~LEGENDS ONLY~ aka fics i'd recommend to (essentially) anyone regardless of interest in/knowledge of the source material. almost all of these are fics i've read & loved for years and have continued to impress and engage me, even though i've moved on from the fandoms or in some cases, never even been in them at all. alphabetical by title.

Another Place to Fall

• fandom hetalia
• pairing japan/greece
• genre: porn w/ some plot
• summary: Japan goes to Greece's house to ask a question regarding a new turn of events. What results is Japan taking Greece's advice on 'finishing what he set out to do.'
• warnings: this is not fluff. also it's written as the actual personified countries, so make of that what you will.
• notes: baby's very first pwp... and it has stood the test of time. it's the nuanced sexual tension & belligerent desperation, never gets old. 11.5k, nc-17.

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Boys

• fandom: kingdom hearts
• pairing: sora/riku, axel/roxas
• genre: 90s high school au
• summary: It's about growing up, mostly. Sometimes it's about love and sometimes it's about friendship. Sometimes it's about hockey. But sometimes it's about the difference between what's real and what's fake, between being a boy and being a man. November, 1995.
• warnings: homophobia & recreational drug use, mostly. the predictable levels of mess that always accompany any sort of axel/roxas storyline.
• notes: this was the staple of what i looked up to for fic writing when i was younger and tbh now knowing the author was like, a damn adult, it still kinda is. captures a near-perfect nostalgic, soft feeling of longing and adolescence that resonated as a young teenager and still resonates today in my 20s. 179k, m.

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Coffee, Black

• fandom: dragon age 2
• pairing: m!hawke/fenris
• genre: coffee shop au
• summary: Awkward Garrett Hawke is a barista with a crush on the guy with white ink tattoos who comes in to Bianca's Coffee every morning. His friends Isabela, Merrill and Andy take it upon themselves to help him, in the capacity of Wingmen, to not totally blow it with him. It's an uphill battle every step of the way.
• warnings: in-depth, (at times) incredibly explicit/unsettling discussions of past abuse, parental death, recreational drug use.
• note: you will laugh. you will cry. you will laugh and cry at the same time. but either way, you will fall in love with this fic. if you need any more convincing, key characters include a box of porn, a religiously themed belt buckle, and a nightlight shaped like a uterus ok just please read this fic. 133k, nc-17.

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For it was I Who Chose to Start

• fandom: hetalia
• pairing: alfred jones/ivan braginski (america/russia)
• genre: student/teacher au
• summary: What starts off as a purely physical crush on the part of Alfred Kirkland towards the new gym teacher, Mister Braginsky, quickly spirals out of control and into something much more.
• warnings: underage, age difference, crossed boundaries, power imbalance, dub-con (due to age), etc. tread lightly, as the entire fic hinges on these more or less. additional warnings for mental illness, car crashes, multiple accounts of parental death, and non-explicit references to drug/alcohol addiction and past abuse.
• notes: seriously only for the gross and morally depraved but if you can get past that it's very... surprisingly sweet and soft and lovely. you might have to take a shower but it's well-written and, for what it's worth, self-aware. the only wip i will ever rec. 94k, nc-17.

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General Relativity | continuation links

• fandom: hetalia
• pairing: alfred jones/matthew williams (america/canada)
• genre: student/professor au
• summary: His senior year of college, Matthew’s syllabus was full of literature and English courses. Except for one: Quantum Physics I. Sometimes Matthew hated himself.
• warnings: (legal) age difference, crossed boundaries, do not attempt at home probably etc. if you are not familiar with the unique disorganized archival horror that was the livejournal kink meme send me a DM for the pdf & i will be more than happy to give it to you (just don't redistribute, obviously).
• notes: it's been years and i've yet to find a better love story in my life catch me on my deathbed shedding a tear as i whisper 'you and your fucking stars'. enjoyable by everyone imo seeing as it's completely and utterly detached from the source material. 70k, high m/low nc-17.

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Here's The Pencil, Make It Work

• fandom: harry potter
• pairing: draco malfoy/harry potter
• genre: immediate post-dh canon compliant (w/o epilogue)
• summary: Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"
• warnings: internalized homophobia, recreational drug use, draco malfoy awkwardly navigating muggle technology.
• notes: as implausible as the concept of draco malfoy working in a muggle coffee shop with his muggle friends sounds, it manages to be believable and in-character with a very nuanced and fair look at what makes malfoy tick & the dynamics of harry's connection with him. quaint and humorous, one of my favorite character studies of malfoy & drarry fics in general. 49k, high m/low nc-17.

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My Mirror, Sword, and Shield

• fandom: code geass
• pairing: suzaku/lelouch
• genre: back to the future au... very, very loosely.
• summary: Suzaku always knew that Lloyd was eccentric, but he never expected Lloyd to build a time machine, let alone one that worked. Nor did he expect to be transported eighteen years into the past and meet the infamous Demon King, Lelouch vi Britannia.
• warnings: major character death (it's code geass), graphic depictions of violence (it's still code geass).
• notes: it's so long because it's essentially a retelling of the entire damn series with some... pretty major alterations idk how to explain it without spoiling literally everything either about the fic or the show. it reads like it could be part of canon in a heartbeat, including the relationship between suzaku and lelouch (that is, if CLAMP got their way) and balances out the politics of the plot and the goals/emotions of suzaku & lelouch brilliantly. 326k, nc-17.

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Quid Pro Quo

• fandom: american politics rpf/hamilton
• pairing: george washington/alexander hamilton (LISTEN)
• genre: modern/sugar daddy au
• summary: A senator, war hero, rising star in the theatre of American politics, filthy rich southerner from money older than dirt. A scrappy kid from New York, drowning in student loans, barely getting by, brilliant. Useful. You see where this is going. You follow.
• warnings: (legal) age difference (20+ years), power imbalance, D/s dynamics, exhibitionism, real actual daddy kink, light sadomasochism, the works. mentions of parental death + negligence. general dirty politics run the plot.
• notes: one of the best fics for this sort of thing if you find that you're into this sort of thing (and trust me, i've read a lot of fics for this sort of thing). it's inspired by hamilton but as someone who's never ventured into the fandom or content at all it's enjoyable regardless of source knowledge, with a genuinely well-placed plot & relationship progression. self-aware in regards to the cliche/dangerous tropes in this genre enough to avoid them, 5 stars exerlent etc. 123k, nc-17.

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Revisionist History

• fandom: major league baseball rpf (i know)
• pairing: billy beane/barry zito
• genre: high school au
• summary: Zito is a drunk and a pothead and seventeen years old, pitching for the best high school baseball team in the country and still kind of in love with one of his best friends, and wanting to sleep with his new coach is really the least of his problems.
• warnings: underage, age difference (~18 years), dub-con (due to age), rampant substance abuse, ill-advised casual sex, highly questionable life choices, etc.
• notes: if this is not your scene you'll find this is REALLY not your scene, but if this is your scene it REALLY will be your scene. the fic is really upfront about the relationship and also zito's entire life being a gigantic hot mess and doesn't apologize for it. as a whole it's really half about the main relationship and half about a pretty complex, well-developed friendship, and props to any fic with that feature. no baseball knowledge necessary. 30k, hard m.

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Scions

• fandom: batman (comics)
• pairing: tim drake/conner kent (red robin/superboy)
• genre: alternate canon/business au
• summary: Tim Wayne, adopted son of Gotham mogul and secret vigilante Bruce Wayne, shows every sign of being his father's true successor - by day, and by night. Tim sets his sights on a valuable Metropolis lab for merger with Wayne Biotech, and all that stands in his way is the city's own rising star: Conner Luthor.
• warnings: violence, gaslighting (of sorts)
• notes: they are expensive & have expensive rich business mogul sex but their relationship is actually so well-written and touching somehow throughout it. requires no real nuanced comic knowledge but if you have it, it's extra fun 69k, nc-17

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Something To Hold Onto

• fandom: avatar the last airbender
• pairing: jet/zuko
• genre: alternate canon
• summary: Jet and his second command, a mysterious boy named Li, have spent the summer piecing together an army, hoping for a chance to take Ba Sing Se back for good. But Li is also Zuko, and the time for that secret is quickly running out.
• warnings: graphic depictions of violence, jet being, well, jet.
• notes: the original rian brand overenthusiastic rarepair & the best fic written for it. don't be turned off by first chapter sex in the context of an established relationship btw i promise the dynamic works and is explained & fleshed-out ok! 123k, nc-17.

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Turn

• fandom: harry potter
• pairing: draco malfoy/harry potter
• genre: post-epilogue, very loosely-based family man au
• summary: One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.
• warnings: internalized & external homophobia, occasional semi-graphic violence, parental abuse.
• notes: i have a tattoo from this fic in real life on my body idk what else to say it will change your life please read it. the themes are genuinely so important and well-done, this is by far the best fic on here and quite honestly the best fic i've ever read. if you choose only one item to read from this list, make it this one & don't let the length scare you. 322k, nc-17.

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Under the Table and Dreaming

• fandom: toy story (no, really)
• pairing: sid/andy
• genre: coming of age
• summary: Andy met Sid when he was four years old, and while some things change, a lot of things stay the same. // immediate follow up scene: behind the wheel sequel: to the dogs or whoever
• warnings: parent-> child abuse/negligence, recreational drug use, (non-explicit) underage, occasional violence. the longer third installment carries its own warnings.
• notes: not only is it named after the best dave matthews album it is one of the most endearing & believable life-snapshot fics i've read, following them from the beginning of the first movie and filling in the gaps throughout and up to the third (and far beyond in the subsequent fics). all are definitely worth a read but uttad is arguably the best & truest classic of them all. 15k (for uttad) ~103k (for the entire thing), T-nc-17.