoyingly difficult, but this story focuses on what relationships among women can be. Mrs. Landingham acts as a bit of a mentor to Ainsley, and Ainsley’s relationship with her childhood best friend is achingly and heartwarmingly true to life.

Define Your Terms by candle_beck (4443 words, Josh/Sam) -  It’s very complicated inside Josh’s head.

Josh is manic and about five conversations ahead of Sam. it works out because these two idiots care about each other very, very strongly. I love Josh’s mental voice in this one!

Vidui by Marguerite (7358 words, gen) - In the fall of 2001, Toby went to shul. In past years he had carried sins enough to confess, sins both petty and great, transgressions against God’s ordinances and those of men.

a beautiful meditation on Toby’s relationship with the people he works with/calls his family, through an explicitly Jewish lense. Toby is the person, and the Jew, that I wish I could be <3</p>

The Thinner the Skin by Jane St Clair (2149 words, Josh/Sam) - Of couches and expensive suits, with some mention of madness.

if you’re going to write a Josh/Sam post-Noel fic, this is unquestionably the way to do it! nothing is shied away from but there’s all the best kind of comfort that h/c can offer, and nice backstory details that make the characters seem realer.

highways and byways and roads in between by @greatestheights​ (10456 words, Josh/Donna) - “Maps are for losers. Maps are for people with no sense of adventure, like you, and…I don’t know. Toby, probably.” Josh, Donna, the open road, five states, and some of the things they said while they were driving.

Josh and Donna and, just, everything that they are (that is, a well-meaning idiot and better than you, respectively), with a healthy dose of Donna/career. everyone is characterized spotlessly, the dialogue is episode-caliber, and there’s fun local geography/culture!