With the news of tumblr eventually going belly-up, I started to think what content of mine I would like to salvage from the shipwreck, and basically came up with the Fic Rec Friday posts and the current LOTR newsletter posts, since the older LOTR groupread stuff is mostly archived on AO3 already (I really need to get that finished asap, I only have like 13 more chapters left).

Some of my fic rec posts were cross-posted here at the time, but I think I need to comb through the tag in any case since I know there's some stuff that's been taken offline. (The tag is HUGE, what am I getting myself into...)

I have to figure out what to do about the LOTR newsletter stuff except to start cross-posting any new entries here; although the backlog shouldn't take too long to import since it's only November. Hoom.

That aside, I feel it's telling that I already had a tag for "the great tumblr fuckup" xD

The Haunting, Hunted Kind (2603 words) by Irrealia
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Characters: Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Severus Snape, Molly Weasley
Additional Tags: Genderfluid Character, Trans Character, Nonbinary Character, Recuperating this relationship from the original author’s urge to make everyone straight and normal, Remus/Tonks is queer af, It’s so queer AO3 doesn’t even have a category for it, In my happy place where slash and het are one, implied wolfstar, Canon Compliant, Grief/Mourning, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Summary:

Nothing could bring Sirius back to him, he knew that, he knew—in a way, he knew his Sirius had never returned from Azkaban in the first place. His Sirius had died in that explosion 15 years ago, just as surely as if he’d been one of the dozen or so Muggles that Pettigrew had found so disposable. But somehow, Tonks had become such a poignant echo of her cousin that Remus found his eyes turning back to her, finding her, again, and again...

---

The author calls this story a headcanon turned fic, and it is that, but also so much more. It’s two broken, traumatised people circling the ghost of a third that stands between them but also pulls them towards one another. It’s a story of loss, survivor’s guilt, and finding (questionable) comfort in stand-ins and replacements.

...yet it’s not altogether grim. For there is a spark of hope -- and if it’s shaped like defiance and spite and snarling at fate, then so be it. Because this version of the whole affair -- I’m not calling it ‘romance’, not yet -- reads so much more true to the characters and their unique bodily circumstances than the canon ever could. (Or: the original smacks of shoehorned comphet; this version made me ship it.)

Also, It’s so queer AO3 doesn’t even have a category for it is one of the best tags ever :p

Quicken (1669 words) by Salmon_Pink
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Characters: Finn (Star Wars), Poe Dameron
Additional Tags: Biting

Summary:

A moment of stillness within the chaos. A really, really hurried and kind of messy moment. With teeth.

---

What it says on the tin: a hot, tight, breathless moment between “we didn’t die yet” and “but we still might”. And it’s a pretty package too, all wrapped up in beautifully flowing prose and tied with viscerally evocative physical description. Also: teeth.

Or: I’m trawling through the depths of my old bookmarks for nice spicy snacks and you get to sample the catch ;)

For Convenience's Sake, Surely (33352 words) by peasantswhy
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Erestor/Glorfindel (Tolkien)
Characters: Erestor (Tolkien), Glorfindel (Tolkien), Elrond Peredhel, Ereinion Gil-galad, Egalmoth of Gondolin
Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Fluff and Smut, A little angst, as a treat, also, Some Light Gender Fun

Summary:

The whole idea was preposterous. Preposterous.

---

To sum it up, reading this made me so happy that the mere thought has me grinning stupidly all over again.

I mean… there’s Erestor: high-strung, over-worked, and too alone in his lovely little stone cottage -- though you won’t catch him admitting to any of it. And there’s Glorfindel: lost and lonely and broken; uncertain of why the Valar would send him back in the first place -- and all he wants is peace and quiet and somewhere to garden.

Enter the matchmaking agency. Now, the very notion should be ridiculous, but it works like a charm. (All right, I may be biased, because this is one of my favourite tropes.) Because there’s an instant, audible ‘click’ of chemistry -- followed by much awkwardness, a swift descent to sweet domesticity, and increasingly desperate pining. (Should I mention that There Is Only One Bed?)

Honourable mention for best prop goes to one (1) rose-coloured velveteen ribbon that does a lot of (hot and) heavy lifting ;-p

A soft and spicy springtime treat, with a perfect length to devour in one go -- just sit back and enjoy!

Your Own Faithful Land (9469 words) by 61Below
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins & Frodo Baggins
Characters: Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, Drogo Baggins, Primula Baggins, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, Lotho Sackville-Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield
Additional Tags: Kid Fic, Letters, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dwarves in the Shire, POV Outsider, The Ravens of Erebor, Families of Choice

Summary:

Uncle Bilbo lived Very Far Away, so he never stopped by for tea, and he missed the fireworks Gandalf lit off at the Lithe. It was too unfair. Instead, Frodo had to content himself with the letters and the wonderful stories that Uncle Bilbo would write to him.

---

A lovely story about a bright and curious hobbit child who gets adopted by a proud, cantankerous, and secretly quite sweet raven, about an uncle who lives far, far away, but sends the most wonderful letters and presents, and about grief, comfort, and choosing your own family.

Makes an excellent use of letters without exactly being an epistolary, and balances warmth, humour and bittersweetness in an effortless, uplifting way that never grows old for me.

Recommended for a gentle and comforting (re)read.

Tea and No Sympathy (70045 words) by who_la_hoop
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Aberforth Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Buckbeak, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Terence Higgs, Minerva McGonagall, Giant Squid (Harry Potter)
Additional Tags: Slow Build, Draco-centric, Tea Drinking, Swearing, Muggle London, Houses of Parliament, Malfoy Manor, flangst, Family Feels, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Coming Out, Heartfelt Conversations, Sarcastic Conversations, Owls, Competitive Card Games, Falling In Love, getting drunk, Enthusiastic Snogging, Hogwarts Castle, Sex In The Slytherin Dormitory, Frottage, Time Travel, Time Loop, HP: EWE

Summary:

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always. At first, though, the time loop seems liberating. For the first time in his life, he can do anything, say anything, be anything, without consequence. But the more Draco repeats the day, the more he realises the uncomfortable truth: he's falling head over heels for the speccy git. And suddenly, the time loop feels like a trap. For how can he ever get Harry to love him back when time is, quite literally, against him?

---

Starts over politics, but quickly branches out into a well-crafted take on the time loop trope, offering a nice balance between devil-may-care shenanigans and some pretty amazing character development.

Speaking of which, Draco's POV is an utter delight to read: snarky, dramatic and indignant, but also endearingly eager for the opportunities the situation allows him -- and eventually desperate to break the loop.

Also featuring a crucial supporting character: the most adorable and fiendishly clever little owl ever to hoot and flutter on the page ♥ ♥ ♥

And as for the shippy part of plot... the chemistry is just crackling -- explosive, but in a good way -- and with a tendency to go sweet at unexpected moments.

Will made you laugh and smile and curse -- or cackle -- over accidents of timing and diction. Happy ending with warm fuzzies guaranteed.

The Gift of the Garden Born (25356 words) by Triskellion
Chapters: 7/7
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Kíli (Tolkien)/Tauriel (Hobbit Movies), Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Thorin's Company, Dís (Tolkien), Gandalf | Mithrandir, Misc Hobbits, Kíli (Tolkien), Fíli (Tolkien)
Additional Tags: Cabbage Patch Hobbits, Stone Dwarf Babies, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Hobbit Culture & Customs, Dwarf & Hobbit Cultural Differences, Battle of Five Armies Fix-It, Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Asexuality, Dwobbits, Queerplatonic Relationships

Summary:

The brave line of Thorin Oakenshield was not meant to survive the Battle of the Five Armies. But the love of a hobbit and an elleth might just change the path of history.

A fix-it inspired by my story "Of the Stone of Erebor and the Gardens of the Shire"

---

I recently reread this, and it still made me so happy I want to share the joy :)

Now, this is by far not the only fic to use the “cabbage patch hobbits” trope (or the “dwarven children carved from stone”, for that matter), but I feel it’s a classic for a reason.

Most importantly, the worldbuilding is solid and drives the plot like a steam engine, which is a good thing, since I doubt the two resident dorks could manage to resolve the romance plotline without some external incentive (lack of communication is a thing, here). The story also makes good use of the supporting cast, and the ending is appropriately fluffy without being sickeningly so.

In case you want a less sugar-coated take (aka no fix-it) of the same idea, try Of the Stone of Erebor and the Gardens of the Shire by the same author. It’s incomplete, but updated with a summary at the end, and the existing story is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Love's A Stolen Season (3957 words) by katajainen
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fíli/Kíli (Tolkien)
Characters: Fíli (Tolkien), Kíli (Tolkien)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Sibling Incest, Clubbing, Dancing, Flirting, Roleplay, Secret Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, (this is like a very thick slab of smut wrapped in a very flimsy plotlike structure), Some Plot, Porn with Feelings, Angst
Series: Part 3 of Freefall

Summary:

It always begins the same: with an address and a date texted from an unknown number.

What started out as a necessity has grown into a game they play for the thrill of it. Because they will get caught one day, no matter how careful they are.

One day, but not tonight. Tonight they will find each other on the dance floor like any two strangers, and party like there's no tomorrow.

---

A big helping of smut, garnished with a semblance of plot and topped up with assorted feelings.

Or: another installment to the Freefall-verse, originally written for the Season Kink bingo, prompt 'Flirting or seduction'.

So Many Trips Around the Sun (2049 words) by Lapin
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Fíli/Ori
Characters: Fíli, Ori - Character
Additional Tags: Prompt suggestions, Tumblr, Fluff

Summary:

Fíli's hungover enough not to notice that the pile of laundry in his armchair is actually not a pile of laundry for a few minutes.

---

Pure, unadulterated, escapist fluff.

Or: the meet-cute where a drunk Ori can climb in through a window without a sound but not tell left from right, and Fili has a cute cat, an unexpected (but increasingly welcome) visitor, and oodles and oodles of flirt.

To be honest, this rec is chiefly me being nostalgic, because this piece (by one of my all-time favourite authors!) showcases precisely the sort of dynamic that drew me to the ship in the first place. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well!!

under the influence of fingertips (1930 words) by tamerofdarkstars
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gimli/Legolas Greenleaf
Characters: Gimli, Legolas Greenleaf, Aragorn
Additional Tags: Braids, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Pining, Confessions, Trope Bingo: Round 4
Series: Part 2 of trope_bingo fills: round 4

Summary:

Gimli awakes the morning after Aragorn's coronation in the lap of an Elf with Dwarven courtship braids in his hair. It comes as a bit of a surprise.

---

Ingredients:

Good ale, in abundance

Pining, mutual and unspoken

Daring, fueled by drink

Braiding, of fine elven hair

Mortification, upon waking

Hand-holding, nervous

Confessions, halting yet heartfelt

Mix thoroughly and serve on the morning after. Garnish with a sprig of happy resolution and some affectionate teasing.

Makes enough for any number of romance-craving readers.