Fic Rec Fridays 2020 - part 43

[katajainen]

Accord (15338 words) by kettish
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Thorin's Company
Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Cultural Differences, Knotting, Past Rape/Non-con, Just that Hobbits cant consent during their heats or ruts, So its non con, But the smut here is consensual, No worries guys I got this
Summary:

Commissioned fic by StrivingArtist on tumblr! Accord: A scent is more than the sum total of its parts. So is Bilbo more than just an Alpha and a Hobbit--he is the one Thorin wants to take him through his heat.

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For reasons I’m not going to rehash here, A/B/O is usually a trope that makes me cringe. BUT there are a few exceptions: this underappreciated gem is one of them.

For one, the story uses the culture clash both to illustrate how differently biology might function for different ME races, and to actually discuss and question the characters’ preconceived assumptions about gender dynamics and their role in relationships. (Why, yes, I do like A/B/O when it gets metatextual.)

And secondly, the trope is employed to power a classic misunderstanding-fueled romance plot, which is brilliant. (Also it doesn’t hurt that the “typical” setup of who’s alpha and who’s omega gets casually subverted.)

Thirdly, I didn’t have much of a scent kink before reading this, but I’d like to point out the word “before”. Because the sensory descriptions are a treat: original, lush, and literally mouth-watering.

Recommended for two reasons: for being a fresh and inventive get-together story of two dorks trying to figure each other out-- and for the generous helping of hot steamy loving at the end *winkwink*