A Year In Fanfiction - 2018 Edition

[pan2fel]

 

Hey,
I wish you all a pleasant start into next year. Just as last year, I thought a review would be nice. A lot of things have changed over the past year on my tumblr blog, I am not sure I like or keep all of those changes, but let’s start somewhere at the beginning.

Projects

[Fanfic Recommendations]
I changed the style of my recs a few times over the last year, going from individual recs to big collections, to small collections, to invidual posts. I am still unsure what format I should keep. At this point I am certain, however, that I won’t do any more big collections, just due to tumblr’s blogging shortcomings. I am planning on getting back into writing more Summary Sundays, but that might not be until after I’ve finished my master’s thesis.
[The whump-prompt-challenge] ]
The project ran a year now. It had it’s ups and downs, but overall I had a lot of fun doing it and seeing what you made of the prompts. We adjusted it many times and learnt a lot from it - at least I did - on how to do things. I am thankful for the help of my co-mods @fyeahvulnerablemen and @whumperwriter . I am happy it ran a year, but to be honest I am thinking of letting it go. I haven’t really made any plans yet, but just to let you know.
[The Round Table - Whumpy Fic club]
The Discord Fic Club/Fanfic Server is my newest project. It has been running since october and I love it. I am always excited to see what the next theme will be and what fics we will come up with to read and so far I have never been disappointed. The discussions are great too and it is so interesting so read other people’s thoughts on a fic and to share different opinions about it. Thanks to all my brave participants for embarking on a journey together!

[A Year In Fanfics]

Due to the fact that I changed my posting system a lot over the past year it’s impossible to figure out what fics you liked most, so the following list will be my personal highlights of 2018. Not all of them are whumpy, but they all touched me on one or more level. They follow no order.

Someone To Bring Me Home by Myrime
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 32,894
Pairing(s): Tony x Bucky
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes
+ emotional whump, panic attack
+ No Powers!AU

Summary: After coming home from the war, Bucky has a hard time piecing his life back together. He has friends and a home, but it all feels suffocating enough to send him running, hoping to find something worth living for.With Obadiah’s betrayal hanging around his shoulders, Tony moves to the country, where he becomes a small-time mechanic with a secret workshop in the basement, trying to figure out how to go on from almost having lost everything.Neither of them is quite sure where home is anymore. When they meet, they both think themselves broken. Maybe all they need is someone who understands them to build something new.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this fic. I loved the characters and the story. It was easy going and it had a favorite AU trope of mine (Tony working as a mechanic, unknown to others). Overall it was more of a feel-good fic, with a bit of heartache, than a whumpy fic.

Elevator Fics Are My Favorite by taylor_tut
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 1,589
Pairing(s): none
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Tony Stark
+ sickfic, fever, exhaustion

Summary: Fury sends Tony home sick, but a power outage traps him in an elevator with Clint, instead. They have a bit of a heart to heart.
Thoughts: This might be my favorite sickfic ever. I have read it many times already and even though it leaves me hanging each time, it just gives me so many feels that I can’t not love it. Every part of it is just so perfect and the character interaction - urgh - to die for.

FeverbyMillyVeil
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 6,814
Pairing(s): none
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Clint Barton
+ sickfic

Summary: Clint does nothing by halves. And that includes fevers.
Thoughts: Another really good fever fic. You know I love those and this had everything I am looking for.

Favorites by PrinceofBadassery
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 6,008
Pairing(s): Bucky x Tony
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ none

Summary: “You’re not the coffee type, are you?” Tony sat down across from Bucky cradling his mug with both hands, inhaling the tantalizing fumes greedily. Bucky’s slight wince at his words didn’t go unnoticed by Tony. “Something wrong?” “I like coffee.” Bucky mumbled, staring into his cup and not sounding the least bit convincing.“Are you sure? Because your face says otherwise.”———
Six months after being rescued from HYDRA Bucky thinks he should have figured things out by now, what he likes and doesn’t like, especially with Steve telling him his favorites. It should have been easy.A lot of talk about coffee but it’s not coffee that’s the problem here.

Thoughts: I loved the plot and the characters and their interaction. It’s not whumpy at all, just fluffy and wholesome.

Burning Candlesby kerravon
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 25,222
Pairing(s): none
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Tony Stark
+ Exhaustion, Emotional Whump, broken ribs, concussion, Eating Disorder

Summary: A few months have passed since the Avengers fought the Chitauri, and the team is coming together, except for Tony, who seems to be coming apart. At first, Steve assumes that he’s just being irresponsible and annoying, but then JARVIS clues him in.
Thoughts: This one just gave me so many feels. I don’t even know what to say. It’s not perfect, but it had a lot of themes I really enjoyed and a lot of scenes that suckerpunched me in a good way.

Empty Spaces (I’m Less than I Was) by mistrstank (dreamingdarkly)
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 13,917
Pairing(s): Tony x Bucky
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Tony Stark
+ Emotional Whump, Unconscious,beaten,mentions of torture

Summary: Amidst a fury of fire and blood, everything Tony thinks of himself is burned away and he’s left with a gaping wound, an absence so deep he’ll never fill the hole. Tony enters the caves of The Ten Rings a hostage, beaten but defiant. He leaves Iron Man, born in blood and pain, the bodies of his enemies left burning behind him.
After losing his Daemon in Afghanistan, Tony’s not quite sure where to go next, or whether or not what returns to the States is even human. He’s hanging on by a thread, not quite able to live, but not able to give up and die either. Until the Avengers, who show him how to heal, and Bucky Barnes, who might just give him a little something more.

Thoughts: Daemon!AU - do I need to say more? I love what people do with those and I can never get enough of them. There is so much potential and I really loved this one.

Hide A Heart Of War by RayShippouUchiha
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 13,621
Pairing(s): Tony x Bucky x Steve
Warnings/Triggers: implied Child Abuse

Whump/Tags:
+ Tony Stark
+ emotional whump

Summary: “You’ve got war in your heart boy,” Howard sneers, “don’t ever try and pretend to be anything but what you are.” Tony feels the familiar burn of a flower mark being etched into his skin but he doesn’t look, doesn’t try and check to see what it is. Instead he keeps his eyes on Howard and his hands cupped around his bleeding mouth and nose.

Thoughts: I remember seeing the art that was made for this fic and scrolling past it on my dash before my brain could catch up with what it had just seen. I really loved the art, even more so when I realized it was Tony. And the fic is amazing. It’s really heavy on the emotional side, but so wholesome in the end. I love it to pieces.

(Walk Walk) Fashion Baby by wakandan_wardog

Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 27,453WIP
Pairing(s): Tony x Bucky
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ none
+ slow burn, kidfic!AU, Irondad, No Powers!AU,

Summary: This is basically a Winter/Iron AU about a buzzfeed article in which a model is trolled by his sister and her toddler son recreating his photos. Taking place in the range of Iron Man (post accident, Tony returns from Afghanistan and obtains a kid), this is an AU in which Tony is not related to Bucky, he’s just a single dad (to Peter) who apparently likes to play dress up with his son instead of go to board meetings. Steve and James are their usual BFFs, and Steve claims all the credit in the world for:
1. getting Bucky off his couch and out into the world
a. so he could get his new prosthetic arm
b. so he could get a job modeling which he actually enjoys
2. showing Bucky the parody instagram featuring this adorable kid, some expensive clothes, a robot, and sometimes a super hot guy that might be said adorable kid’s very single dad.
In short? Steve’s the best friend ever.

Thoughts: Okay, this one just makes me happy. I love the format, I love the characters, I love the story. It is just so fluffy and good and wholesome. I’ve read it a few times already and never get tired of it. It was definitely not the AU I was looking for, but the one I needed at that moment.

Autonomy by Amethystina
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 114,292
Pairing(s): Bucky x Tony
Warnings/Triggers: discussion of suicide

Whump/Tags:
+ brainwashing, mind control, mentions of torture, panic attack, ptsd, emotional whump
+ space!AU, multiple personalities

Summary: After spending years under HYDRA’s control, the last thing Bucky wants is to return to their ranks. He does so only because his situation provides an invaluable opportunity to infiltrate the most impenetrable army in the galaxy — his own discomfort is a small price to pay for the lives he might save in the future.Three months is all he can take before he decides to throw his cover and find his way back to Steve, HYDRA hot on his heels. With him, Bucky has a memory drive of stolen information and a second personality sharing his body, courtesy of HYDRA’s brainwashing. All Bucky wants is to deliver the information to Steve and the Alliance and finally return home, but when his ship is damaged he has no choice but to stop for emergency repairs. He’s directed to ‘The Mechanic,’ who can supposedly help, but Bucky isn’t exactly comforted when he meets the man in question.But, with HYDRA breathing down his neck, Bucky doesn’t have a choice — he’s going to have to trust this Tony, whether he likes it or not.
Thoughts: I don’t even know where to start. First of all the whump is not the focus. It’s just such a great fic. I really loved the plot and the characters and their interactions. I liked how HYDRA was handled and I LOVED the Winter Soldier. I don’t think I’ve ever read a fic where I loved him more. The story is intriguing and while moving kind of slow it is just so worth every second of it. I had the need to start at the beginning after I finished and while I haven’t done it, I am very sure I will at one point.

Protocol SOTERIA by GoldenFinches
Fandom: MCU
Word Count: 40,148
Pairing(s): Steve x Tony
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ heavy emotional whump
+ slow burn, lots of politics, open end

Summary: Friday’s primary objective at all times is to protect one Anthony Edward Stark. And she will fulfill that objective no matter what it takes. Even if it means including certain people she thought she would never have to deal with again.(Basically the Rogue Avengers get some sense knocked into them with the help of Friday and handful of videos.)

Thoughts: I am pretty sure few of you will read this, but I still had to add it to the list. This fic is the slowest slow burn fic I’ve ever read. It is filled with politics that are so intricately constructed I was amazed. You could feel the compassion the author had for politics in general and that was just so impressive. I liked the fic because it was different and because it triggered a lot of my whumpy buttons.

The Animal Within by AngeNoir

Fandom: The Losers
Word Count: 174,386
Pairing(s): Jake x Cougar
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Jake, Cougar
+ Jake: shot, captive, torture, emotional, solitary confinement,
+ Cougar: emotional, hints/mentions of captivity and torture
+ Shapeshifter!AU

Summary: “See, there was more than just eco-warfare to hurt the bad guys. There was eco-warfare to better the good guys.” Chosen to receive an experimental injection, Jake Jensen manages to screw up the whole program. Rejected by the rest of his fellow experiments, he finds his way to Col. Clay’s unit and lives his life as something… other.

Thoughts: SHIFTER FICS! Another one of those AUs that just have a big fat “pan will love this” stamped over their head. I’ve read it several times, I loved it. I loved the unconventional shifts, I loved the conflict that came with it and I loved the solutions to problems that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. The characters were great and I really loved it when the team finally clicked together.

Walk a While With Me by LadyJanelly
Fandom: The Losers
Word Count: 33,841
Pairing(s): Jake x Cougar
Warnings/Triggers: internalized homophobia

Whump/Tags:
+ emotional whump, bullying, beaten, starvation, broken bones, PTSD
+ AU

Summary: Jake Jensen left the Army before he ever had a chance to be a Loser. Cougar meets him anyway.Sometimes what a man needs to have a chance at happiness is losing the battle he’s been fighting his whole life.
Thoughts: This one accompanied me for a while. I couldn’t put it down, and it just felt so real and gritty. I fell deeply in love with the characters and while I had wished for a Disney kind of Happily Ever After, the fic stayed true to itself, which just made it so much better.

By daybreak we’ll be gone by storm_petrel
Fandom: The Losers
Word Count: 13,136
Pairing(s): Jake x Cougar
Warnings/Triggers: reference to childhood trauma

Whump/Tags:
+ PTSD, minor whump for everyone
+ werewolf!AU

Summary: Once you go into the woods, you don’t come back out again; or, how Franklin Clay got himself a pack.
Thoughts: Ahem. Let me repeat: SHIFTER AU! The style was great and held me captivated for the whole time. I loved reading how they all came together and found each other.

'Cause I’m Having A Good Time by Mnemmy
Fandom: The Losers
Word Count: 116,246
Pairing(s): Jake x Cougar (more bromance than ship if I remember correctly)
Warnings/Triggers: Child Abuse, Murder, past transphobia, mentions of alcoholism, mentions of slavery

Whump/Tags:
+ Cougar, Jake
+ mentions of torture, torture, tasered, breaking into ice, broken bones, dislocated elbow, emotional whump, ptsd, panick attacks, cold, exhaustion,
+ bromance

Summary:When Jake Jensen was first loaned to the Losers, Cougar took one look at him and the way he bounced around and figured the brass had sent them another green tech to slap the enthusiasm out of.Cougar has never been happier to be proven wrong.
Thoughts: I almost didn’t start reading this, as it is tagged as WIP, but actually isn’t - or at least it feels finished. Anyway, not reading this would have been such a mistake because I loved it to pieces. Plot, characters, just everything. It has a few really dark themes, so proceed with caution, but it really touched me deeply.

Where You Belong by Amethystina
Fandom: The Losers
Word Count: 25,330
Pairing(s): Jake x Cougar
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ emotional whump, kidnapped, beaten [whump not focus]

Summary: Jensen is excited when he learns that they’re getting a team member, even just on a trial basis. Except, when he actually meets this Sergeant Alvarez, it quickly becomes apparent that the man is, for lack of a better word, not quite there. He’s wary and aloof, distancing himself from the rest of the team, and clearly carries some kind of baggage. Jensen knows he shouldn’t meddle, but he can’t help but feel that Alvarez shouldn’t have to go through this alone. The man needs a friend. And, come hell or high water, Jensen decides he’s going to be that friend.

Thoughts: A theme I really enjoy in the losers fandom is “team gets a new team member”, where everyone has to get to know each other. I loved this one very much - who would have thought. You’ve seen the author on my list a few times already and so far I haven’t read a single fic that I didn’t like by her.

the nature of the beast by notavodkashot
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Word Count: 29,369WIP
Pairing(s): Cor x Nyx
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ minor whump
+ shifter!AU

Summary: Being human is a lot more than just looking human.Or, the weird, pseudo-werewolf, pseudo-berserker AU that no one asked for, but that won’t let me sleep at night.
Thoughts: Well, ahem, shifter!AU? The Kingsglaive fandom is so small and this one is just a gem of a fic. The characters are amazing. The author has just such a witty style and I fall in love every time I look at it. It’s hilarious and wholesome and at times ridiculous. It really is worth the read if you like shifter fics. My words won’t do it justice. (This one made me start writing fics again)

it’s human nature by notavodkashot
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Word Count: 25,792WIP
Pairing(s): Cor x Nyx
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ minor whump
+ shifter!AU

Summary: A collection of short fics from my tumblr prompt drives, all set within the nature of the beast continuity.
Thoughts: Just an extension of the above one, different themes, same characters. I love each and every one of the stories.

the sun is out, the day is newby notavodkashot

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Word Count: 115,095WIP
Pairing(s): Cor x Nyx
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ minor whump, emotional whump

Summary: Two very competent idiots, one small child. It shouldn’t be too hard, right? Or Nyx and Cor adopt Prompto (and each other), while Regis and Clarus have quiet, dignified freakouts in the background.
Thoughts: Another one of those with amazing characters, great plot and incredibly sassy interactions. The first time I read it, I thought it ended after chapter 2 or 3. I don’t even know why and I only later realized that I had been very wrong and a lot of fun chapters were still waiting for me. It’s very lighthearted, which at times makes my whumper heart sad, but then again it is just so great that it doesn’t matter. This author really knows their characters and it’s always a joy reading about them.

Poor Wayfaring Stranger by lithos_saeculum
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Word Count: 230,147WIP
Pairing(s): none
Warnings/Triggers: Human Experimentation

Whump/Tags:
+ Prompto Argentum
+ nightmares, mentions of torture, brainwashing, emotional whump, electroshocks, vomitting, psychological trauma, manhandling, potions gone wrong, headache, nosebleeding, exhaustion (cor), eating disorder,
+ MT!Prompto

Summary: Out on a mission, Cor Leonis finds a teenager, lost and sick and partway to becoming an MT. Against the advice of all and sundry, he brings him back to Insomnia. There’s not a lot of love lost for MTs in the Citadel, but some of its inhabitants may still be young enough to put aside their prejudices.
Thoughts: Surprisingly when it comes to chosing what fics stayed with me the longest this past year, it’s not all Noctis, but also a Prompto fic. While he is definitely not my first whumpeein the fandom, I really loved all the MT!Prompto fics and this is just one of many that I fell madly in love with. They are all so packed with emotional (and physical) whump and trauma and I really enjoy the conflict of Noctis (and others) trying to trust a MT. Love it.

Evoker by AngelBless
Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Word Count: 15135 WIP
Pairing(s): none
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Noctis Lucis Caelum
+ unconscious, drowning, fever, migraines, headaches, stabbed, impaled, exhaustion, freezing, coughing, dizziness

Summary: A short series of stories about the tolls and consequences of summoning the Hexatheon. Spoilers for the entire game

Thoughts: This is really just a whump what plot fic collection, but I loved it anyway. The themes are great and the whump is done so good I like coming back to it every now and then.
 

Plastic Pearls by BabylonsFall
Fandom: Leverage
Word Count: 35,278
Pairing(s): Alec x Parker x Eliot
Warnings/Triggers: none

Whump/Tags:
+ Eliot
+ emotional whump, sickfic
+ Kidfic!AU, Domestic, Slow Burn

Summary: When Parker and Hardison move to Portland to get a change of scenery, they pick a place almost at random. Lucky for them, they end up across from single-parent Eliot . Though the relationship between Eliot and Molly is clearly a little rough around the edges, he’s trying his best, and Molly, in turn, has learned to copy his glare impressively well.Neither Hardison nor Parker are looking for anything life-changing, and, frankly, Eliot’s had his fill of life-changing events for the next couple of years. (Too bad for them then.)
Thoughts: Sometimes I am in the mood for kidfic!AUs and then I enjoy those emotional roller coasters when the parents died and a friend or relative has to take care of them. They are mostly wholesome fics about people struggling to come to terms with new circumstances and how to handle a kid. Eliot is raising her alone in this one and apart from a cold (that was great by the way) it’s really more fluffy and wholesome than anything else. There is just something peaceful about well done kidfics, I don’t know.

These were my favorites of 2018. Maybe you found a few interesting fics to take with you into 2019 and I hope you enjoy them just as much as I did.
See you on the next fictionscape in 2019!

Where to find me:

• Tumblr:
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  • [WhumpersHaven] Fanfic Rec Blog
  • [Whump Prompt Challenge] Writing Challenge Blog
• DreamWidth
  • [pan2fel] Mainblog
  • [Whump-Community]
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