#if i'm gonna have a fic recs tag APPARENTLY i might as well get some content in it

[darlin-djarin]

Hiya! I've been lowkey stalking ur blog for the last few weeks bcs i recently got rllllllly into dinluke and saw ur recent post about fic, so now I'm wondering if you have any reccs (dinluke ofc)?! I like ur content and read ur tags so I'd say our taste in fic probably overlaps. Hope you have a nice day!! 🌻

hey!! and yeah i’ve got a few fics that i think a lot of dinlukers might like

first let me link @transmascskywalker's list because that’s where i started out originally!!

now as for my fic recs~

some of these fics might overlap, i’m just putting down the ones i loved most. i’m sure i’ve read tons more but these are the ones i found that you can busy yourself with :)

The Storm by shirozora

Din Djarin needs a new ship.

Greef Karga makes him a deal - do some work for the guild and he'll get a brand new gunship. One such job takes him to a planet with a volatile storm system to track down a double-crossing bounty hunter. What he doesn't know is that the bounty hunter is there to loot an ancient Jedi temple. What neither of them know is that someone else is also on the planet searching for the temple.

And then the storm rolls in.

in-universe

sfw

multichapter/parts

my comfort fic btw ^^ i’ve read it so many times

Mystery Man by snapdragonpop007

Luke is seeing someone, apparently.

And really, it’s none of Anakin’s business.

Really.

modern au

sfw

multichapter/parts

one of the best, funniest fics i’ve ever read ^^

Unfold by SilverScriptings

Han can’t help but be suspicious of a certain Mandalorian who’s been spending an awful lot of time at the Jedi Temple…

in-universe

sfw

multichapter/parts

A Little Farther Down the Line by Chromat1cs

Austin, Texas, 1973. Din Djarin plays the guitar, worries about his kid, and runs aimlessly from a past that pulled the roof down around his ears. When a stunningly-talented duo of up-and-coming performers turns Din’s plans of being a simple session musician clear on their head, Din must decide between the safety of mundanity or the unlooked-at thrill of following his heart lest the tape run out on this track of his life before he’s through recording it.

modern (1970’s) au

nsfw

multichapter

the warmest bed i’ve ever known by ceedawks

pre-original series, din djarin is injured on a remote planet and found by an incessantly chatty farm boy named luke skywalker || i won't ask you to wait, if you don't ask me to stay || aka "making out with hot farm boys doesn't count as breaking the creed if he's blindfolded during it".

pre-ANH/meet on tatooine au (in-universe)

nsfw

multichapter

We Two Scorched the Earth by annathaema (moony)

That left Luke with a much bigger problem: The Sand People knew he was here, they’d likely sabotaged or stolen the speeder by now, and he was stranded in a cave with nothing but a rifle with three rounds left, a survival pack good for only a couple of days, and no transport home. Great. Luke leaned against the wall of the cave and tipped his head back, thumping the back of it against the stone over and over. He closed his eyes and wished for rescue.

Someone groaned.

pre-ANH/meet on tatooine au (in-universe)

nsfw

oneshot

Never leaving well enough alone by DarkIsRising

or Five Times Din and Luke Met (and one time they never parted)

He’s drunk, and he isn’t quite sure how that happened. That’s not true, Luke does remember vaguely how it happened, more or less, and it all started with Han.

in-universe

nsfw

multichapter

Yoda’s Academy for Li’l Padawans by MissDinahDarling

Being a new student is hard.

Being a new student whilst your socially awkward father avoids the school at all costs and your new teacher pines uselessly over a man he’s never met before is even worse.

But by god, Grogu is gonna get through this.

modern au

sfw

multichapter

Just Like Heaven by Kushana

At first, he watches.

Then, he touches.

in-universe

sfw (both aroace ^^)

oneshot

Romance As a Series of Debacles by The SexierEvilerCora

Han stumbles on a golden opportunity to make life difficult for Boba Fett, and drags Luke along as backup to crash a Mandalorian party.

Things do not go as planned for anyone involved.

modern au

nsfw

it’s unfinished with only one chapter but it’s still worth the read

Honey Lemon Popsicle by coffeecatsme

“Good morning,” Luke chirps, not even looking up from the stove, “my honey bunches of oats.”

Din blinks several times, trying to get his muscles to unfreeze, and opens his mouth.

Then closes it.

Then opens it again. “What did you just call me?”

5 times Luke calls Din increasingly weird pet names, and 1 time he finds out Din likes it.

modern au

sfw

oneshot

Restraint and Relaxation by Aureutr_Accoredge

Queen Amidala is sick of watching her son run himself ragged for every good cause he finds. When he collapses at his sister's engagement gala, it is the last straw.

Luke balks, so she summons one of her Mandalorian Knights to take him to the family's lakeside villa to make him rest.

By any means necessary

in-universe

nsfw

oneshot (v good ^^)

these are all the ones i recommend for now! i’ve read other really good fics, but these ones ^^ are the ones i’ve found myself return to at least one way or the other.

please let me know if you're looking for something more specific as well!! i'll do my best to find something for your tastes

[ckerouac]

I miss the big rec posts of old, so… I’m gonna do one.  And I'm going to be real extra about it. I’ve read & reread a variety of things over the past few months that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, and figured hey, y'all might enjoy them as well.  Is there a rhyme or reason?  Of course not.  Are they all new?  Hell no, that’s the joy of an archive.  I also realized like half of them are spooky season themed, so... *shrugs* viva la spooky season. 

Game of Thrones

Dornish Sand by Aviss - (E, 5K, Oberyn/Ellaria/Jamie/Brienne) 

Jamie & Brienne go to Dorne, and the four of them bone.  Why there aren’t more of these four together, I don’t know.  More fics should be about sexy folks worshiping Brienne and this definitely hits it.

Royal Flush by @astolat - (E, 85K, various)

Canon divergence - what if during the Battle of Blackwater Robb found his way into King’s Landing, rescued Sansa, and killed Joffrey?  Where does the game go from there?  That’s the premise and it really is best to ignore the tags and discover the story as it goes because it is deeply engrossing and this is the type of story where being surprised and watching the chess match unfold is part of the fun.

Justified

Bad Apple Blues by @laporcupina  - (NR, 7K, Gen)

A S1 day in the life of Raylan at work, including but not limited to a hostage situation where the whole team gets to show off what they’re good at.  From one of my favorite gen writers, no matter what fandom they’re writing in.

In the Heart of the Holler by scioscribe - (T, 4K, Gen)

The stories say there's a place in Harlan County that will grant your wish on Halloween night.  Raylan thinks Loretta should stay the hell away from it.  Another one to head into spooky season.  Because as someone who grew up in a rural area, some places are just creepy as fuck and this has the vibes.

Underground by @sholiofic - (T, 3K, Gen)

Another preview to spooky season (do I have a thing for Appalachian scares?  apparently) with Raylan, Tim, and Rachel chasing a fugitive into what feels like a haunted mine.  There are far too many things you can only see from the corner of your eye that far underground.

The Mandalorian/Star Wars

ain’t no road i like as well as the road that leads to you by getmean - (T, 3K, Din/Cobb)

Post-BOBF, Din, Cobb, and Grogu go relax on a planet that is moist and green and definitely not Tatooine.  It’s soft, it’s sweet, and good lord the three of them deserve a break.

Find His Way Back by @catchclaw - (M, 9K, Din/Cobb/Obi-Wan)

What if Din and Cobb met 10 years earlier, and they ran into Tatooine’s favorite hermit and had to hunker down for the night?  It’s exactly what you hope it is, and turned me on to a new trio.

Hold Fast by @staranon95 - (E, 21K, Din/Cobb)

Post-S2, Din returns to Tatooine looking for peace, but he’s haunted by the darksabre, both literally and figuratively.  Cobb’s not doing much better.  Some of the best haunted by your past AND actually haunted that I’ve read and perfect going into spooky season.

Lest You Be Shining by @brightmouth - (M, 10K, Din/Cobb)

Cobb Vanth falls in love in the crux of a new era and it only hurts a little bit. It’s the 1960s, Cobb is an engineer working for NASA and Din is an astronaut.  Y’all, the absolute vibes on this one.  

take my revolution by @saltsprite - (E, 34K, Din/Cobb)

Take Din, Mandalore, and the darksaber, and make it Revolutionary Girl Utena. My 90s anime fan self couldn’t resist.

A Waste of Water by @magess - (E, WIP, Din/Cobb)

Din’s come back to Tatooine, Cobb’s past has come back to haunt him.  This one is currently a WIP, but the world building is great, the original characters feel fleshed out, and new chapters drop once a week.  I look forward to it every week. 

MCU

Can’t Keep a Good Man Down by @roboticonography - (M, 10K, Steve/Peggy)

After the serum, Steve has to deal with a persistent side effect. In his pants.  Did I get in the mood after Jen’s excitement in She-Hulk over Cap fucking to go back to an old favorite of the genre?  Yes.  This is exactly what you want it to be.

Rhythm, Interrupted by @staranon95 - (T, 1K, Gen)

Marc tries to keep his presence as minimal as possible in Steven's life for his protection even if Khonshu doesn't understand why.  I have such a soft spot for Marc trying to care for Steven before Steven realizes what’s going on, and this scratches that itch beautifully.  It’s short, it’s soft, it's what I wanted.

Ted Lasso

bell, book, and candle by fakelight - (T, 5K, Gen)

“There is something strange,” Ted announces gravely, standing in front of the whiteboard. “In our neighborhood. Well, our treatment room. But, you know, our general vicinity.” In large letters above his head, Beard finishes writing WHO YOU GONNA CALL? AFC RICHMOND.  A silly way into spooky season, for a change lol

Our Flag Means Death

The Keeper by @r0b0tb0y - (E, 7K, Ed/Stede)

Edward Teach becomes a lighthouse keeper. Everything goes wrong.  Another one perfect as we move into spooky season because it’s cosmic horror meets sea shanties.  And one you don’t want to know too much going into because the discovery is part of the fun.  

Like the Sea Around the Shore by @the-cimmerians - (E, 51K, Ed/Stede)

Are you looking for a fic that could easily be the first few eps of S2?  This is that fic. Ed and Stede find their way back to each other, the crew of The Revenge finds a way to talk it through as a crew, and a goldmine of callbacks and anachronisms are sprinkled through like the most fun easter egg hunt.  I can’t articulate how much I love this fic from an author who never disappoints.

A Night at Blackbeard’s Bar and Grill by soft_october - (T, 6K, Ed/Stede)

Restaurant AU. The manager at the new restaurant Stede is trying to review is being kind of a dick. A certain member of the waitstaff, however, takes a bit of a liking to him.  It’s fun, it’s light, it’s a delight.

The Sandman

Things That Never Happened In History Class by darth_stitch - (T, 2K, Dream/Hob)

Prof Hob teaches History 101, other immortals from other media make an appearance, it’s fun, it’s light, it’s a delight.  And Hob still gets irritated over Shakespeare.

[patsywalkera]

trishica fic recs

a crash course in my bookmarks for all things jessica jones and trish walker? i guess? i also guess that my format’s gonna be: necessary notes > shining star fic rec > cut for other fic recs. these have been my necessary notes! i’m gonna shut up!

Proxemics by teyla

Proxemics: the study of personal space. In which the aftermath of Kilgrave’s death prompts Trish and Jess to redefine some boundaries.

this is! the best fic! in the world! there are kittens! there are LESBIANS EVERYWHERE! and all the while, it’s about RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA! and it’s genuinely just very pleasant while (obviously) dealing-- respectfully!-- with unpleasant stuff. i have tried to force literally everyone who speaks to me on a regular basis to read this fic. 

the rest of these are in no order other than the order in which they show up in my bookmarks, fyi... but they’re good

and as I recall you used to be mine by likebrightness

Trish comes home from rehab and tells Jess she loves her. Jess, as Trish expected, kind of panics. Her fingers twitch and she glances around like she’s looking for an exit.

Look for the exitwound by tamaraface

Trish doesn’t say that now, doesn’t say anything. She keeps her head on Jess’s shoulder, her eyes open just enough to catch the rise and fall of Jess’s chest as she breathes. Trish slows her own breathing to match, finds Jess’s hand with her own in the tiny space between them and tangles their fingers.

or, Trish and Jessica and getting by.

Doing Fine by willowbilly

the summary of this one is an excerpt that involves weight talk so i’m just gonna give you the tags (for what it’s worth here, i’m a lesbian with ptsd and ednos)

Piece By Piece by CantStopImagining

"Trish had feared that Jessica would fold back in on herself, disappear on a gust of wind and be gone for another six months, maybe longer. Maybe she’d never see her again at all. That was how it had panned out last time, and it had broken her heart. But Jessica hadn't disappeared. For now, anyway."

the weight of living by poseidon

“Oh, by the way, when you get hurt I get hurt too, just so you know, anyway doesn’t this beer taste awful?” (#soulbond)

all the things i never told you by rumpledlinen

“Something I never say,” Jessica says, “like ‘I love you’?” and Trish smiles.

She lets her get out of the car and watches her walk away, and if she were a different sort of person, if Jessica were a different sort of person, she’d tell her to be careful.

I love you, she thinks instead, because she’s never been afraid to say it; not with Jake, back when they were fifteen and fumbling with hands under each other’s shirts while they were meant to be in class, not with Emma, twenty-one and on top of the fucking world.

Not with Jessica, the one (two, three, four) times she’d found herself in her bed over the years. Each memory has stuck itself to the inside of her mind, wallpapered over as people come and go. Underneath the surface, though, she’s there, always there, waiting for her.

I love you, she thinks with each pulse of her heart, a reminder of the message that she’s waiting for as well as a helpless romantic plea.

as old as your omens (anonymous)

Where are you, Jessica?

but you seem okay with being strong by theseerasures

My best friend is serenely confident a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Five times Jess and Trish share a bed.

you’re out on the bottomless sea by steepair

All Jessica wanted was some pizza rolls, but first she had to peel a drug-addled teen idol off the floor.

(or: everything good Trish ever learned, she learned from Jessica.)

by any other name by thecatonlyknows

Jessica escapes Kilgrave. It doesn't get any easier after that.

[an abandoned one-shot but it’s good!]

I do the protecting by Rysler [M]

Spoilers for The Defenders and Jessica Jones S1. The night after.

trisha walker’s christmas special by peradi

The tale of Jessica Jones and Trish Walker, told in five Christmases.

rumour has it by thecrackshiplollipop [M]

Jessica accompanies Trish to one of her many glamorous functions. But then Trish is cornered and Jessica acts sort of rashly and. Well. By the next morning, the whole world assumes Trish Walker is a lesbian. Way to go, Jones.

In our darkest hour, I'll find a way to be without you by FloralBucky

Matt Murdock may be gone, but those he left behind must keep living. 

A story following Trish Walker in the months after Matt's "death" as she gets to know the families of the rest of the Defenders and tries to help them (and herself) heal.

my heart breaks bottles by likebrightness

The first time Trish and Jess drunkenly kiss, there’s a roomful of other people, mostly boys, cheering them on.

[seenashwrite]

Hey! So I'm finally writing a fic, and it's gonna be pretty long (from how it's been going XD). SO I was wondering when it's time to make it a 2 part series, and when I should stop part one. Because I honestly do not know what's a really good cliffhanger and what's just bad. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!

I have no idea when you wrote this, sweets, and Imma answer even though I caution I’m still stumbling into recovery from that case of the zombies I contracted. 

So. Ooof. Cliffhangers. Well.  I mean, they don’t…… the whole….. y’know, the BOOOOOM!! and/or GAAAASP!! type of thing….. I just..... yeah, I can’t be completely diplomatic about this topic. For ol’ Nash, here, I gotta say:

99% of cliffhangers suck it big time.

So, okay, PICTURE IT: we’re winding down to the end of a given chunk of the story [or the TV show’s season finale, or the movie, whatevs] and I’ve successfully imagined myself in the scenario, that protagonist O.C. character or reader insert is speaking to me, I’m tracking with the plot, I’m sold baby, I AM ALL THE WAY FREAKIN’ IN, ergo in that scene…..

….I’m on the second floor of an abandoned house, I’m a little impatient, maybe a touch nervous or annoyed, and every time I fidget, rock back on my heels, the weathered floorboards under the threadbare carpet creak, and now on top of everything I’d swear I just heard the click of the doorknob echo down the hallway, only I know Sam’s way out in the backyard and Dean should still be out front grabbing more shells from the car, so I gasp and shudder and my eyes go wide as I’m frozen to the spot, watching that knob on the door not but a hop-skip away from me turn, aaaaaaand CUT TO BLACK.

Hmmmm.

See, the problem cutting off with something like that - y'know, inferring there’s gonna be some legit cliff plummeting jazz - is I’m not gonna buy it. I’m just not. Because (a) you ain’t gonna kill me/my character, and (b) you ain’t killing Sam and/or Dean.

Unless you ARE, in which case? Don’t even go within the realm of cliffhanger, stick with pure drama genre, and keep it to a one-and-done vs. series, otherwise it comes off as…. I don’t even know the word…. Flippant? Gimmicky?  

Specifically what I mean, and I’ll use the visual medium as example: the garbage of ending a given season - or “series”, depending on your locale - of a show [that we’re all well aware is renewed] or a movie [that we’re all well aware is part of a triology/“universe”, and/or is based off of a book series/comics] with a faux death, it’s just—–

Pardon me for a sec.

[Reaches into the always-stocked water balloon basket that lives in a corner of the front porch of The NashHole©℗™, just behind the swing; picks up a real nice fatty; launches in direction of window; lands with a beautiful splat]

Apologies, I’m having a helluva time waving down the interns to refill my iced tea, and Cas, my non-dead angel buddy who’s sitting beside me, wants another unicorn frappucino, because he’s not dead, no one ever believed he was dead, of course he wasn’t dead, and we’ve been out here swaying in the breeze, adding to the ever-growing list of ways that S12 could’ve ended without cheap deaths [cough Crowley], without poorly implied deaths [cough Mary], and without completely transparently faux deaths [cough Cas], and just have been, y'know, *better*.

Cliffhangers-that-ain’t are frustrating, and it immediately cuts me down to 50/50 in terms of if I’ll continue on watching, or - for the present topic - reading. This is a MAJOR reason why - in fanfic land - I don’t care for most episode/season re-writes [I’ve perused lots of them; only 2 or 3 have made The Nail].  Why? Most rehash what I/we already know, just painting over it with the brush of the author’s watercolor personal desires, no spin or creative angle taken. It’s that whole thing of them trying to craft suspense where there is none. I know where this road leads. I walked that road with the author when I saw the ep, and not just me, about 2+ million of us. Or more, I don’t keep up with ratings.

[Psssst….. anyone curious as to how to do this “right”, RE: being inventive & not simply re-hashing — please do see the offerings at “How It Should’ve Ended”; more recent ones that tickled me have been WW and Jurassic World and Rogue One and X-Men: Apocalypse]

So, that’s Nash Cliffhanger Advisement #1: I’ve no doubt it can be done well, even though I can’t think of an occasion where I’ve seen it & not been at least partially eye-rolly about it. I’m also having no doubt that:

(A) If you do wanna give it a whirl, probs shouldn’t be done on every part because that’ll get old; and

(B) A sure thing would be to keep it to a single story if you’re looking to shock, don’t drag it out - I’d rather have a 10K one-shot that delivers on drama than a bunch of filler added to it for the sake of trying [and potentially failing] to make it suspenseful by expanding it into a series.  #Fic Wreck 

Speaking of those, mild confession time. There exists a folder, filled with tales that wrecked me, ones I caught on my dash or were sent to me or I was tagged in, that have >100 notes, some in the near-thousands count, which were so bad I hurt myself laughing. I proceeded to cut-and-paste the most heinous parts into a document, all so that when I have those times when I’m beating myself up over nit-picky sh*t in my stories & need a break, I go to Fic Wrecks©℗™, and I laugh, and I remind myself Hey, Nash, pump the brakes, people are pretty f*cking forgiving, apparently. 

This might make me a bitch. I also have a doc full of reader feedback on my stuff, both good and bad, which I read when I need a reminder of what works, what hasn’t, and that more often than not, a tidy chunk of people dig what I write. This might make me a mechabitch. I’m sleeping alright.

I bring this up to lead into Nash Cliffhanger Advisement #2 : Check out other stuff.

I know, this is in direct contrast to my writer’s block advice, part of which was to *not* read.  In this case, there’s not block; for me,this is more to the editing end of things. I’m not concerned with an accidental “lift” or “light bulb” that piggybacks off of someone else’s plot/spin/thing because at this point, I’m assuming it’s all fleshed out, you know where the story’s going, any twists/mysteries have been accounted for, etc.

Revisit fanfic that you’ve read that had more than one part, preferably ones whose plots you still remember fairly well so that you can scroll right to the bottom of part 1, read the last couple paragraphs, then hit the first bit of part 2, scroll to bottom, and so on.  

Do you tag your own stuff, like with #fic rec, perhaps?  If not, lots of peeps do - this seems to be a suuuuuper common tag, at least, that I’ve seen.  Go cruise some blogs you like, see if that pops any small multi-parters for you to check out.  

Or, think on book series. Looking back, having read the whole shebang, do you ever think “Jeez, why did the author cut it off there, then pick it up here?” And then another view to take, how’s that have been made into movies? Then ask yourself “Why did the movie-makers choose to cut it there and have the next movie pick up here?” 

I have no idea what you’ve read and then if you’ve gone on to watch their visual counterparts, but here’s a handful off the top of my head....

Narnia

Hunger Games

Lord of the Rings/Hobbit

50 Shades

Harry Potter

Twilight

Divergent

Maze Runner

Basically, in your mind, could they have done it better or did they nail it?

And speaking of nailing it, going back to the written word, thumb through the series/multi-parters on The Nail - remember, 99% of the time I’m not reading series on there in their entirety due to time restraints, so I can’t attest to them having pitch-perfect cap-offs to each of their chapters, but if they made the list?  Well, y'all know how anal-retentive I am - the author’s doing more than a few things above-average, so I’d hedge my bets that they’ve got a good grasp on ending chapters with engagement & enticement.    

And that’s where I personally aim when it comes to my chapters, whether it’s the novel-like Top of the World or my mini-series that have made the rounds here. I want the audience to (1) be engaged to the point that the end of that part kinda snuck up on ‘em, and (2) be enticed to carry on reading when the next part is posted. 

I looked back at the aforementioned works, at how I was capping off, and seems I tend to end in the midst of someone/a group pondering over something, or planning something, then I tend to [not always! but tend to] kick off the next part NOT in the midst of that exact same something. As in - different characters, or it’s the next day, or a new setting. I’d give examples but…. spoilers & such, y’know. [wink]  

Hope that helps. My iced tea has arrived. Til we meet again….