#writer: winterhill

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 12/8/23

Title: Little Birds

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom

Relationship: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier

Characters: Erik Lehnsherr, Charles Xavier, Raven Darkholme, Hank McCoy, Alex Summers, Sean Cassidy, Angel Salvadore, Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Azazel (X-Men), Armando Muñoz, Blackbird

Additional Tags: AU, Birds, Angst, Fluff, Romance, Pigeons

Summary: Bird AU. Erik is a lone kestrel on a mission to destroy the great golden eagle who killed his mother. Charles is an abandoned pet dove with no fear and a dream of making a place where the little birds can fly free. They don’t quite want the same thing, but together they’ll change the world.

———

Oh man. Oh maaaaaaan. I am so happy to be recommending this fic to y’all. I know a lot of my Cherik followers have probably been in this fandom at least as long as me, and as such have probably read this one at least once. Multiple times, in my case. But any of you recent converts might have missed it, on account of it being *checks publishing date* 12 YEARS OLD next January. Damn. Also, if you’re a real OG like me, you remember reading it In its original form… on the kinkmeme. Boy, the ‘gee Rooster, you’re getting old’ hits just keep building, don’t they? BACK TO THE FIC.

The fact that all these characters we know and love can be transposed into literal birds, and still retain just about everything we love about them? Amazing. And the plot, though obviously way different than the source, also retains enough of itself to still be believably based on the X-Men movies (First Class specifically, this was still 2011/2012), but with a fresh flair befitting this particular AU. The relationship between Charles and Erik is gradual, every new step feels earned and special, and sometimes - dare I say - you can almost find yourself forgetting that they’re, y’know, BIRDS.

All of the characters are so good. Weirdly enough, I’m especially kind of fond of Charles’ old owner. Such a sweet, kindly guy, who definitely immediately knows what’s up between his dove and the weird kestrel hanging around him, lol. Also, never thought I’d read a fic with bird sex in it, but here we are. The kinkmemes were very strange places; I miss them.

All in all, this one is always gonna be one of my favorite Cherik fics of all time. If it’s your first time hearing about it or reading it, awesome! Enjoy! And if you’ve read it before, remember: it’s always a good time to reread a great fic!

Important Note: This fic is locked, unfortunately, so you have to be logged in on AO3 to read it. No shade to the author, of course - do what you feel you must - but just FYI.

———

Next Week: Steddie time again! Shout out to all y’all who followed me for those Steddie thoughts/minifics, lol.

This one is really great. I initially wanted to drop it in the discord for recs on my birthday, but forgot. Also it’ll be 11 days after my cake day when this next rec will go up, but just go with it.

To summarize: Steve has a terrible birthday… until the Munsons get involved.

See you next Friday!

[finalfrontierpublishing]

Hello! I hope your day/night is going well! I just wanted to ask if you had a list of links of all the 00Q fics you've made into a book? Specifically, the latest one with All In Green? (I looked for it on AO3 and saw it's only 15k+ words, so I wasn't sure if I was missing the rest of it or if there are other works included?) It's just I read Oh Mercy, I Implore because I saw your book version and it was seriously one of the best fics I've read so I'm super keen to see what else you have on your rec list for my hungry 00Q heart 🥹

FIC REC TIME!

Oh boy - thank you so much for your ask! It kind of made me look through my entire list of favourite 00q fics - let me start first by sharing some of the authors I love. it's obviously not an exhaustive list - but i hope it helps you some:

some great writers that i am huge fans of:

dhampir72 @dhampir72 skylights @frijae blackidyll @blackidyll winterhill magneticwave cicer @cicerfics thestalwartheart @thestalwartheart girlbookwrm @girlbookwrm dr_girlfriend @drgrlfriend by_oaks_and_roses @byoaksandroses sleeponrooftops @sleeponrooftops

will strongly recommend everything on these authors' backlists!

other than what i've publicly mentioned i've bound, here are some of my favourites which include:

this city, oh how it sings - skylights

Q allows himself the indulgence of a smile and the next taxi that idles up to them, he flags down. “Peak Road,” he tells the driver. To Bond, “Get in.” This is Hong Kong, and they’re here to kill a man.

this fic is so atmospheric to me as a member of the Asian diaspora and i love it so much.

2. Requiem for the Deathless - nagapdragon

It's MI6's best kept secret, the reason why the Double-0s never seem to die. An enchanted pot of ink that ties one person's life to another, keeping one safe so long as the other survives. One person to protect, the most trusted person in a Double-0's life, and they cannot die. James Bond doesn't know who his is, and he doesn't want to know.

this fic feels like a cool take on a soulmate AU but not quite - it's such a unique and interesting concept and the characterisation is perfect!

3. the places you leave in the dust - thestalwartheart

SPECTRE fix-it where Q deals with the professional and personal consequences of Bond leaving. Continues on to explore the impact of Bond's actions on their relationship.

this series is still ongoing but it really hits a chord in my heart. everything about this fic feels so real, and it made me think about what the true consequences of Bond leaving would be, compared to the usual handwave-y 'it's all fine' most movies adopt. I loved this so much, and I strongly recommend everything on thestalwartheart's backlist!

4. the warmth of your doorways - cicer

James stared gloomily at his papers. "I suppose you could marry me,” Q added, “if you're that desperate to do away with the forms. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to fill them all out." His voice was rich with amusement. Clearly Q thought this was quite a joke. But James paused. He tilted his head. Then he set his pen down. Q tapped away at his keyboard for a bit, then looked up. He promptly blanched. "Oh, good lord. You're not serious, are you?" "It would be convenient." (In which James Bond is a middle-aged spy with a highly adventurous career and promiscuous lifestyle…who kind of wants to settle down, get married, and enjoy a stupidly domestic lifestyle in between missions. Now what?)

As an ace-spectrum person - I absolutely love all of their fics. Connection to me is so important and the slow build and burn of it - ack, it gets to me. This series is also on-going and i'm excitedly waiting for its completion.

Hope this list helps and happy reading!

[xiaq]

Hey! I'm a massive omgcp and Harry potter fan, and love your fics. Found your other ones and also Loved your John/Sherlock bond/q fics on ao3. Not usually into bond/q bit your take was lovely. I was looking for fic recs for that pairing? If you still remember some :) Thank you :)

Oh goodness. Thank you! That’s lovely to hear, especially because I look at those fic now and I’m...not embarrassed, but I definitely have grown as a writer, let's say. And of course! Here are a few good ones grouped by rating. Red Queen to Overwatch is far and away my favorite, though (keep in mind, I’m missing Many Excellent Ones here, these are just off the top of my head).

Teen:

Ordinary Numbers by BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria

Curtains by winterhill (domesticity like whoa)

Mélomanie by dhampir72 (music fic)

I've measured out my life with coffee spoons by mimosa (coffee shop Au)

The Love Affair of Willoughby Holmes and James Bond (Bondlock)

Remember Me by Jen (ConsultingWriters) (amnesia fic)

Sigh No More by dhampir72 (hurt/comfort)

The Perils of Dating a Werewolf by BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria

Mature: Red Queen to Overwatch by BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria***

All the King's Horses by Revenant (plotty bondlock) Explicit:

Quriosity Verse by dr_girlfriend

The Courtship of Mr. Bond by marlowe_tops (regency Au)

Slow Dancing In A Burning Room by feelslikefire

Skyfall Lodge by BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria Which, ok. Pretty much anything by Kryptaria and/or BootsnBlossoms is going to be good. And they’ve written A Lot.

[patrice-bergerons]

4, 13, and 16 for the writing ask, please!

Oooh what great asks thank you!

4. Are there any other fic writers you admire? If so, who and why?

Ah so many! @neyvenger​ and @carraville​ for how they can distill so many emotions that feel very real into such few words, for how their prose flows almost like poetry. But also some established names who used to write a lot of merthur like FayJay and winterhill. I still don't know how they wrote novel length works that deliver in each sentence and paragraph...

13. Favorite fic from another author?

Awake by corilannam and phoenixacid. I could almost see this fic being season 6 of Merlin and oh how I wish it was! It follows directly from the end of the series and the way it addresses all the ways Merlin and Arthur failed--their mission, each other--man it kills me. It's 50k of bittersweetness and heartbreak as well as hope and even though it is a little hand wavy in the end the story stayed with me ever since I read it. Here have the summary if you don't believe me.

King Arthur sleeps in Avalon, waiting to return at the hour of Albion's greatest need. But once a year he awakes and spends a single day with Merlin, who will never, ever leave him.

16.  Do you have structured ideas of how your story is supposed to go, or make it up as you write?

Both? I always have a game plan but then as I write it the story usually evolves and leaves me to tweak bits to do it justice.

send me writing asks!

[officiallallorona]

I was tagged by @kirayaykimura​ who probably knows my answers to some of these already because the poor girl has to deal with my nonsense all the time anyway.

1. Always post these rules! 2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you. 3. Write 11 questions of your own. 4. Tag 11 people

1. Do you have a feeling about how you’ll die?

Okay so it’s probably just like ~residual trauma~ or what have you, but I’m always nagged by the feeling that I’m gonna die in a car crash.

2. What character do you feel is unnecessarily or unjustly hated? (Aka what character do you like that most other people seem to dislike?)

Sharon Carter. People 500% are just pissed she gets in the way of their slash ship (and this is coming from a stevetony fan).

3. Place in the world you’d most like to travel to.

Right now? I’m desperate to go to Greece.

4. What’s one skill you don’t currently have that you would love to wake up with tomorrow?

The ability to DANCE. Latin style in particular, but just to be able to dance well in general.

5. Beauty, brains, or brawn? Which is more important?

BRAAAAAAAAAAAINNNSSSSSS.

6. What is one thing you don’t understand the appeal of?

This is going to sound mean, but Dane DeHaan. Also the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service.

7. Favorite fic of all time?

3-way tie between Four (or Five) Reasons for Kidnapping Tony Stark by @scifigrl47​ (MCU, stevetony),  Irreparable by @aslightstep (MCU, maybe stevetony), and The Five Kingdoms by winterhill (Merlin, Merlin/Gwaine).

8. What movie do you wish you could erase from your brain?

The Butterfly Effect just because the dog-killing scene in particular disturbs me profoundly.

9. Why do tv shows sometimes do puppet episodes, where the characters turn into puppets? Best guess please because I don’t get it.

I didn’t know this was a thing? My guess would be because the writers say “fuck it.”

10. Space or the ocean?

Space. The ocean fucks me up.

11. If you could only send one message to aliens [insert contrived plot device I’m too lazy to think of here], what would it be?

Please get rid of Donald J. Trump.

My Questions:

What is your ideal breakfast?

Name a book that had a profound effect on you.

What fictional character do you identify with the most and why?

What is your favorite article of clothing?

Where do you fall in the Nature vs. Nurture debate and why?

What was the last food craving you had?

Name a quote you have/would have tattooed on you and explain its significance to you.

Tea, coffee, or hot cocoa?

What is your stance on the Oxford Comma and why?

Who is your number one celebrity crush at the moment?

Was there a movie you watched over and over as a child? What was it?

Tagging: @knightinironarmor @tonyrhodes @davissbloome @aslightstep @hormonesandhoney @nathenmiller @grounderbellamy @martinsparrish @osanzo @buckyrhodey @jacewaylands