Rec List (all Arthur/Eames)

[eternalsojourn]

I’m pretty new to this community; for that matter, any LJ or writing community. So I have no idea if there’s any protocol and etiquette to this rec’ing malarkey. For example, am I supposed to let all these people know I’ve rec’ed them? Was I supposed to wait for some arcane milestone before throwing up a list like this? I’ll trust anyone out there to let me know if I’ve set a foot wrong somewhere and I won’t take offense.

Basically, I devoured a whole bunch (mountains, really) of Inception fanfic before jumping in and writing my own, and I wanted to record some of the ones that stuck with me. This list is nowhere near complete; it’s just what I thought of off the top of my head and in no particular order.

Kyrene:

Bluebells series
Epic h/c with Eames as the one tortured (I know this fandom loves to have Arthur flogged, beaten, killed, tortured or otherwise destroyed). This one stretches over several stories and is just beautiful.

Where Are You Going with My Heart 
Kyrene describes this as the step-brother AU that no one asked for. It is, however, the AU I never knew I always wanted. Oh, the 16yo UST, the secretive masturbation, the forced bed sharing, this series hits all my favourite tropes but in a way that is natural and expected in the context of the story. Did I mention the UST? This series, along with cherrybina 's journal are my biggest impetuses for my obsession with underage Arthur/Eames.

gyzym :

domesticverse
This complex exploration of the many painful and ecstatic elements of a relationship is partly responsible for my rabidly fanatical devotion to the Arthur/Eames ship. This is a love story that builds layers below the surface of the characters and traces the evolution of a relationship that is difficult but bonded so powerfully it’s hard to imagine anyone else ever being suitable for either of these two.

I’ve Got Nothing To Do Today But Smile (The Only Living Boy in New York) 
I shouldn’t need to rec this, should I? I feel like I was the last person in the world to come across it, and I have to agree with everyone else: I want to climb inside this fic and live in it forever. It makes me smile so hard I feel like a lunatic.

knowmydark :

Like a Bullet in the Back 
This is ridiculous crack and I love it so much. I giggled. Actualfax giggled. I didn’t giggle when I was a 7 year old girl, I should not be giggling at 34. But there you go, tiny Eames does crazy shit to me, apparently.

eleveninches :

Get Out of My Dream, Get Into My Car 
I don’t know what it is about boys being stupid about their emotions, but I love it. Also, I love it when that protective/vengeful gene that makes boys so irresistible translates into cartoonishly violent urges on the part of either Arthur or Eames. This one hits all the right notes and includes an awesome Yusuf and enough explosives to take down Liverpool. Okay, that last appeals to the ex-Manchester resident in me, but there’s enough in this story to please anyone who likes good writing. :D

Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer (and Sequel) 
The background to how Arthur and Eames get together is wonderfully concise in this one, and one of my favourite things is eleveninches’ flashback snapshots of Arthur slowly warming to Eames. But their life together in Mombasa is something I hold a special place for in my heart.

All’s Fair 
I have a soft spot for people furiously masturbating to thoughts of each other, probably thanks to this fic. This is funny and sweet and hot all at the same time.

the_moonmoth :

Whether We Dance 
This is straight up porn and I credit it with flipping the switch on my felching kink. Definitely one for the wank bank.

thehoyden :

Incipit
One of the best AUs out there, IMO. Eames is a brilliant author, Arthur is his (dream) editor and together there is more UST and joyous meta story-building than my poor heart can handle. Both characters are perfect in this, and I don’t really have anything insightful to say, it’s just one of my favourite fics.

twilightthief :

It Takes Two When It Used to Take Only One 
I’ve never been to Cape Cod, but I fell in love with it in this fic. This story broke me. It broke my heart and pieced it back together in the most loving way. I cried real tears on the goddamn bus reading this fic.

starlingthefool :

Lions and Tigers 
As a massive, down-to-the-bone fan of Calvin and Hobbes, this fic was destined to be love-it-or-hate-it for me. The premise is that Eames is who Calvin grew up to be. Eames is English, Calvin isn’t. Obstacle neatly overcome. Hobbes being “real” or not was an issue never really resolved in the original comic book. Obstacle neatly overcome. The result is not just something that works, but manages to be a rumination on childhood, relationships, growing up, and surviving pain, while at the same time paying beautiful tribute to the gloriousness that was C&H. Gorgeous. I’ve printed and reread this more times than I care to admit.

anamuan :

Come When You’re Called 
Okay, I have a thing for Tom Hardy’s voice. And a thing for people who command. And a thing for an Arthur who needs Eames in some way. So this fic in which Arthur becomes dependent on Eames’s voice to be able to come? Yeah, another one for the wank bank.

tortillafactory :

Idle Hands 
This is a how-they-got-together story told largely through instant message, and it’s hot. It appeals to me how setting it up like this gives it an air of reality. Like, if I’m reading a narrative fiction, I know I’m reading it and I just put myself in that headspace - suspension of disbelief and all that. But reading an instant message exchange is something I could conceivably do in real life, and the fact that this is written in a way that is completely believable adds to its appeal. I don’t know if I’m explaining that well, but the end result is I thought it was really hot. Plus, you know, the previously-mentioned masturbation kink I have.

Anonymousunvarnishedtale :

Daddy, Come Around 
Daddy kink? Not really my thing. Underage Arthur? So totally my thing. Well-written daddy kink all wrapped up in an underage!Arthur fic with a sexy Eames who’s all-too-tempted? That may just be the way to add daddy kink to my list.

sometimesalways :

stay awake through summer (like we own the heat) 
Okay, so foxxcub  posted a pic as a result of a picspam in cherrybina's journal that resulted in a whole pile of freakin’ adorable little mini-fics about wee bb!Arthur and wee bb!Eames kissing at summer camp. The picture is amazing. The fics are amazing. I’m posting this one because I love it, but I love all of them listed in the link.

pushdragon :

Getting Laid Ain’t What it Used To Be 
A grammar lesson and porn in one glorious fic. \o/

Sorry, if I missed linking any LJ users directly. Some of these fics I didn't find in LJ.

Comments

[beanarie.livejournal.com]

If you like eleveninches, you'll probably like downwardlinear, kellifer_fic, and ethrosdemon.

I love this list. There's a bunch I've never heard of. Thanks!

[eternalsojourn.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the recommendations! I will definitely check them out.

And now that I've posted this thing, it occurs to me that there are a whole pile of fics I can also think of off the top of my head that are incredible. This list was pretty haphazard. And it doesn't even touch the WIPs I've somehow found myself hooked on, and I detest the very notion of reading something unfinished. But I just can't stop.

I think I'll try to put together a second list, if only for my own sense of substantial completion* (to date, anyway).

*This is a weasel term from the world of construction, which means we can call something complete even when it isn't.

[beanarie.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I know what you mean. I can't keep up with all the amazing. Thankfully delires finished the Chav!Eames epic. That takes one addictive wip off my list.

We use substantially completed at my office as well! :D It's so we can get paid for evaluations that clients don't show up to finish.

[we-reflamingos.livejournal.com]

Hi, just wanted to say "thanks for the rec list" because no matter who posts them there's always a mix of 'oooh-haven't read' and 'oooh-should read again'.

PLUS, you have good taste in fic. :)

Also, I like the way your mind works. ;D

And I'm a little green with envy because I'm NOT new to this fandom and still haven't managed to get a rec list up yet. :/

[eternalsojourn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! FWIW, I would be all over a rec list if you see fit to making one at some point. I love seeing what other people love, and it bodes well that you think I have good taste. :)

[we-reflamingos.livejournal.com]

OHHHH! I've just made the connection between you and your fics.

The thing is, I got in on this fandom early. In relative terms, this fandom is outstanding for quality.

With that in mind, if I were to do a rec list, it would be ungainly. I'd have to break it up into The AUs, The Origin Fics, The Drabbles, The Art, The Ones That Will Break Your Heart, The jailbat!fics*, etc.

*seriously, I didn't didn't do so much as gen HS fic before this fandom, but now I think jailbait!fic is AWESOME!!!

That said, Educating the Young, would SOOOOOOOOO be on my list. ;D

And I've read your friending policy and, yeah, I'm there too. xD

[eternalsojourn.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, thank you so much! Yeah, that's me, the jailbait-loving pervert. I worked myself into almost a full-blown panic attack before posting that story. It was only my second fill for anything in any fandom, so talk about jumping in the deep end.

Now you've planted this idea in my head of categorizing all my favourite fics, so there's probably a spreadsheet in my near future. D:

[we-reflamingos.livejournal.com]

OOOh, I forgot to mention the PWP category!

It could well be a major series in itself.

...

..

.

So hot.


This thought makes me happy :o)

[adelaide-rain.livejournal.com]

I love gyzym's domesticverse more than anything in the world. It's SO well written, the characterisation is just perfect and oh, oh, I just LOVE domestic fics anyway but this owns my heart.

Thank you for the recs, I'm so slow at reading atm because I have so much stuff on, but I will definitely come back to this list <3

[never-rewind.livejournal.com]

Reclist to reclist I should mentioned that I saw this and hit BOOKMARK. The sad thing about a lovely fandom with lots of lovely stories, is that I keep misplacing things I loved and am so happy when I reencounter them and it is so hard to keep track of what is written. OR IS THAT THE AWESOME THING? Always something new to read! ANYWAYS, the point being reclists are basically the only way to navigate fandom IMO, so I am glad you put this lovely one up!