I'm sick (uuugh), but it's November 30th and I don't want to fail my monthly rec challenge now. So you get four Hermitcraft recs without a larger theme. 1 art & 3 fic (1 space AU & 2 admin power games, one of them a Life series crossover.)
I don't think canon knowledge is required for any of them: definitely not the first two, and I think the important parts of the other two become clear very quickly.

in too deep by modest_starr
digital art, Geminitay
Summary: additional tags: Imminent Character Death, she is literally drowning, Hallucinations, Eye strain, highly saturated colors, Hermitcraft Season 10, Anthropologist Geminitay, Sea Monsters
Why I like it: The tags say "hallucinations" but I also really like the idea of scientist Gem looking too deep. Very cool colors.

Why is everyone sucking Farlands' dick over their new ship??? by Kaesa
6k, SF AU, implied Scar/Grian, social media outsider PoV with in-universe RPF
Summary: Hey, uh, what's with everyone losing their minds over Farlands' Good Times? I thought we all agreed Farlands was evil incarnate? Last big colony mission they launched, even half the people at Brave Voyages were like "wow so sick of Farlands' bullshit, hope Farlands explodes," but this thing has been around for less than a year and people HERE are like, writing romantic poetry about it? Can someone explain? Obviously I too am fascinated by whether they're using tuned mass dampers or something else to keep the gravity steady, and the reflex rewiring they have to do to the pilots to get something that big through hyperspace is wild, but uh. This is not that.
A forum thread from the future.
Why I love it: Reccing part 2 here so I have a good reason to rec the series when it's done; I also recommend part 1 but I like this one even better. Scar is a Pilot, which means he controls a spaceship with his brain, and Grian is his doctor. Very cool worldbuilding and very funny.

feeling a gold hand unfolding on me by springbeetle
3.3k, Grian & Xisuma, non-sexual kink (body modification, admin powers)
Summary: It was daylight, not that you could tell from the enclosed room Xisuma had teleported Grian into. A bright, fantastic Hermitcraft day, his friends bustling about the server engaged in activities, cheerfully oblivious to what Xisuma and Grian were about to do in this room together. To what Xisuma was about to do to Grian.
Most Hermits weren’t big on tradition, when you got down to it. They’d been around too long, seen enough of the universe to have set preferences about their bodies, or they had their own plans for each season. Scar and Cub had recently finished with their predatory ConVex business, for instance, and Cleo kept her zombieness– zombitude? Zombiehood?-- firmly under her own control, and the less said about Joe’s usual brand of shenanigans, the better.
So it had been unusual, having a new player such as Grian bring the concept up in the roundabout fashion he had, side-eyeing Xisuma like he wasn’t sure whether Xisuma would just snatch him up one day, like he was checking off a box on some haphazard to-do list-- like he’d smacked himself on the helmet and gone oh, silly me, that’s right! I forgot to modify Grian to my personal preferences last month!
Why I like it: Wonderful take on admin Xisuma taking care of his player even with an unusual request. I like how Xisuma needs the encouragement and reassurances to keep going but he does enjoy getting into his evil role when he feels comfortable and he is good at it, too. And Grian is very good at prodding him just enough and having to admit he doesn't not want this, delicious.

a weave that can be unpicked by strifetxt
3.4k, Scar&/Grian, Third Life
Summary: Grian's eyes widen. “Wait, did you think I’d made a plug-in to force players into turning hostile?”
Scar blinks. “Didn’t you?”
“Wh— No, of course not!”
“Oh.” Scar deflates, but then, just as quickly, perks back up. “Could you though?”
Or: Scar has some ideas to make Third Life more fun. Grian has some concerns.
Why I like it: Excellent recursive fic of the above, and another case of a player prodding an admin into using their powers on them. I love the intimacy of the admin power used on a willing subject.

I want to make a longer Murderbot rec post eventually (shout-out to sholio who did that already, part 1 & part 2), but I'm very busy right now and already procrastinating way too much - the bug game is very good okay so this is a short one.

The Art of (Flame) War by sholio
0,7k, TV-verse, gen MB & Gurathin, post-canon
Summary: A dispute on the Sanctuary Moon future chat boards.
Why I like it: Aww. MB has many feelings about Sanctuary Moon! So now does Gurathin, but he is less happy about it, but it does have upsides.

Down with the Ship by ramshackle_fey
5.5k, book-verse, gen
Summary: Sometimes people are Just Wrong about your favorite media serial on the feed. And sometimes, if you're very lucky, you've got human friends and a giant asshole research transport to back you up in a fight.
Why I like it: This story did such a good job portraying terrible fandom discourse about aspec characters that it made me wince to read at times. It is good to have friends to back you up! I enjoyed Ratthi especially. And ART is scary.

RADIOACTIVE by Murderbot (vid) by pollyrepeat
vid, TV-verse, Sanctuary Moon
Summary:A vid or fanvid is a video edit, often set to music, produced by fans, known as "vidders."
Why I like it: Yess Muderbot would make a great fanvidder, excellent.

The promised part 2 of MCYT AUFest Battleship recs! I still have a few dozen works bookmarked to read later, but this felt like it was hanging over my head so I wanted to get it done, especially since I easily had enough for a list. There might even be a part three, but no promises.

( 9xfic, 2xwebweave, 2xart; Hermitcraft, Life Series, QSMP, DSMP, MCYT RPF )

The main gameplay phase of mcytblraufest Battleship is over. Team Nether! *raises fist in triumph* We finished third (out of five teams), and we fully cleared all three boards, before work reveals even. I had such a great time on my team, with our two strider mascots Dirk Slow and Aragorn Steady. Massive props to the mods, everything ran very smoothly. In the first board every field had very cool flavor text even, and the bosses were very cool (we defeated the Wither Storm!)

I ended up with ten (!!!) gifts!
And I'm proud to say that despite that I reached my semi-serious goal of creating more gifts than I received. Though if I get more treats after this I'll give up. I've never received so many comments on one day as I did yesterday, it was great.

My wonderful gifts:
Sharp teeth and spring rain by Anonymous, Hermitcraft SMP
3.4k, Mumbo & Etho, fantasy AU, platonic kink
Summary: That anticipation, now cooled, mingled with fresh dread as the blank, flat space on the horizon tore open.
A thousand-year old dragon emerged from the void and blocked out the sun with his wings.
Mumbo gulped.
“Oh, Gem!” he fretted. “You expect me to dom that?”
Why I love it: Excellent premise, very cool worldbuilding, great character voices and development of their relationship.

Careful People by Kaesa, Hermitcraft SMP
1.3k, Cleo/Etho, cyberpunk AU post-divorce
Summary: "We'll be careful," says Etho.
"We're not careful people," Cleo reminds him.
"Maybe we know better now!"
Why I love it: I love the banter. Them. So divorced and yet.

( seven more shorter ones and one piece of art under the cut because this got long )

The three weeks of the event were very intense. Multifandom Battleship starts soon and I don't think I'll sign up for it even though I had a great time last year, but that'd be a bit too much. Unless...

And now, off to read more from the collections! All Ages and 18 Plus, almost 1.200 works in total already, and there are still almost two weeks of the anon period.

It's one of those no-brain days, but it's almost the end of the month and I appreciated the excuse for "productive procrastination": it's monthly recs time. Four excellent Hermitcraft fics.

attempt thirty-three by Bee_4
13.6k, Joe &Cleo&Cub& Scar gen, time loop
Summary: A glimpse at the thirty-third time Joe Hills has woken up on Monday at 6:00 AM, and the attempt he makes to stop doing that, ideally, or at least get closer to a state where he doesn't have to live these four days ever again.
Why I love it: Heartbreaking, with just enough funny moments to make it better/worse and just enough hope at the end not to make it a tragedy, and a fantastic Joe voice.

fault lines by januarymorning
24.8k, Xisuma/Evil X (background polyhermits), NSFW
Summary: For a moment Xisuma feels as though the world has dropped out from under him— as though he has been sundered from it, and there is nothing below or around him as far as the eye can see— as though there is no anchor and nothing to grab hold of, only himself and a vastness on all sides. This world that he has built, the world his players have built— negligible, at best, hardly realer than a flicker on a silver screen. It would crumple like wet paper, if he told it to.
He is the universe cradling his players, holding them in his palm above a silence that’d claim them if he let it claim them. It would have had Scar. It would have had Cleo. It would have Joe, now, if he allowed it. They are so terribly fragile.
-
aka 4 times xisuma gets propositioned by his players who are expecting him to make use of certain admin privileges, and he is really not whatsoever interested in hurting them even though he theoretically should be according to some people. and 1 time that is, uh, NOT what happens.
Why I love it: Exploration of and different takes on admin powers on Minecraft servers are always interesting, and this one is great and gave me many Xisuma feelings.

so enlist every ounce of your bright blood by springbeetle
5.3k, Grian/Scar&Cub, captivity
Summary: “Actually, I was thinking of building a permit office,” Scar said carefully, and Grian’s feathers bristled up. “Don’t freak out, though, okay? I’m not reusing ideas, never, perish the thought. We’re free thinking men, I’m taking inspiration. Opening doors to new experiences, really— digging deep.”
The basement, then. Grian skittered his gaze away from Scar’s, stared at one of their shulker boxes and envisioned the contents with gusto. He’d gotten fantastic at counting his inventory if he was having trouble thinking correctly, within the boundaries their new admins preferred. He had to keep his thoughts in order if he was going to come up with phrases like well, batter my fish sticks and fry me at the fair— the one time he’d tried that one out, Scar had laughed so hard that he’d fallen off a battlement and died, and One had punished Grian for the delay. Clearly he needed better material.
“And here I thought vex didn’t need to open doors,” he said lightly.
“Oh, we don’t, really,” Scar said, and alright, that was Cub. Cub was here. Cub was here.
Why I love it: Grian and Scar are captives of the Watchers and they do their best to make it through; Cub ~attempts a rescue. Hurts so good.

Snapshots from a Hermitcraft Wedding by Vanyel
2.3k, Ren/Doc, fluff
Summary: Making it official. Because they can.
Why I like it: Something light and sweet to end the list on.

For March recs, four of my favorite fics from fffx.

( Hermitcraft, Harry Potter, original work, Assassin's Creed )

I almost failed my plan for monthly rec posts in January already... And I didn't participate in snowflake_challenge, though I'm still vaguely considering doing it a bit later. Definitely after my exam.

I didn't have anything planned so I just browsed through my fic bookmarks until I found something I wanted to rec, and that's why you get recs for three amazing Animorph AUs.
I read all of the Animorph books they had at the library as a teenager, then I mostly forgot about them, and then many years later I discovered some excellent fic online. Since then I keep vaguely thinking that I might reread them one day (they're available for free online) but it hasn't happened yet because it's a big time commitment and there's so many other things to read.

Eleutherophobia by SoloMoon
series of 15 works, 322k words; more might be added but it has a good stopping point
~post-canon canon-divergent AU, gen focus with background relationships
Summary: Eleutherophobia: n., Greek, the fear of freedom
Tom survived Rachel's assassination attempt; the yeerk in his head did not. Now he's left dealing with his overprotective but traumatized parents, a little brother battling survivor guilt in a world that thinks he's a superhero, his terrifyingly awesome ex-neighbor determined to change the world, the girl from high school who he loved enough to follow to a Sharing meeting, and a whole bunch of other former hosts who think that just because a yeerk wearing his body once led a revolution Tom actually knows what he's talking about half the time.
Why I love it: This is so good. The aftermath of a "happy ending" but there is still so much left open; this story does an excellent job looking at the after-effects of what Tom, the Animorphs, and the world have been through, and it delivers great h/c, politicking, relationships, worldbuilding, just so many cool things.

Daemorphing by Poetry
series with 31 works, 710k words, WIP (though only missing an extended epilogue)
His Dark Materials fusion, gen focus with background relationships
Summary: They can't tell you their real names, or their dæmons' names. The Yeerks are everywhere. But they're going to fight back.
Why I love it: The worldbuilding is fantastic (especially in regard to other races), the canon divergences are fascinating, the adventures and relationships are so so good.

The Unending Lull by SoloMoon
35k, gen focus with background relationships, canon-divergence AU
Summary: Overnight, every single yeerk on Planet Earth suddenly dies. The Animorphs, and the former yeerk hosts, try to figure out what to do in the aftermath of the war's abrupt end.
AU that picks up between #19: The Departure and #20: The Discovery.
Why I love it: I really like the perspectives in this and the examination of the aftermath and the different ~factions and both where they are powerless and different ways to fight.

Have you read the Animorphs books? What are your favorite parts? :)

I had a busy week and then I got so distracted by MCCI fishing that I didn't even post about FIAB yet (nor read or commented as much as I wanted, or do Christmas shopping...)

I got two great gifts:
somewhere a clock is ticking by Odaigahara, Life Series SMP
10.9k, gen, Grian & Cleo & Etho, space AU
Summary:
Scar had sounded friendly, over the comm. Delighted to hear Grian’s voice, the longing of a terraformer who’d been stuck away from living planets for ages creeping into his tone. Wait, Grian, are you coming in person? Can’t you stretch your delivery window a little? We could always say there were asteroid beasts trying to eat us. Etho would back me up, and it’s not like they could extend our contracts–
If there’s asteroid beasts, I’m staying right in my pilot’s seat where I can flee them in style, Grian had retorted.
No, no, only good things here, Scar had protested, the reports of beasts have been greatly exaggerated, and you know, we have algae, we all like algae, we’re all about eating your greens–
Scar had aimed for Grian’s center of mass. His stunner had been set one level below lethal. If it had hit where he was aiming, Grian would’ve had worse heart palpitations than this, bordering on deadly. Trouble breathing.
Certainly trouble escaping.
Why I love it: The worldbuilding is very smart and cool, the action and tension work so well, the character voices are excellent, the mix of serious and banter is great, the writing is so good and so is the pacing, many feelings. (Do mind the "ambiguous ending" tag!)

How to tell if Etho likes you? Asking for a friend by alice_not_alice, Hermitcraft SMP
1.2k, Etho & Scar & ensemble, Hermitcraft season 10
Summary: “I have a question. Don’t ask me why I need to know, that knowledge lies beyond the realm of any mortal mind. My question…is this: how do you tell whether or not Etho likes you?”
Why I love it: This is very sweet and touching, so many of the answers and interactions were absolutely perfect, and the ending is great.

So it has been a very good FIAB for me. I got a very nice comment from my recip on one of my stories; not yet on the other work but I did get some comments from other people which helped me rein in my anxious impatience.


Plus, some recs for FIAB works not for me: ( 2x Hermitcraft, DSMP, 2x Star Wars, Naruto )


I don't really understand why I got so into MCCI fishing (but at least it happened to many people.) ( MCCI fishing )

I'm definitely not using the monthly rec post to procrastinate on finishing my last FIAB fic and/or making dinner. Ahem.
4 warm Hermitcraft fics, canon knowledge required for the first three.

tall enough to reach the branches by springbeetle
4.8k, Grian&Mumbo & Grumbot, Hermitcraft s7 kidfic
Summary: “Maybe we should go through it again,” Mumbo said. He abandoned his own project, an attempt to diagram an automatic dispenser so a baby player could memorize it, and wandered over. Grian batted him with the top of a wing on principle. Mumbo sputtered and stepped pointedly out of range. “Right, take a gander at this, yeah? Watch me extremely carefully.”
He crouched next to Grumbot, suit jacket crumpling a bit, and started explaining what he carried with him all over again, slowing his cadence like he was giving a redstone tutorial to a clueless builder. Grumbot inched closer and pressed against his side, peeking up at Grian like he was making sure he was still there.
Grian’s heart flipped in his chest, making a good faith effort to crawl up and block his throat.
Why I like it: Grumbot turned into a baby player. Grian and Mumbo struggle because they have never seen a child before, usually players come into existence as adults, but they care so much and they try their best. I love this as worldbuilding and the fic is very sweet.

Washed Up Together by buildinblocks
2k, Etho & Gem, Hermitcraft early s10 slice of life
Summary: Gem and Etho discuss the merits of being washed up.
Why I love it: Great character voices, and such a good side-by-side of their experiences with reputation, very touching and warm.

special delivery by vexcraft
1k, Pearl & Scar & Cub, Hermitcraft s10
Summary: Pearl was fairly certain this was not in her job description.
She supposed she had agreed to do special deliveries – this was still something she would have called Scar for. If he was available that was. Which brings her to the next problem.
Scar was currently very small, very gray, and a little feathery. And also in her mailbag.
Why I like it: Adorable.

a pesky bird in the hand by Odaigahara
2k, Grian & Mumbo, Borrowers AU
Summary: Mumbo looked at the sticky note saying I want to see you burn the world for a long, long moment, blinking in mustachioed astonishment, before saying flatly, "Absolutely not."
"Aw, come on," Grian muttered to himself from his vantage point atop the display shelves. He scribbled out another sticky note and crouched, waiting for Mumbo to turn around, then got tired of waiting and sneaked to the side to place the sticky note just to the right of him.
It took some effort. The sticky notes were three-quarters of his height, and they kept sticking to his hands.
Why I like it: Very funny and sweet.

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 faerie AU, a mech AU, a cyberpunk AU, and a zombie apocalypse AU walk into a fandom... )


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.)