#makeit_takeit

[linskywords]

Hockey RPF Recs from 2023

I realized recently that I haven't done a great job keeping up with hockey fic beyond the authors I was already subscribed to, so I did some reading in the tag for the past year (and of course fell in a hole and neglected other parts of my life, you know the drill). Mattdrai is even bigger than I thought?? (She said, having been living under a rock.) Also, wow, *amazing* writers out there I had no idea about! Here are my favorites of the stories I've read so far:

so is the longing by dogjuice (mattdrai): This one might win as my favorite fic of the year. You know how sometimes you read something that's not quite as well written as you want it to be but it's doing the thing you want so you read it anyway? This is NOT that fic. It hits such good juicy trope buttons and also is clever and hilariously written. Top marks.

i'll tell you when to stop by dogjuice (mcmattdrai): Sadly this is the only other fic dogjuice has posted, but it is also excellent. The premise could be ridiculous in someone else's hands but rings so true. I was on tenterhooks for it all to work out.

In From the Cold by makeit_takeit (TK/Patty): FERAL. OVER. THIS. All three stories in this (loosely related) series are impeccable, but this one gave me the most feels. I am weak for a repressed closeted character gradually discovering happiness, and the depth of characterization is breathtaking.

Baby, I'm a Wildcard by wearemany (mattdrai): The writing!! This fic is mostly developing/established relationship, which is not usually my fave, but somehow I loved the entire thing?? Just really compelling character-focused writing that had me completely absorbed without needing to rely on angst or drama (much as I love those in other stories).

Edmonton 10 by Helenish (mattdrai): Helenish is incomparable. I cannot express how happy I am that they've (she's?) gotten into hockey lately. Read everything; I don't even know if this is the best one because I *am* subscribed to them so I read the stories as they came out and didn't rank them or anything, but this one is excellent and also you can't go wrong.

this must be the place by rafting (Jamie/Trevor): Love me some sexuality exploration. The USNTDP ensemble was so vividly and delightfully present in this one. Also, Trevor is so dumb. How can you not love it.

let me look at you by isozyme (mattdrai, mcmattdrai): This one is emotionally ROUGH but so well done. Heed the warnings, but there's plenty of emotional satisfaction as well. I read it several weeks ago and it's still living in my head.

roughed up in the afterglow by notthequiettype (mattdrai): This one is pretty short but gets a lot done in not too many words. Really excellent character interactions and dialogue.

linger by bropunzeling (mattdrai): Top-notch A/B/O content. Sometimes you just want Matthew to have heat sex with Leon and pretend not to have feelings until he can't anymore.

in the honey by donderwalk (Jamie/Trevor): Okay it's been a while since I read this one but I remember it as the highlight of my Jamie/Trevor tag search at the time, so I'm gonna say it's probably great. 😄

Serenity in Those Deep Waters by angry_geno_is_score (larsdunn): This mashes the D/s buttons sooooo good. Has it inspired me to write more D/s? Oh yes. Check it out; You Will Have Feels.

how lovely are thy branches by quadratics (mattdrai, Brady/Tim): Hilarious premise, charming execution. This isn't even about characters getting together and yet I loved it.

Hourglass Theory by puckedup (mattdrai): So short, and totally managed to punch me in the chest (in the best way).

[droumack]

💖💖💖 for the ask game!!! ur recs are always such bangers i trust u wholeheartedly

I GET TO GIVE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS HOORAY OKAY

But also this might not come as a surprise - since I write a lot, it doesn't leave a ton of time to read, so my reco's might be limited. but here we go.

💖 a fic you read you recently loved and why!

another hyacinthed fic - you/me/us - is such an incredible soulmate fic. love all her work, love the way she writes her characters.

another Stars one is coffee_hound's sea swept because i love a good selkie fic

went through a hanahaki phase recently and dandelion is a big standout for me

for my tknp girlies, red wine supernova is a great recent AU for them

@raftings wrote a zegras / drysdale series i love: june & jacob verse

finally finally makeit_takeit's Nic Dowd series, All Caps, is like. all-time, for me personally.

and then anything by @creamsiclemelt, @natesmack and @plethoriall but you already knew that

[warcorrespondence]

Review: Born Ready

Born Ready by makeit_takeit / @makeit-takeit (whose complete works I, Nikki / @gorgeousundertow will now be reading, thank you)

fandom: generation kill

pairing: bradnate

explicit, 98199 words

I have literal pages of notes on this fic - that's how much I loved it. It's an unusual approach, but such a wonderful one, and it's helped me understand these two characters (about whom I had already given a great deal of thought) so much more deeply. Like this is basically canon for me now. It's the long road of how they got to be the people they are before OIF, how they (eventually) come together, and how they stay together.

Spoiler I really do feel you should know before going in: Brad and Nate don’t have so much as a conversation until you’re fully one-third of the way in. (The first one they have with actual dialogue tags, Nate is half naked though so DON’T WORRY THIS FIC WILL DELIVER).

This is actually a spoiler - heavy review, so if you’re not into that, leave now, knowing only this: this fic is incredible, read it immediately.

Born Ready genuinely is a character study, of both of them, the deepest I’ve ever encountered. It explores their (very different) paths to uncovering their sexualities which (another spoiler) they do before they meet. This is not a Brad meets Nate or vice versa and discovers whoops! I’m gay! (The guy I lost my virginity to said he lost his “accidentally" like he tripped over something, and I always think of that….anyhoo).

So there’s a lot of sex with people who aren’t each other, for the first 1/3. But it’s all for a reason, as my favorite kind of sex-in-a-fic is (whether it’s exploring a developing relationship, emotional state, stakes, etc). In this case, it’s character study and if you don’t think a BJ can be character study well you just haven’t read makeit-takeit yet. (And again, DON'T WORRY WHEN THEY DO BANG THEY BANG VERY WELL, IT'S EXTREMELY GOOD YES)

It also skips OIF entirely which I’ll confess I was sad about, because with this level of character study I actually wanted to get makeit-takeit's take on every single scene at least some crucial scenes at least the final unreadable look okay??? But the show is treated as canon we already know rather than something the author needs to fill us in on and contextualize…which, fair! And respect!

Even after they take the first steps they take a long time - A LONG TIME - to really make it work. Which, having understood these characters and their individual fears and hesitations so well, felt absolutely true and right. Frustrating? Yes. But right.

But they do make it work, and it's entirely in character and just the right kind of sweetness - because it's earned.

"I'm flattered, Nate." He looks at Nate resolutely. "But I"m not the guy you want, or-or the guy you should have. If you're honest with yourself, I think you know that." It sounds so final, like the Iceman has fucking spoken, and that's that. Nate can't keep the sneer off his face. "Fuck you." Brad's head snaps up. "Are you fucking-" "No, Fuck. You. Fuck you for not believing you're worth anyone's time - my time - just because some shitty people did a shitty thing to you, once. And fuck you for not trusting me to stick with you even when it's hard. Fuck you for treating me like I'm too fucking fragile to be burdened with any of the shit you carry around with you every day. And mostly, Brad? Fuck you for acting like you're doing this to protect me, when you're just trying to protect yourself."

[gouden-carolus]

Probably been asked. But what got you into Gen Kill?

Also, favorite fics from the fandom if you want to share.

Also, love your artwork

I don't think it's been asked before no! That being said, I don't think my venture into GK is particularly original. I watched Band of Brothers first (which I enjoy as a show but don't feel particularly fannish about) and then followed the natural progression into The Pacific and Generation Kill.

That was around 2013 though, and because I expected GK to be similar to BoB I didn't actually like it at first (I never made it past the second episode I think). For some reason I'd occasionally keep thinking about it now and then though, until I decided to give it a go again autumn 2022. After that there was no escape, lol.

Also, thank you! It always makes me really happy to hear that people like my art!

And sure, I can share some fic recs. I'll put them under a cut to give myself some space to talk about them.

Since this fandom has some incredibly talented authors it's very hard for me to pick favourites. So consider this more of a sample-sized selection of some of the great fics out there.

Brad/Nate Caelum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt by hackthis This one starts with Brad finishing up his time with the Royal Marines throughout which he's been staying in contact with Nate by phone and email. It then follows Brad making questionable decisions about what to do with the change of status quo. I think the fic manages to balance a fine line where you can understand and sympathise with his thought process, while also wanting to roll your eyes at the stupidity.

Leading the Way by nogoaway Nate-centered fic that follows the somewhat convoluted path to self-acceptance, starting from childhood. Having never lived in the US I can't say if the setting's actually realistic, but it sure felt convincingly grounded in time and place. I also find myself comparing this one a bit to Born Ready by Makeit_takeit. They contrast each other, but both fics are to me equally convincing in their differing takes which I really enjoy.

Static by Nightanddaze What if there was a zombie outbreak in the middle of OIF? That's what this fic is about, and it's great. Great pacing that really lets the unease and hopelessness settle in. While it's definitely a Brad/Nate fic, this one's also plotty in a way that almost resembles an ensemble fic. If you'd rather have your zombie apocalypse fic with Brad/Ray flavour then there's also anthropocene, interrupted which is equally amazing.

Brad/Ray Day is Done by ama Given the canon that Generation Kill takes place in I think it's natural for there to be fics where someone is killed in action and this one is amongst my favourites. It follows Ray during Brad's funeral, giving us the perspective of the one left behind. It's beautifully written and painful to read, as I think it should be. If you like MCD fics I also strongly reccomend in ceremonium which goes for a slightly different premise but is equally amazing. (Much more upbeat is At the End of Your Life, You're Lucky if You Die, which is a Brad/Nate MCD fic with supernatural elements, but also really enjoyable).

Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die by codswallop Ray's got some psychic abilities in a world where this isn't unheard of, and where obviously the military is interested in that kind of resource. I think what I really like about it is that it mixes the added supernatural element with canon really well, and that the resulting conflict and resolution between Brad and Ray feels convincing. Another fic that's got Ray struggling because of supernatural abilities/mutations is Short Change Heroes, although I think the similarities between the two end just about here. It's still another good fic though.

it's time for a switcheroo by lennynards A body swap fic taking place during OIF, which is definitely very poor timing for these things. This one's really well executed and funny though. It also forced me to think hard about whether I'd fuck myself or not, if given the opportunity.

Misc. Pairings Remedial Action (Trombley/Walt) by paintstroke Not a pairing I'd ever given much thought to before, but I think it's great when an author wanders off the beaten path. What I really liked in this was Trombley's voice and how it feels like the guy we see in the show while also taking the necessary steps of going a little deeper to turn him from a caricature into more of a character of his own.

You and I Both Know that the House Is Haunted (Christeson/Stafford) by marycontraire Kid fics aren't usually my thing, but this fic makes excellent use of a character in Stafford's daughter to provide an outsider POV that really elevates the story. It's a fic that's maybe more about PTSD than romance, but I still found that it strikes a good balance. If you want something more ship-focused, then the author's also written a prequel of sorts which is also great.

[al-the-remix]

Fic Feature Fridays:

I'm going approach this by just jumping back through my archive of bookmarks and try and choose the ones that fill me with that "i want to read this again" feelings.

i'm my best when i'm with you by faith_girl222 (faithgirl) • Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/OFC

Day 29 by Anonymous • Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin

Captain's Heat by snickfic • Sidney Crosby/Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby/Kris Letang, Sidney Crosby/Matt Murray

Erythema by makeit_takeit • Ryan Graves/Cale Makar

Fire to the Sun by downjune • Sidney Crosby/Kris LetangKris, Letang/Olli Maatta

[lostcol]

People You’d Like to Get to Know Better

tagged by @thedoctorajcrowley 💚

3 Ships (I have more but these are my main 3 right now)

TKNP (TK/Nolpat, men's hockey rpf)

FirstPrince (Alex/Henry, RWRB)

Britin (Brian/Justin, QAF US 2000)

First Ship

First ship I was really invested in was Buffy/Angel (I was 11, let me have this, I've since upgraded to Buffy/Spike). First ship I wrote for was Brooke/Lucas from One Tree Hill back in high school.

Last Song

Rock Me - One Direction

Currently Reading - and highly recommend all!!

Fic:

Going Platinum by cricketnationrise (FirstPrince, camboy!Alex au)

In From the Cold by makeit_takeit (tknp, oil field worker!tk au)

Respite by lavieenrose (britin, deaf!justin au)

Audiobook:

When a Man Loves an Alien by Chloe Archer

Last Film

Ummmm maybe Saltburn? I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

Currently Craving

Chocolate. Yoga, which I'll probably do later.

no pressure tagging: @eusuntgratie @bigassbowlingballhead @matriaya @bartbarthelme @getmehighonmagic @madsworld15

[cgsf]

Fics Based on a Trope:

Internalized Homophobia

°°°°°°

Teen Wolf (TV)

"Between Men & Lions" (E) by standinginanicedress | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 102,164

"I know that you love me, even when I lose my head" (E) by LunaCanisLupus_22 | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 135,585

"No Homo" (E) by anonymous | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 84,092

"Constantly on the Cusp" (E) by alisvolatpropiis | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 40,884

"frat au" (E) by endversed | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 32,318

"Space Age Crystals" (E) by A Devil Like You | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 1,235

"you don’t see me" (E) by endversed | Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski | 59,303 WIP

Men's Hockey (RPF)

"A Month of Sundays" (M) by Kelfin | Erik Johnson/Gabriel Landeskog | 68,667

"Let It Be" (E) by juliusschmidt | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 60,127

"the lightning on your breath" 🔒 (E) by notthequiettype | Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid | 18,073

"Better Than I Ever Even Knew" (E) by Lewsy | Leon Draisaitl/Connor McDavid | 13,195

"it's not gay if they don't come" (M) by Penelopiad | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 12,812 words

"Wide Eyes" (E) by Tedda | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 44,832

"The Scars That Words Have Carved" 🔒 (E) by Linsky | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 15,694

"not your baby" 🔒 (E) by claudine | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 975

"dress me in your favorite disguise" 🔒 (E) by 19red | Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews | 7,250

"I'm on fire" 🔒 (E) by TheNorthRemembers | Jamie Drysdale/Trevor Zegras | 5,658

"my blood is red and unafraid of living" 🔒 (E) by clementiae | Jamie Drysdale/Trevor Zegras | 6,888

"Don't Want You Like a Best Friend" 🔒 (E) by Linsky | Jamie Drysdale/Trevor Zegras | 9,508

"une ivresse qui m'anéantit" 🔒 (E) by puckthisshift | Thomas Chabot/Josh Norris | 5,746

"Someone Else's Solid Ground" 🔒 (E) by Linsky | Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick | 21,757

"How the Future Knew" 🔒 (E) by canary | Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick | 63,728

"River for the Sea" (E) by LoveLeah | Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick | 39,152

"Two Halves of a Whole Idiot" 🔒 (E) by littleconnections | Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick | 19,089

"Happy Endings" 🔒 (E) by makeit_takeit | Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick | 29,650

"Next Level Bromanship" 🔒 (E) by disarm_d | Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin | 7,974

"swear it won't take you long" 🔒 (E) by ladyalysv | Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin | 9,823

"as good as gold" 🔒 (E) by bropunzeling | Kent Johnson/Owen Power | 29,766

Hannibal (TV)

“Sea Change” (E) by xzombiexkittenx | Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter | 4,375

“Faded Fantasy” (E) by Phenobarbital | Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter | 232,599

°°°°°°

This is probably my favorite premise; I just wish there were more good ones out there under this tag. If you have any favorites with this tag, let me know so I can check them out.

[linskywords]

do you have any recs for other hrpf authors! i love your stuff so much but i have now read literally everything you’ve ever posted on ao3 and i need other content to tide me over in between help me hold onto you updates

Why yes, I do!! Caveat that most of these are probably obvious if you sort the hrpf tag by kudos, but always a joy to endorse these people, and hopefully you'll find someone new.

Excellent authors who are currently posting:

makeit_takeit (@makeit-takeit)

dogjuice (they haven't posted a story since last year but I live in hope)

Helenish (@helenish)

notthequiettype (@notthequiettype)

bropunzeling (@bropunzeling)

wearemany

blaahaj

yourblues

isozyme

donderwolk (@donderwolkenblog)

daisysusan

addandsubtract

thefourofswords

Excellent authors who are not currently posting hrpf:

disarm_d (@disarmd) (currently writing f1)

LoveLeah (@love-leah) (currently writing various motorsports)

demotu (@demotu)

altri_uccelli (@altri-uccelli)

Ferritin4 (currently writing various other things)

LadyJanelly

trademarkgiggle

thehoyden

lightgetsin

hazel

purplecatsweater

svmadelyn

There's a lot farther I could go down the road of authors who haven't posted in almost a decade, but I'm going to cut myself off there. Hope this gives you a good place to start!

[grittyreadsfic]

makeit_takeit really nailed the magic of live music in this tknp fic

[thisishowgalaxiescollide]

Breathing Room - Chapter 1 - makeit_takeit - Men's Hockey RPF [Archive of Our Own]

Summary:

“What’s with you,” Pat grumbles, eyes fixed on his phone while his heel prods at Travis’s calf.

“What’s with you,” is the automatic response, because nothing is with Travis, not really.

“No, you’re being like,” Pat shrugs at his phone, still not even looking up, “all weird and like. Quiet.”

And while it’s technically true that Travis has been staring silently out the window for a while now, that doesn’t have to mean he’s being weird. Necessarily.

“Shut up, I’m not,” he shakes his head. “It’s just.”

It’s just, it’s the sixth day of a 5 game, 10-day west coast roadie, right at the point where things really start to drag. And even though the weather is a welcome change from Philly in February, there’s still always something about the stops out West that make him feel. Some kind of way, that’s like - .

Not great.

[marcandreyuri]

i got lazy with copy pasting the discord rec format so if you dont mind im gonna send you some from here 🚶🏽‍♂️

The Murmansk Run by makeit_takeit (https://archiveofourown.org/works/27584312)

Dezinformatsiya by othersideofthis (https://archiveofourown.org/works/2681648)

Miles To Go series by secretsidgenowriter (https://archiveofourown.org/series/1206067)

Wasteland, Baby by secretsidgenowriter (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25184203/chapters/61034125)

thank you!! <3 gonna queue all these up for the plane

[farabeep]

Starved makeit_takeit is so fucking dire serious like this is literally Just what happened 😭😭😭 WHAT IF IT WAS ALL SO PAINFULLY REAL BUT YOU DIDNT EVEN KNOW. WHAT IF YOU ONLY REALIZED ONCE IT WAS TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT……

[fictionallemons]

J2 Fic Rec: all-time faves

These are my favorite of my favorites, as of today, in no particular order. All on AO3. Enjoy!

Yours by Any Other Name by Nyxocity: 3491 words, the first J2 fic I read that made me a fan for life. Non-AU, character bleed. Jensen gets jealous after watching Jared make out with an actress on set most of the day. Jensen then proceeds to show Jared he belongs to Jensen no matter who he is--especially if he's Dean Winchester.

What You Should Know by sonofabiscuit77: 16412 words, amazing AU with so many gorgeous feels. Jared is a mechanic in a small Texan town with a big secret. Jensen, a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps, is that secret.

Full Service Firm by rivkat: 11881 words, maybe my actual favorite J2 fic of all time. AU and extremely hot but with the most satisfying ending. Jared thinks Jensen’s a sex worker and Jensen just goes with it, for...reasons.

I Kind of Liked It Your Way by Chash: 10027 words, I love a good virgin story, and it’s a college setting, to boot. Chad gets Jared a hooker for his birthday, assuming (probably rightly) that Jared will never manage to get laid on his own.

we're still more in love than you think we are by forallthewords: 24824 words, one of the best high school J2 stories there is, and I’ve read A LOT of them. Jensen Ackles is not perfect. The thing about Jared is he never wanted him to be.

Homework verse by Nyxocity: 200K, 10 works, every story deepens the relationship. Toppy!Teacher!Jensen in glasses and Student!Jared.

Screw You, We're From Texas by makeit_takeit: 74894 words. Angsty but amazing J2 roommates-to-friends-to-lovers with lots of Texas culture. This is what could have happened if fate twisted differently, if they never got those big Hollywood breaks and instead ended up living the lives they grew up expecting to lead. More or less.

One Small Step series by sandymg: 62,750, 3 works, made me think a lot about space. Jared has had a secret crush for months. But it’s not like publishing genius and gay activist Jensen Ackles is going to notice the tall, weird guy pushing the mail cart.

I just realized that for some reason there is no coffee shop au on this list, so here’s mine: Worth the Wait by fictionallemons: 6290 words, Jared and Jensen are just two guys who see each other at the coffee shop a few times a week. Jared doesn't flirt with married customers, and Jensen is very married. Until he isn't.

[tapedsleeves]

1, 7 for fic meme!

1 👍🏽 A fic you bookmarked recently

Oh, I'm going to have to admit this now: I don't bookmark fic. My memory is pretty good, so I'm usually able to find the fic I want with just. Filters on ao3, unless it's been deleted. Keeps me on my toes?

Instead I offer a fic series I read recently and really liked: All Caps by makeit_takeit - Tom Wilson/Nic Dowd and it was just. Ugh. So good. It really hit all the right buckets for me for some reason: small cock worship, rare pair, self-esteem issues (on both sides). I could read like, probably 50k more of this.

I would also recommend Lionheart by Aliquis - Jonas Siegenthaller / Nico HIschier modern royalty/bodyguard AU and UGH it’s SO GOOD.

7💯 A fic that makes you think #writergoals

Misethere by Astolat Look. I know it’s not Hockey. I know that Astolat is also a published author. But the things this fic did in the wordcount are just so. If I say economical, it’s going to sound bad, but I really mean that in the *best* way. Like. The author sets up this love potion/spell that is so effective that it drives people to die in the first like, 2000 words in such a believeable way, and then spends the rest of the story showcasing what inhuman control the person who gets *dosed* with said potion has. It’s just. It’s so good. That and, it’s a whole mystery story! And a love story! And political intrigue! all in less than 50k words.

Also, pretty much everything by my good friend Anonymous/ @himbeaux-on-ice but especially become what you’re supposed to be they have this specific way of absolutely blindsiding me with things I didn’t even know I wanted, and then describing them perfectly.

[al-the-remix]

🛳👌

A fic someone else recommended to you:

Post-Industrial by makeit_takeit!! I love restaurant fic, it's just such an interesting niche in fanfiction. So now I also have to recommend One Time Too Many, One Step Too Far by Ferritin4 and acquired taste by goodnightpuckbunny

A fic that brought you aboard a new ship:

Orion by Plethoriall -- This is one of my favourite fics, I've read it so many times and it really brought me aboard the Sid/Shea train. I love the themes of grief and searching for belonging throughout

Also dadvans' maritime boys series!! It has me deep in tinhatting Sid/Nate/ Andy every summer 😂

[grittyreadsfic]

this tknp future fic by makeit_takeit absolutely slaps