schneefink (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schneefink) wrote2024-08-27 09:50 pm
schneefink) wrote2024-08-27 09:50 pm
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August recs: 4 fics from MCYTBLR AU Fest Summer 2024, + HGCZ
Wdym leaving fic comments does not count as being productive when I should be studying or doing chores, mean.
For my August recs, first 4 recs of my favorite stories from the MCYTBLR AU Fest Summer 2024, and then the Hotguy Comics zinethology, all of which require no canon knowledge.
a rare talent indeed by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
these_godforsaken_halls (Hermitcraft)
40.8k, gen h/c, Grian & Scar & Cub, faerie AU
Summary: Grian doesn't have Ren's storytelling gift, but he can search for memories of artifacts to taunt the pirates with. A magic mirror with three wishes to grant, a mermaid's comb in the hoard of the dragon Kyto, a flower called a never-bloom that dances round the island — perhaps most tantalizing of all, a moonstone, tucked into the heart of the fairies' own pixie dust tree.
“How’s this, little fairy,” says the captain, leaning forward where he sits, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes are dark and clever, fixing Grian with a stare. "Win a bet with me, and I’ll let you have your choice — any piece of treasure on this ship, any one of them at all, is yours.”
-
grian makes bad decisions and gets horribly fucked up: the fic
(there will be a happy ending, dramatic rescue included, but oh my god.)
Why I love it: This is so good. I love the writing – it fits a faerie AU perfectly – and the worldbuilding and the angst&h/c and all the characters and their relationships. Especially Grian & Scar & Cub, in any and all combinations.
Dead Hometowns and Undead Machines byAlice_not_Alice (Hermitcraft)
13.6k, gen, Joe & Cleo & Etho, mech SF AU
Summary: That particular Unique was on the smaller side of the line up, but would still tower over a standard model. Its armored chassis was a dull green. Joe wondered at the coloration; surely it couldn’t be for camouflage. Even back on Earth there wasn’t enough greenery in one place to allow something of this size to blend in. It had a bipedal design, and seemed unusually bulky around the shoulders and legs. Built for strength, not speed Joe guessed. Its head was adorned with orange-red cables, each wider than a city bus. They were retracted to chin-length while inactive, but Joe knew very well how they could extend past the length of its body. How they could toss buildings like game pieces.
Joe had suspected before, but now she knew for certain.
This was the mech he’d witnessed at the destruction of Nashville.
This was GORGON.
And she was its pilot.
Why I love it: If you ever liked or were interested in mech AUs, this is a story for you. Great worldbuilding. And even if not and you like stories with complicated loyalty and depending-on-each-other relationships and mutual grief and hope. The character voices and relationships are so good here, Joe & Cleo and Cleo & Etho and Cleo & Etho & Bdubs especially.
between the click of the light and the start of the dream byOdaigahara (Hermitcraft)
27.5k, gen, Mumbo & Grian & Pearl, cyberpunk dystopia AU
Summary: The lights of the whole district went out with a pop, streetlights and autocars grinding to a halt. The contrast felt like losing touch with reality, stimulation dropping to zero: no lights in the windows, no holographic advertisements crowding the sidewalks, every VR port in the city running on emergency battery power. Grian activated his wings on reflex, but there wasn’t an attack. It couldn’t have been an attack, or Pearl would have already been moving.
The only possible threat was the storm over the sea, a roiling unnatural thunderhead that the lack of advertisements made significantly more visible. It was coming in from the west. To the east the sky was clearer, and the clouds had gaps between them, and one of those gaps cradled the moon like a picture frame.
It was impossible to concentrate on anything else after seeing the moon. The heightened winds, the debris slamming into the unshielded buildings, the shantytown lights blinking off one by one as they diverted power to their defenses– none of it meant anything. None of it even registered.
“Pearl,” Grian said, almost too fascinated to be horrified, "am I dreaming, or is the moon big?”
Why I like it: Fantastically creepy and atmospheric cyberpunk dystopia – sleep is a currency! – in which Grian doesn't even count as a person and Mumbo is a megacorporation leader who basically owns him, and Pearl sees the problems with the system and also that the moon is big. Great character voices, and I love the Scar appearances in particular.
the carriers byBee_4 (Life Series SMP – Double Life/Hermitcraft)
40.1k, gen, Pearl & Etho & Tango, zombie apocalypse AU
Summary: PET Mail, made up of Pearl, Etho, and Tango, are asymptomatic carriers of the zombie virus that has wrecked their world ever since the bombs fell. While this bars them from interacting with the uninfected outside of special circumstances, it allows them to use their powers to deliver mail across distances and locations that would be too dangerous for the uninfected to travel. Traveling, meanwhile, allows them to never stay in one place long enough for the feelings to catch up.
Unless, of course, the mail is personal.
Why I like it: This is one of Bee's so expect some heartbreak, but also hope in the middle of that. I love Pearl & Etho & Tango and their relationship and how they are here for each other.
The HOTGUY COMICS Zinethology by the hgcz team and contributors (Hermitcraft)
410 pages of comics fics and art, gen, Scar & Grian et al, superhero AU
Summary:As with all tales, this one is a labor of love; inspired by the character Hotguy from GoodTimesWithScar, HOTGUY COMICS is an original Hermitcraft au told seamlessly across nearly 60 separate contributors. In it, we give you a peek into the life of Scar Goodtimes, a B-list actor aiming for vigilante fame. With his trusty bow in hand, Scar is ready to take on the dazzling metropolitan streets of Hermitopia—and the villains within—while meeting a few allies along the way.
Why I love it: It's finally out!! They decided to call this a zinethology when it became far too big to be called a zine and that was a good decision imo. It's in turns hilarious, warm, exciting, and/or angsty, with great worldbuilding and storytelling and fantastic art and writing, and just overall excellent. I really love the in-universe social media too.
(My new icon is from the additional merch folder btw.)
For my August recs, first 4 recs of my favorite stories from the MCYTBLR AU Fest Summer 2024, and then the Hotguy Comics zinethology, all of which require no canon knowledge.
a rare talent indeed by
40.8k, gen h/c, Grian & Scar & Cub, faerie AU
Summary: Grian doesn't have Ren's storytelling gift, but he can search for memories of artifacts to taunt the pirates with. A magic mirror with three wishes to grant, a mermaid's comb in the hoard of the dragon Kyto, a flower called a never-bloom that dances round the island — perhaps most tantalizing of all, a moonstone, tucked into the heart of the fairies' own pixie dust tree.
“How’s this, little fairy,” says the captain, leaning forward where he sits, elbows resting on his knees. His eyes are dark and clever, fixing Grian with a stare. "Win a bet with me, and I’ll let you have your choice — any piece of treasure on this ship, any one of them at all, is yours.”
-
grian makes bad decisions and gets horribly fucked up: the fic
(there will be a happy ending, dramatic rescue included, but oh my god.)
Why I love it: This is so good. I love the writing – it fits a faerie AU perfectly – and the worldbuilding and the angst&h/c and all the characters and their relationships. Especially Grian & Scar & Cub, in any and all combinations.
Dead Hometowns and Undead Machines by
13.6k, gen, Joe & Cleo & Etho, mech SF AU
Summary: That particular Unique was on the smaller side of the line up, but would still tower over a standard model. Its armored chassis was a dull green. Joe wondered at the coloration; surely it couldn’t be for camouflage. Even back on Earth there wasn’t enough greenery in one place to allow something of this size to blend in. It had a bipedal design, and seemed unusually bulky around the shoulders and legs. Built for strength, not speed Joe guessed. Its head was adorned with orange-red cables, each wider than a city bus. They were retracted to chin-length while inactive, but Joe knew very well how they could extend past the length of its body. How they could toss buildings like game pieces.
Joe had suspected before, but now she knew for certain.
This was the mech he’d witnessed at the destruction of Nashville.
This was GORGON.
And she was its pilot.
Why I love it: If you ever liked or were interested in mech AUs, this is a story for you. Great worldbuilding. And even if not and you like stories with complicated loyalty and depending-on-each-other relationships and mutual grief and hope. The character voices and relationships are so good here, Joe & Cleo and Cleo & Etho and Cleo & Etho & Bdubs especially.
between the click of the light and the start of the dream by
27.5k, gen, Mumbo & Grian & Pearl, cyberpunk dystopia AU
Summary: The lights of the whole district went out with a pop, streetlights and autocars grinding to a halt. The contrast felt like losing touch with reality, stimulation dropping to zero: no lights in the windows, no holographic advertisements crowding the sidewalks, every VR port in the city running on emergency battery power. Grian activated his wings on reflex, but there wasn’t an attack. It couldn’t have been an attack, or Pearl would have already been moving.
The only possible threat was the storm over the sea, a roiling unnatural thunderhead that the lack of advertisements made significantly more visible. It was coming in from the west. To the east the sky was clearer, and the clouds had gaps between them, and one of those gaps cradled the moon like a picture frame.
It was impossible to concentrate on anything else after seeing the moon. The heightened winds, the debris slamming into the unshielded buildings, the shantytown lights blinking off one by one as they diverted power to their defenses– none of it meant anything. None of it even registered.
“Pearl,” Grian said, almost too fascinated to be horrified, "am I dreaming, or is the moon big?”
Why I like it: Fantastically creepy and atmospheric cyberpunk dystopia – sleep is a currency! – in which Grian doesn't even count as a person and Mumbo is a megacorporation leader who basically owns him, and Pearl sees the problems with the system and also that the moon is big. Great character voices, and I love the Scar appearances in particular.
the carriers by
40.1k, gen, Pearl & Etho & Tango, zombie apocalypse AU
Summary: PET Mail, made up of Pearl, Etho, and Tango, are asymptomatic carriers of the zombie virus that has wrecked their world ever since the bombs fell. While this bars them from interacting with the uninfected outside of special circumstances, it allows them to use their powers to deliver mail across distances and locations that would be too dangerous for the uninfected to travel. Traveling, meanwhile, allows them to never stay in one place long enough for the feelings to catch up.
Unless, of course, the mail is personal.
Why I like it: This is one of Bee's so expect some heartbreak, but also hope in the middle of that. I love Pearl & Etho & Tango and their relationship and how they are here for each other.
The HOTGUY COMICS Zinethology by the hgcz team and contributors (Hermitcraft)
410 pages of comics fics and art, gen, Scar & Grian et al, superhero AU
Summary:As with all tales, this one is a labor of love; inspired by the character Hotguy from GoodTimesWithScar, HOTGUY COMICS is an original Hermitcraft au told seamlessly across nearly 60 separate contributors. In it, we give you a peek into the life of Scar Goodtimes, a B-list actor aiming for vigilante fame. With his trusty bow in hand, Scar is ready to take on the dazzling metropolitan streets of Hermitopia—and the villains within—while meeting a few allies along the way.
Why I love it: It's finally out!! They decided to call this a zinethology when it became far too big to be called a zine and that was a good decision imo. It's in turns hilarious, warm, exciting, and/or angsty, with great worldbuilding and storytelling and fantastic art and writing, and just overall excellent. I really love the in-universe social media too.
(My new icon is from the additional merch folder btw.)