2026-03-17 09:38
runpunkrun in
fancake
April will be a Flashback round where we revisit a classic theme from the early years of the comm.
Poll #34378 round 185 theme poll
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 30
Pick the next theme of fancake:
Arranged Marriage
13 (43.3%)
Forced Proximity
9 (30.0%)
Threesome
8 (26.7%)
◾ Tags:
2026-03-17 13:41
badly_knitted in
fan_flashworks
Title: Spring Planting
Fandom: Torchwood
Author:
Characters: Ianto, Jack.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 767
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto and Jack are planting things in their garden.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 509: Nap.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
2026-03-17 01:43
beatrice_otter in
fancake
Fandom: Vorkosigan
Pairings/Characters: Gregor Vorbarra, Ivan Vorpatril
Rating: Gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links:
callmecasandra
Theme: siblings, AU, fork in the road, family, gen, old fandoms, book fandoms
Summary: Gregor need not have worried.
Reccer's Notes: Gregor Vorbarra is Emperor of Barrayar, and he has monsters in his family tree. His father Serg was a rapist and a murderer who died when he was a small child (and Serg's own father Emperor Ezar arranged his death), and his great uncle was Mad Emperor Yuri who was paranoid and homicidal and awful. Gregor understandably has issues about his family.
But what if Ezar had seen the sort of person Serg was, and how many monsters are in the family tree, and not only made sure Serg died before inheriting the throne, but also ... made sure that Serg would not father the next emperor of Barrayar?
This is a short but compelling AU. The series is marked incomplete, but there are no dangling plot threads and it hasn't been updated in over a decade.
Fanwork Links: The Cuckoo
Pairings/Characters: Gregor Vorbarra, Ivan Vorpatril
Rating: Gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, AU, fork in the road, family, gen, old fandoms, book fandoms
Summary: Gregor need not have worried.
Reccer's Notes: Gregor Vorbarra is Emperor of Barrayar, and he has monsters in his family tree. His father Serg was a rapist and a murderer who died when he was a small child (and Serg's own father Emperor Ezar arranged his death), and his great uncle was Mad Emperor Yuri who was paranoid and homicidal and awful. Gregor understandably has issues about his family.
But what if Ezar had seen the sort of person Serg was, and how many monsters are in the family tree, and not only made sure Serg died before inheriting the throne, but also ... made sure that Serg would not father the next emperor of Barrayar?
This is a short but compelling AU. The series is marked incomplete, but there are no dangling plot threads and it hasn't been updated in over a decade.
Fanwork Links: The Cuckoo
2026-03-17 01:36
beatrice_otter in
fancake
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairings/Characters: Leia Organa
Rating: Gen
Length: 2k
Creator Links:
Darkmagyk
Theme: siblings, gen, family,
Summary: “We were very close.” Sola says, and Leia smiles her politician's smile in response.
This woman is convinced she and her sister were the best of friends. And she’s telling the secret daughter, from a secret marriage, all about it.
Leia doesn't need the force to know it wasn't true.
Reccer's Notes: This is about Padmé and her sister Sola, but it's also about Luke and Leia, and about family, and about memory.
Fanwork Links: Lonely In Your Company
Pairings/Characters: Leia Organa
Rating: Gen
Length: 2k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, gen, family,
Summary: “We were very close.” Sola says, and Leia smiles her politician's smile in response.
This woman is convinced she and her sister were the best of friends. And she’s telling the secret daughter, from a secret marriage, all about it.
Leia doesn't need the force to know it wasn't true.
Reccer's Notes: This is about Padmé and her sister Sola, but it's also about Luke and Leia, and about family, and about memory.
Fanwork Links: Lonely In Your Company
2026-03-17 01:13
beatrice_otter in
fancake
Fandom: Captain America
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Bucky
Rating: G
Length: 16,400 words
Creator Links:
odsbodkins
Theme: Outside POV, siblings, female characters, gen,
Summary: Becca Barnes is eight years old, and her big brother can do no wrong. The events of the two Captain America movies, from the perspective of one of the sisters Bucky leaves behind.
Reccer's Notes: This story has an excellent child's perspective, and a deep and abiding love between Becca and Bucky. It's lovely and it makes me cry.
Fanwork Links: My Brother, the Hero
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Bucky
Rating: G
Length: 16,400 words
Creator Links:
Theme: Outside POV, siblings, female characters, gen,
Summary: Becca Barnes is eight years old, and her big brother can do no wrong. The events of the two Captain America movies, from the perspective of one of the sisters Bucky leaves behind.
Reccer's Notes: This story has an excellent child's perspective, and a deep and abiding love between Becca and Bucky. It's lovely and it makes me cry.
Fanwork Links: My Brother, the Hero
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Jeannie Miller, Jack O'Neill
Rating: Explicit
Length: 23,191, 02:40:45
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply.
Creator Links: speranza on AO3, speranza's own site
Themes: Siblings, Action/adventure, Family, AU, AU - fork in the road
Summary: "Jean isn't your sister," Rodney said, speaking to John as if he was a small child. "Jean is my sister."
Reccer's Notes: Written as a slightly cracky Harlequin fic, this is a favourite story of mine, full of action, adventure, and family complications. John and Rodney meet at Patrick Sheppard's funeral and afterwards happen on an alien artifact at his apartment. A wild ride ensues as they try to get it to Area 51. Rodney's a physicist and John's air force, but at the start, neither of them know about the Stargate program. There's lots of excellent drama, romance, and snark as they gradually discover all the secrets their parents hid from them.
Fanwork Links: Last Will and Testament on speranza's site, and on AO3
And I podficced the story
Characters/Pairings: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, Jeannie Miller, Jack O'Neill
Rating: Explicit
Length: 23,191, 02:40:45
Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply.
spoilery content note
Rodney and John weren't raised as brothers, but they discover they are. After having fucked. This causes some angst for a while, and Rodney's rationalisations are amusing.Creator Links: speranza on AO3, speranza's own site
Themes: Siblings, Action/adventure, Family, AU, AU - fork in the road
Summary: "Jean isn't your sister," Rodney said, speaking to John as if he was a small child. "Jean is my sister."
Reccer's Notes: Written as a slightly cracky Harlequin fic, this is a favourite story of mine, full of action, adventure, and family complications. John and Rodney meet at Patrick Sheppard's funeral and afterwards happen on an alien artifact at his apartment. A wild ride ensues as they try to get it to Area 51. Rodney's a physicist and John's air force, but at the start, neither of them know about the Stargate program. There's lots of excellent drama, romance, and snark as they gradually discover all the secrets their parents hid from them.
Fanwork Links: Last Will and Testament on speranza's site, and on AO3
And I podficced the story
2026-03-16 23:34
lb_lee
Mori: Heads up y'all, I'm doing our tax prep, which means I'm going through all our titles, seeing what sold and what didn't, and deciding what gets weeded. In a week or so, I'm going to be removing the following ebook listings from sale, so if you want them, now is the time to get them:
(Also I figure, just as a note, we do this every year. I tally up everything what sold, and shit that sold less than five copies gets weeded. I'm trying to get us more regular about saying when we're removing something from print, since some folks might miss out otherwise. And hey, if enough copies sell, it'll stay up for other folks!)
- The Homeless Year (sells great on paper still, that'll stay)
- Alter Boys in Love
- Coming In Or Staying Out (also sells great on paper still, will stay on paper)
(Also I figure, just as a note, we do this every year. I tally up everything what sold, and shit that sold less than five copies gets weeded. I'm trying to get us more regular about saying when we're removing something from print, since some folks might miss out otherwise. And hey, if enough copies sell, it'll stay up for other folks!)
2026-03-16 08:15
darkjediqueen in
fan_flashworks
Title: Plant of First Beginnings
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Fandom: S.W.A.T.
Relationships: Donovan Rocker/Molly Hicks
Tags: Getting Together, Fluff
Summary: The plant was a mystery.
Word Count: 949
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Fandom: S.W.A.T.
Relationships: Donovan Rocker/Molly Hicks
Tags: Getting Together, Fluff
Summary: The plant was a mystery.
Word Count: 949
2026-03-15 19:57
beatrice_otter in
fancake
Fandom: the Goblin Emperor
Pairings/Characters: Ursu Perenched, Holitho Sevraseched, Nadeian Vizhenka, Shaleän Sevraseched
Rating: Gen
Length: 9k
Creator Links:
Akallabeth
Theme: siblings, minor characters, book fandoms, small fandoms, family, gen, female characters
Summary: Short scenes from the lives of four (half-)sisters, the unacknowledged daughters of the Great Avar.
Canon-compliant, to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Reccer's Notes: We only get a sentence in canon about each of these four sisters, but the details we get are really interesting. This is one of the best fics exploring the scant details we get.
Fanwork Links: Four Sisters
Pairings/Characters: Ursu Perenched, Holitho Sevraseched, Nadeian Vizhenka, Shaleän Sevraseched
Rating: Gen
Length: 9k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, minor characters, book fandoms, small fandoms, family, gen, female characters
Summary: Short scenes from the lives of four (half-)sisters, the unacknowledged daughters of the Great Avar.
Canon-compliant, to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Reccer's Notes: We only get a sentence in canon about each of these four sisters, but the details we get are really interesting. This is one of the best fics exploring the scant details we get.
Fanwork Links: Four Sisters
2026-03-16 04:12
voidbeetles in
little_details
Hi!
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
- PTSD is certainly a likely long-term complication
- It's implied that his shipwrecking was not an accident/was engineered maliciously - I imagine this is something he has dwelt on heavily throughout the two years and will affect his ability to trust people (and to visit other uninhabited planets in the future!). Seems like it would be easy to get caught in delusional spirals in a situation like that.
- I know that prolonged isolation can cause hallucination/psychosis in some cases, especially in solitary confinement, sensory deprivation contexts, etc. Is that as much of a risk in this case? And if so, do you think he'd still be experiencing psychotic symptoms after the fact?
- One of his personality traits is that he's fairly attention-seeking - I think it's likely this incident will exacerbate that and make him more desperate for connection
- It'll probably alter how he approaches social situations in the future in general; that's something I'll definitely be thinking about
- Perhaps he got into the habit of talking to himself on the planet, and this never went away
2026-03-15 19:44
beatrice_otter in
fancake
Fandom: Batman
Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne
Rating: gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links: the magpie said (hollowmen)
Theme: siblings,
Summary: Being a cat for three weeks has repercussions, it turns out.
Jason snacks his way through one of them. Damian reads books. Both of them drink a lot of tea. It's nice, mostly, which Jason finds highly suspicious.
Reccer's Notes: This is sweet and deeply in character for both of them
Fanwork Links: proper rites
(Note: other fics by this author have been recced, but under a different pseud--they used to be magpiemountains (hollowmen))
Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne
Rating: gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links: the magpie said (hollowmen)
Theme: siblings,
Summary: Being a cat for three weeks has repercussions, it turns out.
Jason snacks his way through one of them. Damian reads books. Both of them drink a lot of tea. It's nice, mostly, which Jason finds highly suspicious.
Reccer's Notes: This is sweet and deeply in character for both of them
Fanwork Links: proper rites
(Note: other fics by this author have been recced, but under a different pseud--they used to be magpiemountains (hollowmen))